managing your practice
| By James C. Ganther, Jr.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
50 Years of Success
An award-winning agent shares the steps he took on his way to
the top.
Last month, I marked an impor- tant milestone: 50 years as an insurance agent. To celebrate
this major accomplishment, I have
assembled 50 tips that have helped
me succeed over the years. I hope
they help you do the same—now and
in the years to come.
1. Have faith. Having faith is paramount in good times and in bad, to
help you maintain a positive attitude.
10. Give birthday presents. Send a
card offering something from a local
restaurant. I have done this on my
anniversary years in this business,
such as this year, which is my 50th
anniversary.
11. Plan your telephone calls. Figure
out the best time of the day to call
people, depending on their schedule.
Call off the hour, such as at 10: 15 or
at 10: 30.
16. Set goals. My goals have been to
qualify for MDRT and our company’s
top club, and to write at least 100 applications every year.
17. Keep it simple.
18. Smile, smile and smile.
2. Realize the importance of family.
A wife and four children gave me the
inspiration to help others.
12. Know when to contact businesses. I have found that Tuesdays
and Wednesdays are the best times to
contact businesses.
19. Let the client be right. Agree with
him or very politely disagree if you
know he is wrong.
3. Remember family time. I used
MDRT’s Family Tyme when I was president of my local PTA and for my family.
13. Advertise. I do this to keep my
name in front of clients and prospects.
20. Accept rejection. Remember that
no one makes every sale. My philosophy has been that when I lose, I’m one
step closer to the next sale.
4. Exercise regularly. My activities are
softball, horseshoes, golf, weight lifting and walking.
5. Get and stay organized. This can be
a real time saver.
14. Be a sponsor. Always sponsor an
athletic team, such as a horseshoe,
softball or bowling team.
15. Volunteer. Do this for one or two
organizations a year.
21. Analyze your interviews. Ask
yourself why you did or did not make the
sale. Take notes after the interview to see
if you need to contact the prospect again
if you didn’t make the sale, or if you did,
to trigger future hot spots.
6. Schedule your day. Have a plan
before the day begins and overplan.
Explain and apologize to everyone if
you are late.
22. Hire a good assistant. You need
someone who has technical skills, is
detail-oriented and is good on the phone.
7. Spread goodwill. Send birthday,
anniversary, new birth, sympathy and
congratulatory cards to your clients.
23. Cross sell. Although your first sale
is important, don’t fail to move into
other areas of business.
8. Write Christmas letters personally.
Send them to your clients with a
pocket calendar and a reply card.
9. Acknowledge births. Do so by giving baby items or green plants to new
parents.
Plan for the year so that when
January 1 comes around, you will be set
in your business and personal lives.
