Good Monday morning to you!

It was January of 1969, and The Beatles were a mess. The recording of an album tentatively titled 'Get Back' was meant to be a 'back to the basics' return to their roots, but personal problems between the Beatles escalated and culminated in George Harrison's walking out on the band.

The Beatles Rooftop Concert


After letting feelings calm down a bit, they got together again at their company's headquarters on Saville Row in London. On the afternoon of January 30th, 1969, the Beatles walked out onto their roof and into history with a 42-minute gig that brought central London to a standstill.

With Billy Preston joining on keyboards, the Beatles played a great "Last Concert" that re-energized them and got them through the rest of the year. Featuring now-classic songs such as "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down", the videos are a wonderful look at the last live performance of the 20th century's greatest music phenomenon.

And I think the experience is instructive.

As The Beatles did, when it's time to get yourself re-energized and re-enthused, it's a great idea to break with the past and throw yourself into the new.

Well, with Summer almost behind us, and Labor Day upon us, what can you do this week to get reinvigorated? Get out of your den, go for a run, shake your head in the breeze, grow a groovy beard like Paul, and change your routine. It will give you a fresh perspective and a new outlook on things.

Oh, and be sure to be as polite as the always-sly John Lennon when he addressed the audience at the end, saying, "I'd like to say 'Thank you' on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition."

I hope you're having a great Summer... dig a pony this week! 

Uncle "D"

"Just in Time" Growth Model

How often does an insurance buyer, expecting to spend at least $400,000, pick up the phone just days before the renewal, place the order with someone he's never met?...with an agency he had never heard of?...and disrupt a twenty-year agency relationship?

Well it's happening more and more all the time. I heard about this concept last week. It's what others call the "Just-in-Time" business model. Let's start with the “why."

People want what they want. Typically, they want it "on-demand," hassle free, high-quality and with guarantees (thank you, Amazon and Google!).

In this case the insurance buyer was happy with his current agent. They were friends. He just had a sneaking suspicion he could get better workers compensation results. 

He made a few calls to his industry friends for their thoughts.  That's how he learned about an agency offering a proven workers compensation solution that packaged strategy, training and technology; the entire packaged solution was ready for immediate delivery. He had no time for a sales pitch. He simply needed help buying the collective solutions from the new agency team. The fast track was online and over the phone. With an endorsement from a highly regarded industry peer, he was on board.

So here's an overview of this emerging model...

1. Urgency trumps process - The consumer no longer endures the traditional insurance sales process to get what he or she wants. In today's "now" economy, the successful agency stands ready to deliver immediately when the customer initiates. Rapid response will rule.

2. A group solution – The solution is brought collectively by a team rather than through one individual. It’s a pre-planned, well-developed, packaged solution that goes beyond the purchase and placement of insurance. And the interaction of agency team players works like a choreographed performance.

3. Eliminates unnecessary meetings – Consumers are looking for expediency. A well-orchestrated online, tele-experience can simulate the simplicities of “going direct.” When you do have an in-person meeting, it must deliver huge value for the lives of the participants that they could not have achieved in any other way.

4. Proven results – The packaged solution has to work and, in fact, blow them away with value (again think Amazon, Disney and Apple). Otherwise the client will just as quickly slip out of our hands. It must address the deepest needs and be fully supported by super easy (maybe even fun) technology and cyber speed.

The faster we adapt to the “Just-in-Time” growth model, the bigger the opportunity to dominate our marketplace.

But this has to happen now! There’s no time to wait. Pick your most high value prospect or client outcome and vet it through the Just-in-Time model. What will it take for us to dominate our market?

Top 10 Tips To Shine On Video

VIDEO MAGIC

Two quick facts about videos that I believe we already agree on:

1. Standing out from the Competition… only 15% of your competition are using video to communicate with their current prospects and their existing databases.

2. The Fear Factor… the other 85% are a bit intimidated about standing in front of a camera to communicate.

I have a great solution for you… click on the following video and watch expert Dr. Mark McMahon, Creator of “Hollywood from Home” as he shares his Top 10 Tips to Shine on Video. He’s a bit quirky (definitely entertaining) and best of all his messages and techniques are bang on.

Dr. Mark does great work and we recommend him highly http://www.hollywoodfromhome.biz/

Click Here to watch Mark's video

Mark’s message is 12 minutes long and I went through the whole thing myself 3 times. Definitely worth the time invested.

Don’t pass this one up. It’s a good place to get started and if you’re already doing videos then this will improve your presentations even more so. NO Excuses.

“Just one more way to help make you better”. Uncle "D"

Client Requests

I recently presented the renewal proposal for a seven-figure commercial insurance program. At the clients request, it was all done through email.

No formal meeting. No paper. They wanted everything (actually a massive presentation) rendered down to short paragraphs and simple exhibits with detailed attachments for reference. The goal...accuracy in communication, ease in decision-making, complete documentation, and speed.

Now while I would normally take a "decline to meet" as negative, I see where this is actually a vote of confidence. They trust the work but want it delivered in a way that fits how they do business. With email they can follow the presentation sequence, ask questions, get answers and document everything along the way.

I get that we are living in a time of transition...a consumer-driven economy where we serve customers in whatever way they want to be served...through a cloud in cyberspace or by walking through their door (and everything in between).

But let's not miss the forest for the trees...for every client that asks for paper, there are a dozen or more that want a complete online platform to meet their needs that they can access by tablet or phone.

So what should we be doing right now? Several things...and these are immediate priorities...
 
1. Maintain a professional online profile - people are much more likely to do business with a person or organization that looks awesome online. And they will hold back from doing business with those who look subpar.
 
2. Be open to "paperless" - yes, there's a learning curve but, trust me, the 30% increase in productivity, profitability and consumer wow is well worth it. This is something that should serve both the internal organization as well as clients.
 
3. Be active online - share an article (or rewrite one in your own words), post a video, white paper and/or testimonials. Online platforms (Google, LinkedIn, Facebook) favor active users. Like the telephone, the best results come when you use it.

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What's The Real Reason Your Best Sales Reps Leave

An event occurs: the top sales field rep resigned. You get on the phone and try to ‘save’ him.  Discussions around career, tenure, experience and longevity ensue. He tells you “he loves this place, but got a better opportunity.” You get your boss on the phone with him.  You get the CEO on the phone with him. Nothing works: he leaves for greener grass.

Why did this happen? How did this happen? And what should you do about it?

This is a common problem in sales teams today. Too often sales leaders don’t change anything when the top rep leaves. They don’t recognize when these critical events happen. Don’t think the top sales field rep leaves because someone offered a better opportunity. A better career, job or more money doesn’t make people leave.

The sales culture does.

Sales culture pulls top sales people into a company. And it drives them out. We have all seen companies whose culture hasn’t evolved.  What made you successful in past years will not keep you there. Connecting the dots on small events will lead to the state of your culture. This will allow you to continuously improve the culture. And keep attracting and retaining top talent

Most people’s first thought is to conduct an exit interview with the top rep. But exit interviews don’t always lead to conclusions. Studies have analyzed hundreds of sales field rep exit interviews. 77% state the reason why the top rep left was lack of career development. The second most popular reason: more money. And the trigger event that prompted them to starting looking? It was a management change that eventually resulted in account and a compensation change.

What are the real reasons they left?
Here is what one client study found:

• Structure: The Company just restructured their account management sales force. Reps and Managers were frustrated with the reasons for the change.  There was no explanation. 
• Account Assignments: Current customers were reassigned due to the new structure and territories. People were giving up established relationships.  Managers had to tell their long standing clients there was someone new.
• Compensation: Comp plans were revised from HR and Finance. A limit (cap) on commissions was implemented. Someone in finance thought sales people were making too much.
• New Product Quota Assigned: A new product just released is not selling well, putting pressure on sales. There was no sales enablement. Content was product centric. There was no new product leads. No explanation how the buyer purchases the product. They just got more quota assigned.
• Support: 75% of all Sales Support functions (admin) were eliminated. Internal administration time doubled.
• Subject Matter Experts: Sales Specialists positions were not replaced once someone left. Sales often had to give their own over-the-phone presentations.

The findings above didn’t happen all at once; this one studied 9 months of actions. They gradually add up over time to this complete list. And next thing you know:  your top rep quits.

3 Ideas to Consider

1. Talk to their peers. Understand the story behind the story. These are not formal interviews. They need to be casual conversations. The best way is to go on a customer call with the sales field rep. The highway and/or elevator conversations are where you get the real story. Be prepared to listen when they say  "Just between us…..”
2. Investigate any major changes. Did the compensation plan change? Did you reorganize the structure? Reassign accounts? These all make your best people quit. Remember, a top sales field rep spends most of their time with customers. 
3. Assess his direct manager. How is the manager performing? Have you noticed the team quota slipping? Heard complaints from team members? More than 25% of the team left in the last year? The problem might be here. Most top talent leaves because their manager. But is the manager the root problem? Is the manager enabled?

What's Next?

• Identify the top problems. What is the true state of your sales force? What is actually causing your top reps to leave?
• Sequence your solutions. Changing the sales culture takes time. But begin fixing the problems in the right order. This will cut the change time in half.
• Involve your Top Reps. Your best players don’t want to leave. Over 90% indicated to us they don’t want to move to a new company. Using them to create the solution provides support for the change. 

Don’t wait until the top rep actually quits. Your responsibility as a sales leader is to look around the corner. Gauge the culture of the sales force and look for opportunities to improve. You control the culture in your group. Don’t shift responsibility to someone else.

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Sales Tips for New Insurance Agents

Everyone wants to be successful when they start a new venture. Whether you’re fresh out of school or making a mid-career shift, you want your new insurance business to be the start of something great. And it can be. It may not be easy at first—this is a complicated product to sell. But with the right outlook and hard work you can build a rewarding and profitable business. Here are 10 sales tips for when you’re just getting started.

1. You are a sales professional.

This is a sales job and you’ll have to embrace all that comes with that. No, your job isn’t to sell them something they don’t need. But you do need to be able to make the sale when the product is right for the customer. You need to be able to convince a particular prospect why he needs a particular insurance product—even when he thinks he doesn’t. You may need to take on the role of educating your prospect, guiding him to make the best decision for his family. To become a great salesperson takes practice and study. Observe more experienced, successful salespeople. Figure out what they’re doing that you can incorporate into your own sales approach.

2. Mirror your prospect’s behavior and interests.

Make people feel comfortable. If you are meeting a yoga instructor who wants you sit cross-legged on the floor with her, sit on the floor. If you’re meeting an executive in his office, look sharp and be able to ask at least one intelligible question about his corner of an industry. Try to use the language your prospects are using. Older professional types will prefer proper language, younger people will have a more relaxed way of expressing themselves. The goal is to make your prospect feel understood and develop a connection.

3. Diversify your leads.

Acquiring new clients is one of the hardest parts of starting a new insurance business. Diversify your leads to give yourself a better opportunity for success. Try networking, asking for referrals, advertising, and purchasing exclusive, shared, or aged leads. Later, you can narrow your focus to the lead sources where you have the most success.

4. Ask for referrals.

For established agents, referrals are incredibly important. As many as two out of three new sales can come from referrals. Someone has already vouched for you to these qualified leads. You’re halfway to the sale with the trust that’s earned you. You can get started with referrals early on, you don’t have to wait until you’re more experienced. As soon as you’ve closed a few sales and started servicing accounts, ask your customers for referrals.

5. Do more listening than talking.

You may be tempted to make sure your prospect knows you know what you’re talking about. It’s natural to want assurance you’re doing this right, especially when you don’t have thousands of happy clients behind you. But you’re actually not helping. Your words may all blur together for the prospect. They may think of a question, then forget it. They may feel disengaged or ignored. Your prospect will like you a great deal more if you ask the questions and let them do the talking.

6. Be prepared to hustle.

This can be a hard business. Some things are just naturally difficult and you have to be up to the challenge. You have to know your products backwards and forwards, which plans to suggest based on any number of things a prospect tells you about their life. You have to do the boring tasks—track your progress, file paperwork, cold call, etc.—as well as the exciting tasks. Be prepared to hustle to make your new insurance business sustainable as well as profitable.

7. Don’t let yourself get tunnel vision.

You have to take a step back sometimes. If something consistently isn’t producing the results you need, figure out what’s wrong and fix it. Is everyone hanging up on you immediately? Research how you could make your script better. Scrap everything you’ve written and start over if you have to. Are you contacting lots of friendly people who don’t actually need any insurance? Switch your lead source up with a new pool of leads.

8. Don’t focus on price alone.

True, all you your customers want a low price, but the cheapest option won’t be enough for most people. Ask your prospect if they always buy the cheapest option: the cheapest razor, the cheapest car, the cheapest hotel room. I bet they don’t. If they’re fixating on price, that’s a sign you need to turn the conversation to value and explain the perfect fit of the product to their unique needs.

9. Ask for the sale then shut up.

You can only do so much to convince someone you have the insurance they need. At some point, you have to ask for the sale. Ask for the sale and then don’t say anything else. There may be silence for a bit. They can say yes, no, or maybe. Yes is great. You got the sale! Maybe means they’re interested, but you’ve got some more selling to do. You may think no is the end of the conversation, but it’s not. Negotiation begins when someone says no. You got them as far as listening to a whole sales pitch, find out where you lost them. There are also different kinds of no: no to the product you’re suggesting, no to buying it right now, and an absolute no to the whole offer now or in the future. You won’t know where to go from here without asking.

10. You’re responsible for your own success or failure.

Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. Your success is entirely up to you. There are markets and recessions and the people you have to work with, things outside of your control, which you can’t change. Don’t blame these forces if things aren’t going well. You are still in control of you. You can choose to try different sales approaches, focus on a different aspect of your business, or change your behavior to overcome an obstacle. The fact that it’s all up to you can seem intimidating, but it can also be empowering. Realize the opportunity you have before you and make the most of it.

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A method to finally hit your goals in 2015‏

Chances are, you're thinking about 2015.

Most do around this time of year.

It's a great time to hit the "refresh" button and
get a clean start.

But there's also a "downside".

A lot of people try to set goals and shortly
afterwards they're already way off track.

Now wait... I know what you're thinking... that's
because goal-setting doesn't work.  And you may
think that if you've ever tried to set goals and
failed.

You start with good intentions, but after a
few weeks (or even days!), you give up.

The good news? Most of us fail not because our
intentions are flawed. We fail because the process
is flawed.

How about a fresh perspective on goal setting? One
that will help you move on from past failure. One
that will help you look ahead with clarity and
confidence.

Well, then, good news -- this free video series
from NYT bestselling author Michael Hyatt is that
fresh perspective you're looking for.

http://howtheworldseesyou.com/mhgoals1

In fact, in Video #1, Michael shares
the four strategies you need to create a solid
foundation for success with your goals. Without
these, you’ll find it virtually impossible to get
what you want this year.

If you've ever felt like there was something
standing between you and the things you want most
in life, don't miss this series.

You can finally get clear on how setting goals can
truly transform your life -- even if you've tried
in the past and failed.

It's free, but only for a limited time. Sign up
here.

Take care,

-Doug

P.S. The four strategies Michael outlines in this
video will set you up to have your best year ever.
Go watch it today:

http://howtheworldseesyou.com/mhgoals1