It is tempting to believe that the top 10% of superstar producers will never be able to get stuck. In my early days of business, it felt like these guys were 10 feet tall and bulletproof.
If you have spent as much time as I have with these stars, you will see that even they sometimes get stuck and their agencies can plateau from time-to-time. How they deal with getting unstuck is what makes the difference between them and average people.
The context in which we sell insurance is not static. It’s easy to mistakenly believe it is.
There are often warning signs in your agency and your closing presentations that things aren’t going well. Many people, especially in our field, are content to run their businesses like an ostrich and hope that if they just stick their heads in the ground and ignore all the obstacles and problems they will be able to move on.
Top agents don’t. They keep their eyes open for potential changes in Allstate corporate and the industry as a whole.
Agents are more reactive than proactive. They either arrive at work and play the role of fireman, responding to any emergency that may arise, or they let the inbound calls, emails and drop-in clients and salesmen dictate their day. They chase prospects and clients all day, allowing them to decide what and when they will do it. It’s the day-to-day minutia that takes up so much of the time that they could be more productively using to deal with the larger issues and see the bigger picture.
The real question is:
Who is Driving Your Agency’s Success?
Who will be guiding it through these difficulties? There have been some difficult times recently, as we all know. Allstate. The industry. The whole economy. You can chart your own course by grasping the steering wheel with both of your hands. You’re the president and CEO for your life. Nobody has the power to decide your future. The company, your employees and certainly not our presidential candidates.
The biggest thing that top Inner Circle agents do is to accept responsibility for changing things if they aren’t happy with the results.
They accept that where they are now is where they will be, and if not, they learn what they need and improve what they have to do to get there.
Strategies are designed to help you get more leads and overcome price objections. Top agents don’t hesitate to search for the answers and are not afraid to use them.
Today is a new day, and every agent has the ability to make that decision. You have the power to take back control of your agency’s future and how your income is distributed. You have the option to learn how you can move beyond what is holding you back.
You can take steps to increase your economy. Do not wait for things to improve. It will be a mistake. The best opportunities can only be found when you push forward when others hesitate. You can see it in the actions of other Allstate agents.
How can you move forward intelligently? Do not reinvent the wheel. Agents want to grow and either do it themselves or seek out help from peers. Top agents seek out experts to help them get there faster.
Top agents seek out ideas from both the insurance industry and other industries to grow their businesses. These agents then take those ideas and adapt them to their agencies before taking action.
Top agents take lessons from others who are successful and adapt their ideas to help grow their business. They take control. They create strategies that will produce the results they desire for their business. You can also do the same.