Advice for New Agents Part I

Every sales organization has its own unique system of recruiting, training, and installing their sales force into the marketplace. In my current line of work, I deal with a lot of newly hired agents in the insurance and financial services industry that sell under a "captive" arrangement. Their challenges are many.

They must learn to navigate the organizational maze of a large corporate structure while concurrently starting their own small business organization that is geared to market & sell. It is a daunting challenge for them, to say the least; especially during those first several years as a new agency owner.

Given the opportunity, I share with new agents the following keys to success:

1. Be Urgent.Too often, new agent trainees look at their production requirements without the requisite urgency needed to be successful. For some reason, a false sense of security develops in the new agent and they get off to a slow or mediocre start when it comes to sales results. I can only theorize that one of several things are causing this phenomenon. First, they think their production requirements are not that difficult to achieve. Secondly, they feel that they have plenty of time to reach their production goals and do not need to be in any hurry. And lastly, it may just simply be a matter of laziness. Whatever the explanation is for the lack of urgency on the part of the new agent, it is not a mind-set conducive for the start of a successful sales career.

I am not trying to add to the stress that new agents are challenged with early in their careers. But the reality is this; time is not a new agent's ally and falling behind on production requirements is a very easy thing to let happen...and a very difficult thing to have to overcome. Be urgent.

2. Don't Be Patient with Your Needs. The home office of many sales organizations are there, ultimately, to support the marketing & sales efforts of their agents. As a new agent, your "needs" are many, particularly at the onset of your sales career. When a "need" arises and assistance is requested, do not patient to your own detriment. Specifically, if there is a marketing or sales need for support such as the need for sales materials, sales ideas, or marketing support...get it somehow, someway...right away. Don't let the procrastination or the overburdened workload of others be the reason your sale is delayed or lost.

More narrowly defined, I wouldn't be patient with needs that are: 1.) commonly provided in support of the new agent, 2.) are time sensitive, 3.) and are marketing & sales in nature. I also would be as professional and considerate as possible in how I got that need fulfilled. I am not suggesting a new agent be rude and bully their way around an organization to get what they need. Just don't let your success as a sales professional fall victim to the whims or schedules of other people or the machinations of an organization's many different layers. If you are ever going to fail at an endeavor; I would suggest that it is much nobler and mature to own your failure. Don't excuse away success by reasons of someone else and their inability to provide or do what is needed for your benefit. Nor would I want to fault circumstances that are within my control for why I failed to accomplish something. Don't be patient with your needs.

3. Keep Your Focus. There are three distinct functions that any agent must manage as a sales professional; 1.) The Organization, 2.) Marketing Activities, 3.) Selling Activities. Marketing is all those things an agent does to get & keep people (customers). Selling is what we do in front of people while the organization is defined as all those things an agent does to support the marketing and selling functions of the agency. Put in their proper order, marketing & sales should be paramount among the duties of a sales professional; the organization is secondary. Please do not misunderstand me. Maintaining the function of a healthy and efficient agency (organization) is important. But when given a choice on what to invest time on, I recommend the investment be made in marketing & selling activities first...all others are secondary.

A sales professional's time is precious. Because of that fact, it is wise for an agent to make the best use of the time provided each work day in order to maximize the revenue generating capability of the agency. What better use of an agent's time is there than to use it on those activities which will directly impact revenues into the agency. Therefore, endeavor to push all activities that are not directly related to marketing & selling functions to the periphery of the work day as much as is possible. Use those premium hours in the work day to generate appointments & opportunities to speak and meet with people (marketing) and to conduct sales conversations (selling). Work on the organization before, after, and in-between marketing & selling time when you are able. Being busy doesn't mean you are being productive. It simply means...you are busy. Focus your time on marketing & selling first...and be busy about all the other things afterward. (Part II to follow)

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

Innocently Insulting

Language is important. What people say, and how they say things, matters. Words have meaning beyond their dictionary definitions. Words convey emotion, nuance, information and subtleties about a circumstance or story that go beyond their literal meaning. By what someone says, they can betray a thought, a bias and either endear an individual to themselves or alienate them in the most innocent fashion.

In sales, developing a sensitivity to how our words are perceived by others is a key element to success and to being understood as an individual. As I have remarked often in the past in regard to the immortal words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; "To be understood is a luxury;" it is time for sales professionals to get into the luxury business and to be understood as best as possible when speaking to people.

Are You the Insulting Type?

One area in which sales professionals often lose momentum and weaken their sales presentations is by way of "insult." Yes; I said "insult," those innocent remarks we can make to people that are never meant to be hurtful or "cutting," but in the end, are hurtful and cutting.

They are quietly demeaning remarks that often imply disparaging overtones heard quite loudly by the person being spoken to. The following are some example remarks along with a translation of how the listener can interpret what is being said to them:


Remark: "Yes, but...or...Yes, however...or...Nonetheless, I think..."
Translation: "I hear what you are saying, but I don't care what you said."

Remark: "Do you understand...or...What you don't understand..."
Translation: "Is this concept too hard for you to figure out?"


Remark: "What you need to realize...or...What you fail to recognize..."
Translation: "What you haven't a clue about is..."

Remark: "Why would you...or...Why do you..."
Translation: "What were you thinking?"

How you say something has a tremendous impact on the message being transmitted. Therefore, to say that some of the above examples can be used in a sales conversation without any negative consequence is correct. How a person says something can completely change, or soften, a remark that may otherwise be construed as harsh in most other circumstances.

Just consider the above remarks the kind of words you may want to avoid for fear of being misunderstood and of innocently insulting someone in conversation.

"Do you see what I mean?" (Just kidding. No insult intended!)



Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

Are You a Person of Interest?

A good friend of mine recently remarked to me; "To be interested in people is to be interesting to them." We were discussing at the time the subject of sales people and their treatment of customers; particularly we were talking about the conversations sales people have with potential customers. His summary of it all was in the aforementioned statement .

To be Interested...is Interesting

As a young man growing up with a father who was a sales professional, my friend often recalled how he was advised to always get into the other person's world when talking to them. Allow the people you are in contact with to talk about the things they want to talk about and not what you want to talk about. Don't give in to the urge to talk about yourself or your concerns as a sales professional. Rather, get into the habit of listening to what other people have on their mind; what their concerns and needs are instead of what is important to you at the time. Do this, his father would advise, and you will be a successful sales professional.

A Bore is Someone that Talks about What is Important to Them

Don't be a bore to your customers. Resist the urge to talk about products and services that you offer from a company-centered perspective. By company-centered, I am referring to the trap many sales professionals fall into when having a sales conversation with someone. Company-centered conversations are focused on what it is you have to sell. It is a conversation that revolves about product details, service contracts, costs & price, logistical support and other metrics to prove your product or your service is better than the competition.

A company-centered sales conversation ignores the needs of the customer...It assumes the customer will draw the natural conclusion that if the product being offered is bigger & better than anyone else's, it must be what the customer wants. That just isn't the case oftentimes.

If I ask You What Time it is...Don't Tell Me How to Build a Watch

The above cliche' rings eternally true in the world of sales. People are not interested in what it is that you have to sell...They are interested in what it does for them. That is what people buy. They don't care about the company, the agency, or you, for that matter. At least, customers don't care about those things as much as they care about themselves and their own particular needs. It's a natural part of the human condition. It is neither right nor wrong to be naturally interested in oneself. It simply is a fact of our nature.

And in knowing and understanding human nature, the prudent sales professional recognizes the necessity in being "interested" in the customers they speak with on a daily basis. To be interested is truly interesting to customers.

Interest Earned is Profit Made

Being interested in customers, or prospects, results in increased revenue and profits for the insurance professional. If you show interest in people, ask them questions about their lives and their concerns; and if you seek to understand them and their needs, they will be drawn to you and, in turn, will find you to be an interesting person. That just may be enough to persuade them to buy from you instead of some other, "boring" salesperson. Get interested in people, your agency's survival depends upon it.

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

Your Money is Your Business...Literally

Expense Management is a Key to Survival for the Small Business Owner

It is a very competitive business landscape in virtually every sector of the market; particularly hard hit by rising costs in recent years has been the insurance and financial services industry. The slightest miscalculation in spending valuable agency resources can result in a tremendous amount of harm to vital cash-flow needs and deplete precious capital reserves needed to continue operating the agency and meeting payroll demands.

As commissions (revenues) steadily decrease among most insurance companies along with increasing operating expenses, agents are seeking new outlets to acquire customers and access new streams of prospects to drive growth, achieve policy count increases and offset the challenge of higher operating expenses.

It all Begins with a Simple Choice

Expense management is not as complicated a matter as is often made of it at the agency level. In fact, when considered against the backdrop of some simple questions related to sales & marketing, controlling expenses is not a difficult process.

It is not the choice between one thing to spend money on and another that presents difficulty for most agents. It is the actual follow through on that decision, or the execution of the choice to spend or not to spend, that causes the most problems for agents and other small business people.

Making the choice between good and bad, wise and foolish, smart and…not so smart, are easy choices to make. But acting on those choices; now that is a different challenge altogether.

Expense Management begins with the Two Questions

1. Is the money I am considering spending intended to drive prospects to my business?

2. If not, does the money I am considering spending go towards keeping the business entity viable and operating effectively and efficiently so I can drive customers to my storefront and keep the current ones that I have acquired?

-If the answer to both questions is, no; then don’t spend the money…Or, if you feel absolutely compelled to spend the money anyway, at least, spend the money very slowly, deliberately…and very reluctantly.

-If the answer to either is, yes, then spend it…And, yes, spend it carefully and wisely.

Recognize that the farther you deviate from this two question standard, the farther away the business drifts away from profitability and solvency.

Expense management has to do with the discipline of follow through.

Can you say, no, to one expense and, yes, to another after applying the two question standard…and then actively follow through with the decision?

I am not begrudging agents and other business owners the liberty to spend their money on what they want. The freedom to make choices and decisions is one of the great attractions of being a business owner; and being an American for that matter. What I am suggesting is that agents take the time to consider their expenditures, and impulses, through the filter of the two question standard.

Impulses and Careless Spending can Lead to Business Failure

Many times, I have observed the unnecessary spending of precious business funds on things that are not relevant to the business goal. Blackberry phones, expensive pens and office items, unneeded office furniture and decorations, unnecessary and frequent business meals and excessive spending on office supplies to name a few are examples of expense traps that many agents can fall prey to when making spending choices.

And as a matter of record, it is oftentimes the small and seemingly “harmless’ expenditures that cause big problems for the agent owner.

Inevitably, the day will come when money is needed for an expenditure that could actually drive prospects to your storefront, but the funds will not be there to spend. Why? Because satellite radio and that Monte Blanc pen you wanted for the office to impress clients was purchased instead.

Logic could be used to justify the purchasing of all of the aforementioned items. But if squarely applied to the two question standard, and critically assessed in regard to their benefit to the overall success of the agency, the answer would be to forego those expenses. It would be wiser to spend the money on marketing & sales processes within the office that will have a direct impact on revenues and in lowering expense ratios.

Then when the day comes where you have adequate disposable income and the liberty to spend your money more liberally, then do so; enjoy the fruits of your labor. But for the agent, particularly for the new agent with tight tolerances for spending capital resources, be disciplined and deliberate in what you spend your money.

Freedom can Kill You…And it can Kill the Business…

Again, I feel it necessary to remind readers that your money is your business, literally. The ability to spend money and to make choices is a relative matter and a highly personal one as well.

Some agents have the fortunate ability to spend more than others on a variety of different things. Some agents have a very narrow margin of discretionary money, and are thus; more sensitive to cash-flow issues. This causes them to keep expenses strictly centered on profit and growth spending more so than the individual with a greater capacity for spending outside the boundaries of necessity.

Agents operating under narrow margins, which are most common, have no latitude for deviation from the two question standard. Still, the wonderful part of business ownership is the ability to exercise personal authority over the spending of money as you see fit. After all, it is your business, and no one else’s, especially when it comes to what you spend your money on.

But with the wonderful privilege of business ownership and the freedom of choice that comes with it, there can also be a curse brought upon the business owner. Freedom without self-discipline is a curse…and a killer; a killer of profit.

It is also a killer of production excellence, personal achievement, and a killer of many small business ventures in the end. Freedom without discipline soon leads to bondage and enslavement financially.

In regard to expenses and managing them properly as a business owner, there’s a certain discipline necessary that every agent-owner must exercise in order to adhere to the two question standard.

The answer to expense management issues is not the solution to the problem of expense management. It is the active adherence to the answer that is the solution to the problem…

The questions, once again, are this:

1. Is the money I am considering spending intended to drive prospects to my business?

2. Does the money I am considering spending go towards keeping the business entity viable and operating effectively and efficiently so I can keep current customers or drive new customers to my storefront?

The answer is going to be either, yes or no to either question. But the solution is not in concluding on a yes or no answer. The solution is in the deliberate, disciplined act of not spending when it is so indicated, or desired.

That is the discipline of expense management. Sounds simple in its basic form; that's because it is simple. But simple doesn't mean it is easy. The hard work is in the application of the answers; the discipline and determination to execute on the answers is the challenge and the magic to effective expense management as an agency owner.

After all, your money is your business.

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

The Closing Ratio is Queen

If cash flow is king, then selling, or the closing ratio, is queen. This is just one example of simplicity and the need for clarity in small business management. Stay focused on what matters to your agency and keep it as simple as possible. Don't complicate things; considering life is complicated enough, why would any small business owner want to make things worse for themselves?

Start first by resisting the urge to do everything. Keep to the basics and be flawless at the essentials when it comes to running an agency.

Football legend and National Football Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lombardi, is reported to have held up high a football saying the following to his recruits and returning veterans on the first day of football practice every year before the regular season opened; “Gentleman, this is a football.”

What a strange thing to have said to these men; many of whom were living football legends in their own right, professionals who had dedicated their lives to the perfection of their craft, who had sacrificed their bodies and their hearts and minds for years in the pursuit of excellence and sporting greatness .

Of course, these men knew that what he held high in his hand was a football. But that wasn’t what Vince Lombardi was trying to say. What he was reminding them all, rookie and veteran alike, is that success is a simple matter.

He was reminding all of them, and you and me today, that the road to success and glory isn’t some secret or privilege reserved for the few or some special class of people. Success is about being great at the basics and in keeping things simple.

Football is about blocking, tackling, running and passing the ball. Beyond these basic principles, there isn’t much more to the game of football that the mind cannot overcome. His charge to his players was as genius as it was simple at the start of every season; keep it simple by being great at the basics.

We can take a lesson from his approach. In our profession, selling insurance and financial services products, our great need is to embrace simplicity, to keep things simple and resist the urge to do it all…right now.

Like football where the team that blocks best, tackles best, runs best and passes the football best is usually the winner; the agent, or agency, that runs an effective organization best, markets best, and sells best…wins.

It doesn’t get any more complicated than that.

Be great at the basics. Focus on what is important to success and don’t try to boil the ocean.


Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

Marketing Basics

As I define it, marketing is all those things we do to get and keep customers. It is an area of small business ownership that can often be the most difficult to do. Why is that true? Because marketing is about “getting and keeping” customers, it involves action, movement, execution and persistency…and a lot of patience at times.

It is the “block and tackle” part of the sales business; the foundational work from which all sales results are born. Without the hard work of marketing, nothing, absolutely nothing gets done for the insurance agent.

The following principles will help in building effective marketing processes within an agency.

1. Focus the majority of your daily energy on the execution of specific marketing activities. Compared with selling, marketing involves a greater degree of effort in order to be successful. Once a prospect is face-to-face with a sales professional, the great majority of them will buy. Insurance agencies never fail because of a weak sales force or poor individual salesmanship. Agencies fail because of inadequate or ineffective marketing execution. The secret to sales success is no secret at all; having enough opportunities to conduct a sales conversation with people is what creates sales success. The only way that can be accomplished is through executing a marketing plan. Don’t be distracted from the simple fact that marketing success is fueled by determined and consistent execution of a plan of marketing. Otherwise, it’s just a plan and nothing more.

2. A solid marketing plan has balance within and without. It has balance in terms of mining business opportunities from within the book of business and without the book of business. That is, there is oftentimes a “book within the book” when referring to additional sales to current customers. Take every opportunity available to you in order to cross sell and even “up-sell” your current customer list. A lopsided marketing approach common to agents is to market their current customers almost exclusively at the sacrifice of marketing outside the book towards new ones. That is a mistake in terms of missed opportunities for growth and stability.

3. A solid marketing plan has balance in creating awareness and in creating attraction. By marketing awareness, I am referring to broad based advertising such as billboards, radio and television ads, telephone book ads, fliers and posters, signs plus any other media designed more for market presence and identity rather than driving business to a specific storefront, website or phone number. Be discriminate with your marketing budget. Have a presence in both marketing realms. But use the bulk of your marketing dollars on processes that specifically attract and drive business to your transaction portals be it a brick and mortar storefront, an Internet site or a 1-800 number. The desire to feel good about buying billboard space or telephone book ads should be tempered by the reality that these marketing mediums do little in terms of creating an acceptable return on investment for the insurance agent trying to grow his/her business.

4. A solid marketing plan has balance between passive processes and active processes. The idea of passive and active processes fits well with our previous discussion about awareness and attraction. Many marketing awareness efforts are not “efforts” at all. They tend to be passive attempts at getting people in front of you. A billboard, for instance, is an extremely popular yet passive means of marketing. Many agents use billboards to market themselves. And sadly, many more use billboards and other passive methods are their primary means for marketing. These methods tend to be expensive, difficult to measure in terms of return on investment, and simply do not produce the predictable efforts of more active means of marketing. I will not discount the importance of billboard advertising and other passive-awareness methods in an overall, well balanced marketing strategy. What I will discount is the effectiveness of such advertising over more active methods such as cold calling and other telemarketing, leveraging centers of influence and other relationships, participating in civic and community events,

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

Script Book: A Recommended Way to Organize Scripts for Future Reference

Get a 3 ring binder and place dividers in it that separate your scripts into categories similar to the following:

SALES

1. Auto Sales Conversation
2. Homeowners Sales Conversation
3. Life Sales Conversation
4. Commercial/Small Business Sales Conversation
5. Investment Sales Conversation (Variable Products, Fixed Products)
6. Props/Proofs & Other Media Sources to be Used at the Point of Sale
1. Persuasive Facts and Figures
2. Current News Articles/Magazines Articles
3. Sales Conversation Tools/Visuals/Graphics or Other Produced Sales
Discussion Platforms Used at the Point of Sale.

MARKETING

1. Other Scripts
a. X-date Phone Script
b. Follow-Up Phone Script
c. Premium/Price Change Phone Script
d. Claims Handling Phone Script
e. Review/Insurance Check-Up Phone Script
f. Confirm the Appointment Phone Script
g. Competitive Auto/Homeowners Quote Phone Script
h. Follow-Up/Re-quote Phone Script
i. Complaint Handling Phone Script
j. Thank You for Your Business/Birthday/Congratulations Phone Script
k. Auto/No Home Phone Script
l. Home/No Auto Pphone Script
m. Multi-line or Life Phone Script
n. No Automatic Bank Withdrawal to Pay Premium Phone Script
o. Service + 1 Phone Script or Walk-in Script
p. I Just Want a Quote Phone Script
q. 30 Second Commercial Script/or Introduction Script
r. Referral Scripts
2. Objections & Concerns Scripts
a. No Need
b. No Money
c. No Time
d. No Interest


3. Processes (Who, When, Where, How, What): Step by Step Plan of How a Particular Marketing Process will be Executed, When it Will be Executed and by Whom.
a. External/new business marketing
1. X-dating for Auto Competitive Quotes
2. Call-in/Walk-in quotes
3. Referral System
4. Community & Civic Events/Church, Clubs, Membership to
Organizations, Events
5. Centers of Influence; e.g. apartment complexes, realtors, small
businesses
6. Telemarketing
7. Friends/Family/Acquaintances
b. Internal/Retention & Cross Selling Processes (Who, What, Where, When, How)
1. New Customer Follow-Up System
2. Premium/Price Change System
3. Claims Handling System
4. Review/Insurance Check-Up System
5. Small Business/Commercial Marketing System
6. Requote/Follow-Up System
7. Motorcycle/Bike Night System
8. Birthday Card/Thank You System

It may initially appear that putting together a “script” book is unnecessary work, but it isn't. Think of it this way; if we require of doctors and airplane pilots and lawyers, for example, to be professionals who know their craft inside and out by way of study, memorization and deliberate practice; then why should we require any less of ourselves?

Also, If we desire to be taken seriously and to earn the privilege of being called a sales professional, then we need to take up the responsibilities akin to what it takes to earn that title.

Scripting is Harnessing the Power of Words

Scripting is the means by which insurance agents can earn the title of “professional, expert, advisor and trusted consultant.” It is the work, duty and responsibility of insurance sales professional to be able to effectively communicate with individuals as powerfully as possible in order to persuade them to do those things they need to do for themselves; like buy insurance.

Scripting is the means by which that is accomplished.

“To be understood is a luxury.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It’s time to get into the “luxury business.”

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

Hire for the Position and Not the Person

I know I have written about this before, but it merits repeating. Be very specific and deliberate about who you hire and for what reason. Don’t hire someone who is talented in an area that you have determined is NOT critical to the agency’s success. That would be tantamount to putting a “square peg” into a “round hole;” it’s just not going to work.

But agents and business owners make this mistake quite often. They interview candidates for a specific position, intending to hire someone who will fulfill a role the business unit needs. But then something happens to derail the process.

While interviewing different candidates, someone impressive interviews for the job…The only problem is that this individual, although talented and clearly someone who could contribute to the right business opportunity, doesn’t have the skill set or background the business needs at this time in order to move forward and grow.

But they are hired nonetheless in the hope that they can be converted to the needed role anyway…Or, they are hired and accommodated to perform a role other than originally intended at the sacrifice of the business unit’s real needs.

As presented, the above scenario of hiring the person because of their obvious talent and abilities versus hiring for the position isn’t always a disaster for the business owner. There are exceptions in such instances, but they are rare.

Have a detailed staff handbook with a detailed job description within it that outlines specifically the tasks and duties of the position your business needs in order to prosper. Using the template of the handbook and job description as a guide, recruit an individual who can satisfy the requirements of the position as outlined.

To hire someone for any other reason aside from fulfilling the requirements of the job description is a poor business decision.

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu

The Difference Between a Life of Fiction and a Life of Fact

Imagine it is game day, The Ohio State Buckeyes are playing the last game of the regular season against, none other than, the Michigan Wolverines. It's one of the greatest sports rivals in the American sporting world.

Called out of retirement at age 49 is Tony Cefalu, running back extraordinaire, to join the offensive lineup as the team's "ground threat" along with quarterback great, Terrell Pryor.

In the huddle, Pryor calls the next play; a running play that traces it's steps behind the lead blocking of the right offensive tackle. The plan is to have the "ageless running back," Tony Cefalu, get the ball. Pryor calls, "break," and the offensive team lines up along the line of scrimmage to prepare for battle.

Under center, Pryor begins to call the play and immediately assesses that Michigan is "stacked" with defensive players off right tackle; poised perfectly to tackle the running back great, Tony Cefalu. It was as if the entire Michigan defense was in the Ohio State huddle when the play was called.

Without hesitation, Pryor decides to change the play at the scrimmage line mere seconds before the ball is put into play. He does this by way of an "audible," a tactic used by quarterbacks to change a play just seconds before the ball is hiked. Usually, an audible is a voice command "code" comprised of a word such as "red," or it can be a number, or it can be a combination of the two.

The "codes" used by quarterbacks are different for every team and every game so they can't be "deciphered" by the opponent teams. Audibles in football allow teams to immediately adjust their offensive play to match the real time changing conditions in a football game within a matter of seconds.

So when an immediate change to an offensive play is required to match the ever fluid situation of a game, it can be done instantaneously, imperceptibly, effectively; and everyone on the team knows the "code" and everyone knows what they have to do as a result. The key to a successful "audible" call is planning, practice and situational awareness.

The ball is snapped, Pryor hands it off to Cefalu and he runs off the left tackle as the audible indicated. As a result, he ends up recording one of the longest running plays for a touchdown in college football history! Ohio State wins the game and captures the Big Ten Conference Championship outright while earning a berth to the national title game...which, incidentally, they win handily.

A lesson drawn from this story is this; In order to be able to deviate...one must have something to deviate from...such as an effective "game plan."

In Order to be Able to Deviate...One Must Have Something to Deviate From

What does all this have to do with sales and sales success?

First of all, the scenario painted is born of my dreams and fantasies of being a college football player for one of the greatest teams and schools on the planet; The Ohio State Buckeyes. So please, forgive the indulgence...I couldn't resist the urge to "come out of retirement" for this blog article and to dream a fantastic scenario as the one where I am running back for the Buckeyes.

Secondly, what I am hoping to illustrate with this story is a principle of success that is often lost among sales professionals. That principle is the principle of preparation.

When coach, Jim Tressel, has the OSU football team take the field of play, do you think there was a lot of planning and preparation that went into their practices and their formations before ever stepping onto the gridiron? Absolutely; no successful team takes the field of play without a lot of preparation and planning ahead of the actual game itself.

Before each game, how many basic offensive plays do you think have been planned, scripted out, memorized and practiced by each member of the OSU team in order to win a game? The answer is this; a lot.

It can be argued conservatively that there are at least 15 different basic offensive formations within the OSU arsenal along with as many different variations for each play that a team of their caliber might be expected to execute on the field. Therefore, the different combination of plays that can be potentially called is...enormous. Hence, teams have "play books" which are guarded closely and studied religiously by each player in order to be ready for "game day."

Coach Tressel has won 5 national championships in major college football; 4 of those titles he won while head coach of Youngstown State University in Division I-AA Football. The other title, many of us remember vividly, was during the perfect season year in 2002 with The Ohio State Buckeyes in Division I-A Football.

Winning is not an accidental thing; it is a deliberate action.

The Will to Win is Not as Important as the Will to Plan to Win

You Can't Win Titles without Great Players...But You Can Lose Titles with Great Players

Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting with and working with hundreds of sales professionals and leaders in trying to improve their sales results and to build upon their skills as business owners. Most of them are brilliant people who are quick witted, smart and possess the social skills that I can only describe as enviable. They exude success.

Quite often, I silently marvel at the ease in which they wield their talents and apply their skills as sales experts. But for as many individuals I meet who possess the will to be successful, have great talent and skill in delivering a persuasive sales presentation; just as many end up failing as sales professionals. Why?

It's not for the Lack of Talent that Sales Professionals Fail...It's for the Lack of Planning to Win that Many Fail


In order to be able to deviate...one must have something to deviate from...as in a plan of action. Do you have a written plan; a game plan of sorts, that you can follow and deviate from, if necessary, in order to be successful?

I'm not speaking of a written business plan only. I am referring to a written document that goes beyond a business plan; that outlines what to say, what to do, who will say it, who will do take action and when it will all happen and with what outcomes.

Do you have your marketing processes planned out and kept in a written document?
Do you have your scripts planned out and kept in a written document?

On "game day," are you prepared to execute your marketing processes or deliver a scripted sales conversation? Do you know what to say? Do you plan and prepare to win?

How do you prepare your team (staff) to be successful? Do you review your processes and scripts periodically with your agency staff?

Where is your "game book," and do you execute on it? When with a customer in a sales situation, are you able to call a sales audible in order to shift the conversation to the ever changing dynamics that are an inevitability when working in a "people-centered business" such as insurance sales and financial services?

Don't fool yourself. The difference between a successful career has a lot to do with planning for success. For me, the difference can be thought of as either leading a life of fiction or a life of fact and meaning as an agent.

The life of fiction can be illustrated by the agent who is continually looking for that "good idea;" that secret formula which will guarantee success and grow the business without any real effort or investment on the part of the agent. That kind of solution doesn't exist.

A life of fiction is a life of no growth; that ignores the practical matters of scripting, planning and deliberate execution on those marketing processes and sales ideas we all know will work for any agent; only if acted upon.

In contrast, the life of fact and accepting the realities of business ownership as an agent-owner where planning and execution go hand-in-hand with being successful is a life of growth, profit and increased income.

Fact versus fiction is a choice between following a path as a "make-believe" business professional or a substantive and successful agent-owner with results, credibility, and the respect of your peers. Which path do you want to follow?

Copyright © 2010 - Tony Cefalu