July 2014
Strategies for Success Newsletter July 2014 Issue 103
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Published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies
www.sellingstrategies.com
Copyright 2014 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.
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In this July 2014 issue:
Thoughts from home
Josmo’s Cafe
Thoughts from the office
Stay energized
Emily Live
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Thoughts from home
What happened to common sense?
My cousin Lisa coordinates the annual spring Mitzvah Day at our temple. It’s a great event for families to work on community projects together. This year I volunteered at the registration table to greet and direct the 500+ participants.
Looking official with my color-coded registration and project list in hand, a young family approached me. The mother said they had just parked their car next to a SUV that had a passenger door ajar and the car light was still on. They didn’t want the owner to return to a dead battery. She gave me the license plate number and asked if we could make an announcement.
I could tell the parents were using this as a teaching moment for their children. Find something wrong, be responsible, and tell somebody who can fix it. But I knew the chances of an announcement being heard in a hall with 500 people talking was impossible. I quietly asked the parents if they happened to try closing the car door. The father snapped at me, “No! We don’t touch other people’s cars. We could have set off a burglar alarm.” They weren’t at all happy with me and walked away. At my first opportunity, I went to the parking lot, found the SUV, and closed the door.
So that made me wonder about people who rely too much on others to fix a problem for fear of a negative result. Would they not help an accident or choking victim for fear of a lawsuit? That was probably not the teaching concept they intended.
Moral of the story: Using common sense is the first step of personal responsibility.
Postscript: I did see the family later that morning and let them know I found the vehicle and closed the door. The parents thanked me.
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In striving to do exactly right, we risk losing our common sense. EH
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Josmo’s Cafe
John and I are happily flooded with company this summer! To be able to enjoy relaxing evenings and still prepare awesome meals, we’ve been trying some new and easy side dish recipes for the grill using non-stick aluminum foil. Here are two terrific Guy Fieri recipes I found in June’s Good Housekeeping magazine. Carrots with Cumin, Ginger & Honey and Potatoes with Parmesan, Garlic & Rosemary.
Josmo’s Cafe is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Learn its history and try the famous Josmo’s Cosmo cocktail posted on the Josmo’s Café webpage.
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Happy 45th anniversary to The National Alliance of Insurance Education and Research! I’ve had my CIC designation for 25 years and have been a proud faculty member for 20 years. When invited to contribute to a gift book for Dr. Hold commemorating this occasion, I assembled a list of 45 Ways The National Alliance has contributed to insurance industry excellence and education. Which ones on my list have made a difference in your life?
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Thoughts from the office
Do you have a minute?
Interruptions are a fact of office life. Phones ring, e-mail messages beep, and people invade. We can put the phone on Do Not Disturb (DND), silent the technological noise, but it can be difficult to address the human interrupter. Here are five tips to take charge of personal intrusions.
Two ideas to manage the question, “Do you have a minute?” Say no, but yes. Reply “I do, but not just now. I’m finishing a project for Sue. Can I give you a call (or stop by your office) in about thirty minutes when I can give you my full attention?” Another strategy is to say “I do, sort of. Can we talk while I refill my coffee cup?”
Interrupters who can’t get to the point. Nicely interrupt back and ask, “What exactly can I help you with?”
Perpetual interrupters. The cause of the constant intrusion must be determined. Is it a training issue? Work performance issue? Someone not understanding his or her level of authority? If you’re a supervisor with this intrusion, identify the cause and implement corrective action. If you’re the coworker affected by this, speak with your supervisor about what’s going on and how it’s impacting your work.
Doorway stalkers. It can be most annoying to have people lurking outside your office when you’re on a phone call. Consider keeping a note handy to raise for the stalker to read. The note should say, “I’ll call you when I’m off the phone.”
Keep a clock in your office visible to both you and your visitors. A quick, noticeable glance at the clock when time is up will send your interrupter a clear signal.
Be professional, be nice, practice what you preach, and you’ll find extra minutes in your day by appropriately handling interruptions.
This was originally published in the March 2006 newsletter.
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Could your front-line staff use a confidence boost? The Personal Lines manager in a Michigan independent agency sent me this comment.
“We are about 1/2 way thru the Great Service Sells book with our staff. Your program is generating much discussion and team bonding. We did Chapter 9 as a group and came up with the lists for both why people want to do business with our agency and why personally. I think they left the meeting with their heads held a little higher. Thank you for writing the book.”
Great Service Sells contains 21 five-minute chapters – perfect material for a year’s worth of staff meetings. Agents will acquire a dynamic service-oriented mindset and learn tips and techniques to retain business, round out accounts, increase new sales, and earn referrals. A complete chapter list, group learning instructions, and client feedback is on the Great Service Sells info page.
The cost is affordable – The package of 2 Audio CDs & 1 Book is $69.00. Additional books are sold in sets of 5 for $50.00.
In celebration of Selling Strategies’ 20th anniversary, we’re offering a 20% discount on all books and audios. Apply coupon code HAPPY at checkout to receive your savings.
All orders include a complimentary copy of the 2013 Energizer Minute Collection with the bonus track – 27 Tips to Be a Great Co-worker.
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Stay Energized!
July Energizer Minute – Oh Nuts! Get supercharged with Energizer Minutes – one-to-two minute audio stories told by yours truly to energize, invigorate, and inspire!
Follow me on Twitter @EmilyHuling to read my weekday Energizer Moments.
Receive your complimentary copy of the priceless 2013 Energizer Minute Collection plus 27 Tips to Be a Great Co-worker with all learning material orders.
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Since 1994, Selling Strategies’ purpose is to build top-performing sales, service, and leadership organizations. We offer insurance industry expertise to companies, agents, MGAs, industry partners, and service providers.
Our Commitment to Our Clients
We will improve your clients’ experience, grow your top-line revenue, and your bottom-line profit. Together we accomplish this through:
· Strategic planning and implementation
· Leadership and management development
· Business development – marketing, sales, service strategies
· Organizational and process improvements
· Individual skill and team development
· Personal coaching
To discuss how to fast forward achieving your goals, please contact me for a complimentary 30-minute conversation. Call 888-309-8802 or emily@sellingstrategies.com.
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Emily Live
· Private Client – operations review, planning, workshops – St. Louis, MO – July 29-31, 2014
· Private Client – annual employee meeting – How to Become the Agent of Choice and There is an “I” in Team – Madison, WI – August 4-6, 2014
· Private Client – consulting – Madison, WI – August 7, 2014
· PIA of NC Annual Convention – Highpoint, NC – August 13, 2014
· Private Client – operations review, planning, workshops – Blue Ridge, GA – August 19-21, 2014
· Private Client – consulting – Detroit, MI – August 28, 2014
· NAPSLO Annual Convention – Atlanta, GA – September 15-17, 2014
· NAMIC Annual Convention – National Resort, Oxon Hill, MD – Three Strategies to Earn Agents’ Business – September 21-23, 2014
· Private Client – annual agents event – Indianapolis, IN – Deliver Service that Sells and Protects and Turning Change into Opportunity – October 7-9, 2014
· Agency Management CIC – Louisville, KY – October 15-17, 2014
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Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter is published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies. For further information contact emily@sellingstrategies.com.
© 2014 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.