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Independence Day
(The Movie)
Email:
bradh@onlyfinancial.com
 “I have GOT to get me one of
these!” We all remember Will Smith’s character saying this in the movie
“Independence Day” as he steered the alien craft into space in the film finale.
Nothing could be more appropriate than that very line in reference to a critical
tool in your office.
Recently a seasoned Direct
Response shop owner remarked “I can get sales folks pretty easy these days and
in this new way of selling I’m becoming convinced more and more that the sales
agent is not the most important part to the Direct Response puzzle. I’ve
concluded that selling is much easier the way we do it [Direct Response].
What’s changed is the critical nature of the backside of the transaction, where
the case manager is. THAT’S the critical point in this new model of selling—in
the old days, the selling professional—today, the case manager.”
“My production more than
doubled….”
Look at any successful
organization or independent agent selling with leads and you’ll see that it has
either an agent aggressively fulfilling this role along with selling or the
responsibility has been delegated to another person to free the agent to sell
more. Money and budgets always affect how and when a new person can be hired to
relieve the agent of this burden. I remember struggling with this very issue
before someone told me, “I know it’s expensive to hire a part time person, but
it’s not whether you can afford it, it’s whether you can afford NOT to do it.”
I bit the bullet and that year my production more than doubled. That part timer
became full time the next year.
Still, in the early stages of a
young business it’s often not feasible to hire a part time person for case
management support. In those situations until the timing presents itself we as
agents have to remember to “take off our selling hat and put on our case manager
hat”. The very nature of selling is creative. It’s also exhilarating and fun.
Folks that enjoy that kind of work, seldom enjoy the perceived “grind” of follow
up. It’s only natural to avoid it, but in so doing you undermine the most
important process to your Direct Response success. Consider these ideas to
improve your case management skills:
- Shift your attitude from
selling to case management, take a moment to switch hats. Be professional and
to the point about what you need. It’s not important that you visit (as with
the sales process). Tell your client you’ve got your case management hat on
today, “I need these items…..”
- Put all case management,
where possible, at the beginning of the day.
- Group all calls to create
momentum in getting the task done
- Establish critical internal
relationships with our preferred carriers, ones you can rely on to get things
done. Remember cards and small gifts for excellent support.
- KNOW that the money you make
this year occurs RIGHT HERE, not necessarily in the selling process
Over 6 months? Consider
hiring a case manager.
If you have been working in
this business 6 months to a year, it’s time to consider a part time case
manager. If budget is a problem, consider a reduction of a lead a day to
provide the seed money for hiring someone. A simple ad in the local paper or
trip to a local university will net you plenty of capable folks for
consideration. There are plenty of folks with OFG that have experienced
significant income increases when they hired case managers (in most cases
business doubled). If you want to talk with them, let me know.
Today set the date. Set the
day you plan to begin looking for part time assistance. Use a legal pad or
excel spreadsheet to make notes that will be used in the training of your first
case manager. Take this time that you are without an assistant to compile
everything they’ll need to fully understand and steer your case management needs
in the future. “You have GOT to get yourself one of these!”
Brad Howard, Director
OnlyFinancialGroup
866-INS-ONLY ext 108
bradh@onlyfinancial.com
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