True Secret to Success

I recently ran across this short article (link below), and several things struck me:

1.  That it was profoundly true...something one just "knows" as truth....
2.  That it is a fundamental underlying characteristic with the most successful agents I talk with
3.  That I personally need to incorporate the nightly practice exercise

The True Secret to Success

At times, I most definitely get influenced by an all too common worldview that seeks to make cynics of us all.

Incorporating this "nightly practice exercise" can only build my emotional muscle as a key to lifelong success. If you aren't practicing this, won't you give it a try and join me?

Good selling!

Get an "A" in Building Strong Relationships

Today's Top Gun tip actually comes from a life changing exercise I did with my 17 year old son at a large father-son retreat.  Each father was asked to stand in front of the entire group, look at our son, and make a few proclamations:

1. Appreciation - one thing that I really appreciate about you is.....
2. Admiration - one thing that I truly admire about you is.....
3. Affirmation - you are important to me because....
4. Adoration - closing with just saying the magic words "I love you"

Making these proclamations in a public setting was strangely difficult for most of the fathers, including me; but this was a remarkably freeing and meaningful exercise that took our relationship to a whole new level.  Although my son may have known my feelings for him on some level, it was an entirely different experience for him to hear the words and accompanying emotion as I looked into his eyes and spoke from the heart.  We all have this core need to be appreciated, admired, affirmed, and adored - to be validated as a person of some significance or importance to others.  Try this exercise with your children or people close to you and observe what happens in your relationship.  While it may not be a good idea to tell clients that you love them, find something that you appreciate, admire, and can affirm about them and take your client relationships to a whole new level. For every "A" you give, you will get one in return, building strong and meaningful client relationships that endure.

What Top Guns can learn from Tiger

Watching the last few holes of the Memorial golf tournament on Sunday was a familiar scene, Tiger Woods hunting down PGA Tour victory #73, tying Jack Nicklaus'  win total, and in sight of Sam Snead at 82 PGA Tour wins.  I'm always fascinated how when Tiger is in contention, his playing partners often crumble, evidenced in this case by Ricky Fowler, shooting an almost unfathomable 84 vs. Tiger's 67.  Tiger's typical dominant Sunday play often intimidates other players.  This goes with one of his memorable quotes: "I want to be what I've always wanted to be: Dominant."  The Top Gun mentality always begins with knowing what you want.  You cannot hit a target that you cannot see.  Another Tiger quote: "I get to play golf for a living. What more can you ask for - getting paid for doing what you love."  These are the two main ingredients in the Top Gun recipe.  Do you love what you do for a living?  Are you crystal clear on what you want?  Most people do not love what they do, and tend to focus on what they don't have vs. what they want.  The Top Gun focus gives freedom to move beyond conditioned ideas that may be self-limiting.  Do some self analysis in this regard; write down your reasons for loving what you do, and list clear goals for your activities and production.  Review these often and follow through to be what you have always wanted to be: a TOP GUN!

LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

Some of my favorite inspirational quotes come from Muhammed Ali, "the Greatest" heavyweight boxing champion of all time.  One of Ali's hallmarks: "I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."  Ali also said, "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."  Essentially, Ali understood that, whether he liked it or not, he had to train harder than his opponents in order to achieve his goals.


Today's Top Gun tip comes from John Savage, CLU, from his book "High Touch Selling" copyright 1989.  Savage was one of the best known and most successful life agents in the nation.  Savage's advice: "Do not do what you like to do, like what you have to do.  Tackle the big problems first, and do not put them off.  Possibly the most self-destructive form of procrastination for an agent is stalling on arranging head-to-head contacts with prospects."

Ask yourself each day what are the most important things you have to do to achieve your goals, and make sure and do them first.  Ali may have hated it, but he started off each day with a 6 mile run at 5:30am.  How are you starting your day?  Learn to like what you have to do.

The Magic Phrase

Today's top gun tip comes from Chris Lytle who wrote "The Accidental Salesperson".  Your clients buy the way you sell before they buy what you sell.  The sooner you sell your prospect on how you are going to work together, the faster they will buy your products.  This is a simple, yet profound concept that is a key to top gun selling.  So, the magic phrase is, "This is the way I work", which communicates to the prospect that you have an organized, planned approach to sales and to solving their problem.  Understanding that sales is a process and being able to articulate the steps in your process separates you from the pack and positions you as a professional.  If you cannot sell the client on your sales process, you will not be effective selling your products.  Too many agents try to take shortcuts; if you try to sell your product before selling them on your process, you are going to get a lot more objections.  So, tell your prospects how you are going to sell them before you try to sell them any product.  Tell them exactly what is going to happen and when it is going to happen.  A client who has bought the way you sell will buy more of the things you sell.  When the client knows exactly what is going to happen, they can quit being guarded and participate in the process.  As and example, professional agents I know do have a defined information gathering/needs assessment key step in their process; just make sure and sell the entire process to the prospect first, and do not shortcut this vital step.  See you in the air flying top gun!

5 Questions Every Advisor Should Ask a BGA | LifeHealthPro

Top independent agents fully utilize at least one BGA/Insurance marketing firm. Here are some excellent questions to ask and things to consider:

5 Questions Every Advisor Should Ask a BGA | LifeHealthPro

Transformation of Body & Mind for Success

While this post is a bit different than what I would have expected, one top gun agent shared his #1 secret; that by prioritizing his physical goals, his professional and financial goals blossomed to reality.  "A year ago I was 40 lbs. overweight, eating lots of fast food, and not sleeping well.  I looked in the mirror one day, and made a decision to transform my body.  A friend of mine did P90x and swore by it, so I bought that.  At first, I couldn't go longer than 15 minutes on any of the workouts, but I stuck with it and kept getting better...going longer...6 days per week.  The process of doing high intensity workouts made me want to eat better; I changed my relationship with food to view it as fuel for my body and mind, instead of eating for pleasure or to deal with emotional issues.  I also almost immediately began sleeping better.  The interesting result that I never expected, was that the process of transforming my body and becoming fit through exercise and nutrition actually fed and drove a success mindset.  I had more ideas, more energy, and more desire to accomplish my professional and financial goals.  Things just fell into place, and I would say to anyone who desires to be a top selling agent - commit and take action on your physical goals first.  You will just be amazed at how it feeds a success mindset.  You have to prioritize this in each day and hold yourself accountable.  I almost always exercised first thing in the morning in a fasted state - the proven best time to promote fat loss.  This worked for me, just find a time to fit it into your schedule every day and don't make any excuses."

Cancer Insurance - a tough sell?

One solution I have been marketing is a Cancer Insurance product designed for the senior market.  Smart design...cash indemnity, both upon diagnosis and a comprehensive schedule of benefits, along with a 10 year return of premium rider.  Issue age to 89 with competitive premiums.


I talk to many agents that don't sell cancer plans, or say they are a very "tough" sell.  One agent who sells a lot of Cancer Insurance (primarily cross selling after addressing Medicare and Final Expense) told me his secret is to ask his client what kind of Cancer Insurance Plan they carry.  The common response is "I don't have Cancer Insurance."  He follows up with, "have you ever known anyone, a relative or friend perhaps that was affected by cancer?"  The vast majority of clients all have some story to tell, and they often are aware of the high costs involved in treatment.  He then follows up with showing them the gaps in their existing insurance when it comes to expensive cancer treatments - Part B and Part D coinsurance, which can span over more than one calendar year, along with non-medical costs like travel for treatments or dealing with loss of income.


This cancer insurance high producer told me, "it's really not tough at all if you have the client/prospect share the story of someone they know or knew to get them invested in the process, and then show them some plan options that fit their budget.  A good return of premium option really helps; when a client knows that if they do not ever get cancer and keep the policy in force for a limited period of time and get all their premiums back, they think that is good insurance to have."  Comments?

Revealing the Secrets

Welcome! Secret: "kept from the knowledge of any but the initiated or privileged: a secret password". So read on and read regularly to learn the secrets of the top producing insurance agents in the country.

I have been selling and marketing mostly commercial finance products for over 25 years, but am new to the insurance industry. In the senior market insurance brokerage field, I get to talk with agents every day; and similar to other industries, we have some truly excellent salespeople...top producers...and I just enjoy hearing about what golden nuggets or secrets they will share to help me gain insight into this industry and help others succeed.

One thing I have seen thus far....the senior market Life/Health insurance industry is so much more complex than I could have ever imagined; Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security - much to know, and so many products/solutions to address needs.

My hope is to learn secrets from the best and whisper them here....with permission of course! Please comment on blogs and let's all get better, be better, and serve better. Thanks!


JLS Marketing Concepts LTD