Featured New York Life Insurance Agent: Jayshree Patel

Featured New York Life Agent: Jayshree Patel

• New York Life Agent for: 11 years
• Learned Fluent English in 1994
• Most Clients are 1st Generation Immigrant and Small Business Owners

FOR ONE NEW YORK LIFE AGENT: LOSS IS A POWERFUL MOTIVATOR
For Jayshree Patel, a career as an agent at New York Life Insurance Company is about helping ensure her clients’ futures are secure and certain. Growing up in a small town in India with her widowed mother and four sisters, security and certainty were scarce. “I lost my dad when I was just 3 years old.

My sisters, my mother and I have seen first hand the impact of not having a financial backing, and the impact that the absence of a breadwinner can have on a family,” she explains. “We had to learn to make many compromises in our early life. Now, as an agent, I make sure that my clients leave a legacy for their loved ones so they can live with security and dignity.” Loss can be a powerful motivator, as Ms. Patel points out. “I was taught from a young age to stay focused, whether it was at school or doing chores around the home. I was also taught the importance of family, and to be passionate and caring. It helped me make the best of my situation. That focus and passion has helped me get to where I am today.”

A NEW COUNTRY OPENS DOORS
But success didn’t come overnight, and transitioning to a new country and language took time and hard work. Marrying her husband Nilam at age 18, Ms. Patel later emigrated to the United States in 1993. In a new country, she found that working for a family business allowed her to make the adjustment smoothly while expanding her language skills. “Growing up, I was taught in my native language of Gujarati and didn’t encounter an English subject until fifth grade,” says Ms. Patel. “Later, after the birth of my first daughter in 1994, I worked for my father-in-law’s video rental business. There, I learned to interact with the customers in English and became fluent in it. Some time later, as I prepared for the arrival of my son, I felt as though I was ready for a new challenge. My husband, who was in management with New York Life at the time, suggested that I look into becoming an agent with the Company.” Continues Ms. Patel, “The professional environment and agent training program — considered to be one of the best in the industry — is what attracted me to join. I also realized that the work that Nilam did for families, in terms of addressing their financial security, was very important and it hit home with me.”

SETTING THE BAR HIGH
Since joining New York Life as an agent in December 1997, Ms. Patel consistently ranks among the Company’s highest achieving agents. In 2007 alone, she was an Eagle Award Winner, New York Life’s prestigious honor for its leading Individual Life Case Writer, as well as qualifying “Top of the Table” in the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). “The majority of my clients are small business owners who are first generation immigrants and have worked extremely hard to earn their money,” says Ms. Patel. “The work that I do with them will help the next generation work with money, rather than for it.” To that end, she has set a goal to provide $1 billion of life insurance in the community she serves by 2011.

PRIORITY: FAMILY TIME
While this goal may seem challenging for a busy mother of three, Ms. Patel feels fortunate that she is able to find balance between work and family. She explains, “Finding balance is my utmost priority. Since I make my own schedule by choosing when to work, I find not only balance, but quality time to spend with my family. Furthermore, since my husband and I now work as a team, my career has allowed me to travel the world with my entire family. To think, without his suggestion, I would have never had this fantastic career,” she laughs.

For over a decade, New York Life is an excellent career choice for motivated, successful women such as Ms. Patel. In fact, women represented over 32% of the Company’s new hires in 2007, and it has more female MDRT members than any other U.S. company — representing 26% of all women MDRT members, based on 2007 membership.

"“The work that I do with them will help the next generation work with money, rather than for it,” says Patel.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
But what really motivates our agents? According to Ms. Patel it’s the fact that she is helping those in her community. “Sadly, a client of mine passed away from cancer, but our careful planning allowed his wife and two kids to continue to live comfortably and with dignity, while also preserving the family business. My job is to create a ‘safety net’ for my clients. As an agent with New York Life, I am blessed with opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of others.” Find balance while building a successful career and make a difference in your community. Speak to a New York Life recruiter today and come see for yourself why it’s The Company You Keep®.

For more information, view www.nylcareersforwomen or call (800) 497-0849.

*MDRT is recognized throughout the industry as the standard of excellence in life insurance sales performance.
As featured in Professional Woman's Magazine, Summer 2008

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