Can we make work FUN again?!

After a few years of droning on about liability limits and inland marine forms, some agents turn into zombies in a suit.? They bore clients to death discussing exclusions and uninsured motorists forms.? Hint: clients don’t know and don’t care about every feature and benefit your company offers.

I have a question: Can we find a way to make this industry fun again???

I think we can!

Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work? -Richard Branson

Here are a few of my thoughts:

High Energy is Fun

I remember when I was an agent we used to teach a CE class to realtors.? I partnered with a closing attorney and a home warranty company to bring expertise to the class attendees.? The attorney's name was Tommy Zilahi and he was a proud Italian from New York.? If you know Tommy, he brings passion and fun like nobody else.??

How did he make his talks fun?? He knew that he had to “bring the energy” if he was going to talk about stipulations, title searches and home closing contracts. He knew better than anyone how to tell a funny story and get passionate about why his industry was so important.??

How can you take this idea and transfer it to your agency?

Here are some questions for you to consider:

What is a funny or exciting story you can tell your clients to showcase your passion for what you do?? Storytelling is a well known practice to get your point across in a fun way.? Pull from personal experience or borrow real stories from co-workers.

Is there a way you can remind yourself to bring the energy everyday at work? Perhaps a note or a picture of the family on the monitor?? A reminder on your phone.? Screen saver?

Are you working out and taking care of your body so you have ample energy to spare?? I find that a daily routine creates good habits, which lead to more success, which leads to more fun.? Fun is knowing what you need to do to be successful and doing it!

Think about a sales mentor, speaker or role model that you want to be like.? How do they capture the audience's attention and bring that special spark? Borrow their energy or think how would they handle this situation.? I promise you that high energy brings more fun.??

You can be the smartest insurance agent in the world and have the deepest knowledge set compared to your peers, but if you can’t bring the fun energy, it will fall flat for your prospects.

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." ~ Dale Carnegie

Find the positive (even in the negative)

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.? If this is true then how can we find something good to be positive about, even if our day does not go as planned?? So many people let one negative thing ruin their entire day.? Their attitude is determined by the circumstances of the day.? Newsflash: we can’t control every circumstance.

Life is full of problems and we will have even more problems coming down the line.? The question is: How can we learn from our challenges?? How can we turn the problems into learning opportunities?

Successful insurance agents are masters of this "learn from challenges" strategy.? If one plan bombs, they shift gears and try a new approach.? If one line of business shuts down, they focus on the other.?

If they hear one no from a prospect, it certainly does not ruin their day.? They just move on to the next.??

They have fun in the process because they know that hard work pays off.? And they celebrate the small wins!

I remember when I first started selling auto and home insurance, it was 2009, right after the home crash.? All of the previous agents at my company had relied on mortgage brokers sending referrals and the funnel had dried up because lending had dried up.??

Many agents were super upset and not sure what to do.? Some even quit. They certainly were not having fun. But successful agents shifted gears and focused on the auto or life insurance side.??

They found auto insurance referral sources that were previously untapped and then cross sold the home and life insurance as needed. More sales equaled more fun! (I built a $3M book of business this way, but that is another story)

"Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance?you can find your niche?by going in exactly the opposite direction." ~ Sam Walton

Prospect in your area of interest

What are your hobbies and passions outside of work?? Maybe you like to road bike or mountain bike?? Maybe you are into music or playing the piano?? Perhaps you like cars or racing?

Find something you are passionate about and see how it can overlap into your insurance prospecting.? I know an insurance agent who was really into hockey and he found a way to prospect in a national association of hockey players and was even able to offer a discount to its members.

I know another agent who is really into golf and meets many of his clients out on the golf course.

If you are a mountain biker, I am sure the local clubs would love to hear how their auto or home insurance extends to their $8000 bike strapped to the back of their Toyota 4Runner. They would want to know how it can be properly protected in layman's terms.? How would a claim be handled if someone rear ended it?? You could be their expert.

Of course, I also know many agents who love cars and partner with Hagerty to work local car shows.? That way they get to hang around cool cars and fun people, but still are working and prospecting. I actually can’t think of a more fun way to get out of the boring office, enjoy the weather and meet new people.

Car collectors and automotive enthusiasts are typically higher net worth, drive less, have fewer claims, are loyal and refer their car club friends.? It is a great niche market to prospect!? If interested in steps to work a car show, comment below and I will write a step by step guide.

The point is this: There is a way to make work fun again.? Let's cast off the former facade of the boring archaic insurance industry and let's make it fun again!