Don't Waste Time When You Are Prospecting

I would love to tell you that sales training in the Insurance industry is geared towards making agents successful. Although you would think this to be true the reality is, most sales training that is geared towards getting you business is a waste of time.

Why do I say that? Consider these statements:

1) Get use to hearing more the word "no"

2) You have to knock on a lot of doors to reach your goal

3) If you want to make a lot of money in sales you have to focus on cold calling

There is some truth in these statements. But let me offer some insights into the reality of what these statements mean to the salesman.

1) If you get us to the word "no" then you have to get use to failing. Every sales call you go on you need to expect to hear a "yes". Negativity does nothing when you goal is to generate positive results. How can an agent get excited about hearing the word "no"? Who can keep getting up and taking the abuse of being told no the majority of each day?

I want to offer you an alternative; Instead of looking for more "no's" how about looking for people who can offer you a "yes"? If you are a shoe salesman trying to sell shoes to Indians who don't wear shoes, you are asking for a very negative experience. But if you sell shoes to women who tend to buy a fair share of shoes, you may hear "yes".

2) I am not knocking on doors to look for new business. I am addressing the foolishness of going out into the marketplace just hoping you will find a suitable client. That is not true. As agents you must market your product to potential clients who either already have your product or would purchase if they could see the benefit. To think that every person needs our product is certainly old school thinking.

Years ago I worked for a company that sold dictionaries. They would put a group of us in a van, drop us off in a suburban area and have us go door to door asking people to purchase our dictionary. The lie they told us was "everyone who speaks needs a dictionary." I was young and dumb. That is not the way to sell dictionaries and we all failed as salesmen to earn any real income.