The document outlines a comprehensive training program for sales managers to enhance their team's activity levels and production through scheduled reporting, goal-setting, and effective prospecting techniques. It emphasizes the importance of cultivating customer relationships and maintaining consistent prospecting efforts as essential for sales success. Additionally, it addresses the signs of burnout, effective training methods, and the significance of a structured activity plan to ensure salespeople meet their objectives.

1. Manager Training

2. Sales Manager
One way to ensure salespeople maintain a high level of
activityactivity is to require the agent to report their projected
appointments and production to you every Monday evening.
This is followed up with the salesperson reporting their
mid-week production and remaining appointments every
Wednesday evening.

3. Sales Manager
• You can help your salespeople maintain a
high level of activity by helping them develop
their own prospects by cold calling, getting
referrals, building long-term relationships and
other prospecting techniques.
** Contact is defined as cold call, telephone interview and lead follow-up with an
attempt to set an appointment.

4. Training Salespeople
to have production
• Activity equals production! It is important for you to
minimize all activities not directly related to the
productivity of your salespeople.
• In addition, it is important to adequately teach your
salespeople how to develop effective marketing plans,
develop long-term customer relationships and maintain a
high level of activity.activity.

5. Production

6. Production
• Setting production goals, identifying
responsibilities, identifying required
resources and establishing and
maintaining minimal standards are key to
operating a successful sales operation.
• You will need to be able to accurately
forecast the amount of sales that will be
generated from each salespeople’s
territories.

7. Production
• It is important for salespeople’s success that their
manager expects them to have a minimum production
each week.
• Expect and encourage salespeople to produce a
minimum i.e.: $5,000, written business weekly.
• Require salespeople to produce a minimum production
per quarter, for example $30,000 a quarter would qualify
them for local recognition.

8. Production
• Expect and encourage your agents to take
advantage of the affiliate prospecting
programs available.

9. Production
You should review your salespeople’s activity
requirements, goals, ratios and results weekly.
In addition you should ensure your salespeople:
1. Set a minimum of 15 new appointments every
week.
2. Make a minimum of 4-6 presentations* every
week.

10. Culture

11. Culture
• Attitudes, beliefs, values, philosophies
• Agency Culture: The manner in which
production occurs in your office

12. Stages of Agency Development

13. Define the Scale
1. Exceptional - “Above Average”
2. Satisfactory - “Good” (set goals)
3. Needs Improvement - same (set goals)
4. Unsatisfactory - Transfer/Terminate

14. Meet and Review
• Meet and review what will be evaluated
• Provide examples of what high, mid and low
performance looks like
• Suggest self-tracking chart – use a weekly
activity planner
• Ask questions if unsure of what is being
measured and how its being measured - not
what the measurement is

15. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Our Perception
Others Behavior
Our Behavior
Determines
ElicitsReinforces

16. Triad of Performance
• What to do… Management
• How to do it… Training
• Execution… Leadership

17. 4 Steps
• Focus on performance - not the person
• Empower the salesperson to change
• Write down solution and action plan
• Follow up - evoke +/- consequences

18. Top Producers
Alike
Sales Professional Sales Manager
 Value the Job
 Achievement Motivation
 Optimism
 Listening
Comprehension
 Professional Image
 Self-confident
 Value the Job
 Achievement Motivation
 Optimism
 Listening
Comprehension
 Professional Image
 Self-confident

19. Top Producers
Different
Sales Professional Sales Manager
 Training
 Affiliations
 Self-competitive
 Product knowledge
 Assertive
 Flexible Personality
 Need to close
 Growth of others
 Plan and Organize
 Accountability
 Leadership
 Identifies with
Management

20. Burnout

21. Burnout
• Frustration: Goals not realized
– cynicism, easily aggravated
– feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
– onset of psychosomatic disorders

22. Burnout
• Apathy: Non-feeling stage
– presence is physical only
– goal is to protect from further disillusionment
– avoids risks, maintains status quo
– doesn’t want involvement
– feels isolated and cut off
– working in vacuum - no feedback
– this work is futile

23. Burnout
• Stagnation: Loss of satisfaction
– disgruntled, gripes, spreads dissatisfaction
– sees environment as stressful
– bureaucratic processes become mountains
– feels stuck below level of competence
– feels unappreciated
– communication suffers
– perceives dead end career

24. Improvement Process

25. Improvement Process
• Catch them doing things right
– support and challenge
– Review “how” they made sale at turn in
• Catch and remediate anything that will show up
negative
• Model activity planning and hold weekly reviews
– let salespeople solve their own problems
– teach problem solving

26. Prospecting

27. Prospecting
• Prospecting is their business: Getting leads is as important as
selling. Once they stop getting leads they stop writing business.
• They must learn to prospect or quit.
• New agent: having enough prospects is the difference between
success or failure
• Experienced salespeople: prospects are needed to replace attrition
• Salespeople need a constant flow of prospects for business and
income growth.
• Prospecting is 80% of any sales success.

28. WHAT IS PROSPECTING?
• Prospecting is the activity they do to
contact individuals and interest them in
purchasing one or more products.

29. Who is a Qualified Prospect?

30. WHO IS A QUALIFIED PROSPECT?
• An individual who recognizes a problem exist (they believe
they have a problem)
• They are motivated to solve this problem
• They feel your product will solve their problem
• They can physically qualify for your product
• They have the money to purchase your product
• They are willing to spend money to purchase your product to
solve their problem
• They are willing to purchase your product TODAY!

31. WHO IS A QUALIFIED PROSPECT?
• If this definition makes since then teach your salespeople
to qualify all prospects to this criteria.
• If they do not meet the criteria, then your salespeople
does not have a prospect. (Remember time value)
• Trying to create qualified prospects from poor suspects is
one of the greatest waste of a salespersons time.

32. Your salesperson as a
business owner

33. Your salesperson is operating
a business
• All successful business people look for a
return on their investment.
• Your salesperson’s investment is their
time and energy along with the financial
investment they make acquiring inventory
(prospects).

34. Your salesperson is operating
a business
• As your salesperson works their prospects
they are “withdrawing” from their
inventory.
• These “withdrawals” (prospects) must be
replaced if your salesperson expects to
stay in business.
• If not, they will be “living off inventory” and
no business can live off inventory long.

35. Your salesperson is operating
a business
• As you help your salespeople increase their
ability to recognize the value of prospecting,
they will find their investment of time and
energy diminishing and the RETURN ON
THEIR INVESTMENT steadily increasing.

36. WHAT IS NEEDED

37. WHAT IS NEEDED
Salesperson’s who are not successful do not
lack physical energy, product knowledge, or
the latest sales training, they do not even
need a different personality.
What they need is more customers.
Customers come from daily prospecting.

38. Activity Plan

39. Activity Plan
The activity plan is where specific activities are identified as
necessary to achieve your salesperson’s goals.
This plan helps your salespeople determine what
prospecting and marketing activity is necessary to meet
their goals, such as:
· Phone Calls
· Walk and Talk
· Lead Programs
· Direct Mail
· Referrals

40. Prospecting and Planning

41. Prospecting and Planning
Prospecting is a daily activity as part of your salespeople’s daily
schedule.
• Teach them to state specific objectives and desired results to be
obtained
• Review with them and update objectives and results regularly
• Review with your salespeople their schedule of daily prospecting
activity
• Help your salespeople map out strategies and focus on specific
activity
• Require your salespeople to develop plans and incorporate them
into their daily planner

42. Plan Your Work
Now
Work Your Plan
Do not confuse planning prospecting with the activity of
prospecting. Your salepeople will only make a sale if they are
making fact-to-face presentations to prospects!
Common Sense Prospecting:
• Prospect where you pay
• Prospect where you play
• Prospect where you pray
The function of a pre-approach is to approach, which leads to
a presentation, which leads to a sale.

43. Prospecting Sources

44. Newspaper
Newspaper
• Social Section
1. People moving into area
2. Weddings/engagements
3. Birth Announcements
Business Section
1. Job changes
2. Promotions
3. New business openings
4. Business closing/layoffs

45. Obituaries

46. Obituaries
• Obituaries – Look for people around the
deceased, for example:
1. What happened to any business
owned
2. Kids/grandkids involved in
business
3. Children live in area
4. Grandchildren

47. Legal Notices

48. Legal Notices
Legal Notices
1. Business starting
2. Divorce
a. Children involved
b. New home/people moved
3. Business close
4. “Responsible for own debit”
a. who put notice in paper (located at
bottom of notice)
b. Was business sold?
c. Who are new owners?
d. How many employees?

49. Policyholder

50. Policyholder
• Policyholder- service your clients while complying with
HIPAA laws. Policyholders like to be contacted by their
insurance agent on a regular basis.
• When customers call into the home office to cancel a
policy one comment they always make, regardless of the
initial reason they give for canceling the policy is:
“I bought the policy and never heard from my agent again.”

51. Client Lifestyle Events

52. Client Lifestyle Events
Client Lifestyle events
1. Birthdays
2. Policy changes
3. Premium changes
4. Dependents reach majority
5. Term Conversions
6. Turning 65

53. Internet leads

54. Internet leads
Internet leads
a. Major Medical
b. Medicare Supplement
c. Long Term Care
d. Annuities
e. Profiled –(30 days old)

55. Walk & Talk

56. Walk & Talk
Walk & Talk – Direct face-to-face approach to business, strip
malls, neighborhoods:
1. Teach your salespeople to go in areas where they are
already on an appointment or servicing a policyholder.
2. Teach your salespeople to approach their own personal
service centers (where they buy their gas, food,
clothes, shoe repair, etc)
3. Take them to a community or neighborhood that
satisfies a predetermined profile and go door-to-door.

57. Personal Advertising Campaign

58. Agent Personal Advertising Campaign
Teach your salespeople’s successful personal advertising campaign activity:
• Mail a policy anniversary card
• Join and offer to speak at civic clubs
• Put their business card in every bill they pay
• Send their customers a holiday card
• Send their customers a birthday card
• Work their church directory
• Team up with local P&C agents
• Leave their business card with their tip in restaurants
• Give their business card to everyone they meet; dry cleaners, car wash,
etc.
To teach these personal advertising campaign activities you have to model
them to the salesperson by doing them.

59. Additional Prospecting Sources

60. Additional Prospecting Sources
Teach your salespeople to keep alert at all times to possible
prospects:
• New business openings
• New strip malls going up
• New home developments
• New neighbors moving in
• Conversations with friends, acquaintances, and policyholders
that indicate a prospect could be developed.

61. Centers of Influence

62. Centers of Influence
Your salespeople come in contact with a constant,
continual flow of people. Friends, places they
do business with, service companies they give
business to, groups and clubs they belong to.
A center of influence can refer quality prospects to
your salespeople.

63. Networking

64. Networking
Networking is an endless chain of prospects who
are connected by one reason or relationships, for
example:
• Occupational: In an office or industry
• Religious organizations
• Community organizations
• Social: participation in groups or activities
• Family groups: working within family groups

65. Networking
Advantages of Networking
• Competition is minimal
• You save time: you can often see more than
one person
• Your reputation increases: Working with and
prospecting in a network allows you to gain an
understanding of common problems and
interest

66. SAMPLE SALE DAY
AGENDA
Sales Calls
RULES
OUTCOMES
Plan each day
Work systematically
Make a full presentation on every call
Do all paperwork in your down time
• Don’t prejudge
• “Look for sales”
• Call every lead
• Visit every lead
• Have daily activity
• Have six appointments
every day
• Concentrate on making
presentations
• Spend time with
“Prospects”
7:30 Leave for field
8:00 Make 1st
sales call
8:30 Walk & Talk
10:00 Second Sales Call
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Third Sales Call
2:00 Fourth Sales Call
Walk & Talk
Collect Bus. Cards
4:00 Fifth Sales Call
5:00 Home
6:00 Plan for next day
(Alternate schedule/ next day
make phone calls in am/leave
at 11 for field. Work till 8 p.m.

67. WHAT IS A LEAD?

68. WHAT IS A LEAD?
• A lead is just a contact your salespeople make
• An way for your salespeople to have activity
• A person for your salesperson to use their professional
skills with
• An activity step to the next activity step
• Part of their inventory
• Exactly what they make it-nothing more and nothing less