You’ve just spoken with Bill Gormin, the controller of a 20 person architectural firm, and gotten the green light to circle back six months down the road and schedule a meeting to provide him with a cost and coverage insurance review before his next renewal period. Bill was open-minded, sincere, and willing to hear what your agency could do for him. But he was preoccupied and didn’t spend long on the phone. Six months later, when you finally get Bill on the phone again (after several missed attempts) he tells you that he’s terribly busy and won’t be able to meet after all this year. As a friendly concession, he invites you to check back next year, but that sales opportunity has evaporated. Unfortunately, this is an all too common scenario. Continue reading →
Business-Savvy Body Language Part 1
You know you’re a good agent and producer. You’ve got a nice book of business. You’re a people person, you’re astute and knowledgeable about risk and insurance.
When you go out on sales calls, you bring with you a firm handshake, a warm smile, and the confidence that you can do a better job for the prospect than their current agent. But are you thinking about what else your body language is conveying? Is it aligned with your intentions? And how well can you read the physical signals you’re getting from others?
46 years ago, Dr. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of psychology at UCLA, published a landmark study on nonverbal communication. His findings have since become a standard in the field, especially the 7%-38%-55% rule. Continue reading →
Sales Lessons From Saturday Night Live
For nearly five decades the Not Ready for Prime Time Players have been taking viewers on a wild and crazy ride, much of which is fueled by the deft improvisational skills of the performers. To be a master at improv you’ve got to think on your feet, keep your mind open and internalize a number of techniques for responding to whatever situations present themselves.In recent years, business consultants and sales trainers have been applying improv’s underlying principles in a number of successful ways. When we take a look at the styles of top sales producers it’s easy to see these principles in action. Continue reading →
The One-Two Punch of Phone and Email
It began, more or less, with the messenger pigeon. Cyrus the Great, king of Persia and ruler of the largest empire the world had ever seen, used pigeon-delivered messages to stay abreast of what was happening in all corners of his kingdom. Back in the Age of Iron, that was pretty cool. 5000 years later, in the Information Age, we find ourselves sending text messages saying “check your email,” and emails reminding us to pick up the phone.
In the realm of sales, communication is key. Are you clear about the details? Do you understand the prospect’s situation? Are you conveying the right message to establish trust, differentiate your agency, and show the value you can deliver?
Today’s sage advice: start with a broad view, consider your goals, and understand the dynamics of synchronous and asynchronous communication channels. Continue reading →