How Do You Motivate Your Agents

If there were only a motivator that appealed to all. Fact is, whether we can admit it or not, most people aren't motivated to work. You can hang the most appealing carrot in front of the horse and still get nothing. There are two kinds of people that need motivation: the ones that simply need training so you can point them in the right direction and give 'em the tools and away they go. The other kind? The ones who need training because they have never acted upon the training they have already had.


Preach It Brother!!

Some people want to pay their bills and some don't.

Agents that do nothing and try nothing, are always amazed at why they failed at this business and blame everyone but themselves.
 
Being a former Marine, this is a horrible example. First of all my boot camp platoon started with 85 recruits. We graduated 42 after 43 either quit or washed out. 3 of them attempt to go AWOL...kinda tough when you're on Parris Island but they tried.

On top of that a lot of the 43 who made it were what we called "**** birds" - lazy and did the bare minimum to get by.

Who motivated the lazy recruits. The rest of the platoon....at night after the DI's turned in.

No one was motivated by a DI. You either wanted to be there and wanted to be a Marine or you listened to the DI or you'd end up in the pit. If the pit didn't motivate you they'd mark you as "refusal to train" and throw you in the brig while they processed you out.



Thank God times change...typical Marine. Jump before you think..If you had read a bit closer I SAID A SOLDIER.....I did not say a Marine. Even in todays military the term DI and Drill Sergeant are interchangeable whether we like it or not...but soldier and marine are in way interchangeable.

By the way, did you say you were a DI or just part of the bullies that beat up people in the dark. That training technique is despicable and cowardly for both the marines and their DI's who allowed it...

You embarrass yourself and the Marine Corps with your comments and u completely missed it...what a surprize.

You do not speak for or represent any of the marines I call my friends that I proudly served with both in peacetime and in war. They are thinkers, motivators, they lead from the front and set the standard. They are smart enough to solve a problem without resorting to throwing someone in a pit.
 
Someone said to Zig Ziglar "motivation doesn't last" he said "neither does bathing, that's why we recommend that you do it every day"

I disagree about not being able to motivate people, it's really that many don't know how to consistently motivate people, because usually at some point, the manager/MGA slacks, gets caught up with newer agents or whatever, and hopes the machine rolls on without continuing to oil it.

It takes effort and perseverance to make people feel like a part of team, feel inspired, set goals, see the vision, etc.

How many of you/us went to a seminar, felt pumped and an hour/day/week later it lost it's luster?

What if you kept that up? Listened to success themed audio every morning or inspiring music that pumps you up (the Rocky theme say) or read a quote or chapter in a success oriented book instead of the newspaper, internet or tv news that's usually negative and depressing? When all parties take responsibility it can be seamless, a well oiled machine, again, a team thing.

Also, I post up inspiring quotes on Facebook every morning and have had numerous emails saying that it helps people get the day going and they look forward to them.

Motivation works, people don't!

:1biggrin:
 
What if you kept that up? Listened to success themed audio every morning or inspiring music that pumps you up (the Rocky theme say) or read a quote or chapter in a success oriented book instead of the newspaper, internet or tv news that's usually negative and depressing?

That sounds good, but I've found reality to be different. You can be pumped up and geared for the day, but when it becomes time to actually pick-up the phone or hit the streets to make the calls, it somehow disappears in an instant. You don't pump yourself up to get a positive attitude, then do the **** work. You do the **** work and the positive attiude comes naturally. It's only a one way street.

You simply need a big enough reason to do the dirty work that needs to be done each day and do what you don't want to do. Even after making thousands of cold calls, I have to force myself to get started each morning. No motivational quote, success story, or tape is going to get me to pick up the phone. The desire comes from within, you need to bring your own to the table.
 
I agree. I was a part of many sales outfits that held huge motivational sessions each day before we hit the field. Same 90% who failed, same 10% who succeeded and hated the rah rah sessions.
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You have it entirely backwards, which is a common error, especially on this forum. The work does not change your attitude, your attitude changes the work, every successful leader, author and speaker will adamantly state this as fact.

"A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change."

~~Earl Nightingale

"Excellence is not a skill, It is an attitude."

~~Ralph Marsten

“Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you.”

~~Anon

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”

~~Francesca Reigler

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

~~Brian Tracy


You don't pump yourself up to get a positive attitude, then do the **** work. You do the **** work and the positive attiude comes naturally. It's only a one way street.
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That's why there is a difference between a motivational teacher and a motivational speaker.

A speaker gets you pumped or hyped, a teacher instructs you as to how to do it which in turn gives the confidence you need to do it!

I agree. I was a part of many sales outfits that held huge motivational sessions each day before we hit the field. Same 90% who failed, same 10% who succeeded and hated the rah rah sessions.
<br /><br /><br />Posted from iPhone
 
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Rob,



How did you forget about:

"Your attitude in life will determine your altitude in life."

unknown

Sure, attitude is very important and attitude can be changed by proper training or lead. That is why motivation teacher has its place in society. But I know in order to change someone's attitude, someone has to have the internal desire to be changed and willing to follow the lead. That maybe called "coach-able". So the result of a person's attitude change is the result of interaction from both internal and external forces.
 
I like paying my bills and no one has to help me want to do this.

IF you need me to say something to you, then okay. You can do it. If I can do it, you can do it also.

Money works too.
 
I like paying my bills and no one has to help me want to do this.

IF you need me to say something to you, then okay. You can do it. If I can do it, you can do it also.

Money works too.

Want to do something (desire) without action is still a dream. A successful coach/manager is to motivate people to generate a desire and then lead them to action by enforcing a success plan. "If I can do it, you can do it also" is the "lead by example" which motivates people the desire to change.
 
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