Use your mentor to begin recruiting from day 1

Recruiting is the best way to scale your business.

When I first got into the business, they told me the same thing. So there I was, traveling back and forth to my full-time accounting gig, squeezing in some insurance work on the side, all the while posting job ads and shooting off messages.

A lot of people think that they have to be an expert or even know what they’re talking about to recruit, but you really don’t.?

I have a very distinct memory of a client call at the time where a woman told me she had diabetes and I had to google what it was afterwards.?

I was 35 and did not know what diabetes was, but I was already recruiting. So trust me, you can start from day one.?

I believe it’s almost easier at this stage because you can be honest about where you’re at with potential new recruits by saying, “I don’t know what I’m doing but this industry sounds great and this person [your mentor] is teaching me how to make a ton of money. Want to come along for the ride?”

What I would say to promote my mentor is, “Hey, this guy, Mike Killimett, is teaching me about insurance and he’s looking to hire more people. Are you open to a conversation?”?

I would send out 100 messages on LinkedIn and get three to five answers back every day of the week.

This was great because, with my mentor supporting me, I didn’t have to do all the work and if Mike hired this new person he would put them direct to me whenever I wanted it. In the meantime, Mike slowly taught me the ins and outs of building a team.?

While earning a bit more money alongside selling, I learned how to ask better questions, interview properly, set expectations, and every other piece of the process. Within just a few months I was able to take over most of the work.?

It was on the job training at its finest.

For you to start recruiting from day one, all you have to do is promote the same things you’re supposed to be doing: the places where you’re learning, the people you’re talking to, the training you’re completing, and the networking calls you’re getting on.?

Be a strong promoter of information.

You’ll find that you have the most success recruiting when you’re authentic.?

Any message you send that sounds like a scripted piece of spam won’t get nearly as many responses as when you’re informal and honest like, “Hey, this dude Mike is killing it and teaching me how to make 6 figures selling insurance and he's growing a huge agency. Are you open to a conversation?”

Now, if you’re still learning the art of rejection for dials and appointments, then you’ll have to gear up for recruiting. The overall success rate is much lower and the industry is tough.?

Not everyone is cut out for building an insurance business, but the way I look at it is that thousands of successful agents made it into the industry without you and the next thousand can too, but you may as well try to make some money off of getting a few of them started.?