The Necessary Tools: Starting in 2 weeks

[joshril]

Expensive tools will not make you a better sales person. Just one with a smaller bank account.

There is no substitute for hard work.

All the tools in the world will not generate a single sale if you do not use them effectively and efficiently.

More businesses fail due to under-capitalization (including spending too much on things that are not productive or properly used) than anything else.

Just because you have money to burn does not mean you should not use it.

My basement is filled with gadgets and stuff I thought I needed (business and otherwise) but never did.



The folks who are impressed by fancy phones, expensive cars and tailored suits are probably not the class of client you want.

Or maybe they are . . .

I have made more money in casual dress, driving an older (but clean) car than I did when I wore 3 piece suits and drove a newer model luxury car.

Phones, jewelry, tailored clothing, hi tech toys will not change who you are.

People buy from the person, not the "shell".

Google has an online calendar. Outlook has the ability to publish a calendar to the web as well.

I don't use either because I really don't want folks tracking me down. I work when I want, where I want.

If someone needs me they usually have their best shot via email. If I am in my office I am usually on my phone so they are most likely going to get voice mail.

I agree with everything he's said!

I hired an agent last year that had the latest and the greatest gatchets... guess what he's doing now? Not selling insurance...

-Get a cheap laptop or desktop ($500 or so)
-Use open source software- www: OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite with do everything you need in your insurance office
-All you need your phone to do is act as a phone.. Most cell carriers will offer a free or heavily discounted phone with a contract. Or, try Ebay.
-If you want a CRM there are freeware options available for that too..
SugarCRM - Commercial Open Source CRM and FREE CRM contact and lead management, sales tracking, customer service, sales pipeline and forecasting, document repository and more

Don't waste money that could go into leads and marketing...

When I started in the business, I didn't even have a computer and was a top producer (only about 7 years ago)

Productive activity is the key... don't piss away time and money...

 

[somarco]

When I started in the business, I didn't even have a computer

Neither did I.

Nor did I have a cell phone, fax machine, PDA or DVD player.

Of course it was 1975 and none of those things had been invented.

 

[Guest]

Expensive tools will not make you a better sales person. Just one with a smaller bank account.

There is no substitute for hard work.

That's why I'm here. For advice like this. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I want to maximize the productivity I get out of that work (ie, smarter not harder). I'm interested in seeing what people with experience and success actually use, rather than trying to get everything that I could use.

I know the answer will be "it varies," but I'm looking at cellular plans and am curious how many minutes the "average" sales rep uses. Obviously nobody is "average," but it'd be good to get a ballpark figure. The plans I'm looking at range from 450 to 3000 minutes per month, and I'm not sure how many I'll want or need. I can make many calls from home or the office, for what that data's worth.

 

[joshril]

That's why I'm here. For advice like this. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I want to maximize the productivity I get out of that work (ie, smarter not harder). I'm interested in seeing what people with experience and success actually use, rather than trying to get everything that I could use.

I know the answer will be "it varies," but I'm looking at cellular plans and am curious how many minutes the "average" sales rep uses. Obviously nobody is "average," but it'd be good to get a ballpark figure. The plans I'm looking at range from 450 to 3000 minutes per month, and I'm not sure how many I'll want or need. I can make many calls from home or the office, for what that data's worth.

AT&T has an unlimited minutes nationwide plan for $99.95... It's better than trying to estimate and getting dinged if you go over.

Sprint has a plan like this as well and I think they throw in unlimited text messaging...

All cell plans these days have unlimited long distance. You could essentially use this as your only business line if you wanted to. Take my advice... go unlimited! Most plans that give you a set amount of minutes will bill you at $.40 to $.60 per minute for an overage minutes used.

Go over 500 minutes one month and you're looking at an extra $200-$300 on your bill!

 

[somarco]

AT&T has an unlimited minutes nationwide plan for $99.95...

So does Verizon.

I am not a heavy cell phone user, so I don't pay much attention to those plans. If I were, I would probably opt for Metro PCS.

$40/month unlimited local & LD calling + voice mail.

 

[Guest]

So does Verizon.

I am not a heavy cell phone user, so I don't pay much attention to those plans. If I were, I would probably opt for Metro PCS.

$40/month unlimited local & LD calling + voice mail.

Alas, I went there first, but they're not available in my area. To those suggesting the "unlimited" plans, how many minutes do you use?

The danger of going "over" by 500 minutes is less terrifying if the most you've ever used it 2000 minutes, and the plan I select is for 3000.

 

[Newby]

I agree with everything he's said!

I hired an agent last year that had the latest and the greatest gatchets... guess what he's doing now? Not selling insurance...

-Get a cheap laptop or desktop ($500 or so)
-Use open source software- www: OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite with do everything you need in your insurance office
-All you need your phone to do is act as a phone.. Most cell carriers will offer a free or heavily discounted phone with a contract. Or, try Ebay.
-If you want a CRM there are freeware options available for that too..
SugarCRM - Commercial Open Source CRM and FREE CRM contact and lead management, sales tracking, customer service, sales pipeline and forecasting, document repository and more

Don't waste money that could go into leads and marketing...

When I started in the business, I didn't even have a computer and was a top producer (only about 7 years ago)

Productive activity is the key... don't piss away time and money...

While I agree with this, it's also very useful to have an incredibly simple to use PDA such as the Palm devices. They can be purchased dirt cheap with a cell phone commitment and if the only feature you ever used is the calendar to put your appointments on it's well worth it.

Having my Palm beep to tell me to make a scheduled call or I have 30-minutes to get to an appointment is a lifesaver for an absent-minded person like me.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Palm OS. It was not designed to replace your computer. It was designed to replace the pen and paper and millions of sticky notes. It is a fantastic organizational tool.

It's simplicity is what puts it way ahead of the more complicated devices on the market in my opinion.

 

[TimLett]

AT&T has an unlimited minutes nationwide plan for $99.95... It's better than trying to estimate and getting dinged if you go over.

Sprint has a plan like this as well and I think they throw in unlimited text messaging...

All cell plans these days have unlimited long distance. You could essentially use this as your only business line if you wanted to. Take my advice... go unlimited! Most plans that give you a set amount of minutes will bill you at $.40 to $.60 per minute for an overage minutes used.

Go over 500 minutes one month and you're looking at an extra $200-$300 on your bill!

Actually, Sprint's plan is Unlimited everything...much better than the AT&T or Verizon unlimited plans which just include unlimited talk. Too bad that Sprint and T-Mobile have crappy and narrow coverage areas.

 

[Chkndinner14]

I am with Bob, don't get wrapped up in what you "need". Many an agent left the business because they played around all day with what they needed.

Here is what you need.

Ears

Mouth

A pen

Paper.

Some form of a computer (but you are posting on here, so I am assuming you have one)

Use, use, use the first two tools above and you will be successful. Use the bottom of the list a lot and you could get in trouble.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

I'm still looking into phones and other equipment, and eager to hear what brand and how many minutes the experts use.