Agency Operations

Six Steps to Handling Objections

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to glide through objections easily, comfortably and with success? Objections are the bane of most financial advisors and salespeople. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid them – you must answer them satisfactorily to close the sale. However, objections are not insurmountable – they are hurdles, not walls. With the right…

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Successful Persuasion

Have you ever had a hard time persuading people to see your point of view, to do something for you, or to sell them a product or service? Most of us have. But you can learn to be a powerful persuader by becoming a “persuasion detective.” Successful detectives both ask smart questions and listen very…

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The Art of the Probe

There is so much emphasis placed on probing, but so little time spent doing it. I have video taped over 1,000 sales interviews and only one person had an accurate perception of what percentage of time he spent actually probing and listening. The other 999+ felt they were asking and listening over 60 percent of…

Phenom or Fraud?

The average producer is literally wasting tens of thousands of dollars a year quoting on accounts they have either little chance of writing or shouldn’t even be trying to write. Why? Simple. They have no real clue how much their time is worth, how much of it they waste, how many accounts they solicit with…

Is Integrity a Sales Strategy?

The more your customer trusts you, the less risk your customer feels in dealing with you, and the less time necessary to invest in understanding the product, service or program you are offering. From the customer’s perspective, it’s easier and less risky to deal with someone you trust than with someone you don’t. And that…

Dealing with the Producer Who Has Leveled Off

One or more of your salespeople has leveled off. Their performance hasn’t improved much in the last few years. Where before you were able to count on significant increases each year, now you cannot. You know that these experienced salespeople can do better, but they seem unable or unwilling to break out of a certain…

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How Can I Sell When I’m Not the Lowest Price?

How many of you are driving used Yugos? Or wearing a suit you bought at a garage sale? Or watching an 8-inch black & white TV? You’ve got the picture. You don’t always buy on the basis of low price, so why should you think that all your customers do? The truth is, they don’t.…

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The Five Most Common Mistakes Salespeople Make

Over the decades that I’ve been involved in sales, I’ve worked with tens of thousands of salespeople. Certain negative tendencies – mistakes that salespeople make – keep surfacing. Here are my top five. See to what degree you (or your sales force) may be guilty of them….

Your Most Powerful Sales Tool?

Did you enjoy what you had for dinner last night?  You are probably wondering what that question has to do with sales. Bear with me a moment, and answer the question. Now, pause a moment, and think about what you did when you read that question. Your mind probably flashed back to yesterday evening, and…

Communicating Price Increases to Your Customers

No one likes price increases, but they are a fact of life. As a professional salesperson, you can manage this process with excellence or you can allow it to upset you and your customers. Implement these seven strategies and you will handle the inevitable price increase with finesse and confidence.