No. Strings. Attached.

It has become shockingly elusive in an era of "big" everything. Everybody wants it, few truly have it, and the discerning select ultimately ensure they put themselves in a position to reliably provide it as a foundational cornerstone of their life's work. So what is "it?" - OBJECTIVITY

Almost everyone is selling something. Teachers sell knowledge, doctors sell healthcare, actors sell entertainment, architects sell designs, engineers sell problem solving processes, weathermen sell forecasts, and psychologists sell counseling. The list literally goes on and on...But all kinds of folks are selling because all kinds of folks are buying, all sorts of things. This is a staple of the human experience.

In light of this reality, the questions that consumers should routinely ask themselves is quite simple: What are they buying, from whom, and on whose terms?

THIS is a far more nuanced question that too many people don't stop to meaningfully consider. The answers to that question have pushed and/or abused the reputation of work in sales to the point of satire (see the article photo of "Ned the Head Ryerson").

Not all products being sold are the same, not all industries pushing sales are the same, and far too much that SHOULD be made known to consumers in the process of buying is routinely omitted from discussion (for any number of different reasons). Consumers can sense these uncomfortable dynamics...But they justifiably have a very hard time putting a finger on what it means or how they should respond. This is why consumers are increasingly cynical. It's why people make jokes about insurance sales. It's why an epidemic of frustration has been thrust upon the consuming American public that can be easily summed up in a single root cause: Gamesmanship.

"Gamesmanship is the use of dubious methods to win or gain a serious advantage in a game or sport. It has been described as "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end". It may be inferred that the term derives from the idea of playing for the game as opposed to sportsmanship, which derives from the idea of playing for sport."

In no industry is the problem of "gamesmanship" more self-evident than insurance. Other than used car sales, is there another industry with a more maligned reputation? Probably not. Is there a reason that the reputation exists? Certifiably, yes.

Stick with me here and read a bit further...

When it comes to managing all-levels of risk that take shape in every type of situation imaginable (businesses, personal finances, property, farms, ranches, and all other forms of individual estates)...The public has been largely duped into commoditized "group think." Insurance "can" be done in a cattle-herding (commoditized) fashion, but who truly believes that such myopic and shareholder-focused tactics are in the BEST interest of individual consumers?

Interestingly enough, the frustration isn't limited to consumers. Insurance sales is notoriously difficult, ESPECIALLY in the conventional "big corporate" distribution channels where gamesmanship is implicitly brought to the forefront of an increasingly commoditized marketplace. Aspiring agents in a captive or corporate quota driven environment are subtly, intentionally, and unknowingly indoctrinated into towing the line for the specific "system" that hired them. The system itself may be "okay," but the tactics required to advance a one-size-fits-all big corporate philosophy is where the gamesmanship inevitably takes root.

More times than not (and oftentimes without fully realizing it while they're being trained), many big corporate and/or captive insurance agents are effectively forced to accept the realities of pushing high-margin products, emphasizing particular market segments, and spinning risk management "choice" in the form of limited options that must work primarily in the best interest of a particular group of shareholders. If those shareholders sign your paycheck, you have a simple binary choice: sink or swim. This begs the question..."Is there a better way?"

Alternatives to the mainstream commoditized industry approach are rare, but they DO ABSOLUTELY exist. Let's put this in simple terms. The best insurance agents are not salespeople, they're objectivity-obsessed educators & consultants. By contrast, salespeople are folks that are ensnarled in a big corporate quota-driven and/or captive system, and the best amongst them may aspire to provide some semblance of an educational standard, but they're ultimately not aligned with a system that is capable of delivering true objectivity.

Given the breadth of the modern free market (a BEAUTIFUL thing BTW), how do consumers tell the difference between highly trained consultants; vs. highly trained salespeople? I've heard good folks stuck in salesperson roles use creative terms like "semi-captive" and "brokered access to other markets," but that is "Exhibit A" with gamesmanship when stacked-up against transparent, holistic, and truly independent consultation. The FULLY OBJECTIVE standard constitutes the dreaded "red pill" that most well meaning captive and/or quota-driven big corporate insurance agents can't bring themselves to swallow.

You can bring clients to products, or you can bring products to clients. Don't force yourself to conform to a system that requires you to stack the deck for a particular group of shareholders. When clients figure out you're actually working exclusively for them, it changes everything!

For consumers seeking objectivity, refined "gamesmanship" is as undesirable as a house fly in your water bottle. You don't have to go there. There is a "right way" and "wrong way" to do everything. It's likely not too late to reformulate your career to seize the blessings of alignment before assignment. The "wrong way" in insurance sales is FAR more prevalent, and it culminates in "gamesmanship." Don't believe me, just ask Ned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqSYC_vwhDg