Don't be shocked when you learn the three things you should never do are exactly what you're told to do. These three things are setting you up for failure. It's no wonder over 90% of the people entering the insurance and financial services industries fail in less than three years. You never want to cold call even though that's exactly what you're told to do. Cold calling has never been productive activity, but rather a shot in the dark approach, and with the combination of the current legal ramifications and people's increased intolerance it's an even worse waste of your time.
Cold calling immediately puts you in the needy category. You wouldn't be calling an absolute stranger begging for an appointment if you weren't desperate. You don't want to put yourself in that position ever.
How much time does it take you to make those 100 cold calls you're supposed to make? It takes hours. And at the end of the day you're lucky if you've talked to 3 people and scheduled an appointment with one person who may or may not keep their appointment. Then when you meet with that person you find they aren't likely to do business with you because they're defensive and don't trust you. But you keep wasting your time and theirs chasing after them anyway. And how much time do you have invested in all this activity without any results to show for it?
Another thing you never want to do is hang out at the wrong networking events. The reason is obvious. The people who hang out at those events are other starving sales people desperate for a sale.
The third thing you never want to do is pitch someone. And your "presentation" is nothing more than a pitch designed to produce a manipulative sales conversation. People hate to be sold and your presentation further reinforces their belief that they can't trust you.
You have to get business, and you may be wondering how to do that. Stop wasting your time on the things you shouldn't do and learn how to do the things you should do. Then do them. Learn how to: get the people you want to work with to reach out to you, interact with your ideal prospects on their turf, build and strengthen a connection based on mutual respect and trust, hold a conversation that helps them to buy.
About the Author
Author: Cheryl A. Clausen can help you get where you want to be. Find out how your Sales Skills measure up. Could you succeed faster if you just had more time? Enhance your Time Management Skills, check this out.