Start Over & Do It Right

It is not uncommon for an entrepreneur to start their business equipped only with
an idea, passion, and a "seat of the pants" operating process.  That has worked for
many over the past century, but it has caused the downfall of many as well.

So, if things are not meeting your vision then perhaps it is time to take a step back and look at what you created.  Undoubtedly, you have gained many insights into developing your business which can now be a big benefit to you.

Start over, in your mind and on paper, I do not mean close your business.  Use all that you have learned and apply it as part of a game plan just as if you were starting a new business.
Do right the tings you had done wrong.  Start with the things you wanted to do but didn't. Benefit all you can from the knowledge you have acquired just as if you were giving advise to someone who was starting their own business like yours.  Remember that every drop of sweat, every tear you shed, every ache and pain you fell all belongs to you, for your business, for your future.  Start with the end in mind.

Put in the hard work, the effort, do the things you least like to do first, and plow through the obstacles with the new found knowledge that you have acquired, and as my old friend
Zig Ziglar would say, "I'll See You At The Top".

Michael Loewenthal
The Business Coach
coach_michael@comcast.net

Make Next Years Money Now

When I first entered the insurance sales procession, one thing I learned early on from the seasoned agents is that there is only two weeks in the year that you can sell; all the other weeks are filled with other things that people find more pressing than buying insurance.  So needless to say, it was imperative that I did not take any vacation time during that two week.

How this two week only to sell within came about I don’t know, but here is a sample breakdown of what it consisted of.

1.                  You can’t sell in January, no one wants to hear from you after New Years and besides, it is stone cold out (I lived in the North East)

2.                  You can’t sell in February because it just too gloomy, and besides there’s a holiday or something in there somewhere.

3.                  You can’t sell much in March, the Ides of March and all that stuff

4.                  April, OK, you can sell now but you can’t sell for two weeks before Easter.

5.                  May, good time to sell buy maybe for 5 days all the rest people are getting ready for spring and planning vacations

6.                  June-July-Aug-September-October all the same type of junk reasons you can sell during these months.

7.                  November, only about 7 days you can sell here.  People are getting ready for Thanksgiving, they are too busy to see you.

8.                  December, maybe a day or two here, everyone is worked up and preparing for the holidays, you can’t bother them now.

So you see, us sales people only got about 14 days to sell our of 365.  How ridicules was that.  No wonder there is so much failure in the insurance sales profession. 

But for this article lets focus on November and December and how these two months are critical for starting off the new year with that proverbial “bang”.  These two months are made of in large part two types of buyers.  1^st, the one that needs to spend the rest of their budget before years end, or because tax brakes they want will not be available in the following year.  2^nd, the serious buyer, a person that does what they need to do regardless of the time of the year or what holiday is approaching.  Meet up with either of these and you’re in fat city.  Know this, you have a better chance of meeting them in Nov & Dec because most of your competition, regardless of your field subscribe to the 2 weeks a year of selling opportunity.  Where there is usual a hundred or so vying for the same sale, now there is only a hand full, and you’ll be one of them. 

Now for the real value of November and December, prospecting.  As you continue on your selling path, you will run into an extraordinary opportunity to get “qualified” prospects for the new year.  This is where you “Make Next Years Money Now."  Without a doubt you will find people telling you to contact them next year, great, agree with them, pull out your calendar and set a date for the appointment, at least the week you will contact them, set something, and please FOLLOW UP via email (get their primary email) reminding them that you will be contacting the week of…by phone or will be arriving at the designated time of the set appointment.

In Nov & Dec you can set many appointments for January and February, and as we all know, without appointments we can not sell, no matter how good we are.

Doing this will set the ground work for starting off the new year with that bang I mentioned earlier.  You’ll be the leader of the pack in sales and others will be trying to catch you for a change.

As for selling in these months let me say that in almost every year, December what my best sales month, why, because everyone else was too busy talking about how you can’t sell in December, and that in November people were preoccupied with Thanksgiving, bull, it just ain’t so. 

Remember, the months of November and December are your friends, they give you rewards for sales made now (with less competition around) and they set you up for quality appointments in January and February.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

Good Selling,

Coach Michael

The Business Coach

Michael Loewenthal

Coach_Michael@comcast.net