What do you say to yourself?

Most people don’t consciously realize it, but as we go about our daily lives we are constantly thinking about and interpreting the situations we find ourselves in. We all have an internal voice inside our head that determines how we perceive every situation. Psychologists call this inner voice ‘self-talk‘, and it includes our conscious thoughts as well as our unconscious assumptions or beliefs.

Whenever you find yourself feeling depressed, angry, anxious or upset, use this as your signal to stop and become aware of your thoughts. Use your feelings as your cue to reflect on your thinking.

If you wouldn't talk to your friend the way you talk to yourself, STOP right now.

You deserve the same love, consideration, and kindness from yourself that you give others... not only that, your thoughts and words have a powerful impact on your health, well-being,  happiness, and business results.

Treat yourself like the beautiful, amazing person you are, and watch your sales results dramatically improve!

How Does Your Target Market Think and Feel?

Top Gun agents know they cannot be all things to all people, so they find a smaller market niche to serve and serve well.  Part of "serving well" includes staying on top of relevant niche data to always be gaining insight as to how your prospects think and feel.  For example, for those in the senior market niche, the National Committee on Aging recently released new survey results:

http://www.ncoa.org/improve-health/community-education/united-states-of-aging/usa-survey-2013.html

Some interesting and insightful information...in reading through the fact sheet e.g. 65% of seniors report having at least 2 chronic health conditions....of course most boomers don't think it will ever be them! The stats on financial security concerns were insightful, but not surprising. Some good stats for planners to use to further encourage retirement saving and income planning.

Lot's of good nuggets reviewing survey results like this; so when you develop a couple of questions for prospects beginning with, "Did you know that according to the 2013 United States of Aging Survey that .....", you demonstrate your credibility and connection to the senior market.

How to Close Insurance Sales from A to Z

Consider this quote:  “I have often been misquoted on my assessment of the importance of product knowledge to an agent – which I place at 5% of capabilities.  The catch lies in knowing as close to 100% of that 5% as you possibly can.  Knowledge of people accounts for 95%.  If you get an A on every exam on product knowledge but know nothing about relating to individuals, you will fail.”   -John Savage CLU, High Touch Selling

John Savage was one of the best known and most successful insurance agents in the nation, and built one of the top agencies in the nation.  He believed in the relative importance of selling skills and continual training in the relational area.  Most agents however, actually have this backwards....placing much more emphasis on product training, believing they are already great in sales (closing) skills.  Or, they don't do much of any training at all, believing that they just need more leads to grow their business.

For the top web based video sales training available on the market today, call me at 800-211-0017 EXT. 115.

Financially investing in yourself can be scary and nerve-wracking, but is usually worth EVERY PENNY.

Additionally, you make a statement to the Universe that says, "I deserve better and am committed to making it happen."

When you make that REAL commitment, the Universe responds by meeting or exceeding your investment!

 

You've Got to Believe!

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, 

Your thoughts become your words, 

Your words become your actions, 

Your actions become your habits, 

Your habits become your values, 

Your values become your destiny.”

- Mahatma Ghandi

Top Gun agents possess four critical beliefs:

1.  They totally believe in their product and/or service.  If possible, they own the product and/or service themselves.

2.  Their product and/or service is under-priced.  The "value" is much greater than the price. 

3.  If they do not sell their prospect, they have cheated them out of incredible value.

4.  Customers do not "buy"; they are "sold".

Exercise:  Write down each of these four beliefs and why they are true for you; i.e. here are the reasons why I totally believe in my product and/or service.  Next, write down what that means to your prospect or customer.

Adopting these beliefs and getting clear on why they are true will ulitmately change your destiny.

Now go forth and sell!!

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!