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Plug In and the Light Will Go On
By Rob Winter
Golden State West Insurance
Services
A few weeks ago I took a trip to Seattle to try to
find the “secret” to success in direct response selling. I was already an
experienced property and casualty insurance professional, “but this was life
insurance, so its different!” I thought. Sure, I had been through all of the
initial training, attended all of the I-seminars, I-forums, and Monday morning
conference calls and had heard some good advice, but I wanted to find the
real secret. After all, I had been doing this for a whole month now and I
hadn’t posted any numbers! I had a few cases in underwriting but surely that
was only because they were lay downs. Was the holy grail of direct response
selling secrets out there waiting to be discovered?
Plug In
Of course there is no secret,
but you already knew that right? By “plugging in” with the folks at OFG, I’ve
been able to realize several things that have shortened the learning curve and
put me on the right track. It is no secret that OFG encourages you to “plug
in”. Being able to work with some of the finest people in the industry not only
enhances your production but also makes for a fun business. The synergy created
by plugging in will move us all forward together. I plugged in right away.
However, it took a few weeks for the light to go on. Although I was being
taught all of the things that would help me be more efficient, I was still
bogged down in dealing with people that weren’t serious, letting them drag me
through a long, long “no” for many weeks, quoting non-core carriers for fear
that the small difference in monthly premium would actually make a difference in
their decision (and causing the “paralysis of analysis” syndrome for me), and
chasing those people that weren’t serious. When the light went on, I finally
realized several simple things.
First, calling these people is
like going to the grocery store for an avocado when they are not in season. You
have to squeeze ten avocados before you find one that is ripe. Take the action
everyday and you will find one that is ripe. Now I don’t spend a lot of time
squeezing the ones that aren’t ripe. If its not ripe, I move on. When I find
the one that is ripe, I now know it and that is my target. A few test closes,
pre-set the paramed, get some info over the phone such as their social security
number, and you know you’ve made a sale. Soon you’ll be smiling and dialin,
ripping through numbers. Your confidence will grow and it will shine through
the phone in your voice.
LeadBoss keeps me organized
Second, taking advantage of all
that LeadBoss offers keeps me organized. Logging every call keeps track of my
activity, using event emails to attempt to communicate with the prospect, and
setting reminders for myself. I now set reminders for only the really important
things so when a reminder pops up I heed the reminder and not look at it as a
pesky pop up. Third, I lead the buyer to the carrier of my choice.
Personally my top two choices are American General for all of the preferred and
super preferred customers and Jefferson National for all of the standard
customers. Fast underwriting and quick issue gets the customer a policy quicker
and gets you paid faster. Fourth, communicating with the OFG family and
becoming part of the family helps me to stay on track with a good mental
attitude. There will always be ups and downs. If some “stinkin’ thinkin’ pops
into your brain, get in touch with Mark or Brad for help, input or advice and
rest assured they will be glad to help and you’ll be on your way up.
Thanks Pat, David, Elaine, and
Nick for your hospitality while I was visiting Seattle! Also thanks to Mark for
his lively Monday morning conference calls and Brad for your continued
support.
Rob Winter
Golden State West Insurance Services
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