To paraphrase Robert Louis Stevenson, 'All men are salesmen, selling themselves, it’s just that not all men know it.' Not all producers are created equal, and you can’t manage all producers with the same methods. Chris Burand looks at the different types of producers and what it takes to keep them selling.
Sales isn’t my area of expertise but like all of us, I sell myself. Because I spend a lot of time with agency owners and producers, I’ve learned quite a bit about sales. Based on these observations, I believe producers generally fall into four categories:
- Charisma Maniacs
- Stalwarts
- Lazy and Undisciplined (LU)
- Torpedoes
Charisma Maniacs have gifts that others lack. Although I believe that anyone can develop charisma (see Roger Dawson’s book, 'Secrets of Persuasion'), I’m not the one to tell you how.
Stalwarts are the people who follow all the sales tapes, read the books, and do their best to do what the tapes and books suggest. They’re good people who with some luck might do well enough, but lack the characteristics to become great producers. That leaves two categories.
It might seem strange to focus on Lazy and Undisciplined (LU) producers — an acronym synonymous with the British word 'loo' for bathroom — because no one ever aspires to this category. But every LU I’ve ever met thought they were at least a Stalwart, if not a Charisma Maniac or a Torpedo. At first glance, the line between a LU and a Torpedo often isn’t as clear as it seems it should be. LUs frequently talk a great game.
I’ve named the Torpedo producer after a new Navy torpedo that creates a pocket of air in front of it as it travels through water, cutting resistance, and boosting its speed significantly. A Torpedo producer has built such a reputation that sales regularly come to them of their own accord. When a Torpedo is selling something, the sale comes much easier and faster.
The biggest difference between a LU and a Torpedo isn’t charisma or a friendly personality — but patience and discipline. Take two producers I know, one with 10 years experience and the other with 20. The producer with less experience is much more successful than the other, even though the more experienced salesperson is actually the better talker. However, because he lacks discipline he’s always pursuing the next best thing (a new sale, a sales method, a sales tool, or target market).
This undisciplined approach prevents the producer from ever building a reputation as the 'go to' person with whom to do business, who has the answers — the person who will take care of their customers. The undisciplined producer never established a reputation that paved the way to easier sales. In fact, his reputation created more resistance, making sales go even more slowly — which led him to shift strategies even more readily. Other agents, co-workers, and customers have come up with such comments as 'John is a great guy but we can’t depend on him.' 'We never know how much he really knows and how much is just talk.' 'Although we like John as our insurance guy, he didn’t give us the right information because he’s so unfocused that he never gains adequate expertise.'
The Torpedo, however, provided specific products to a specific market from day one and focused on how to be the best. As a result, he’s built such a reputation that even his competitors now refer business to him. The patience to stick with a good plan and the ability to focus on a single goal enabled the Torpedo to succeed. As Robert Schiller states in Irrational Exuberance, 'The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence.'
Because LUs rarely recognize themselves, if you feel you might be a LU (or be managing one), give yourself or your producers this test:
- My book of business has grown less than 20% in five years.
- I’ve been selling for 10 years or more and still don’t have a book of $150,000 or more in commissions.
- I receive fewer than two unsolicited, qualified referrals a month.
- I’m not considered a 'go to' person (excluding producers in large agencies and brokers).
- I’ve followed more than one key strategy in any 12 months.
- I’ve pursued three or more key strategies in the past five years without success.
If two or more of these statements apply to you or your producers, add focus and discipline to your production efforts. Also consider Socrates’ advice, 'The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.'
If you believe you’re managing a LU, only two solutions exist. Either provide structure and constant monitoring of their performance (this might mean shifting them from a producer role to an account executive position) — or fire them.
The Torpedo producer started from scratch, focused on a few core competencies and worked hard to become a recognized expert in those areas. With each sale, every conversation, and each sales presentation, people recognized that he had his clients’ best interests at heart and would follow through to make sure they were cared for. As each sale confirmed his clients’ impressions, his reputation grew. He became trusted. Although he lacked significant charisma, his reputation paved the way to easy sales.