Those of you who pay close attention to articles in this newsletter may have noticed that I'm the least likely member of our team to make a sports analogy. My wife, who was far more obsessed with the Rio Olympics than I was, recently made me watch a commercial that had a great message, which is clearly applicable to our line of business.
The commercial is short, and I encourage you to watch it here:
Images of Michael Phelps, “The Greatest Olympian of All Time”, if you'll indulge my use of the phrase, working insanely hard, often through pain and during the earliest hours of the morning, end with a clear and simple phrase: It's what you do in the dark that puts you in the light.
I think we all know great athletes work hard. Michael Jordan is famous for pushing himself and teammates harder than anyone thought possible. Same goes for Peyton Manning. But my point is about as simple as the aforementioned phrase; it's not just in sports that hard work pays off, and often more so than we even realize. I watched the commercial and I immediately thought about a young agent in our office who mentioned he was having a hard time with a part of his sales process, so each evening, he had been watching a sales video prepared by another agent in the office until he had a complete comprehension of the issue he was struggling with. His drive has set him apart, and it's easy to understand why - he's putting forth the effort, and in return, he's outselling other agents.
How often do you, even as an experienced agent, really put your best foot forward through proper preparation to put your clients first and potentially increase business? It's often the most fundamental practices that push us forward - reviewing your client’s file or past notes before a meeting, being on time for appointments, staying on top of industry trends, reaching out to clients with a thank you note for their business, sending birthday or holiday cards. The list is long, but the tasks themselves aren't wildly unrealistic.
I get it, trust me. We all find ourselves on autopilot. It's easy to assume the client who has always been a straightforward Medicare Supplement renewal has no interest in life insurance. But, have you made sure that client's situation has't changed? Have you taken the time to present it properly? Did you take the steps throughout the year to reassure the client that you have their best interests at heart? Try pushing yourself a little harder, try getting out of your box, and more than anything, make sure you're doing the little things properly. You may be surprised by the results. Because, remember, it's what you do in the dark that puts you in the light.
