Keys to Change and Growth

Everyone resists change, that's probably normal. The only person who likes change is a wet baby!
There are a number of keys to acknowledging and accepting change. And while we will most likely not hit all of them here, our experience tells us these may be the most important. The key may be to see which ones you identify with?
Key 1: Duplication - One of the keys to growth as leaders is to make sure we train someone (or several) in our teams to replace ourselves. In other words, make sure you are training leaders as capable as you.
Key 2: 80/20 Rule (David Schwartz) -

• 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your team.
• 20% of your team will make 80 % of the money.
• 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of your results - if your time and effort is spent on the top 20% of the priorities

Key 3: Recruiting - The most important activity for Leaders is recruiting - then training. Those mangers who are recruiting are growing. Your earnings as a manager will be limited by the number of agents you have writing business each week, so recruiting to replace those who are not writing is crutical to growth.
You will find you will recruit two kinds of people - Wanters and Needers.

• Needers - they see the potential during the recruiting session and they contract because they want to be associated with you. Once contracted, however, you find they NEED to know what they have to do to grow their business without having to be uncomfortable.
• Wanters - once contracted they will do whatever is necessary to grow their business. They say "where do I get..." then they go get what they need.

Remember people do not get in your business on logic alone - logic is not contagious - no one catches LOGIC!
People get in your business on excitement and enthusiasm - People catch excitement and enthusiasm - People don't catch logic!
You will recruit more people from the depth of your conviction than from the height of your logic.
Key 4: Training - Once you contract agents, it is important to train them on the things you want them to do the most in the order you want them to do those things.
You will find that you will be counseling agents as you help them get started and the 80/20 rule will apply... 20% of your agents will take up 80% of your time, if you're not careful. The most important aspect about training new agents who have not sold insurance before is that TRAINING IS SELLING NEW AGENTS ON THEMSELVES.
Do you accommodate your schedule to those who are not engaged in activity that will lead to production? In this business we have found that we teach what we know but we reproduce who we are. So don't ask, will my calendar be full? Ask who will fill my calendar? Every aspect of your time, as much as you can control, needs to be spent on the 20%... if you want to grow.
Key 5: Leadership - Effective leaders manage things and lead people. Spend your time with the WANTERS.
Don't give CPR to the NEEDERS!
How do you know if you are a leader?

• Leaders initiate - Followers react - So LEAD!
• Leaders spend time planning - Followers live day to day
• Leaders anticipate challenges - Followers react to challenges
• Leaders invest time with people - Followers spend time with people
• Leaders fill calendars by priority - Followers fill calendars by request
• Leaders recognize they can't lose something they don't have - Followers are worried about losing an individual agent - regardless of their production.

So there you have it, keep your focus - Recruitng and training. The truth is you can expect adversity in growing your business - the good thing is this business is just hard enough to weed out those looking for something for nothing.