Sales Prospecting Perspectives

If you ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong?" and nothing comes to mind, you're probably not trying hard enough.

Everyday I call into insurance companies and try to figure out how they motivate their sales employees. For the purposes of my calling efforts, I can generally ignore anyone within an organization who is not compensated by some form of incentive or variable pay plan, which includes bonuses, MBOs, commissions, non-cash rewards, and so on.

It has always been a goal of mine to convey a certain level of calm, cool, and collected in my everyday life and the conversations I have with others. In the ever-changing world of teleprospecting, I have found that one of the most important mottos to live and dial by is, “Over-prepare, and then go with the flow.” I have to give the original credit to Regina Brett, a 90 year-young columnist out of Ohio whose New York Times Bestseller, God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours is full of inspiring ideas and wisdom far beyond my 24 years of life experience. If you haven’t already checked this gem out, I’d highly recommend it.

This past weekend I completed my first ever Tough Mudder event, “Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet.” It is described as a 10-12 mile mud run straight up the face of Mount Snow in Vermont, complete with 26 obstacles designed by British Special Forces, and meant to test each Mudder on strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. For me, it was more like 10 miles of vertical Hell flavored with 26 twisted obstacles, each meant to test my preparation (or lack thereof), tact, and ever-pressing urge to push my limits.