41. Consider how you fit into the exchange puzzle.
42. Bring out your inner Superman. Make the extra phone call. Follow up one more time. Do more research about that new law. Send one more email. Arrive early. Don't wait to be asked—offer help. Be the first one to cross the finish line.
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43. Be a mentor. Share your expertise with younger generations getting into the business. Be understanding of what younger generations need and do to be successful. Reach out. Be active in organizations. Hire the best and the brightest people.
44. Be a partner to your employer.
45. Generation tip: Members of Generation X prefer online forms of communication and interaction. E-mail is the preferred medium, they say, but agents and brokers better be prepared to correspond electronically, too, as Gen Xers will want to ask questions over e-mail.
(photo credit: Idea go)
46. Think like an employer. Employers don't care about commissions or fees; they just need services.
47. Have lunch and learns.
48. Know stagnation isn't an option. "You need to grow," says Donna Joseph, CEO of Rhodes-Joseph & Tobiason Advisors. "Stagnation isn't acceptable anymore."
49. Think (and talk) wellness. Help benefit managers explore the advantages of a strong wellness program.
50. Stay current. Watch what the new products are—they may surprise you.
(photo credit: chrisroll)
51. Seek out financial statements and annual reports.
52. Don't give up too easily.
53. Don't be too proud to go to an enrollment periodically to make sure you know what's going on out there.
54. Recognize you can't sell everybody. If you do our best and they still don't get it, you got to let go and move on. The next person is important, too.
55. Post news articles on your Facebook page to engage in conversation.
(photo credit: jannoon028)
56. Shake hands with clients.
57. Own your own mistakes. If you screw something up, explain it to the client.
58. Surround yourself with people who are experts in areas you aren't.
59. Find—and use—some apps that are popular within your selling community.
60. Focus on the reasons we have employee benefits—to meet the life needs of employees in ways that attract and retain the best and most productive talent.
(photo credit: vichie81)
[Editor's note: Check back Thursday and Friday for parts four and five.]
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