Ippei Hara is a notorious figure in the Japanese life insurance industry. There are nearly a million life insurance professionals in Japan, many of whom do not know the names of the managing directors of the 20 life insurance companies across Japan, but none of whom do not know Ippei Hara. His life is full of legends, from being recognised by his village as a hopeless little tai-po to becoming the "god of sales", the number one salesman in the Japanese insurance industry for 15 consecutive years.
Beginning of Meiji Insurance
27 March 1930 was a remarkable day for Ippei Hara who, at the age of 27, walked into a job opening at Meiji Insurance with his CV in hand. A senior professional who had just returned from studying salesmanship in the United States was the examiner. He took one look at the "guy" in front of him, who was only 145 cm tall and weighed 50 kg, and said, "You're not qualified."
Stunned, Yuan Yiping took a long time to recover and stammered, "Why ...... would you say that?"
The examiner said contemptuously, "To be honest with you, selling insurance is very difficult and you are not cut out for it." Enraged, Yuan Yiping's head shot up, "May I ask what kind of criteria you have to meet to enter your company?" "10,000 yuan per person per month." "Everyone can accomplish that figure?" "Of course." Yuan Yiping's defiant energy came to the fore and he gambled, "In that case, I can do 10,000 yuan too." The examiner glared contemptuously at Yuan Yiping and let out a sneer.
A tough start
Yuan Yiping "dared" to make a promise to sell 10,000 yuan a month, but did not win the favour of the examiner and reluctantly became a "trainee salesman". There was no desk, no salary, and the old salesman was often used as an "errand boy". During his first seven months as a salesman, he didn't even get a penny of insurance, so of course he didn't get a penny of salary. To save money, he had to go to work without taking the tram, skip lunch and sleep on a park bench at night.
Selling himself was more important than selling insurance, but none of this deterred Ippei Hara. He took the humiliation of the day he applied for the job as a whip and kept on "beating" himself, working all day long and working hard so that he would not let up. downfall is temporary, I must succeed, I will succeed." He understood that at this point he was no longer simply selling insurance, he was selling himself. He wanted to prove to the world: "I am sales material."
The success was not lost on him.
He is still in high spirits and gets up at 5am every morning to walk to work from his "home". Along the way, he is constantly smiling and greeting passers-by. A gentleman, who often sees his happy face, is so impressed that he invites him to breakfast. Despite his hunger, he politely declined. When he learned that he was a salesman for an insurance company, the gentleman said, "Since you won't do me the honour of having a meal with me, I'll take your policy!" He finally signed the first policy of his life. To his surprise, the gentleman was the owner of a large hotel and introduced him to a lot of business.
The end of the line
From that day onwards, Yiping's work performance began to skyrocket. By the end of the year, he had achieved a total of 168,000 yen in nine months, far exceeding his promise at the time. He was immediately impressed by his colleagues, and at this point his success brought tears to his eyes as he said to himself, "Well done, Ippei Hara, you poor boy who doesn't eat lunch, doesn't take the bus and lives in a park!"
Work is a fire in the heart
Despite his success and fame, Yuan Yiping was not willing to stop and continued to work. His wife complained, "With our savings now, we have enough to last a lifetime, so why work so hard every day?"
But Hara Ippei replied unconcernedly, "It is not a question of whether there is food to eat or not, but a fire burning in my heart, a fire that never gives in and works within my body."
Hara Ippei has written with his lifetime of practice the skills that one should have as a great salesman, a good salesman. He wants to tell these skills to every ordinary person, every person who is on the verge of success. For this reason, he has carried out continuous lectures all over the world to spread his ideas.
Work tips
He held regular "Ippei Hara Criticism Meetings" for six years to listen to people's opinions and to review and improve himself.
He has been going to a famous Japanese temple every week to listen to the Zen teachings of Yoshida Katsuhide and Ito Dogai to improve his training.
He has a detailed and clear questionnaire for each client, creating a classified file.
He divided his smiles into 39 categories and practised them in front of a mirror, once using 30 smiles when dealing with an extremely stubborn customer, and his smile was known as "the million dollar smile".
He had the perseverance and conviction to win a major client, and once succeeded in doing so after making 70 unsuccessful visits over a period of three years and eight months.
The Three Graces: Social Grace, Buddhist Grace and Customer Grace
In the history of Ippei Hara's struggle, one of the most respected principles among life insurance salesmen is the Three Graces Doctrine: social grace, Buddhist grace and customer grace.
Ippei Hara was a salesman at Meiji Insurance Company, but today he has become a giant of insurance and is respected as the "god of sales", he is not arrogant and arrogant, instead he is humble and thankful for his company's training. This is "social grace".
In addition to his own hard work, Ippei Hara is also indebted to his mentors, Chairman Crosfield and Director Abe. However, he is most grateful to his mentors Katsuhide Yoshida and Michihiro Ito for their insight and guidance, without which he would have been a mere salesman. This is the "Buddha's grace".
When it comes to "customer kindness", it means being grateful to the customers who attend. It is by having a heart of gratitude for each and every customer that we can provide the best possible service to them. According to YIPING, he gives back to the company and to his clients, except for 10% of his earnings, which he keeps for his own use.
It is with this triple benefactor approach that Ippei has achieved so much. Sales is a lonely and isolated path, and is met with far more disdain and coldness than any other industry. However, the unique Hara Ippei has used his sweat and hard work, tenacity and patience to walk this thorny road, creating a miracle of the world and becoming the "God of Sales" that everyone admires. This spirit is worthy of study and admiration by all those who come after him!
