SAM SONES, LUTCF “I Love What I Do for a Living”

By Ayo Mseka

Growing up, 36-year old Sam Sones, LUTCF, idolized his dad and wanted to pursue a career in business, just like he did. But after working at an insurance agency, Sones fell in love with insurance and has stayed in the industry ever since.

But before he made it to insurance, Sones took a detour: He did an internship at Smith Barney/Citibank. Although he liked working there, it was not enough to keep him there, and he yearned for something else.

Wanting to stay close to home and do something different, he accepted a position at an insurance agency in 2006. There, he gained a lot of experience in insurance and ended up loving it. “It showed me that I can be local and still make a good living,” he said.

From there, Sones moved to Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company/MS Farm Bureau Insurance Company in Brookhaven, Mississippi. At Southern Farm, Sones and his team specialize in a wide range of insurance and financial planning products, including property and casualty, home and auto insurance, life insurance, annuities, and Roth IRAs.

In just 12 years, Sones has built a successful practice, which has earned him many accolades, honors and awards. He is an 11-year qualifier for the prestigious Southern Farm Bureau Round Table, which represents the top incentive in the company based on life insurance production yearly. He is a two-time MFP Mississippi Agent of the Year, based on all insurance lines, a multi-year NAIFA Quality Award Winner, and a multi-year NAIFA Multiline Award Winner.

In the last two years, he has also produced $35 million and $41 million, respectively, in personal life insurance volume.

uses it every day. “I make my living by doing the little things that many people do not want to do,” he said.

The Value Of Belonging To Naifa

Another critical component of Sones’ success is his NAIFA membership. He joined NAIFA in 2008, when all agents at Farm Bureau were expected to join the association. “As soon as you joined the company, you were asked to join NAIFA, and you did. You joined NAIFA by default — and that is a good thing,” he said.

Joining NAIFA is a good thing because, according to Sones, the association is the backdrop for the financial services industry. “If something comes up that might harm our industry, NAIFA is there to speak up for us,” he said.

NAIFA’s continuing education programs have also helped Sones move his career forward. His LUTCF designation, for example, enhances his reputation with clients and prospects. And during his LILI classes, he was able to network with other NAIFA members and sharpen his leadership skills.

Away From The Office

Success Strategies

When asked the reasons for this high level of production, Sones’ answers are quick and to the point:

• It all boils down to how much you love what you do, he said. If you serve people and serve them well, you will succeed. If you enjoy what you do and you do it well, you will find success. “Southern Farm Bureau is a great fit for me because it gives me the opportunity to do what I love,” he added.

• You need to go all in. “Give it all you’ve got,” he said, or “you will not achieve the maximum that you can achieve.”

• Don’t be afraid to do business in a personal way. He sends personalized greeting cards to all of his clients, gives them his cell phone number and is in constant touch with them.

• Take the time to find out the real needs of your clients and make this your primary objective, he stressed. “If you can agree with the client about his or her need, then there is a high possibility that you will make a sale.” And even if you don’t make a sale, taking the time to discover your prospect’s need helps build meaningful relationships, which often lead to sales.

• Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate what you are saying to the client. Lay out options in simple terms and communicate them simply.

• Be organized. You must figure out a way to be organized because a lack of organization is a major barrier to growth, he said. For at least 10 years, he has used a system that organizes all of his prospecting activity — and he faithfully

Like many hard-working producers, Sones knows the value of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. To relax and unwind each day, he does not have to go far: He simply goes home and “becomes a dad” to his four children, who are all under the age of eight.

He also loves to spend time with his wife, Brittany, whom he describes as “the best person I know. My job would have been more difficult without her, and in fact, her job is the real job.”

And he loves to travel and makes it a point to go to the beach every year. In addition, his faith is very important to him — he is active in his church and serves as an active deacon there.

This faith is perhaps what enables him to look for the positive in everything. For example, when COVID-19 first struck and almost everything was shut down, he did not lose faith. Instead, he saw the time as a “quiet production period” during which he held Zoom meetings with clients and co-workers, sent out numerous email messages, and made good use of the telephone, which he describes as “an agent’s best friend.”

He also bought a high-quality wireless printer, and observing all social-distancing rules, conducted client meetings in his yard. “No client turned down my request for a meeting,” he said. “I made a lot of sales in my yard. COVID19 taught me that you can still do what you want to do if you are creative and can think outside the box.”