Grandy goes through her job doing the best she can for her clients. It's not done because they PAY me (although it does help me actually GET to work if there's gas in the car). I truly do like helping the clients. Lately though, with everyone's spirits being so low, I can't help but wonder why I try so hard. Really... Does my extra effort matter? Does this client care that I'm working on their monthly summary over the weekend? Do they even NOTICE that I am responding to their inquiry asking for help at 9:00 at NIGHT?!?
Today Grandy's faith in why she does what she does, and why she tries so hard, was restored.
Back in the early part of the year we had a former client in a real bind. This sweet man, who had moved his business away from us a couple years ago due to something WAY beyond my control, found himself in such a mess. He was facing a litigation without insurance coverage that would pay for his defense. I spent MONTHS trying to dig deep through whatever lead I could find to retrace his insurance history that dated back to the early 1980's. NOT an easy task.
One day in April, this sweet man called me. He sounded like he was at the end of his rope. "I'm going to have to file bankruptcy," he said. He had already paid thousands of dollars towards the attorneys, and didn't think he could carry it any further. This case was NOT going to go away. This man has been in business for 36 years, and he was at his threshold.
"Give me 2 more weeks!" I said. "I HAVE TO TRY!"
He agreed to give me two more weeks. I had regular dialogue with his attorney, and was trying EVERYTHING. Then one week later the clouds opened. A couple of avenues I tried paid off big time. Not only did I find coverage, and they agreed to defend him...but they were also going to reimburse him for his bills he already paid. THOUSANDS!!!
Yesterday Grandy finally met this man in person for lunch. That's right...I had not met him in person before. I had only spoken to him on the phone. I reached to shake his hand, and this gruff, self-proclaimed "Oakie" knocked my hand away and gave me a big bear hug.
This gentle-man shared some amazing stories about how he met his wife, how she saved his life, and how things happen for a reason. He talked about what he's been working on since I have helped him. He's trying something new with the business, to try and generate business, and it seems to be working well for him.
He then turned to me and said the following:
I just want you to know that if you ever question how you make a difference in this world, you should know that you saved my business, and you saved me. My current broker wouldn't even look at the lawsuit. In fact he asked me, "What am I supposed to do with this?" You took care of this because YOU cared about what happened to ME, and I will never forget that.
Then he turns to the Producer who had worked on the account for many years and said, "As far as I'm concerned, you've got my business back. You make it happen."
As soon as Grandy got done tearing up (who am I kidding...I full on cried...even sniffled) he handed me a note and asked me to open it later, in private.
The note said: I want to Thank YOU from the bottom of my heart. Without your efforts, I would have had no choice but bankruptcy.
Yep!! This is going to be a great week!!
