“You cannot change your sales team overnight, but you can change your hiring process overnight and improve your sales team forever.” ~ Randy Schwantz Very few people grew up saying, "I want to sell insurance." In fact, insurance in general has a 'so-so' reputation at best. But, if...
Imagine it’s almost 2,000 years ago and you’re a peasant living in Italy. Your boss sends you into Rome to get some supplies. You saddle up your donkey and head into town. As you make your way through the city, you come upon a huge...
When you hire the right new producer, oh does it feel good. That newbie comes strolling in with that look on his face, arms crossed, standing in that pose … and you know without even asking him, he closed the deal. The grin gave it away,...
While it’s not always true, most sales managers get stuck with dealing with under-performers. Under-performers come in a lot of different packages. It could be the underwriter who was hired to be a producer. This could be a smart individual who just can’t deal with rejection...
Yes, I’m stuck in the middle with you And I’m wondering what it is I should do It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face, Losing control, and I’m all over the place Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, Here I am, stuck in...
Selling insurance is challenging, but try being a buyer. To most buyers, everything looks alike. There’s a lack of differentiation in buyers’ minds from agency to agency and policy to policy.Insurance to them is pretty much just insurance. It’s all basically the same.So this is...
An agency owner in Alabama wrote me, “How come my producers don’t invest their own money to improve themselves?” He went on to say, “he was self-motivated” and was confused why his producers were not. As we got deeper into the discussion I asked him, “if...
All new producers come with some baggage. And this baggage comes in all shapes and sizes. Some of them maybe too old and have lost their drive, others too young; they don’t have enough experience, are not technically strong and have never been trained to...
How do you find good producers? This is the wrong question to be asking as an agency owner. Instead they should be asking” “How do I find a really talented person?” Until agency owners and managers change the notion of finding a great producer, they won’t see...
Differentiating your company in the marketplace is one of the most challenging things you can do, because the belief system that you’re better than your competition is very ingrained. In fact, you might have better service, better people, better relationships with carriers, and better tools...
I want to think of myself as a great father. If I’m not, I would never know until some kind friend pointed it out. It’s at that point I would get to tell him he’s wrong or accept his critique. If I accept it, then...
Discipline begins at home (well, in this case, in the office!) – during weekly sales meetings. Think about it. How do your sales meetings go? Are they run professionally, succinctly, and with accountability? Is everyone bringing consistent reports that depict the true “lay of the...