Amazing.  Loyal.  Strong.  Determined.  Dedicated.  Inspiring.  Incredible.  Awesome.  Perfect.

These are words used to describe new Regional Vice President, Kristie Wooten, when her team was asked to describe her.  Her leadership and hard work have helped her achieve the success that she set her mind to.  Kristie joined AmeriPlan as a stay at home mom in May 2006, and went through a period of personal difficulty, which caused her to begin working full-time while still building her AmeriPlan business.  Kristie wanted to be able to build her business to a point to where she could stay at home full-time.  In less than two years, on Good Friday 2008, she fired her boss and was able to stay at home and work her AmeriPlan business full-time after reaching National Sales Director in March 2008.

Kristie lives in Orange Park, Florida, with her husband, Jason, and two children, Landon and Brittani.  She is thankful for her AmeriPlan business because it allows her to be involved in her children’s lives in a way that she otherwise would not be able to be.  She goes on their school field trips, attends all of their baseball and softball games, is a baseball team mom and a Girl Scout volunteer, and is home with her children every day after school.  Her business allows her to spend the summers with her kids and to make use of the time when her kids do not have school.  Kristie says she is so grateful for the opportunities AmeriPlan has provided her.

Kristie joined AmeriPlan in May, 2006 and reached Regional Sales Director in July 2006 and the Millennium Club in November 2006.  Her accomplishments in the last six years are nothing short of amazing: Kristie has been on Top Producer Trips to Quebec, Canada in 2007, Playa del Carmen, Mexico in 2009, Las Vegas in 2009, and Colorado Springs in 2010.  She was awarded the Rising Star award at Convention in 2008 and was selected to attend the Leaders of Tomorrow training in 2008.  She became part of the $25,000 President’s Club in February 2008 and the $50,000 President’s Club in September 2008.  She has been in the AmeriPlan Council of Eagles (ACE) every year she has been with AmeriPlan, and she will be there again this year.  She is a charter member of the AmeriPlan Cadillac Club.

Not only has Kristie built her own business, but she has displayed true leadership qualities.  She has built her team to replicate her success and works with them so that they can also build their businesses.  When asked about Kristie, National Sales Director Patti Triplett said, “she treats us all like we are the only one on the team…she is humble, caring, and she dedicates herself to helping us all succeed.”  Jayme Boyles, National Sales Director and Cadillac Club Member, agreed, saying, “Kristie is an honest and heart driven leader.  Her love for her team and for AmeriPlan is apparent in everything she does.  She has an amazing ability to inspire people to their full potential and to greatness.”  Kristie’s enroller and mentor is National Vice President, Janie Jones.  When asked about Kristie, Janie stated, “Kristie is a breath of fresh air!  Regardless of any obstacles or challenges that come her way, she always stays positive and knows that whatever struggles she is going through, they are only temporary. Kristie knows exactly why she is in the business and stays focused on her goals and her dreams.”

Kristie is only getting started.  Her goals include becoming part of the $100,000 Founder’s Club, become a National Vice President, and to “earn every trip, incentive and bonus ever announced and help others do the same.”  We know that with Kristie’s dedication and drive she will accomplish those goals.

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Sam was in the automobile business for nearly 25 years in sales, financing, and ownership and brings a great deal of knowledge with him to AmeriPlan.  Sam and Suzy had a friend that was involved in AmeriPlan, and Sam would watch them work the business, which helped Sam become familiar with the business.  He said that after watching a friend do it, he decided that he could do it himself.  He stated that this is the best job he has had since he was fifteen years old and pumping gas.  Sam works side by side with his wife, Suzy, and says that the two of them compliment each other well and make a great team together.  Sam has a great deal of sales expertise, and Suzy’s sweet demeanor compliments him well when working with potential IBOs.

Sam uses several techniques that he feels contribute to his success.  He says it is very important to always stay positive.  This business can have some really good days and some rough days as well, so it is important to maintain a positive attitude.  Sam also stated that he never starts working without drinking at least three cups of coffee in the morning.  He wakes up every morning and takes a shower and has his coffee and always wears a suit and tie while working from his home office.  He said this keeps him motivated and the confidence comes out in his voice when speaking with potential IBOs.  He indicates that follow-up is a very important step in recruiting new IBOs.  After he gets off the phone with a potential IBO, he waits about 10 minutes and then texts them to reinforce the conversation they had.

Sam Leath, Rookie of the Month for April, is excited to be working with AmeriPlan, and we are excited to be working with Sam.  We all look forward to seeing Sam increase his income and grow his team.

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Maria Rappa from Brewster, New York, became a National Sales Director this April.  Maria joined AmeriPlan in March 2007 and became a member in the Millennium Club in October 2008.  Maria and her husband Charles have two children, Nicolas and Fiona, ages 12 and 9.

Maria spent many years in corporate America in the Hotel/Travel industry where she worked for several hotels chains…Started out as an administrative assistant/sales coordinator and over the years moved up to a National Account Director.  She enjoyed the work, but there was a great deal of travel involved.  Once her first child arrived, she decided that she could not continue to travel so much and be away from her child, and she quit her job.  She began working from home on a contract basis and did so for many years, but she still did not have the flexibility that she needed with her kids’ schedules.  She tried a couple other network marketing opportunities, but they did not provide her with the flexibility and income she needed.  So she kept looking and found AmeriPlan.

She always had the desire to be her own boss. So, she was looking for a home business and searching on work at home mom sites and found an ad that was posted. Maria loved everything she read about Ameriplan & the Freedom at Home Team, and she knew this was the right business opportunity for her. She loved that this was a service based company with no products and home parties, but she did think about it for three months before finally joining during a promotion.

Some of Maria’s early struggles with AmeriPlan included the fact that she had to work her AmeriPlan business around her full-time job.  In the beginning her biggest struggle was finding enough time to put into her AmeriPlan business, so she eventually quit her full-time job and put all her time and effort in AmeriPlan.  One of her biggest obstacles was to realize that even though it may take longer than expected to reach certain pin levels, everyone can get there.  She stated, “the key to success with AmeriPlan is to remain consistent and keep working at goals.”  She advises new IBOs to do something every day to build their business, and it will grow.  She says new IBOs should “stay consistent and never never quit.”

Maria’s goals are to become part of the President’s Club and Cadillac Club and to work together with her team to help them build their business and reach their goals while developing more leaders.  She wants to see her organization continue to grow.

Edward and Geraldine Harrison, NSD’s

Edward and Geraldine Harrison came to AmeriPlan in June of 2006 and became National Sales Directors this April.  The Harrisons are from Sahuarita, Arizona, but spend time in both Arizona and Colorado.  They are empty nesters with three grown children who live and work in Southern California.

Both Edward and Geraldine are retired.  Edward is a retired Director of Public Safety, and Geraldine is a retired school teacher.  They have previous experience with network marketing as well.

Edward stated that he had never heard of AmeriPlan when a co-worker introduced him to the business.  He went to a presentation in Colorado Springs in 2006, and he liked the idea of a discount dental and health care business.  He saw a way to develop additional retirement income and help family and friends save money and make money, so he signed up and became an IBO.  As a new IBO he felt overwhelmed about learning a new industry, and he knew training was important to his success.  So, he made sure and attended local training as well as familiarized himself with all of the information available to him in his back office.

One of the primary obstacles the Harrisons encountered included hearing lots of people tell them no, but they kept with it.  Once they sold a couple dental plans, their confidence improved, and they knew they had a great product because they saved money by using AmeriPlan’s programs.  Ed states that his proudest moment as an IBO and now NSD is to see his team grown and realize their dreams as well as to hear from members he has enrolled who are happy with the savings they have received.

When asked what advice he would give to a new IBO, Edward stated, “Find a positive mentor. Use the products. And don’t let anyone steal your dreams!!”  Their goals are to be part of the 5-A-Month Club, the AmeriPlan Counsel of Eagles (ACE) and assist their team reach new levels.

Theresa Swendra, NSD

AmeriPlan is proud to introduce another new National Sales Director, Theresa Swendra.  If you are on our weekly challenge call with Dennis and Daniel Bloom, this name is very familiar to you, because she always seems to be on the list of top producers each month.  Theresa and her husband, Steven, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and she has two children: Alexis, 12, and Carter, 5. Theresa joined AmeriPlan in May, 2010, and became a National Sales Director on April 30, 2012.

Theresa has been a stay at home mom since her son was born, and she has tried several other opportunities; however, she was not making much money at all.  She says she looked into other work at home opportunities but did not like the products or the fact that she had to stock products or have home parties.  She was nervous about AmeriPlan at first, but after a great deal of research she felt like this was the place for her.  She found AmeriPlan by doing an online search for “Legit Work at Home Opportunities.”  She felt like the initial cost of AmeriPlan was more than she could afford at the time, but she kept AmeriPlan in mind.  When she heard about a promotion in May 2010, she jumped on that opportunity and got started.

One of Theresa’s greatest struggles early on was her schedule.  She had a three year old at home and was also caring for another child at home, plus she had many other obligations as a mother of two.  She would work during her son’s nap time, get up earlier than her kids, and stay up later at night in order to work her business.  Theresa used every minute of every day to help grow her business and make time for her family… what an inspiration to so many of us.  She said her greatest obstacle was her phone fear.  It took Theresa three months just to say her name on a conference call.  When a prospect would call her, she would feel sick to her stomach and get clammy.  She said she still struggles with this fear from time to time, but now she is hosting her own training calls and team calls!

When she first started, Theresa had many people telling her that she would never be successful with AmeriPlan.  She used this to motivate her to prove to them and to prove to herself that she could and would make it work.  She has certainly proven her point!  Theresa would encourage new IBOs to get plugged in with their enroller and their team, to attend training calls and team calls, and to remember that we are all in this together.

Theresa’s selfless attitude shines through when asked about her goals.  She focuses on her goals for her team before focusing on herself.  This quote from Theresa shows the character she has as a leader and a National Sales Director: “I want to nurture my team, help them grow and build their own teams and fulfill their goals and dreams. I also would love to earn a Cadillac.”

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Below is just 1 out of 9 pages for this leader board! Click on the picture or click here, and you can view the complete April Leader Board.

Kellie Blackwell is another of our new National Sales Directors.  Kellie came to AmeriPlan in August of 2007, became a SuperStar RSD in October 2007 and reached NSD this April.  We are proud of the dedication and hard work Kellie has displayed in her business and developing her team.  Kellie and her husband of 23 years, Steve, live in Orlando, Florida, where Kellie was born and raised.  They love to travel, read, bike, hike, and garden.

Kellie was a Microbiologist for nine years in the clinical lab environment.  It didn’t pay enough, and she had to find a new job multiple times in those nine years because of labs merging across the country, so she moved into Corporate America, where she had trouble finding stability.  She became fed up with working for others and felt like she needed to give herself the control over her own job and financial future and do this from home.  She says that AmeriPlan has provided her the opportunity to do all of that and is very grateful for the opportunities AmeriPlan has given her.  Kellie found AmeriPlan through an online job ad and says she was “probably one of THE most skeptical and difficult person’s my sponsor has ever spoken to!” Her upline, Susie Dickinson, was very patient with Kellie and answered every question and skeptical comment, and so Kellie became an IBO.

Some of Kellie’s early struggles were her lack of confidence in the programs, her fear of her professional reputation being damaged by being in network marketing, and that she was an introvert with little sales experience.  She had to step out of her comfort zone to become successful.  Her most difficult obstacle was learning how to market AmeriPlan effectively, but she has done an amazing job with that.

When asked what she is most proud of as an IBO, she stated, “I’ve never failed at anything I’ve set out to do and never been a quitter, but I have to admit that this thing almost beat me.  I’m proud of both the personal and professional growth I’ve had as a result of stepping into a whole new path in my life, as well as having stuck with it through all the ups and downs.”  Her advice to new IBOs is to “give yourself ample time to grow into this new venture in your life.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, solid businesses don’t bloom overnight, and the best things in life have to be earned.  Pay your dues, work hard, study and learn, and you WILL get to your goal.”

Kellie’s future goals include becoming a member of the Cadillac Club, reaching the Founders Club, and helping her team members also reach National Sales Director.

Zanitta Harris-Torres, NSD

We are pleased to introduce new National Sales Director, Zanitta Harris-Torres, from Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Zanitta came to AmeriPlan in November 2008 and promoted to National Sales Director in April.  She is a single mother of two daughters and says her family also includes Maverick, a 95 pound lap dog, and Coco, a nine pound guard dog.

Zanitta obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Systems and is a couple classes shy of completing her Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems.  She worked in the Information Technology/Information Systems community and was married, but she stated that the I.T./I.S. and her marriage bubbles both bursted.  She needed something to help her children and herself to move into a healthier environment, so she sought out several opportunities.  She began working in network marketing and then went back to working in a job as a defense contractor.  However, she soon realized that she would never be happy working for someone else.

Zanitta was introduced to AmeriPlan by NSDs Margaret and Bernard Harris, who encouraged her with their positive attitude about AmeriPlan.  She stated that she  joined AmeriPlan, knowing that she would work with her upline as a team to move her family forward financially.  One of Zanitta’s early struggles was that many people did not know about AmeriPlan, nor did they want to know about it because they felt like the medical/dental coverage they had would take care of all of their needs.  Another struggle she shared was that people “didn’t have a dream beyond what was right in front of them.”

When asked about what she is most proud in her business, Zanitta stressed the importance of her upline and teamwork.  She stated that the mindset of working together with others has propelled her to work with her team and her upline to move forward and feels like she now has a legacy to pass on to her children.  Zanitta has a great deal of advice that she would give to new IBOs.  She feels like these are very important pieces of advice to remember: “Make a commitment to yourself.  Have a firm dream in mind.  Never stop working towards your ultimate dreams or goals.  Don’t worry about the people who say “no.”  Edify and utilize your upline.  Believe in AmeriPlan like you believe in yourself.  Use all business tools that are available.  Always present yourself to people with honor and integrity.”

Now that Zanitta is a National Sales Director, her goals include: becoming a member of the 5-A-Month Club, the President’s Club, and the Cadillac Club.  She wants to assist her downline in becoming National Sales Directors the same as they helped her become a National Sales Director.

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