Agents for Life!

For some reason, many new agents love the idea of hitting six figures in their first year. What does it take? What does the game plan look like? Here, I break down the numbers, starting from income, down to what it takes every week and every day to achieve that goal, based on the averages and my own experience accomplishing that goal. Plus, if you look in your reporting sheets, you'll see a ne...

If you joined the team call on Wednesday, you heard my wife talk about driving in a rut. Rain causes muddy dirt roads, and when folks drive in the same place over and over, they get into a rut. Whether we're talking about life or a road, ruts are slippery and they try to keep you locked in. They're hard to get out of. Oddly, sometimes they're just "comfortable" enough that we...

The presentation is one of the most important things you will need to master as a life insurance agent. Think about it: you have a short period of time to build rapport and trust, educate, qualify and get your prospect to make a commitment right then and there. That's a lot. It can be overwhelming, especially for a new agent, to know what to say and how to structure the appointment so you don&...

There are thirty seconds left on the clock. You're third and goal, 3 yards to go. What do you do? How did you get there? In business, as in sports, it's all about execution. Goals are nice, shiny objects but they're simply a guide to point you in the right direction. They're a metric by which you can know if you've arrived at a certain point. A goal is the result of sustained,...

One of the most important things you can do as an agent is to track your numbers. Yet even this simple activity can be overwhelming. So let's simplify this down another level. What if, at the end of the day, the thing that mattered most was one single number. That's it. Would that help you focus and know where to spend your time? That's what this podcast is all about. It's your mag...

A critical part of being a newer agent is learning the "bump set spike" dynamic that happens during your appointment. There's a way for you to set up so that when you bring in a manager, they're empowered to help you make that sale. This podcast dives down into what you say and how you can say it to give yourself the best odds for success. If you're newer and still rely on a...

From time to time, we all drift. Likely, more than you think. When that happens, we have to hit the big RESET button. This podcast is your tool to check yourself against the basics that have always made this industry great. Use these 15 questions (and your honest answers) to figure out where and how far you've drifted...and then empower yourself with what to do next. Everyone needs a good chec...

Time to mix in a little product training this week. A very common misunderstanding new agents have is how the different final expense products work. There's a lot of new terminology that may or may not make sense. It's a new language. It won't take you very many appointments to come across folks wanting insurance who are going through a lot of health conditions. Sooner or later, you ha...

Life reminded me once again this week about how valuable it is to love and serve. If there was a job description for what we, as life insurance agents do, it would be this: love and serve people. That's it. Stop trying to sell and just seek to serve. Make it a great week! If you like this, you may enjoy  my book . To protect your family,  contact us . To change your life,  join our team .

Remember your childhood when your parents read you the story of the three little pigs? There was something profound about it that you may not have realized at that young of an age. But get this, each one was building something. But one was building something much bigger than the other two. Something that would last much longer and provide much more value. Building a life insurance business can wor...

Every watched one of those sports flicks that's based on a true story? My favorite category, by the way. I'm inspired by watching the underdog come back from behind, beating all the odds and conquering the undefeated champion. I like it because I relate to it. It feels like me. Do you ever feel like the underdog? If so, you're in good company. Every one of you can be the last one stand...

If you hang around Equis long enough, you'll hear the advice, "put yourself in a position to win." But what does that really mean? Being self-employed, as we know, is not a guaranteed income. Neither is a paycheck, but I won't go there right now. But haven't you seen people who just seem to get "lucky" when it comes to success? The old Midas touch? As a little league outfielder, I remember watchin...

If you have your license, you are a "field underwriter." What does that mean? It means you have to get good at placing your prospect with the carrier or product most likely to approve their case. Before we even talk about pricing, underwriting is the most important thing. Nobody gets excited about a policy that never got approved. That said, underwriting takes time to learn. If you're going to be...

There are many different ways we can get from point A to point B. That is true whether it's you getting to the grocery store or you getting to your dream. The right vehicle can make all the difference in how, when and even IF you arrive at your destination. Here's an analogy that will help you understand exactly what you have your hands on. If you like this, you may enjoy my book . To protect your...

The 2023 National Convention is in the books. And in my mind, it will go down as one of the top conventions in Equis history. If not THE top. It was inspirational, motivational and transformational. I'm so glad for all of you who came and experienced it- we had a great turnout. Here, I've highlighted the most impactful lessons I captured. There are also several new announcements, so listen in and...

It's been said that how you see everything is everything. We're all chasing after this thing we call success. But how you define success may be one of the things that's impeding your progress. In this episode, I'm going to challenge your thinking just a little.  Listen in and see if it changes anything for you. If you like this, you may enjoy my book . To protect your family, contact us . To...

If you're like me, Universal Life is an enigma wrapped up in a conundrum. I spent a year or so before I was brave enough to write my first UL policy. I was intimidated by them. Term and Whole seemed fairly simple to understand, but UL? It scared me. Admittedly, Universal Life policies are more complicated and can be confusing to understand, let alone to explain to a client. Hopefully, this helps....

I learn new things in this business all the time. And so will you. But the good news is, I've made all the mistakes (and still do) so you don't have to. This week, I discovered a simple response for taking someone who is on the fence (that I can't get committed) to make a small commitment in another area, changing your relationship with them. It's something I should have been doing all along and w...

Ultimately, what each of us is chasing here is some element of freedom. Freedom from job, from debt, from restraints on your time. Freedom is why this country was founded in the first place. So what about your freedom? Like anything else in life, it comes with a price. And what's that price, exactly? Basically, whatever it takes. That's the price. The question isn't whether or not there's a price...

Mark Twain once said, " I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead."   I think one of our biggest challenges as agents is presenting in a simple way our prospects can understand. They didn't study to get their license. And the more we try to cram into our presentation, the more we'll confuse them. As we know, a confused buyer does not buy. They wait for another...

Setting and chasing goals does something for us. Maybe more than you realize.  Did you set your goals yet for 2023? If not, don't wait until Jan. 1, 2024, start today. Take some time and articulate what you want this year to be and put your game plan in place to achieve it. Here are 10 reasons why goals are critical to your business...and your life. I hope it inspires you to take action. If y...

Happy new year! I hope by now you've been able to go through your year, take note of the things you want to change and set some new goals to push yourself to new levels for 2023. If not, take time this weekend to write those bad boys down and put them somewhere you'll see them every day. Unfortunately, we live in an era where trust is at an all-time low. Couple that with us being in the most scrut...

2022 is just about on the books now. I did some reflecting and analyzing of my numbers. I pulled out some insights and changes I'll be implementing in 2023 and I figured, you might learn with me on some of the things I've learned this year. One, in particular, is the wonky math of consistent activity. There's SO much power in just hitting away consistently at your numbers week after week. I hope t...

As we bring 2022 to a close, you may be thinking about your game plan for 2023. At least I hope you are! :) Take some time during this Christmas break for some reflection. Don't dwell on your failures, but instead appreciate how far you've come and what you'd like to see different this upcoming year. Use some of the ideas in this podcast, along with this download to set your game plan for the new...

One of the toughest things about being a business owner is creating that sense of urgency. Sometimes outside circumstances create it for us, but all too often, we're doing well enough that we have to create it ourselves. And that can be tough. Maybe you're comfortable. Maybe your bills are paid and you don't "need" this with a burn. Maybe you only "kind of" need this business to work for you. Medi...