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Happy Employees Increase Efficiency
Some employees are actually happy in their jobs these days, and for good reason. The wave is starting to swell as more and more agencies are truly taking care of their employees. From a half-day off per week to allowing them to pick up their kids from school to telecommuting, agencies are thinking about how their employees feel and taking care of their personal needs. Surprise! Employees really are happy. After all, what other agencies or companies these days would even think of such things? Enlightened agencies are identifying their employees’ needs and satisfying them. Needless to say, revenue is increasing, morale is up, employees are sticking around, and overall efficiency is increasing. TAKE A HALF-DAY OFF Yes, some agencies are giving employees a half-day off with pay. Agencies pay their employees for a full 40-hour week and give them the half-day off of their choice. Employees can schedule doctor appointments, be at home while a special service is performed, or run errands during that time. Remember those instances when an employee had to run home to open the door for the rug cleaners or take one of their children to the doctor? Think about how much more efficiently the agency could run with a consistently full staff most of the time. It could eliminate disruptions throughout the day and result in a higher quality of work. After all, employees know they have their half-day off to take care of personal needs that might otherwise be on their minds. Morale goes up, and work remains up-to-date. PICK THE KIDS UP AT SCHOOL 'Sally has a temperature, and the school nurse called me to pick her up.' 'I don’t want Sally riding the bus today. I really need to pick her up at school.' How often have you heard these kinds of concerns from parents? One agency allows an employee to do this every day. Apparently, the employee wanted to make sure that the child wasn’t riding the bus every day. They wanted to be there when the child left the school grounds. Believe me, the employee is very grateful to have this opportunity. After all, what other company would allow this benefit? Again, morale and efficiency increase. TELECOMMUTE WHILE THE BABY’S SLEEPING Enrolling young children in preschool is now very common. Parents drop off their children at school in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. One employee wanted to do just that. They wanted to pick their child up and make sure they were home with the child in the afternoon. That’s what one agency did for its employee. The agency furnished a computer for the employee’s home and forwarded the employee’s telephone calls there. Is the employee grateful? You bet, more than anyone could ever know! The employee is very happy, and the agency is working more efficiently. HELP EACH OTHER TO PREPARE FOR VACATION TIME Vacation time! When aren’t we excited to go on vacation? But as we all know, that means an up-to-date desk. One employee thought of having a co-worker cover phone calls for two days so that they could get their desk caught up before heading out on vacation. Of course, it meant there would be a payback time. But the vacation started on time, and the employee was excited to be out the door on Friday. Again, another very happy employee, and another very happy agency. Efficiency is up. Morale is up. Employees are sticking around. These are only a few things I’ve heard about in my work. I’m sure there are plenty more. Agencies are riding the wave and listening to their employees to make them happy. From that half-day off to schedule a doctor appointment to CSRs covering for one another to take vacation time, more and more companies are realizing how important it is to keep their employees happy. Revenue is up. Morale is up. Efficiency is up, and turnover is reduced!

Telephone Inquiries For Life Policy Review
If you offer a policy review, your agency must be prepared to handle responses. The first 10 seconds of a phone call may be crucial in forming the caller's impression of your professionalism. Depending on the agency's system for routing incoming calls, we advise that Life calls be handled by Life staff. In emergency situations, enough information should be obtained on the first call to enable the Life producer to reach the caller again, even if communications are difficult; don't lose the caller! The form shown covers more information than necessary to be covered on the phone, but as a minimum, the starred items (*) should be obtained by the person taking the call. When the Life producer sees the prospect, he or she should have policy-receipt forms in exchange for any policies, as well as letters-of-authorization forms which authorizes the producer to obtain information on the policyholder's behalf. And, of course, the producer should also have policy-quoting and application-writing materials. TELEPHONE INQUIRY FOR LIFE POLICY REVIEW Name ___________________________________________________________________ Phone: Home (____)______________________ Work (____)_______________________ Birthdate ________/________/________ Present policy(ies) #1 #2 #3 Face amount (appr.) ________________ ________________ __________________ Premium/mode ________________ ________________ __________________ Next premium due date ________________ ________________ __________________ Issue date (approx.) ________________ ________________ __________________ Type of policy (O.L., U.L., Term, etc.) ____________________________________________ Carrier ______________________________________________________________________ ( ) Smoker ( ) Nonsmoker ( ) Male ( ) Female Overall health: ( ) Excellent ( ) Good ( ) Fair ( ) Poor Agent-of-record letter: ( ) Discussed ( ) OK ( ) Not discussed Appointment set for: Date: _______/_______/________ Time: _________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________ City _____________________________________ State _______ ZIP _____________ Phone: ( ) Home ______________________ ( ) Work ___________________________ Employer: ______________________________________________________________ Prospect's title: __________________________________________________________ ( ) Discussed employee benefits ( ) Pick up employee-benefits booklet ( ) Pick up last premium notice(s) ( ) Pick up recent: ( ) dividend ( ) policy loan ( ) cash-value information ( ) Policies to be picked up / receipted

Producer Success Lesson 17: Creating Pain Through Stories
Nothing happens until somebody sells something. To make sales happen, IMMS.com Key Sales Consultant Randy Schwantz has created a comprehensive series of 43 Producer Success Lessons. Used singly or in combination, these powerful tools can help your producers build their skills - and grow their sales. Did you ever go to a party where there was a piñata? Breaking a piñata is a Mexican party game. A papier-mâché animal or other figure is filled with candy and hung up. The guests take turns being blindfolded and trying to hit the piñata with a stick. Eventually someone connects, breaking the piñata and spilling the goodies inside onto the ground for everyone to share. That's the thing about piñatas. They look sturdy, but they really aren't. After all, they're designed to crack open after a few whacks with a stick. Your Homeowners insurance may be like a piñata. Over the years, you've accumulated a lot of goodies, like jewelry, electronic gadgets, and clothes, and maybe you've bought more insurance to cover these acquisitions, like adding a layer of papier-mâché to a piñata (then again, maybe you didn't). But what happens when you get a really hard whack, like a tornado or flood? Wouldn't you feel better if we put all your goodies into a sturdier container, like a safe? Why Stories? This story illustrates the point you're trying to make to clients - that many people's Homeowner's coverage isn't sufficient. By telling a story, you create visual images in the client's mind. Images are very powerful. No one wants to see all their goodies cascading to the floor with hoards of people scrambling to pick them up. This kind of image evokes powerful emotional responses that lead to pain. A good story can illustrate your point better than all the statistics in the world. Present a client with all the statistics on losses due to inadequate Homeowner's coverage, and you've made a logical case for making a change. You've appealed to their head - but you may have missed their heart. So we use stories and metaphors to teach and to get clients to change their behavior. People Buy on Emotion In one of Zig Ziglar's books is a wonderful diagram showing the concept of emotional buying. A man has a large heart on his jacket. Two lines measure distances in the diagram, one going 24 inches from the man's back pocket to the heart on his jacket and the other going 36 inches from the man's back pocket to his head. See the point? If you want to get to that wallet, going through the heart is a shorter trip. The trick to getting to a person's heart is to tell a good story. Remember, people like people who are like them. If you can tell a story that illustrates your point well, enhances rapport by highlighting things you have in common with your client, and entertains, you'll probably never hurt for business. So why don't more people use this technique? Mainly because most people don't just come up with funny, concise stories out of the blue. You'll probably have to really think about your experiences and develop good stories from them. Developing Good Stories Did you know Bob Hope has a staff of writers who write jokes and one-liners for him? Sure, Bob Hope is very funny, and he comes up with plenty of material on his own. But Bob Hope isn't entertaining solely because he has great material. He also spends a great deal of time practicing and refining his craft. How much time have you spent developing and practicing what you'll say to the Commercial account's Risk Manager? You know they'll be a bit reluctant to introduce you to the senior executives until you've built some rapport. The Risk Manager might also be concerned about being embarrassed if you aren't professional. If that's a reasonable expectation, develop a story that both eases the Risk Manager's mind and enhances rapport. What would ease their mind? Assurances that you are professional: you understand his business; you've worked with accounts like this in the past; you're an expert on your business. What would enhance rapport? Anything that emphasizes what you two have in common and minimizes your differences. So develop stories that illustrate this. What Goes into a Good Story A good story sets up a situation and gives the client options, one very good and the other very bad. This presents a large gap. Then the client is allowed to pick either option (called 'you pick'). Here's an example: Getting Information Imagine you're in an interview with a client. They don't want to give you any financial statements, but you need this information to do a good Risk Management Review). You: I'll need copies of your financial statements to get started. Client: I'm not willing to share that - just write up the review without that stuff. You: Well, here's what I can do. On one hand (holding out your left hand, palm up), I've got a great company. They're rated A++, have outstanding service, and always come through. They're the industry standard. On the other hand (holding up your right hand, palm up), I've got a good insurance company. They're rated A, have adequate service, and are generally well regarded. If we place business with the great company (holding out left hand), I'll need the information on your financial statements. If we go with the good company (holding out right hand), I won't need that stuff. So, on one hand, we have a great company. On the other hand, we have a good company. You pick. Client: Well, I want the great company. You: Fine. What we need to get going with them is copies of your financial statements. Client: OK, fine. I'll get them printed up for you. The client was convinced that you needed the information to get them a better deal, not because you wanted to see their personal stuff. When you create clear options, it's easier for clients to make decisions. As soon as this client felt that you wanted to help, they were more than willing to give you the financial statements. EXERCISE In Lesson 16, you made a list of stories related to expanded services and client satisfaction. Use elements of these stories to assemble three stories that you can use to: Encourage a Most Valuable Producer to introduce you to their larger accounts Encourage a Commercial Producer to introduce you to Risk Managers Encourage Risk Managers to introduce you to senior executives

...e summer to grow and be ready for picking in October or November. I had a b...ht the natural cycle of planting and picking - we learn to understand it and w...

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