I will spare you the corny “Go for the Gold” Olympic references, but it is Olympic time, and in our infinite quest for relevant topics, I had to find some correlation to the winter games.

Earlier today, we got a phone call from one of our agents (you know who you are!). Prior to this call, I already had an Olympic-themed welcome message written, but this call made me site down and rewrite this message only minutes before sending it out.

This gentleman just reached a significant milestone in his agency, reaching $30,000 in premium for the first time! He called to let us know that we played a significant role in that and to thank us, but I get the feeling that he also took the time to thank himself...and those around him.

What I hope that he did is something so simple it’s scary…he celebrated! He took a moment to congratulate himself for his hard work and perserverence. As he did for us he likely took the time to thank his staff, and all of those around him for their help as well.

At the end of this year's Olympics, the athletes all join together in a massive celebration of their successes.  For most, just being there, is the thrill and accomplishment of a lifetime.  They deserve it.

Can you imagine when the Spurs won the NBA Championship last year (I had to mention that), if they did not celebrate with champagne and parades? That would be crazy. All year long, they worked and sweat and traveled cross country to achieve ONE goal. And then they achieved it, they partied as hard as they worked. They deserved it.

You deserve the same when you achieve your goals. I am not saying that you never reward yourself or your staff, but many of us simply do not take the time to relish in our successes or those of others.

Right now, I am relishing in that agent’s success. Too bad we can’t have a champagne shower with all these computers around.

All the best,

Matt McWilliams
Chief Operations Officer

Over the next few months we will be adding some new services for our agents and wanted to get feedback from you on what services are most important and most desired.

Click here to fill out a quick questionnaire about some of these new services so that we can prioritize them based on the feedback we get from you and our other agents.

Once we know what YOU want, we will begin work on many of these new projects such as…

• CSV formatting for leads for easy transport into your database or excel spreadsheets
• Instant Messenger alerts when you have leads
• Cell Phone alerts when you have leads
• Integration with blackberries
• Enhanced features for the automatic follow-ups such as HTML
• more...

Click here to see what projects we have in store and tell us which ones you want first!

 A woman was in the hospital after feeling very ill. The doctor says to her, "I have some bad news for you. You only have three months to live."

"Oh that's terrible," the woman sighs, "what am I going to do?"

The doctor replies, "Marry an insurance agent."

"Will I live longer?" asks the woman.

"No," replies the doctor, "but it will SEEM longer."

First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Don’t wait for someone to motivate you, here are 17 ways you can motivate yourself.

1. Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime goals. A goal is a goal if it’s writing. Goals get you going in the direction that’s right for you.

2. Listen to a motivational tape. Record into a tape recorder your favorite quotes, anecdotes and personal success stories. Play back your tape frequently. Nothing is more motivating than the sound of your own voice.

Try it!

3. Get motivated to make better telephone calls by buying Art Sobczak’s new book, “How To Sell More In Less Time With No Rejection.” To order call Art at 402-895-9399 or visit his web site www.businessbyphone.com.

4. To overachieve every quota you are given take this advice. First write yourself a check dated for 12/31/04 payable to yourself and write how much you want to earn on the amount line. Make three laminated copies and put one in your briefcase, auto console, and home office. Second, always aim higher than the quota you are given. If you adjust your aim, the results will follow.

5. Buy an inspirational book of quotations and keep it in your car. Read three quotes daily. Remember - inspirational words usually inspire us.

6. Invest 15 minutes daily to read books and articles about the selling profession. This is gourmet food for your brain. Don’t skip a day.

7. Get a mentor, preferably one outside of your company. The truly successful people never go it alone.

8. To jack-up your sales performance, prepare your own laminated cue cards. Create cue cards for making appointments, your 12 best questions, for handling the price objection, and for asking for the order. Each cue card should be prepared word-for-word. Your performances will sky-rocket.

9. Buy a composition notebook for your car. Record your successes, failures, and daily observations about your selling environment.

10. Read the “The Ancient Scrolls” an inspiring book by Tim Connor. To order call 800-222-9070 or e-mail him at Tim@TimConnor.com.

11. To get motivated about improving your personal financial situation, set a personal net worth goal and write it on a spread sheet, then review it monthly. Self worth increases proportionately with net worth.

12. Tell your family if you achieve 110% or more of your annual sales quota - you’ll take them anywhere they want to go on vacation.

13. Tell your family when you reach a new monthly sales record milestone, you’ll take them out to celebrate.

14. Select one song that really gets you moving and play it every morning as you back out of your driveway.

15. Make a dinner date with your spouse tonight then go some place special.

Every day is a great day, especially if you don’t see your name in the obituary section of the paper.

When you’re motivated you can make every day a masterpiece.

Jim Meisenheimer is the creator of No-Brainer Sales Training.

His sales techniques and selling skills focus on practical ideas that get immediate results. You can discover all his secrets by contacting him at (800) 266-1268, e-mail: jim@meisenheimer.com or by visiting his website: http://www.meisenheimer.com

Saving The Lost Sale

There is a powerful technique you can learn called the “I Want To Think It Over Close.” This is the only way I know to save this kind of lost sale. You know by now that when the customer says, "I want to think it over," he is really saying "good bye." You know from your own experience that customers do not think it over. They do not sit there carefully studying your brochures and price lists with a calculator and a pen.

People Are Often Ready To Buy

On the other hand, as many as 50 percent of the people you speak to are probably ready to buy at this point. They just need a little push. They need some help. A buying decision is traumatic for them. They are tense and uneasy, and afraid of making a mistake. They may be right on the verge of saying "yes" and they need the professional guidance of an excellent salesperson. But if you accept the "I want to think it over" at face value and depart, you will probably never get a chance to see them or to sell to them again.

Be Agreeable and Prepared

This is how you use it. When the prospect says, "I want to think it over," you appear to accept it gracefully. You smile agreeably, and begin packing your briefcase and putting your materials away. As you do, you make conversation with these words: "Mr. Prospect, that's a good idea. This is an important decision and you shouldn't rush into it.” These words will cause the prospect to mentally relax. He sees that you are on your way. His resistance will drop as soon as you stop presenting and trying to sell, presenting and trying to sell.

Ask Curiously

You then ask, in a curious tone of voice: “Mr. Prospect obviously you have a good reason for wanting to think it over. May I ask what it is; is it the money?"

Remain perfectly silent, watching his face. Smile gently. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. This is a critical moment.

Wait Patiently

Again, you have nothing to lose. If you leave, you have lost this person as a prospect forever. The worst thing that he can say is that he has no particular reason but that he still wants to think it over. However, in many cases, he will reply by saying one of two things. He will say, "Yes, I'm concerned about the cost." Or, he will say, "No, it's not the money."

Probe the Answer

If he says that "Yes, it's the money," you immediately go into a series of questions designed to deal with concerns about cost or price. You ask things like, "How do you mean, exactly? Why do you say that? Why do you feel that way? How far apart are we? Is price your only concern, or is there something else?"

If he says that, "No, it's not the money," you reply by asking "May I ask what it is?"

Remain Silent

Again, you remain perfectly silent while you wait for his answer. In many cases, he will think about it for a few seconds, even a minute or longer, and then he will give you his final concern or objection. He will finally tell you what is really on his mind. He will tell you the real reason why he is hesitating about going ahead.

If you can now satisfy him on this final condition, you can go on to conclude the sale. You can say, "Mr. Prospect, what if we could do this...?" Or, "I think there is a perfect answer to that question."

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, memorize the words of this closing technique and practice it as you would for a play or movie. Role-play this technique with someone else if you can.

Second, use this technique as soon as possible, the very next time you hear those words, “Let me think it over.” You can save sales that might be lost forever.

About Brian Tracy:  Brian Tracy is one of America's leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is a dynamic and entertaining speaker with a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward peak performance and higher levels of achievement. Brian Tracy has produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs covering the entire spectrum of human and corporate performance. These programs, researched and developed for more than 25 years, are some of the most effective learning tools in the world.  More information available at his website.