Not Feeling Much Love" :-(

[hokepoke]

been trying in what seems to be in vain to set up appointments and have had soo much trouble getting anybody to say "yes!" Set me up for x date at y time. Ugh! Soooo frustrated! I feel I have already gone through enough of my natural market without trying to alienate anybody. I feel ready to move on with strangers and meet new people for my prospects.

Just gotta air myself out and vent.

Jen

 

[njinsuranceguy]

Hi Jen,

First, I think its awesome that you are looking for advice. That means you want to succeed. Good for you!

Prospecting is a process like anything else. There are good ways and bad ways to do it and the trick is learning how to engage your audience. The very first week I started in this business I made 129 calls and didn't get anything. The next week I made 56 and set 6 appointments. It took me almost 5 months before I wrote my first significant client and after that they just starting rolling in and I became the top selling broker in my company.

A couple things I did that might help you.
1. I read every cold calling book and sales book I could get my hands on and then developed my own style from this. Stephen Schiffman is a great book to start with. It taught me that its a process and you don't need big numbers to success. 20-30 dials a day is all you need. About an hour of prospecting.
2. I focused on a very specific market. Mfg with 50+ employees and didn't waiver from there.
3. I stayed very positive and believed I would be successful.

Tips for prospecting:
1. Talk to people in your company and industry that are successful. Ask them how they did it. Ask questions and listen.
2. People want to know how others are successful. If I book 1 appt in every 30 dials and you struggle with 1 in a 100, wouldn't you want to know how I did it? Your prospects are the same... find a huge success your company provided to a client and lead with that until you get your own.
3. Write out a one page business plan for what you want to accomplish this year. Think big and work the numbers. Define your market, what level in the company you will be prospecting, what the avg value to you is and activity required to get there. Work backwards until you find the numbers you need to complete. Include personal development in your plan. Maybe its earning a designation in your industry. I put that I wanted to publish an article in a magazine. Basically, I have a HS education but I read everything I can about my business. I submitted an article to the editor of a top HR magazine and he loved it so much that it made the cover of the magazine. I was 29 at the time.
4. Associate yourself with successful people. There are always going to be people that try to keep you down. Stay away from them and carve your own path.

Good luck to you! Let me know if you have any questions at all.

 

[DivineFoodie]

Wonderful advice, njinsuranceguy!

 

[mcando]

I second that, good advice. Solid.

 

[xrac]

been trying in what seems to be in vain to set up appointments and have had soo much trouble getting anybody to say "yes!" Set me up for x date at y time. Ugh! Soooo frustrated! I feel I have already gone through enough of my natural market without trying to alienate anybody. I feel ready to move on with strangers and meet new people for my prospects.

Just gotta air myself out and vent.

Jen

Are you with NYL or with the indpendent?

 

[njinsuranceguy]

Are you with NYL or with the indpendent?

I'm in the group market but worked in the individual market years ago and did very well. What products do you sell?

 

[xrac]

I'm in the group market but worked in the individual market years ago and did very well. What products do you sell?

This question is not directed to you but to Hokepoke.

 

[njinsuranceguy]

This question is not directed to you but to Hokepoke.

Oh.. I thought she was asking.. haha

 

[kmoser_DIS]

Hello! I just wanted to second the advice above and expand on that a little. It's so true to talk to others in your industry and try to get advice! But a lot of people don't really know where to start if they don't have a lot of connections. It might feel a little invasive at first, but one way to look for a mentor is through LinkedIn. If you do a little searching, you can find people who are very successful in your industry. You don't necessarily have to connect with everyone you find, but if you send out a few messages and just say straight out that you'd love some advice and that you're trying to learn, you'll be surprised by how many people respond with some tips. I recently reached out to the author of a book on social media for finances and asked if she had any tips for the insurance industry, and she put me in contact with SEVERAL people who headed up the marketing campaigns for multiple large insurance companies.

It's just an idea.

 

[njinsuranceguy]

Hello! I just wanted to second the advice above and expand on that a little. It's so true to talk to others in your industry and try to get advice! But a lot of people don't really know where to start if they don't have a lot of connections. It might feel a little invasive at first, but one way to look for a mentor is through LinkedIn. If you do a little searching, you can find people who are very successful in your industry. You don't necessarily have to connect with everyone you find, but if you send out a few messages and just say straight out that you'd love some advice and that you're trying to learn, you'll be surprised by how many people respond with some tips. I recently reached out to the author of a book on social media for finances and asked if she had any tips for the insurance industry, and she put me in contact with SEVERAL people who headed up the marketing campaigns for multiple large insurance companies.

It's just an idea.

Excellent advice kmoser! I dont utilize linked in half as much as I should but have found several of my clients have accounts. Great advice!