These beliefs apply to any producer, regardless of the line of business. If you have read my previous columns, you know I believe that the best opportunities for benefits producers are still in front of us. However, they won't be there for everyone. In fact, some of the opportunities for successful producers will be the result of much of their competition not surviving. You also may have heard me say: "The financial reward for mediocrity in our industry has been way too high." Well, that is definitely changing. Not only will mediocre performance no longer have the high reward it…

One of the greatest challenges I have seen for agencies is the ability to make new producers successful. I have seen them approach the problem from every possible angle: threats, hand holding, training programs, providing leads, changing the compensation model, motivational techniques, investing in new resources, and on and on and on. Eventually (and usually way too late), they get rid of the producer, hire a new one, and the cycle perpetuates itself. For the most part, it's not a training issue, a compensation issue, a motivational issue, a resource issue, or any of the other issues we create in…

I'm a pretty tough critic of a sales experience. I have high expectations and find that most people only deliver a mediocre experience, at best. When I do see a sales process executed well, I like to let people know, including the sales people themselves. And I've recently had a great experience. One that was so well and naturally done that I think you should know about it. Answering the call I was searching for an accountant. I asked for referrals from some trusted sources, and I received one that sounded like a good fit. I reached out to make…

Originally published October 7, 2010. I hear benefit producers complain about fourth quarter all the time.  They talk about how crazy it is, there are so many renewals to handle, there just isn’t enough time for everything.  The complaints go on and on and all of a sudden they have themselves convinced that there isn’t time to get everything done, and something has to go.  Unfortunately, they usually choose prospecting as the first thing to eliminate.Yeah, fourth quarter is busy, I get that, but prospecting is just about the last thing a producer needs to ignore.   If you let up…

As a consultant, part of your job is looking out for the best interests of your clients. And part of that best interest should include looking at things outside of the scope of insurance. As crazy as that may initially sound (after all, you are an insurance agency), it's important to recognize that you have access to an incredible amount of information about a client business and its operations. In some cases, it's more information than any other consultant or advisor with whom a business might work. The level of details and knowledge you potentially have access to runs deep…

We all know the first rule of investing in our retirement future: pay ourselves first. It's sound advice. Put aside some money every pay period into saving and investments to ensure a financially successful future. The same principal applies when investing in your future sales success: pay yourself first, not with a check, but with your time. As a producer, you have two primary responsibilities, keeping the clients you have and getting the ones you don't. Just like the financial demands of daily living, the activities of keeping what you have will nickel and dime you to death and cause…

As an industry, we have to start delivering more value. Anybody in this industry who doesn't, won't find themselves in the industry much longer. By its purest definition, value is getting something of equivalent worth compared to what we pay. In the book "Go-Giver", the authors define the Law of Value in the following manner: your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. By either of these definitions, I would argue we are not an industry that truly delivers good Value. Let's start off by talking about the payment side…

I was recently speaking to an agency owner who shared a conversation he had just had with one of his producers. The producer had come into the owner’s office, plopped down in the desk side chair and asked, “When did this industry become not fun?” He then went on to tell the owner that he had just gotten word from a long-time account that they were moving to another broker. Now, I get that losing an account makes for a bad day. In fact, if there is ever a day when you lose an account and it doesn’t totally ruin…

Believe it or not, we are already to that time of year that we need to be planning for next year. It's crazy how fast a year can pass! My hope is that every agency and producer reading this post is already in the middle of planning for sales success in 2013. Unfortunately, my guess is that many of you aren't. I also guess that many of you will never get to that planning. This isn't just a wild, pessimistic guess on my part; it's based on too many conversations I have had with agencies considering joining our network. As…

Okay, that probably wasn’t very nice, tricking you with the title just to get you to read my post. Most of us are looking for the easy answer to sales success and while this post will help you take a significant step towards success, it will also point out very honestly that it’s difficult. But, because I’m a nice guy, I will deliver on the implied promise of the title. Just between you and me, the guaranteed easy way to get referrals is to go ask your best clients. It really is that easy, and I really will guarantee the…