Local Agents Surrounded by Opportunities

A young man from the city graduated from college with a degree in journalism, and got a job at a small-town newspaper. One of his first assignments was to interview a very successful old farmer who lived twenty miles outside of town. As he sat with the grizzled man on his front porch, the young journalist looked at his notepad and started asking questions. One of the first he asked was, "Sir what time do you go to work in the morning?"

"Son, I don’t go to work, I am surrounded by it," replied the farmer.

We can learn a lesson from the old farmer. Opportunities are a lot like his work. They are everywhere. But the problem is that we often don’t see opportunities, not because they aren’t there, but simply because we choose not to see them. They always surround you. You simply need to open your eyes and see them. Then act on them. (John Maxwell)

Two weeks ago, I arrived in Asheville, NC for a community event with a local agent. We were introducing a new marketing concept to a group of 100 local businesses. During the ride from the airport, I began to talk to the driver about his strategy to promote his delivery service. He described to me a scenario too common to the overwhelming majority of local businesses. He owned the business, drove one of the cars, paid the bills and by the way, in his spare time he was working on his web site and social media strategy to attract to more customers. Sound familiar?

As an expert in digital marketing I offered him some basic advice on how to improve his results. During the conversation we discussed the reason for my visit. I explained to him that I was working with an insurance agent interested in helping local businesses market their business and improve their bottom line. Coincidentally, he knew the name of the agency and remarked that both his family and the agency family were long term residents of Asheville/Hendersonville. When I asked why he was not a client of the agency we were discussing, he told me "most of my stuff falls under commercial insurance, I think their main focus is home and auto." I almost passed out. The agent I was working with is almost the exact opposite and they LOVE commercial business!

I thought to myself, "HOW is this possible?"

The Reality:
Local agents are surrounded by quality opportunities. Maybe not all million dollar accounts, but valuable loyal clients are available to them all – IF they choose to see them. Thinking again about the delivery/transportation service and their business: two commercial vehicles, personal auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, etc. In just a 20 minute ride from the airport, enough value was built to earn, if nothing else, the right to quote all of it.

The key is - VALUE WAS CREATED. Not only the common rapport-builders such as, "my dad knew your dad, we know the same people (not to minimize the importance of circles of influence)," but instead: REAL VALUE. In this sense, it should remind YOU that you have something to offer that no one else has. As an agency owner, commercial producer, personal lines rep or CSR, you should constantly be asking yourself, "What is our unique selling proposition?" Or, said another way, "What do we do better than any of our competitors?" Write it down and have everyone in the organization memorize it. Why? This will empower everyone in the organization to confidently prospect for business everywhere they go. Not to just passively mention what they do and who they do it for, but to give them the confidence and enthusiasm to passionately promote the services offered by your agency and the COURAGE to ask the million dollar question, the only question that matters:
"If our agency could find a way to improve, increase, decrease, more comprehensively cover…(you get the picture) would you be willing to…."

It’s amazing how simple it sounds, but what are the barriers preventing you and your team from thinking like the successful farmer? What head trash is stopping you from looking for business everywhere? Is it a lack of confidence, lack of knowledge, lack of passion? What is it?

Lesson in Constant Improvement (this will sound crazy but stay with me):

1. Take a minute to identify what gets you excited in life.
2. Think about how this applies (or could apply) to the way you serve clients.
3. Consider how this will help the prospect feel more in control, improve their bottom line, reduce risk, etc.
4. Create a personal advertisement message connecting the three and memorize it.
5. Share this message with EVERYONE you meet.

Most importantly, get over yourself. From my experience working with local agents, the number one barrier to thinking like a farmer is the agent’s EGO. By the way, we all suffer from the same disease. We don’t want to be a bother, sound desperate, alienate friends, etc. At Astonish, this is what we like to refer as HEAD TRASH. The real reason is lack of belief that you or your agency is worth it. Think about that. If you REALLY believed in your agency’s ability to uniquely serve the modern consumer, WHY WOULDN’T you tell everyone?

Having said all that, if we all understood and developed the unique value that each of us possesses, we would all have the attitude of the farmer minus the focus on what we lack. We would see AND harvest the endless opportunities surrounding us all. Technology can play a very powerful role in the effectiveness and efficiency for how we harvest opportunities, but ultimately the success or failure will be determined by attitude and belief.

Question?

What opportunities exist for you that are not being pursued with a vengeance? Why not? Are there real roadblocks, or do these hurdles exist only in your mind? We all know people in businesses that are true "opportunists." It seems like these people see opportunities before they arise. And if none exist, they create them. Most of us are not like them. We need to sit down and identify where opportunity exists in our lives. We need to write down the potential rewards to help give us motivation to take the initiative and get going. Having done that, we need to develop a strategy to achieve our new found goals. Like the farmer, work and opportunity surround us everywhere, everyday. We have to look for it. We have to want to take advantage of it. And when we do, we have the right to reap the rewards from it. Sounds like an opportunity, doesn’t it? What will you do?

If you are like the BEST and most INNOVATIVE agencies on the planet, or would like to become one –call Astonish Results now at 1.888.899.1936 or visit our website at www.astonishresults.com. Be sure to take a free 180 second tour of the greatest lead producing, modern-consumer attracting, strategy building, digital marketing system in the world!