Personally and professionally I have grown more at FDR and I thank them for that.
Pros
Let me begin with an apology. I am not a writer nor has grammar ever been a strong suit of mine. I would normally not share my thoughts in written word but do understand where negative thoughts and accusations come from…I once lived them. When I first came to FDR I was very skeptical. I graduated from college with a degree in Finance and was a successful financial consultant prior to going into the mortgage business. I had always looked at finance as a way to make people money and never looked at the “helping people out of a messy financial situation” side. In going through training and learning of all the tools out there that can help the general public I was excited about the opportunity! Once on the phone I found that it would not be as easy as I thought, and I thought I was the best!! Instead of making excuses I looked deep into my process, spoke to my Team Lead and sought help from successful account executives at the time. This was a humbling experience and I will admit I even shed a few tears. I worked very hard to understand the leads that were calling in and how I could truly help them. I had to stop looking inward at what I needed and truly listen and understand each lead that was calling in. The answer was easy but the understanding took time. The answer was and still is to put the leads needs ahead of my own. Always consult as if you are speaking to your closest relative and give the most hones advice you can. The beauty of what the company does and the message delivered by management is that we cannot help everyone. This is not a “cure all” product/service. We deliver other companies options and send people on their way in the same manner and kindness as if we were enrolling them ourselves and this is a very big deal to me. I was hired in late February of 2008, hit my stride in June 2008 and began to do very well. In our world enrolling a million dollars of business is a big deal. In the perceived "slow season" of December 2008 I enrolled over 20 clients for a total of $961,214. Once it was not about the numbers and about just helping the leads (while using all systems/ tools/ insight given to me), things became very clear and simple. Personally and professionally I have grown more at FDR and I thank them for that. As for frustrated account executives and people in general I urge them to look outward, help others and seek help in whatever it is you do…For as long as you live. It takes time for people to learn that life is not about them, it’s about helping others. Once this basic theory is understood and truly employed, success and fulfillment is around the corner. Unfortunately in the “Sales” world this is a tough theory to teach.
Cons
Sales is not always done through Selling and this is a tough concept for some people to understand.