Sales Career is NOT a numbers game
Robert Smith is a Director for American Income Life and National Income Life Insurance Companies.
How many times have you heard “sales is a numbers game?” The message implies that you only need to make more calls, more appointments, and more presentations to be successful. It assumes you are doing all the right things, just not enough, i.e., not enough activity. This “work harder model” will yield temporary results … sometimes.
Sales is NOT a numbers game. First, it is not a game. The lottery is a game and the odds are about 1 in 18 million of winning. Second, numbers mean nothing unless you are working toward your goals and your plan, and setting priorities of what you will and will not do. Activity does not necessarily equal productivity.
The key to success in any career is managing YOU. You cannot manage time — everyone gets the same 24 hours a day. What you decide to do with every moment of your time reflects your choices, decisions and priorities.
SALES IS A PROCESS. The sales process is simple but seldom followed. We get caught up in making more calls, getting more appointments, seeing more prospects, working harder, etc. Do you have a plan that maps what you must do to achieve your wants and/or needs? If you do not have a written plan, you are gambling with your career. We advise prospects to not gamble with their family’s future by proactively providing insurance protection for those they love. Why would you gamble with your financial well-being and your career by not having a proactive plan for success?
The SALE PROCESS for WINNERS — Write it down!
- Written PURPOSE. Why are you in this business? Money? Helping others? Revised LIMRA numbers indicate the number of people with NO life insurance is now at 30%+ (52M+ households). The opportunity to succeed is greater than ever for those who are prepared and want to make the world a better place for themselves and others.
- Written GOALS. What are your goals? How much money do you NEED to make? How much money do you WANT to make? Write a list and share your goals.
- Written PLAN. How are you going to achieve your goals? What are you going to do? More importantly, what are you not going to do, e.g., listen to office gossip, let “attitude killers” waste your time sharing their problems, let “time wasters” distract you. Identify the urgent and the important – forget everything else. If what you are doing is not contributing to the realization of your goals, stop doing it!
- Written SCHEDULE. When are you going to do what you have identified as urgent and important? If you don’t have a written schedule today for tomorrow, you are not in control. Someone controls your schedule; it’s advisable that “someone” be you. Use a calendar of some type (Day-Timer, Blackberry, iPhone, PDA, etc.) Post-It notes, napkins and scraps of paper are a recipe for failure.
- Written ACTIVITY LOG. Track, measure and intelligently adjust your activity. If what you are doing isn’t working, stop it! Some examples could be putting Child Safe drop boxes in areas occupied by people with no money, scheduling appointments that require more driving than selling, only making calls when you are sitting comfortably in an office, becoming a “gold medal” excuse maker, procrastinator, etc.
- Become a STUDENT OF THE INDUSTRY. Constantly be in learning mode. Ask questions of your manager(s), coach, mentor, and those you observe being successful. Listen to CDs. Attend seminars. Read blogs. Subscribe to industry magazines. Agent Sales Journal http://www.agentssalesjournal.com is a great free online or hardcopy delivery magazine.
- Take control of your career. The outlined process requires an initial investment that will pay dividends for life IF you have the discipline, self-control and self-mastery to just do it and make it a professional habit. Hoping and wishing are terrible career plans. You are the driver – grab the wheel!
I wish you great career success using the “Sales Process for Winners!”
So Tell Us:
- What is your plan for 2011?
- What changes do you plan to implement this year that you haven’t in previous years?
“Dreams with Deadlines are Opportunities Realized!”-B.Rapoport
“Serve Not Sell, Serve with Passion”-Jim Surace & Marcus Smith
Sales is not a numbers game if you are a good sales person because people are not just numbers. You must take each individual’s needs, wants, and feelings into consideration when making a sale. A good salesperson will never look at a house as just a number but instead they’ll make sure to do the best job in each and every house before moving on to the next one. Those who say they can sell “anything to anyone” is a con-artist. Real salespeople can only sell a product they believe in to people who need it.
As leaders we are also sales people. Our job is to sell people on the opportunity and the vision (their vision, not on ours). My former SGA always said treat people like you think they can become, not necessarily how they are when you find them.
The goal for 2011 is to open people’s eyes to the possibilities. This company provides opportunity unlimited. You can’t put a number on that, it’s just that, unlimited. DO write your goals down, decode them into plans, break them down to the ridiculous (yearly goals broken down into quarterly goals, broken down into monthly goals, broken down into daily goals, broken down into hourly goals). Taking care of your days will take care of your months, which will take care of your quarters, which will take care of your years and the years will take care of your life!
Once you have a plan, hold yourself accountable to actually implementing it. As David Campbell said, “discipline is remembering what you want.” Write down your goals so you can remember them and make this career everything you want it to be!
Dream big, implement realistically. B Rappaport.
My plan this year is to be more organized and have a sense of urgency to be number one. Our agency strives daily to become better at every aspect of our lives so we can better those around us and more importantly ourselves. Myself personally I make sure I write down my goals on a daily basis and constantly adjust my activity to get what I want.
This year I plan to keep myself to a higher standard which will set an example for those around me. It’s 2011 and I’ve never been more excited for what the year brings. I’m surrounded by some of the sharpest and most caring people I’ve ever met and that makes everything that much better. Plus we have the one of the best SGAs AIL has seen and we have a point to prove this year.
My plan this year is to manage myself in a more effective manner. Just like Robert says everyone has the same 24hrs a day and I believe I can utilize my time and talent much more effectively. I intend to continue to adjust my daily schedule until it is perfect and just as Slav says “Taking care of your days will take care of your months, which will take care of your quarters, which will take care of your years and the years will take care of your life!”
Its 2011 and there has never been a more exciting time in my life. Now with American Income Life and my peers and leaders helping me through my journey this year I KNOW I will reach a level of success that I have not thought was possible until now.
Where else but AIL?
Sales is not a numbers game, simply, sales; in particular our sales, is not a game. To be a successful agent,manager, leader etc.. We must see each person for what they are. An opportunity to change someones life for the better.
My plan this year is to work to change the lives of every individual I come in contact with, whether it be a client, an agent, or a random acquaintance. Our goals must be based on facts, data; not feelings. It is easy for a leader to get caught up in how they feel about an agent, and how they believe they SHOULD perform. But if we truly look at the situation from the outside, from a non-biased perspective; it becomes much easier to choose the right plan of action.
This year, we all owe this company, our leaders, peers, subordinates and most importantly ourselves to commit to a plan of action and work our plan everyday to accomplish our goals.
“Catch yourself on fire with enthusiasm, and people will come from miles to watch you burn”
Kellen Cuttance
Regional Director
Slav Bitman Agency
***THE BEST THING I LEARNED THIS WEEK.: THAT MY FIRST REFERRAL SHOULD BE THE BENEFICIARY AND THEIR EXTENDED FAMILY OF THE POLICY THAT I AM NOW WRITING. ** THIS WILL BE MY PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK.
PATRICIA
My plan for 2011:
1) To utilize as many tools as possible to hone my skills as a sales person and manager. Starting with the 5-steps outlined by Robert Smith in his article” Sales is NOT a numbers game!”
2) Become more astute about the industry, using as many learning tools as possible.
3) Working on a more rounded life, making sure I balance work, personal, spiritual and physical aspects of my life. Without this balance my life at AIL will suffer.
Wow! The title alone scared me, but BOY how appropriate is this INFO? The sales steps for success hit it right on the money! All too often we lose track of ourselves in the numbers process and it’s EASY to fall off the path to success. By making sure that your purpose is written and your goals are written and you track your activity, you create a scenario where it’s nearly impossible not to succeed. And by SHARING your goals, you employ your inner circle to help keep you on track when you hit those moments of doubt that we all encounter as business owners. Remember: “Entrepreneurship is doing what most people won’t do for a few years so you can do what most people can’t do for the rest of your life” -author unknown
Greetings AIL family, it’s good to be back home. As a returning MGA with American I’m excited to first of all be back but also to part of the Bitman Agency. In the past month since my return I have be provided with an outstanding logistics element, team evironment, and proven and tested leadership. I look forward to the reestablishment of an winning team with the help and guidance that surrounds me. I’d also like to say hello to Larry Strong, Domenic Bertini, Rob Falvo, and to all the others whose paths that I’ve crossed. I leave with you with this “SUCCESS IS DRIVEN, NOT GIVEN” so rememeber the path of least resistance will always leave you short of your goals.
be optimistic
My plan this year is to WIN!
You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”
Zig Ziglar
My main goal for 2011 is to take more control of my career by managing myself more efficiently with a detailed schedule each day. I will “work smarter instead of work harder.”
My plan this year is to become a better me. As I continue to work and grow with AIL, I have come to understand more and more that implied in that statement is: that in order to be that better me, I must know who that is… map me out, so to speak. And, what I have discovered is that getting to that place takes thoughtfulness…and action. I have known all my life (particularly as it pertains to my professional self) that goal setting is important. I am learning however, thatAUTHENTIC goal setting (not simply throwing them out because I was told to do so) is an imperative. I must be dilligent in articulating what I want (WRITE THOSE GOALS DOWN), create a road map (WRITE THAT PLAN DOWN ON PAPER), act on that plan and hold myself accountable.
More on the topic. Sales is not SIMPLY a numbers game. I cannot be successful in this business believing otherwise. WHAT AN EPIPHANY (Please read with absolutely no sarcasm)!!! Not successful salesperson. As someone who came out of a completely different industry, I bought completely into the idea that if I go into enough houses, I will eventually sell. I am here to serve as a witness: THAT IS NOT SO. I know now that I have to be deliberate and intentional in getting each and every sale and rely on the blind faith that they will (statistitically) fall into my lap.
Thanks.
This is so true. Most people out there go to work in any given day and can work faster to have more free time. We on the other can invest more time into people to have more free time.
If you train yourself to be in the moment on the phone and in the home then you can have more of a balanced life and help more people at the same time. It is too easy to get caught up in the numbers game and never really impact anyone.
I am just finishing up my training and I’m loving it. Can’t wait to get into the field/homes of folks and help them out. Meeting and talking to the different folks is so much fun.
I absolutely love my life at American Income Life. Dealing with the union members and helping them decide on which life and health product is right for their family is very important to me. I am able to explain in great detail which product is best for them and why. My clients trust me and they are assured that I have their best interest at heart.
Next to the clients, my team members are some of the greatest people I have ever met. They are hard workers and rise to every occasion. I makes me proud to see them prosper in their new careers and I hope that I can continue to provide an environment they can grow in and expand on their knowledge and abilities.
Best Regards!
I’m fresh out of training and loving every minute of it. I’m meeting lots of nice families and I feel like I will be making a difference in peoples lives. All this information is great and best wishes for everyone.
Carlos
The Hogan Agency
My three greatest loves are God, Family, and Harleys. My greatest gift from God is my ability to serve. I am enjoying doing that each and every day, knowing we make a difference in everyones lives. I came out of retirement after 34 years in Insurance and Securities, but I really feel now with the concept that we use, it is more understandable with the videos and the script and the members appreciate the way we help them.