G
Guest
Guest
I'd rather succeed than survive, you can survive with a 9 to 5 office job, but you can succeed (meaning do more than just survive) with a commissioned sales position.
Ninety-Two Percent of All Agents Fail - Why?
- Thread starter JacquesWerth
- Start date
- 2,455
I think a lot of it is "whether you think you can or think you can't, you are probably right".
Also, successful people do what others don't, which is mainly activity or prospecting followed by product knowledge as it is always something you are learning as it changes.
Allowing personal problems or activities to interfere with what you should be treating like a business.
Lack of good training or someone or a team to take you under their wing. Not all need it but I'm one of those guys who likes and appreciates it and I feel it is rewarding on both ends. I feel that helping others to get what they want will help you to get what you want works in a lot of mysterious ways.
Lastly besides attitude and other items I listed would be work ethic. Your results are highly relative to the amount of time you 'buy' out of your life to transfer into your career. I'm speaking of quality time not oh I did this or that with no results. Refer to above points to see what quality time involves.
The lack of goals with a reasonable time frame. I'm guilty of this big time.
Good time management skills which BTW there is a few good threads on here about the subject.
Not being happy with what you do. If you aren't happy, you won't look forward to learning and honing your skills let alone with doing all the other thing I mentioned.
My .02 cents
Also, successful people do what others don't, which is mainly activity or prospecting followed by product knowledge as it is always something you are learning as it changes.
Allowing personal problems or activities to interfere with what you should be treating like a business.
Lack of good training or someone or a team to take you under their wing. Not all need it but I'm one of those guys who likes and appreciates it and I feel it is rewarding on both ends. I feel that helping others to get what they want will help you to get what you want works in a lot of mysterious ways.
Lastly besides attitude and other items I listed would be work ethic. Your results are highly relative to the amount of time you 'buy' out of your life to transfer into your career. I'm speaking of quality time not oh I did this or that with no results. Refer to above points to see what quality time involves.
The lack of goals with a reasonable time frame. I'm guilty of this big time.
Good time management skills which BTW there is a few good threads on here about the subject.
Not being happy with what you do. If you aren't happy, you won't look forward to learning and honing your skills let alone with doing all the other thing I mentioned.
My .02 cents
- 990
I guess I'll have to say that fear must be your b*tch.
Fear of rejection must be your breakfast.
As with most things it's about fear. Fear stops people.
You must embrace that which you fear.
Keep listening.
Keep looking.
Keep evaluating.
Every battle is won before it is ever fought.
Be prepared?
Here's one.
Don't waste time on any of the following.
The friend. (agent in the biz)
The spouse (meddling hub. or wife)
The gimp (medical problems)
The know it all. (too many versions to list)
Fear of rejection must be your breakfast.
As with most things it's about fear. Fear stops people.
You must embrace that which you fear.
Keep listening.
Keep looking.
Keep evaluating.
Every battle is won before it is ever fought.
Be prepared?
Here's one.
Don't waste time on any of the following.
The friend. (agent in the biz)
The spouse (meddling hub. or wife)
The gimp (medical problems)
The know it all. (too many versions to list)
- 5,058
All sales have a high failure rate.
I don't like to use the word "failure", sometimes I prefer "not for me".
Couple examples for my own sales career:
1. Went to a phone room offering $500/week base plus commission for chemical sales.
If the dictionary had a picture for the word "boiler room" this would be it.
You're job was cold calling manufacturing plants out of the white pages, and act like you knew the plant manager and were sending out some gifts, and then act like you had a heart attack on a golf course to drum up sympathy, then hand the phone over to the Manager so he could manipulate the guy into buying some degreaser and hand soap.
I quit the next day. I do have a conscience, some what...lol.
So I failed at that sales job, cause I couldn't get behind the sale.
2. Discount plans.
After I got burnt out working 12 hour days managing a vacation phone room, I tried selling discount plans, which after all should of been an easy transition since the scripts were ALL THE SAME, you just switched out vacations for health care.
EX: Vacation rebuttal for not having the money today.
Not a problem, after all Acme travel sent you the voucher, we want you to travel!
What we'll do is pull up you're credit card info, see where you stand---either way you're guaranteed the $1600 credit voucher for the next 18 months!
What's the exp date on the visa?
EX: Discount phone room:
Not a problem, after all Acme health want's you to have access to affordable quality health care!
What we'll do is pull up you're card info, see where you stand--- either way we'll secure you're poistion in the "Open Enrollment"!
What's the exp date on the Visa?
I sucked at those, even though I picked everything up real quick. I closed people who had nothing and couldn't afford real insurance, but I wouldn't eff people over who hand insurance or health issues. So I "failed" at that job too, ha.
Now back to insurance sales, here are the reasons I think people "fail":
1. Do not have proper training. This could be sales training, they don't know how to open, present and close. This could also be prospecting, if you're not buying your leads but generating you're own via cold calling or mailers, you def need to be trained
on how to to telemarket if you don't know already.
2. Not financially prepared. Most agents selling health for example, think they can sell an app today and get paid next week. You really do need 3 months of living expenses to survive, before commissions start rolling in and marketing expenses unless you will cold call or go b2b.
3. Do not have the drive. Some people do not have the drive to improve their lot in life. Brian Tracy is one of his books talked about this psychological phenomenon, where if someone believed they were only worth $500 a week but made $1k , they would find a way to blow that extra $500 until they were back to a level they were subconsciously comfortable with.
4. Some people can not be their own boss. One of my managers who taught me in phone sales, was one of the best closers I have ever heard in real life or on an audio seminar. He could of opened his own sales office, or started doing training seminars on how to sell over the phone, but he just for whatever reason didn't want to , had some fear of going on his own that was never vocalized to me. But he was the master, dude routinely picked up strippers for gf's....LOL.
I don't like to use the word "failure", sometimes I prefer "not for me".
Couple examples for my own sales career:
1. Went to a phone room offering $500/week base plus commission for chemical sales.
If the dictionary had a picture for the word "boiler room" this would be it.
You're job was cold calling manufacturing plants out of the white pages, and act like you knew the plant manager and were sending out some gifts, and then act like you had a heart attack on a golf course to drum up sympathy, then hand the phone over to the Manager so he could manipulate the guy into buying some degreaser and hand soap.
I quit the next day. I do have a conscience, some what...lol.
So I failed at that sales job, cause I couldn't get behind the sale.
2. Discount plans.
After I got burnt out working 12 hour days managing a vacation phone room, I tried selling discount plans, which after all should of been an easy transition since the scripts were ALL THE SAME, you just switched out vacations for health care.
EX: Vacation rebuttal for not having the money today.
Not a problem, after all Acme travel sent you the voucher, we want you to travel!
What we'll do is pull up you're credit card info, see where you stand---either way you're guaranteed the $1600 credit voucher for the next 18 months!
What's the exp date on the visa?
EX: Discount phone room:
Not a problem, after all Acme health want's you to have access to affordable quality health care!
What we'll do is pull up you're card info, see where you stand--- either way we'll secure you're poistion in the "Open Enrollment"!
What's the exp date on the Visa?
I sucked at those, even though I picked everything up real quick. I closed people who had nothing and couldn't afford real insurance, but I wouldn't eff people over who hand insurance or health issues. So I "failed" at that job too, ha.
Now back to insurance sales, here are the reasons I think people "fail":
1. Do not have proper training. This could be sales training, they don't know how to open, present and close. This could also be prospecting, if you're not buying your leads but generating you're own via cold calling or mailers, you def need to be trained
on how to to telemarket if you don't know already.
2. Not financially prepared. Most agents selling health for example, think they can sell an app today and get paid next week. You really do need 3 months of living expenses to survive, before commissions start rolling in and marketing expenses unless you will cold call or go b2b.
3. Do not have the drive. Some people do not have the drive to improve their lot in life. Brian Tracy is one of his books talked about this psychological phenomenon, where if someone believed they were only worth $500 a week but made $1k , they would find a way to blow that extra $500 until they were back to a level they were subconsciously comfortable with.
4. Some people can not be their own boss. One of my managers who taught me in phone sales, was one of the best closers I have ever heard in real life or on an audio seminar. He could of opened his own sales office, or started doing training seminars on how to sell over the phone, but he just for whatever reason didn't want to , had some fear of going on his own that was never vocalized to me. But he was the master, dude routinely picked up strippers for gf's....LOL.
Last edited:
- 4,822
A very wise post.
G
Guest
Guest
I posted this on another thread, bears repeating here. They fail because they are not an expert at the following:
A: Products - yours and the competition
B: Customer Service
C: Sales skills - qualifying, presenting and closing
D: Customer base/demographic
E: Relationship and communication skills
F: Organization and scheduling
G: The utilization of tools and technology
A: Products - yours and the competition
B: Customer Service
C: Sales skills - qualifying, presenting and closing
D: Customer base/demographic
E: Relationship and communication skills
F: Organization and scheduling
G: The utilization of tools and technology
gmhopks
Expert
I've read a number of your posts and I always find them helpful. Especially to those of us new to the L&H industry.
Do you offer a program to help new agents get started?
Thanks.
- Thread starter
- #258
JacquesWerth
Expert
Here are some other reasons most agents fail and most of the survivors struggle to make a good living.
They strive to get appointments with prospects that are merely "interested."
They think that more appointments will produce more sales.
They fail to get any commitments prior to their appointments.
They are not aware that most people buy in their own time, for their own reasons. So their sales cycles usually start at the wrong time.
They don't know why or how to develop favorable front of the mind awareness with a large, highly qualified list of prospects.
They don't realize that most of their conversations with prospects arouse sales resistance.
They don't know the difference between qualifying prospects and always being in a disqualification mode.
They believe that their job is to persuade and convince people to buy insurance.
They think that most prospects can be closed when they fully understand the benefits.
They think prospects understand the differences between their policies and their competitors' policies.
They think there is something good, even heroic, about working long hours and trying real hard.
Most Importantly -
They don't know how to quickly develop deep personal relationships of mutual trust and respect.
They strive to get appointments with prospects that are merely "interested."
They think that more appointments will produce more sales.
They fail to get any commitments prior to their appointments.
They are not aware that most people buy in their own time, for their own reasons. So their sales cycles usually start at the wrong time.
They don't know why or how to develop favorable front of the mind awareness with a large, highly qualified list of prospects.
They don't realize that most of their conversations with prospects arouse sales resistance.
They don't know the difference between qualifying prospects and always being in a disqualification mode.
They believe that their job is to persuade and convince people to buy insurance.
They think that most prospects can be closed when they fully understand the benefits.
They think prospects understand the differences between their policies and their competitors' policies.
They think there is something good, even heroic, about working long hours and trying real hard.
Most Importantly -
They don't know how to quickly develop deep personal relationships of mutual trust and respect.
- 5,058
G
Guest
Guest
I just saw this, so sorry, tough to keep track of all of these threads lol
Yes I do, get in touch.
Yes I do, get in touch.
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