- If you're not 10 minutes early, you're late. You have to respect people's time.
- Read everything. Read the sample policy, the proposal, the application and the medical records. The devil's in the details, but so are the commissions.
- The psychology stuff is real. In sales, that's really all there is. Take a personality assessment. Read about personality types and know what you are.
- Don't trash the competition. If they're as bad as you think, they're doing more harm to themselves than you could anyway.
- If the prospect says yes, stop talking. At this point, you can only screw it up.
- Put your brain in neutral and listen. You'll be amazed at what you hear - and what you don't. If you're really listening, you'll know the sale that's never going to happen.
- Invest in a digital voice recorder and listen to yourself. Listen to your cold calls and your presentations. Figure out what works and what doesn't; then make some changes.
- Have an agenda for everything. At the beginning of every meeting or conference call, write WMCO? - What's my clear outcome? - on top of a clean sheet of paper. Clarity is priceless.
- You have to defend the business. The integrity level of the insurance people I know is much higher than that of the general buying public - it has to be.
- Never rant in an e-mail. Electronic messages are forever.
- Answering with "I don't know" has never hurt me - not once. Just make sure you take notes and follow up.
From the May 2010 issue of Benefits Selling Magazine • Subscribe!
