5 Things All Great Insurance Agents Do
The best insurance agents know they’re the best. They take pride in their ability to help their beneficiaries in every way possible. They separate themselves from the rest of the pack regardless of circumstance. So how do they do it? What’s their secret? Are you one of them?
The Best Insurance Agents Own Everything.
Your success depends on you. The insurance business exists within a meritocracy. Statistically, it is not a coincidence that the same insurance agents are at the top of leaderboards year in and year out. Some may think it’s because certain people have it easier, or are given this, or fall into that. Every agent starts somewhere and regardless, the most significant difference between top performers and everyone else is attitude. Elite insurance agents approach their goals with a total ownership mindset. Anything that happens, whether or not it was their doing, is controlled by them. It may not be their fault, but it is their responsibility and they own it. Psychologists often refer to this as the “internal locus of control.” That’s a fancy way of saying that you think the power lies inside of you instead of externally. Studies show that having an “internal locus of control” correlates with success at work, higher income, and healthier lives.
This area can be the hardest to coach and train new insurance agents in your agency, as it is so deeply rooted in one’s personality. However, the best way to self-assess is to take your current situation, your accounts, your role, your earning and ask yourself these questions:
- How did I get here?
- Did I build the right relationships?
- Did I put in the extra work?
- Did I speak up?
- Did I blame others or circumstances for my failures but take credit for my successes?
The Best Insurance Agents Are Resourceful.
The best insurance agents are modern-day MacGyvers. They are faced with difficult situations, time pressures, negotiations, obstacles, armed only with their knowledge and their phones. Elite insurance agents almost always figure it out. Resourcefulness is as much as a mindset as a skill. If you don’t start with the MacGyver mindset, then you will never develop the skills associated with being resourceful. As an exercise, seek out or fully embrace the next seemingly impossible situation you find yourself in, and then put your phone down and close your computer. Refocus and apply your energy to find multiple alternative routes to your desired destination. Embrace your inner MacGyver.
The Best Insurance Agents Help Others.
Obviously, the primary purpose as an insurance agent is to help your beneficiaries live a healthier, better life by providing them with affordable coverage to meet their medical needs, and to protect them from financial instability. However, another important aspect of “helping others” falls within our industry. No matter where you are in your career, there is always someone you can help. There is something you know about a product, a process, a service, or a carrier that someone new or less savvy does not. The best insurance agents regularly pass their knowledge on to others with no expectation of anything in return. Coincidentally, the act itself becomes a catalyst for building confidence within one’s self. And others take notice! Author of Big Potential, Shawn Achor, found that people who are social support providers at work are 40% more likely to receive a promotion.
The Best Insurance Agents Are Experts.
Sales is less about selling and more about leading, which requires high levels of confidence, which in turn requires knowledge and experience.
Knowledge + Experience = Confidence to Lead
You can control the first part of the equation; the second comes with time. Gaining industry knowledge and a strong point of view on products should be a top priority of any insurance agent. Study. Learn. Form an opinion. Expertise leads to confidence, which leads to trust, which leads to sales. Tip: One way to gain unmatched skill and knowledge is to work with Agent Pipeline! We have no cost training sessions and one-on-one consultations with agents nationwide. Call us today at 800-962-4693 to learn more.
The Best Insurance Agents Move Quickly.
The best insurance agents aren’t reckless, but they do move with a sense of urgency. Insurance agents who are slow in getting back to their clients or prospects or delivering materials needed to make a decision, miss out on countless opportunities. Most elite insurance agents get things done now. What are you waiting for?
