A partner at Newman LTC in Bloomington, MN, Lynn Devitt has been a top-producing professional partner agent at the agency for many years. In 2004, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) recognized her as the nation's No. 1 LTCI producer. Both Devitt and the agents and advisors with whom she partners understand the magic of leveraging and transferring the client's trust to Devitt.
Here's how she makes it all work.
Q: How many phone calls do you make each week to set appointments?
Lynn Devitt: Most of my prospecting calls are to professional referral sources. Sometimes I'm calling someone who has agreed to be a referral source but has not moved forward with referrals, and I'm calling to help figure out how make it work for them. My other calls are to the clients who have been referred to me by their advisor, specifically to look at LTCI as part of their financial plan.
Q: How old were you when you bought your own LTCI policy?
LD: 55
Q: What's your personal plan for long term care?
LD: Those two children I gave birth to. I think six months with each will be fine each year, especially since I own LTCI.
Q: Which LTCI policy do you sell the most these days, and why?
LD: Right now, because of the clients that I'm getting now, it's John Hancock Custom Care II or Leading Edge. If there's not a health issue, I lead with the one that's least expensive. I insist on a calendar-day elimination period.
Q: How many claims have you seen?
LD: I have had a lot of people on claim, and a number right now. When I started selling in 1997, most of the clients we worked with were older. Claims have not been an issue for me with any of my clients, which has to do with the quality of company we deal with.
Q: Think back to when you graduated; what did you plan to be back then?
LD: When I graduated from high school, my intent was to be a veterinarian, which wasn't easy for a female. Instead, I went into education and got a master's in counseling. I worked in public education for 28 years before becoming an LTCI specialist.
Q: What hobby do you most enjoy or would you like to try next?
LD: I have so many of them! I love the outdoors; I love riding horseback, and golfing, and travel. Every year, with a friend I taught school with, I try to create something that at that time I have no skill in. So last year, I made a sugar spoon from a flat piece of silver. This year, I went back to the same program and made a day knife with a wood handle and a leather sheaf. I love to find something that I have no skill in and learn that skill. When I travelled to Norway, I saw antique spoons that looked just like the one I made. Next up is painting.
