Sales

There’s still two months to hit your sales goals for this year. And while hitting your goals often means qualifying for trips and more revenue for your business, we also know that based on how contracts are written, NOT hitting certain goals will leave bonuses on the table. This week...

Although most financial services professionals know how important prospecting is, it’s still the activity that gets pushed aside. The reasons for not prospecting vary, but can include service issues, training, focusing on other lines of business, and even procrastination. There’s a simple, but effective way to ensure that your business...

How curious is your team? In the financial services industry, it pays to be curious. When your team is curious it creates opportunities to better understand the needs of your clients. This leads to more sales, but also better service.  By asking more questions and taking the time to...

The power of a meeting agenda. You’ve probably been encouraged over the years to use an agenda for your sales meeting. They provide structure. They keep you on topic. They help you stick to the time. They are powerful. And we love them. But did you know that an agenda...

If you’ve taken any type of sales training, you’re probably familiar with the idea of asking open-ended questions instead of asking closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions help grow a conversation so that you can learn more about your client/prospects. And closed-ended, or yes/no questions, can quickly end a conversation. For instance,...

Want to learn to teach someone to be a better salesperson, quickly? In the financial services world, sales training is often accomplished through shadowing or joint work. While these methods can work, they often lack the quick, successful results that are desired. The reason? They don’t teach the basics. They...

Most financial services professionals take great care to provide exceptional service. You make promises to be there for clients if the unimaginable happens. You work to ensure that calls are answered quickly. And most still see the importance of providing clients with face-to-face time. There’s no doubt that you care...

How many no’s does your agency need this year? We’re starting a new year and along with the new year comes new goals. Often times goals are expressed in terms of success. How many accounts do you need? How much premium do you need to write? And it makes sense....

In the financial services world, there’s a focus on sales numbers. You probably know what numbers you want to hit and most likely have a good understanding of what revenue should be generated by which product line. Most of you probably know the breakdown of those goals by month and...

In the world of financial services cross-selling is a skill that most will easily agree is important, yet isn’t always mastered. The benefits from an agency’s point of view are clear. Clients who have multiple product lines are less likely to leave which increases retention. Lead conversion is easier, and...