People are a company’s greatest asset. Most corporations in America have been influenced too much by things like college degrees, college board scores, IQ, background and family status. A.I. Williams believes that “inside” qualities are far more important than those kinds of “outside” qualities. I believe that you never know what people are made of until you give them a chance out on the playing field. A1. Williams believes that every red-blooded American, man or woman, wants to be somebody.
We were built to give these people — the people who have been “locked out” of corporate America or locked out of the opportunity to go into business for themselves — a chance to stand on their own two feet, a chance to go into business for themselves and do something special with their lives. We are able to attract a different kind of person to the business community, a person who wants to be somebody, who still knows how to dream, who can still hope, who is willing to fight for what he or she believes is right — the kind of person who is the heart and soul of America. A.I. Williams people are not “corporate executive” types — and we’re proud of it! Most people today have a feeling that corporate America doesn’t care about quality or about doing what’s right — that they’re only interested in making a profit. Before we ever made our first sale, A.I. Williams looked at what was available to the consumer.
We found that cash value life insurance was NOT the best way to provide protection for families. We discovered that the best way was a simple little philosophy of “BUY TERM AND INVEST THE DIFFERENCE.” We made “buy term and invest the difference” the cornerstone of our philosophy. We were going to sell the consumer what was best; we were going to sell him what we believed in owning on our own lives. And we were going to do that 100% of the time.
You can’t fool the consumer forever. If you don’t do what’s right, you might get by for one day, one week, one month or one year — but sooner or later, he’ll smell you out. Most companies sell dozens of different products; if you don’t like one, they’ll offer you another. We sell ONE PRODUCT ALL THE TIME; BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT PRODUCT! One thing I’ve learned in business is that the American consumer hates a “mealy mouth” or a “fencesitter” — an individual or company that doesn’t have a firm, committed belief in certain values. At A.I. Williams, we don’t change our mind or change our products depending on which way the winds blow in the insurance industry. The only changes we make are those that make our products better first for the consumer, second for the field force and third for the company — in that order.
In 1977, when we founded A.L. Williams, we adopted the motto: “A.L. Williams is a company where salespeople are KING!” Most businesses in America are run by lawyers, accountants, actuaries or business school graduates. When this company was formed, we made the decision that unless you’ve carried a briefcase in the field, unless you know what it’s like out there in the real world, unless you’ve experienced “first hand” what this company is all about, you’re not going to have any say-so in affecting the lives of the salespeople. In any sales company, it is the salespeople who take the biggest chance. They are out there “bustin’ it” EVERY DAY; they’re fighting the competition.
In most corporations, you live in fear of ever recruiting or hiring someone who’s as good or better than you are. There are usually just a few positions at the top, and if you participate in that race up the corporate ladder, you live in fear that somebody’s going to pass you up. You’re safer to hire people who are not so good or try to hold back good people, but that, in turn, hurts your business. A.I. Williams came up with a replacement concept that eliminates that fear. In A.I. Williams, there are an unlimited number of top level positions. And by hiring and developing good people, anyone can earn promotions. In a sense, a person in A.I. Williams improves his chances for success when he develops a person “to take his place” at each management level. It’s to the advantage of the person who hires you to make sure you do well or better than he does. Finally, in our business world, we’ve created an environment where a person is encouraged to hire the best people he can find, without fear. And, in turn, he can succeed as much as his talents allow without fearing that he will be held back. The replacement concept in sales’ management is a totally new concept in the corporate world. AND IT WORKS!