Supervision: Module Iii-D

SUPERVISION: MODULE III-D

Training is simply the first step in establishing a producer and/or CSR in your Life department. Once they have learned what to do, they need to be supervised and monitored. Only through consistent supervision can you tell whether they are doing a good job. We have provided you with forms to track the progress of your producers and CSRs.

Supervision is a daily function. Even if you don't expect producers and CSRs to check in with managers every day, they still should be filling out forms and tracking tasks each day. Each week, management should review the following:

• number and disposition of leads generated
• number of fact-finding interviews obtained
• number of closing interviews obtained
• sales made/sales not made
• how many contact calls were made, to whom, and the results
• number of service calls
• hours spent studying
• submitted cases, status in home office
• business expenses for the week
• direct mail sent
• activities planned for next week

In your final hiring interview with the Life producer, you briefly went over the yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily sessions you had planned. With the producer on board, you must remember to keep up with these sessions, go over the forms, and check up on the producer's goals. (Note: When we say 'producer' in discussing supervision, we mean anyone in the agency who is producing Life business, even if that person is a P/C CSR.)

You need to have an annual goal-setting and planning session with each producer and/or CSR involved in producing Life business. Each December, hold a session with each producer. This will take about four hours and cover review analysis, record updating, and preparing next year's game plan. Annual goals are set at this time.

A monthly progress and planning session lets the producer take a look at his or her monthly progress toward annual goals. This is also the time to schedule activities for the upcoming month.

Weekly production, evaluation, and planning sessions should be conducted during the producer's first three years with your agency. These sessions should be designed to produce in-depth evaluations of production, results, and activity. Each week, you take a close look at the producer's calls, sales, interviews, persistency, goals, and everything relating to production and planning. Take a look at the 'Weekly Activity Target Funnel' at the end of this section. This is a loose formula showing the activities necessary for success in producing business, and it's based on the Rule of Fifty explained earlier in the 'Marketing Plan' section. The numbers can vary with each producer. This formula works well for self-management, as well as supervisory purposes. In addition, the 'Weekly Activity Measurement Form' at the end of this section will help you see how the producer is doing.

Daily recordkeeping should be performed to keep an accurate account of work each week. These records also come in handy for the producer to keep track of appointments, study time, and other important items.

A prospect/client system is whatever your agency uses to keep track of prospects and clients. This can be a tickler system, a one-card system, or any other system that helps the producer monitor prospects and keep in touch with clients.

A well-run sales planning conference should achieve these objectives:

1. Re-establish the sales objectives or goals previously set.
2. Reinforce the need to reach these goals within the established time frame.
3. Allow both parties to re-evaluate these sales objectives.
4. Track weekly sales activities.
5. Provide the opportunity to praise or constructively criticize the producer.
6. Provide the opportunity to listen to the producer's problems and test morale.

Make sure the meeting starts on time. Try to hold it at the same time and in the same place each week. Start off by asking the producer how things are going. Give over the first few minutes to allowing the producer to talk. Compare the producer's activities to those established in the Weekly Activity Targets. Discuss areas where the numbers deviate.

If there are problems meeting established sales objectives, you need to find out why. There are generally three reasons why a producer isn't meeting objectives:

1. The producer can't, which implies lack of ability.
2. The producer won't, which implies an attitude problem.
3. The producer doesn't know how, which implies a lack of knowledge and training.

If the producer can't sell, you may have hired the wrong person. You need to determine this as soon as possible because your expense clock is ticking. You may need someone assigned to coach this person to determine if he or she has sales ability.

If the producer won't perform, you need to find out why. There may be other pressures preventing him or her from selling, such as personal problems, a lack of confidence, financial pressures, or problems with your agency. Try to get to the root of the problem and solve it by an indepth, closed-door meeting.

If the producer doesn't know how to sell because he or she lacks the training or knowledge, use the materials we've included in this Agent's Guide. In addition, make sure your recruiting process asks more of the right screening questions next time (see 'Recruiting' under this 'Life Personnel' section for more information).

Look for something to praise each week, no matter how small. Praise is an excellent motivator. (See the 'Motivation' section for more information.) Don't criticize the person, criticize the performance. You don't want to make the problem personal. You should focus on job skill weaknesses and how they can be overcome. When the session comes to an end, make sure it's on a positive note. This will reinforce the producer's confidence.

Supervision is the key to a producer's-and an agency's-success. Forms, regular meetings, and planning sessions are all necessary to a good supervision program. The time spent on supervising producers and CSRs will prove well-spent as you see results improve.

Have producers fill in the following Weekly Activity Measurement Form each day and check on their progress from time to time. At your weekly meeting, go over this form with the producer and discuss successes and problems. Collect these forms and go over the last four at your monthly meeting with the producer.

This form is designed to give you a complete record of activity and the results of your Life producer on a daily, weekly, and year-to-date basis. It shows number of applications submitted and number of cases paid for the week. It gives you the name of the case, mode of payment, annualized premium, type of plan, and agent's first-year commission.

It also shows activity, which corresponds directly with the seven action steps to the sale discussed in detail in the 'Sales and Marketing' section. The form includes the number of pre-approaches made, number of contacts made, number of fact-finds obtained, number of closes, number of sales, type of sale, annual premium, and commissions. This is done on a daily basis, with cumulative totals year-to-date.

This form also keeps fresh in the producer's mind the year's goals, what is yet to be accomplished, and how much is needed in remaining weeks to accomplish the year's goals. Also, observe that the first two columns, which are the dials and the number of contacts, might be the responsibility of the CSR. If so, have the producer leave these blank.

The paid-for results section, although indicated briefly at the top of the form, is more detailed at the bottom.

The Weekly Activity Measurement Form also shows the dollar value and activity ratios, which are extremely important to Life producers in showing the value of every contact made or every interview kept. These ratios help keep the producer focused on what is positive (the number of people saying yes), as opposed to the negative. This will also show the value of making a contact or interview, even if the results are negative.

Salesperson_________________________________________________________________

For Week Ending ______________________________________________, 19___________

Submitted Applications Paid-for Cases This Week

Name Mode* Annual Type F.Y. Name Mode Annual Type F.Y.

Premium Comm. Premium Comm.

1.___________________________________ _________________________________________

2.___________________________________ _________________________________________

3.___________________________________ _________________________________________

4.___________________________________ _________________________________________

5.___________________________________ _________________________________________

6.___________________________________ _________________________________________

7.___________________________________ _________________________________________

Annualized YTD Totals $ Values

Paid Commissions

Contact Calls ______________________________ = $ _____________________

Paid Commissions

Fact-Finding

Interviews ______________________________ = $ _____________________

Paid Commissions

Closing Interview ____________________________ = $ _____________________

Paid Commissions

Applications Submitted ________________________ = $ _____________________

YTD Totals Ratios

Contact Calls ____________________ =

Fact-Finding Interviews ____________________ =

Fact-Finder's Closing ____________________ =

Closing Applications ____________________ =

Submissions ____________________ =

* This form based on a publication of Kinder Brothers in association with Pictorial Publishers, 1979.