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Wishing You The Best In Success, Jeremy Nason, RFC Marketing and Sales Coach P.S. We want your feedback! Please let us know if you have any suggestions on insurance marketing and sales information you would like to see, or any other comments. Please email me at: Coach@insuranceproshop.com. |
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An Exclusive IPS Interview Forrest Wallace Cato Discusses The Importance Of Getting Noticed To Attract Prospects And Sell More!
Is Our “Down Economy” Hurting Your Biz?
Last week, Jack Gargan, IARFC founder, urged me to... “Remind Sales Tips readers that we are looking down the barrel of another full-blown depression! This is scary for all of us. Last week (June 20th) the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), one of the world's most respected and powerhouse banks took the extraordinary action to send a notice to all its clients to 'brace yourself' for a cataclysmic meltdown of the world's financial systems, sometime 'within the next three months!' This is the same team of analysts/strategists who predicted the credit crunch crash of last August when no one had a clue what was coming. I hope they are wrong, but I do not take their action lightly. You should not either."
Whether, they are right or wrong about the economy, most agents and planners, I know, will acknowledge that prospects are already becoming far more scarce, more scared, and more cautious.
Lew Nason: Wally, in today's declining economy how important is it for agents and advisors to actively promote their practice?"
Forrest Wallace Cato: The agents and planners who are better at getting their practice noticed will survive and prosper, even in an economic downturn. If you refuse to create, establish, and maintain your desired image, as the leader in your market, then you are giving-up the “mother load” to your competition. Do this (nothing) and your competition will define you to their advantage.
'acclaimed financial professionals. They do
not seek someone that
Cato: Things
change! Newspapers and magazine in print and paper formats are fast fading from the American
scene. Small printing shops are disappearing also. Record stores have mostly
all gone out-of-business. Mom and Pop grocery stores have all vanished.
Drive-in movie theaters no longer exist. You can think of many other businesses
or professions to add to this list. Because of the many drastic changes we
are seeing today, your successful practice will fade like Willie
Loman’s clients did, unless you promote yourself -- or have a media advocate
working for you. Avoid the Fate of Willie Loman!
Nason: Tell us more about Willie Loman, the tired and aging salesman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Cato: Willie Loman failed to realize that changes were taking place in his market area, and he failed to recognize opportunities that were right in front of him. Your days as a successful advisor, or even a MDRT producer, may be numbered. Here too, past performance is no guarantee of future results.
As Jim McCarty, RFC, of Show-Biz Selling says, “The days when agents and planners could reach (and maintain) top levels of success without skillful media promotion and image maintenance are fast fading away. But, this is not all bad, because the money is bigger and better for those who are promoted and positioned as the leader in their market places.”
Will You Take Your Seat by the Leaders?
Nason: The other day you told me a couple of stories about agents who had missed golden opportunities for promotion with Mehdi Fakharzadeh, the venerated industry leader, who is beloved by his many satisfied clients. Would you share those stories with our readers?
Cato: An insurance agent recently told me, “For over thirty years, I wanted Mister Mehdi to endorse me but he never did.” “Did you ever ask for his endorsement,” I questioned? “No I didn’t because I did not know how.” Next I replied, “You write the great man a letter and include your Media CD, or you e-mail him and include your request along with your Media CD, or you send him your Media CD, plus a cover letter and follow-up by phone.” In amazement I also asked, ‘How could you possibly expect to receive Mister Mehdi’s endorsement if you never asked for it during all of those years?”
At an IARFC Convention, during one of the day trips to the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, I rode to the museum with Mehdi Fakharzadeh, who is one of the world’s most successful insurance agents of all time. Driving the van was none other than Alan W. Altmann who used to be the most successful fraternal agent in the USA and is currently the host of a TV program in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and one of the busiest speaker / trainers in Dubai.
When I mentioned to a planner friend (who attended that convention) that I went to the museum with only Mister Mehdi and Al Altmann in the vehicle, the planner exclaimed, “My God! How did you accomplish that? I wish I had been there.” I replied, “I was the only other person who showed-up when they were waiting for passengers for their van. I made the effort to be there, that’s all I did. Mister Mehdi and Al (the volunteer driver) waited an extra hour for more people to arrive. Apparently, no others recognized or realized this opportunity, so no others took advantage of this free chance for quality time with these two great achievers.
Yes indeed! Being with those two role models was a meaningful learning experience for me. Mehdi taught me how to use what he modestly calls “talking nonsense” to gain immediate total attention from any group. The Great Mehdi demonstrated this in the museum with various groups he encountered at random. Among these were a group of adult beauty contestants, a group of Boy Scouts, a group of military school cadets, a women’s club, and a group of businessmen. He commanded their attention, in just a few minutes, using only brief polite words.
Alan W. Altmann kindly taught me how to change paradigms, from negatives to positives. Al Altmann said, “Selling means you get into situations. Learn to master situations and you can sell. You control the situation. The situation does not control you.” Al demonstrated this to me by selling to people who were complete strangers that walked near him, while we were in the museum. What a man. What men! What an honor for me to be with them. You could have been there, too. There was lots of room in our van. And there is room for you with the other winners at the famous Insurance Pro Shop.
Readers Ask for More Ways To Attract Prospects
Nason: Since our last interview we received eleven requests for more information on the legal and ethical ways our readers can attract attention to themselves and their services, without having to pay for expensive celebrity endorsements. Let’s discuss other ways this can be accomplished?
Cato: There are several great ways Sales Tips readers can use to focus attention to what is unique, special, precious, valuable, and beneficial, about you and your service. They cost you little or nothing to use, and they are perfectly legal. But, as always, you must be accurate and honest to properly use these methods.
A recent New York Times headline proclaimed, “Nothing Sells Anything Like Celebrity!”
Nason: What are the most effective, low cost, 'Do it yourself' ways for agents to get noticed and attract prospects?
Cato: Here is a quick list of a few, simple, low cost ways for agents and advisors to get noticed...
By the way Lew, I agree with you that one of the best and most overlooked ways to get noticed is with your own client newsletter. As you have told your readers several times... "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind... Is a deadly mistake for anyone in sales, and especially deadly for all insurance agents, financial advisors and planners!"
Nason: Thank you Wally for your advice.
(and your plug) If you are already a successful producer and you want to stay that way, then you'll want to avail yourself of the services of a experienced media advocate, today. And in my opinion their is none better, who understands our business as an insider, than Forrest Wallace Cato!
Forrest Wallace Cato, (left) and Lew Nason (right)
with Jack Gargon the founder
If you would like to know more about Forrest
Wallace Cato, and how he can |
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"Here's How You Can Ethically Steal The Only Two-Call Closing System Tested And Proven To Close '9 Out Of 10' Sales Appointments And Turn Them Into Cash!" Plus, you'll earn the
accredited, industry recognized 'RFC' designation from the… |
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International Association of Registered Financial Consultants, founded in 1984, is a non-profit professional association dedicated to educate, train, support and advance the professionalism of financial advisors who are helping people spend, save, insure, invest and plan for the future. And, it's the fastest growing professional organization in the financial services industry.
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