Take the Hits, Earn the Money

It's interesting how every one reads the same article and every one has a different perception of it. Also, how each person pulls a different part of the article out and focuses on that part whether it be negative or positive. I guess thats how the mind works. You see what you want to see based on what your mindset is at the time you read it. Its interesting.

For me, I took two things out of it.

1. I could care less when it was written, the message is that cold calling works. He obviously was being told that it doesn't at some point in his career but didn't listen. When I started in 99, I was told then that it doesn't work by just about everyone around me. I still hear that today. And, I've read books from the 80's where sales reps were told it doesn't work and its a waste of time. Funny thing is, the books or articles were all written about people who became the tops in their companies by cold calling. lol.

2. The thing that really stood out for me was how he got himself to do it and how much he hated his business and how much he hated the thought of being in it. Probably because he had no activity. Thats a trait I see will all unsuccessful people. They have no long term sustained activity so they say it doesn't work, or they hate their product, or company or something. But it's never them. Its always someone or something else.

Whats really interesting is, when he set that huge goal of putting away 100k a year for 10 years, his focus became on earning more than 100K a year. He stopped worrying if it worked or didn't work, he just did it. The last part of this I really liked was that he started to really like his business. So, all along, it wasn't the business that he hated... it was his level of activity. Once he changed his activity and what he was focusing on, he changed his view on the business.

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting to see how many different views there are on the same article.
 
There was a full profile article with him on the cover of LIS magazine in 2007 that I saved, just pulled it out of the file drawer. Here are a few of the highlights:

-In a typical week he hold 30 to 50 appointments. At least 15 with new prospects. Six to ten appointments a day spaced an hour apart. That is an insane number. Typical outstanding case count in underwriting is 90 at any given time.

-Current prospecting efforts are combination of cold calls, direct mail, and incoming leads from association endorcements. He has one full time guy making his calls and booking appointments.

Cold calls are still part of his lead generation as a TOT producer. In fact, part of his goal in the article in 2007 was to ask for more referrals.

That to me is a worthwhile article. It isn't about what has worked in the past, but what works currently. The article as written would be no different than a buggy whip maker standing up in 1910 and extolling what a wonderful industry it is and there is nothing but growth ahead.
 
There was a full profile article with him on the cover of LIS magazine in 2007 that I saved, just pulled it out of the file drawer. Here are a few of the highlights:

-In a typical week he hold 30 to 50 appointments. At least 15 with new prospects. Six to ten appointments a day spaced an hour apart. That is an insane number. Typical outstanding case count in underwriting is 90 at any given time.

-Current prospecting efforts are combination of cold calls, direct mail, and incoming leads from association endorcements. He has one full time guy making his calls and booking appointments.

Cold calls are still part of his lead generation as a TOT producer. In fact, part of his goal in the article in 2007 was to ask for more referrals.

How is HE cold calling if he runs 50 appointments a week scheduled an hour apart even if some run short its hard to believe he is booking 50 appointments based on a few minutes of phone time. It is likely that if cold calling is still being done it is by someone else.
 
How is HE cold calling if he runs 50 appointments a week scheduled an hour apart even if some run short its hard to believe he is booking 50 appointments based on a few minutes of phone time. It is likely that if cold calling is still being done it is by someone else.

Good point, I didn't stop to do the math on it.
 
How is HE cold calling if he runs 50 appointments a week scheduled an hour apart even if some run short its hard to believe he is booking 50 appointments based on a few minutes of phone time. It is likely that if cold calling is still being done it is by someone else.

It says in my post he has a guy calling for him. It doesn't change the point that cold calling was still effective for him in 2007 or he would not have paid someone to do it.
 
Back
Top