Sales & Marketing

Ours is a business full of twists and turns.  And it’s all a matter of how we handle those twists and turns that shape us.  I recently had an annuity case that put me to the test. And I wondered all through the entire process if I was man enough to complete it. Let me start from the beginning.  It …

When we hear the word “negotiating,” we often think of closing a big sale or making a big purchase, but negotiating is something that can happen every day with family, co-workers and clients. You are negotiating any time you tell someone that what you want is different from what they are trying to give you. The common goal of negotiation …

Americans spend more than $12 billion per year on the nation’s most pervasive addiction—self-help and the seemingly insatiable desire to be more successful. Like other compulsions, we can’t get enough to satisfy our longing. Every couple of weeks, there’s a new self-help book, video or seminar. Malcolm Gladwell’s latest addition to his shelf of self-help books is totally enticing. It’s …

Four Words: Massive Rejection Equals Success. A top producer is the person who hears the most ‘No’s. To realize profitable weekly sales results, every customer ‘no’ should push you and get you closer to a sale. “Some people fold after making one timid request,” says Jack Canfield, “They quit too soon. In sales there are usually four or five ‘No’s …

The idea that marketing is something that companies “do” is so ingrained in the business mindset that it’s impossible to think otherwise. Yet, that’s exactly what needs to happen. It’s true that many marketers enthusiastically avoid the traditional marketing label with energetic efforts to recalibrate their careers. No matter what you call it, pull the curtain back and marketing largely …

One-shot wonders in business are not unlike one-hit wonders on the Billboard charts. Basically, a person starts out with a bang, but is never able to replicate that level of success again. As Andy Warhol once said, “In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes.” Are you guilty of putting one-shot wonder effort into your insurance career? …

It’s still early in 2014, and now is a perfect time to consider what you can do to add value to your client experience. Chances are, your competition is currently prospecting with your top clients, so you can be sure that a few of them are wondering what value they’re getting from retaining you as their financial advisor. Since value …

Targeting an industry niche is a very effective, yet underused marketing strategy in the financial services industry. It can be hard to create a reputation for yourself when your marketing approach is “shotgun.” On the other hand, when you target a very specific industry niche, it’s fairly easy to elevate yourself to “celebrity status.” Let’s start out with a definition. …

For over a decade, I have been in the insurance business. I’ve worked as an agent, consultant, and sales trainer. And I have seen an enormously-high failure rate when newly licensed agents come on board. Why is there such a high failure rate for new agents, and others that are new to the business? Well, we all make mistakes, so …

In my opinion, asking for help is the most taboo topic in our industry these days.  If our egos weren’t so huge, maybe I wouldn’t have felt the need to share my thoughts on the subject. But anyway, everyone should sit tight and prepare to be knocked down a peg or two—myself included. We all talk big. Sometimes, we hold …