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Changing Your Behavior for Success!

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Some habits can be dangerous for your business. Do you have any of them?

No two snowflakes are alike: that’s something we learn from a very early age that holds scientific truth. This is because no two snowflakes fall in the same path—with even the smallest of temperature or pressure differences, they come out looking different. Similarly, your business likely had its own unique start and you alone can make people realize that that difference is worth their money.
Some habits you may have picked up on the path to uniqueness could actually be hurting your business. The following questions are ones you should answer, and try to transform any of these detrimental habits.

  1. Do you focus on results or reasons?

It’s said that when it comes to business there are two kinds of people: those who see results, or those who see reasons. The people who see reasons only see the reasons that their dream can’t be realized, while the others get the results that they want to see. You have to focus on goals that are possible for you! If you’re driven by results, you’ll see your dream come true faster.

  1. “Why not,” or “why bother?”

“Why bother” people easily throw their hands up in the air when they are presented with challenges seeing the time and effort as not being worth it. “Why not” people see the situation as an opportunity. If they fail, they’re no worse than they were before.

  1. Are (some) rules meant to be broken?

Rules are there for a reason: they keep order in our society filled with human beings. Some rules, however are better to be broken that kept sacred. In life, sometimes playing it safe can hold you back. People are admirers of those that take risks and break the rules that need to be broken.

Growing your business can only be done when you, yourself, grow as a person – a business owner – and as a leader. These can only come from within, and if you’re serious about your business, you’ll look into making these changes. it is time to figure out how you can start earning more, working less, and enjoying life! Contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer Program to do just that!

 

Achieve Your Goals By Knowing How Badly You Want Them!

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

If you have a small business, you likely have goals that you want to reach, whether it be making more profit or expanding your company. Those dreams may seem murky at best, and you may not be sure how to put your thoughts into action to make your goals a reality. Know how badly you want something and use these tips to help you achieve it.

How Badly Do You Want It? Complacency vs. Desperation

We see people acting with desperation every day! Desperation can be extremely useful for achieving your goals, while being complacent can kill your dreams. Knowing how badly you want something is crucial in inspiring action. If you do not truly want something, you are not likely to go after it and achieve it, but if you want something with desperation your chances of reaching the goal is much higher. The more you want it, the more likely your goals will become a reality.

Planning

We all have the same amount of time to do things: 24 hours in a day, 365 days a year. It is what we do with our time that allows us to achieve the things we want. Once you have a desperate attitude about something, the first step to achieving it is planning. A simple exercise is all that is needed to help you reach your goals:

  • Make an effort every night before you go to bed to write down three new game-changing ideas to help you achieve your goals and try to implement them the next day. If you do this regularly, you will be more focused and will try different ways to achieve your goals, making it more likely that you will succeed!

Contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer to ensure your business’ success! If you are ready to take your agency to the next level and start living life on your terms, join us at Unstoppable Profit Producer Boot Camp, on December 4th & 5th in Costa Mesa, CA! This 2 day LIVE event is designed to give you EVERYTHING you need to Explode Your Business, Create Financial Security and Have More Freedom in 2015. Contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer Program for a premier wealth creation program that will help you work less, earn more, and enjoy life!

Freedom ROCKS and How to Get More of it!

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

One of the most frequent questions I get from other agents and entrepreneurs is how do you get so much freedom and don’t you worry about leaving the office for extended periods of time, whenever you want?  I used to, but not anymore.  You see, the agency that supports the life of my dreams has been carefully built and, consequently, I’ve taught the people that have earned the right to be part of our team to also create their individual opportunities daily to support the life of their dreams too.

I’m talking about the slowly hired team members that work in the Living Agency Laboratory. Yes marketing, operations and the rest is of paramount importance, but having the right team members strategically positioned in each facet of your money machine is the NUMBER ONE priority. One of the keys to maintaining our team is something that we just completed, which I affectionately call “Team Member Vision and Check-Up Day”.  For me, these days are some of the most important days of the year and before the day comes I plan, plan, plan and visualize in my mind exactly how it’s going to go.  This is what it looks like:  Every team member gets approximately one hour in my office, behind my closed door, to have a conversation with me and me only about their current situation, their future situation, and how they can contribute to our business going forward.

Additionally, we allow them some time to talk about personal things, if need be.  Before I go into this day, I always prepare a one-page script of very pointed questions, designed to elicit information, thoughts, visualizations and other matters of importance that need to be discussed.  Through these conversations, we are able to help the team members solidify their current goals, personally and professionally, start planning for their next set of goals for the coming year, and overall discuss how they can be a better team member, contributor to our agency and to the goals of our agency heading into the future.  Every time these meetings happen, it gets better and better.  This not only gives the team members a lift and gives them clarity in what they’re doing, it also helps me be a better leader and helps all of us collectively plan for the future and to set goals for the coming year.

After going through the process this year, I’ve now decided that I’m going to perform this twice a year at a minimum.  The nuggets have become so valuable and have helped create great clearness in where we’re going into the future.  In addition to that, it positions me as a team leader and agency owner to make changes in our personnel and the way we do things, our scripting, our operations, and much, much more.  By designing these conversations with specific questions, we are able to help the team members see exactly where they’re at.  If there are things that need to be fixed, it’s the perfect opportunity.  In the sessions that just ended, I planned one of the chairs in our agency, a very key chair, for many years to come(as long as she holds up her end of the bargain).  That lifts a potential burden off of my mind, allows me complete focus on the things that I need to continue to do so that our agency continues to churn money week after week, month after month, year after year.

Thought it would be helpful to list a few of the key scripted, pinpointing questions that I asked my team t behind closed doors:

1.            What thoughts do you have about your progress and our progress in 2012 so far?

2.            Why do you show up daily?

3.            Are team meetings of value to you? Why or why not? What can be done, in your opinion, to improve them?

4.            What are your expectations of this business to support your growth and advancement in the insurance agency business in the future?

5.            Discuss your expectations for yourself for 2013

Note: the most important part of facilitating these conversations is to STOP TALKING after you ask the questions. The answers and information you are looking for will come if you just listen for it.

Make a Difference, Be Unstoppable, Leave NO Regrets

Mike Stromsoe

 

The Mirror of Truth

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Being Unstoppable, Making a Difference, Leaving NO Regrets

 

All we want is your success. I am asked all of the time why I spend so much time helping other people. It’s easy. There is NOTHING better than helping other people who want to be helped. It’s definitely a top 3 rush in my life. It all started and became very clear with the “airport story”. I was visiting an agent who “got it”. They had the fire in their belly, no fear, an implementer and more. During our two day, on-site consultation at their office, we laid the foundational tracks to change their agency to support the life of their dreams. A written plan with deep, detailed explanation of exactly what needed to be done. The on-site consultation was Off-the-Charts! Pulled into the car rental return facility after the two day on a Friday night. The two young gals working the kiosk hit me with a question that changed my life – “What bar did you come from?” As much as I like a good libation, I had not come from a bar. I asked “why do you ask?” They said “We can tell you are on TOP of the world!” They were right; I WAS on Top of the World. There is NOTHING better than helping someone who wants to be helped.

The results we are after? All we want is your success.

I just got done reviewing a new application for our exclusive coaching program for successful insurance agents. We have decided to approve this new application (not all are approved, remember, All we want is your success). The new member of our UPP family says he wants to become our biggest success story! Like that. I thought it would be helpful to share with you a few bullet points from our special application. I challenge you to take the bullets below and answer these questions as they apply to your own life, personally and professionally:

  1. 1. What Matters Most?
  2. 2. Making a Difference: How would lives be changed if your business were more successful?
  3. 3. Creating Your Legacy: How do you want to be remembered by________? There are many options to fill in this blank.
  4. 4. Living Life Completely – Can You and Do You?
  5. 5. Using Business to Support Your Life? Do You?
  6. 6. Acknowledge Your Fears and Strengths – List Them, ALL of Them
  7. 7. The Mirror of Truth – Look at this very closely. Like what you see? If you don’t, who kicks your ass and helps you?
  8. 8. Share in detail your written plan for success over time – 1,3,5 years and beyond
  9. 9. How much do you want to work?
  10. 10. How much money do you want to make in the next 12 months?
  11. 11. How much vacation time will you take in the coming year?

 

Honestly, these are just a few of the questions. Massive and complete success takes absolute 100% commitment to accomplish your goal(s). Remember, we get what we give – give 66%, you’ll get 66%. It’s not rocket science; it’s been this way since the beginning of time.

One other observation from the marketplace of business owners who are trying to lead the pack and are not having the success they desire – conformity.  People acting like everyone else…without knowing why or where they are going. Know who you are, who you want to do business with and where you are going.

One last thought before we part this month: give the above 11 questions to each of your team members during your team meeting this week. Make sure you share with them why these are critical to each activity they execute every day. Remember, they have a J.O.B because that’s what they want. If they wanted to own their own agency, they certainly wouldn’t be putting up with your crap. People are silently waiting to be lead – LEAD THEM!

Be Unstoppable, Make a Difference, Leave NO Regrets!!

The Five Steps Of Learning And Retention – Part 2

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

The second step is Repetition.  My research of a university study revealed that an idea that was read or heard only one time was 66% forgotten within 24 hours. But if that same idea was read or heard repeatedly for 8 days, up to 90% of it could be retained at the end of the eight days.

So once you’ve read this manual all the way through, go back and read it again. But this time read with a highlighter, a pencil and notepad handy. Mark up the book. Write down the ideas you feel fit your personal business situation. This repetition will help you retain more of the information than if you had read it only once.

The third step in the learning and retention process is Utilization. This is the “doing” step. It is here that neuromuscular pathways(the study of this has been fascinating) are actually developed, creating a “mind‑muscle memory.” And according to the study quoted earlier, once you physically experience an action, it becomes twice as easy to recall as if you had heard it only.

Fourth, is Internalization. Actually making the idea a part of you. That may involve some customizing or tailoring of the idea to fit your situation or style, but it is vitally important for you to personalize the idea and make it “yours”.

The fifth step is Reinforcement. In order to maximize the effectiveness of an idea, you should continually be looking for ways to support and strengthen it. The more you can support the idea, the more you will believe it, the longer you will retain it, and the more effective it will become in helping you serve your customers’ needs.

Now, what does all this have to do with your business? Simply, this. In your daily business and personal activities, as well as throughout your experience with the information in this article, you are going to be overwhelmed with great number of ideas.

Some will be brand new, that is, you’ve never heard them before. Some will be ideas you have heard in the past, but have forgotten. And others will ideas you come up with on your own as a result of something that was triggered in your mind as you read. Understanding and applying these five steps in the learning and retention process can help you retain more of what you read and experience. These experiences can then be implemented and executed to put more cash in your pocket!

The Five Steps Of Learning And Retention

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Learning – the acquisition of new information or knowledge, and Retention – the ability to capture that information and recall it when wanted or needed, is actually a process that involves five steps:

First, is Impact. That is, actually receiving the idea in your mind. Impact can be in the form of a word, a visual observation or a concept. It makes no difference. Your mind isn’t capable of making a distinction between a visual or an actual experience. Nor is it capable of determining the difference between a conscious or an unconscious impact an idea may have on you. As far as your mind is concerned, those experiences are all the same and your mind will accept them, regardless.

If information or an experience appears real to your mind, your emotions and nervous system will react as though it were actually real.

To illustrate this point, try this simple experiment:

Seat yourself in a comfortable chair, feet flat on the floor and your hands resting comfortably in your lap.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and relax. Take another one. Let it out slowly. Relax even more.

Picture in your mind a lemon resting on a table in front of you. Visualize it. See it clearly. Look at its shape – its color – its texture.

Now, mentally reach out with your hand and pick up the lemon. Bring it up to your face. Look at it closely. Squeeze it. Do you notice how firm it feels? Feel the texture of the lemon’s dimply and waxy skin. Notice the lemon’s yellow color and round shape, with its pointy ends.

Now, hold it up to your nose. Smell it. Do you notice the lemon’s citrusy smell?

Place the lemon on the table and mentally pick up a knife that’s laying nearby. Cut the lemon in two.

Pick up one half of the lemon and see the juice dripping from it. Bring the lemon up to your nose. Smell it again. Now bite into the lemon.

What’s happening to you right now? Is saliva flooding your mouth, both in your mind, as well as physically?

Now consider what just happened. In actuality, there was no lemon. You just pictured one in your mind. While this was just a mental exercise, and the lemon was just imagined, chances are, if you are like most people, the mental image you were playing on the screen of your mind triggered certain responses which manifested themselves physically. So, you can see by this demonstration, that Impact, is a critical step involved in the process of learning and retention.

Being a Unstoppable is ALL about IMPACT. The next steps are coming to you over the next few weeks.

Until, then GO IMPLEMENT something!!

 

A Couple of GREAT Ideas

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

If you’re like a lot of insurance agency principles, managers, producers or agency team members, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything facing you in today’s marketplace. You want to excel and lead your agency team into the future, but sometimes you can’t seem to find the right formula to best position your team for success and you’re starting to wonder if there might be some better options?

I totally get it. I am right there with you and I remember how hard it was for me in the early years when I was trying to figure it out. I felt like I was working around the clock but not making much progress. I was really starting to doubt myself. A lot of my consulting clients had similar experiences and feelings as well.

Ultimately I’ve found that its times like this, when you get to choose how you want show up in the world. It may not be easy or comfortable, but it’s worth it every time.

What I also know to be true is that there are good reasons why you have succeeded to where you are now. Your team, your carriers, your colleagues, your family, they all see something in you. Now it’s time for you to step up and play a bigger game. As long as you have the internal drive, you can learn the cutting edge tools and skills required and get the support you need to quickly grow in today’s quickly changing marketplace.

Back when I first became an agent, I had to fly by the seat of my pants. There wasn’t any training, coaching or resources like we have today. And I really struggled. In fact, there were many early mornings, late nights and weekends away from my family before I finally figured out what it takes to quickly and confidently create the agency that supports the life of my dreams.

That’s why I am so dedicated to helping agency principles, managers, producers and agency team members. I want you to be able to avoid all the pain and struggle that comes with not being as successful as you know you can be in your insurance agency business.

Hundreds of people that are cared about deeply, respected and are considered lifelong friends have encouraged me many times over to provide ALL of this information to as many insurance industry people as possible. After thousands of hours, over 25 years of investing in becoming the very best, after quickly growing a scratch agency from zero to over one million in revenue in less than 8 years, it’s only right that I give back, that I share every secret I have with you, in intimate detail, for free.

Take a look at the video link below. Agent Jeff Liebowitz reveals where he learned and what the results were after he implemented a took action on a couple of good ideas.

After one full day of sharing everything I can, you’ll have hundreds of new tools and tips to quickly accelerate your agency to the next level. Nothing to figure out, I am going to share all of it with you. All you need to do is show up. I hope you can make it. It is going to be a very special day!

Video >>  Here’s A Couple of Good Ideas

If we can answer any questions, please let us know. Please contact Andrea at 800-770-9984 or email her at [email protected].
To Your Massive Success!

 

Mike Stromsoe
The Unstoppable Profit Producer
Phone 800-770-9984
www.unstoppableprofitproducer.com

 

PS Remember, every interaction with our program carries our exclusive, unconditional satisfaction guarantee! You have no risk and everything to gain.

PPS  Here’s another reason you can’t afford not to invest one day in the future of your agency (exclusive video)

PPPS Below are all of the details so you don’t have to search for them:

Date:  June 1, 2012

Time Learning Begins:  8:59am

Time Learning Ends:  4:31pm (Actually Learning End Time NEVER ends)

Location:  Ayres Hotel and Suites – Costa Mesa
325 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 546-0300

Airport:  4.3 miles (8 minutes) from John Wayne Airport, Orange County

Seating is limited and for only a $49 room charge (which includes lunch) you won’t want to miss out.

If you are ready to change the future of your agency and start living life on your own terms…

Instant Access To The Machine

If you have any questions, please contact Andrea at 800-770-9984 or email [email protected], she’ll be happy to help.

 

The Business That Supports The Life Of Your Dreams

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Life is so awesome! Thought it would be fun, since having FUN is an Unstoppable passion, to share some insight into one of my personal passions. You see, this is WHY we create systematic, self-reliant business models. So most days can be like those described below:

 

A recent Saturday morning group bicycle ride occurred that causes me to urgently share this really important message. Please…..take a moment.

One of the toughest challenges we face as entrepreneurs is staying in the mindset that takes us to the next level. It’s all about mindset, the awesome think-tank.  You see, we are what we think about.  So, I challenge you today with this question: What is it that you think about constantly?  Do you constantly think about how good things are?  Do you constantly think about how bad things are?  Are you constantly seeing ways to improve your business?  Or are you constantly thinking about how bad things are and that there’s no way that they are going to get better?

 

Here are some real world results from my recent experience with some of my riding partners.  We were about 21 miles into our ride on a recent Saturday when we came along some newer cyclists in our group; we asked how things were going, how they were feeling about the ride so far.  And here was the response from one of them.  “All I can think about is that hill that’s coming up.”  This was quite intriguing to me, as one of the keys when you are riding fairly steep hills on a bicycle is that you have to get in the right mindset.  If all you think about is how difficult that hill is going to be, the hill has already beaten you.  It will beat you down and beat you down, and consequently, you’ll struggle the entire way up.  Have you ever experienced this in your business life?  If so, what’s the answer?  Well, my friend who we were riding with needed encouragement, and that’s what we gave her.  We shared with her that we’d ridden this hill many times, and that it wasn’t so bad.  Yes, the first time I rode it, it seemed ominous.  But, after it was done, it was really fairly easy.  And there’s a system that must be in place when you’re riding hills.  So, I shared with her my system.  I also encouraged her that about a third of the way up the hill, there is a little flat area where she could recover before attacking the rest of the hill.

 

You see, it’s about mindset, about having a system in place and it’s about where you position your mind before you enter into anything.

 

Working on your mindset is an incredibly challenging yet rewarding experience.  I encourage you to take a look at the left column of this blog, near the bottom and subscribe to the link “Thought of the Day-Hill”.  It’s FREE, but in fact, will pay you; your family and your business back many, many times over. This is something that I look at every single day and it helps my mindset accelerate to the level that helps us reach our goals and live our dreams!

 

Good luck, and see you at the top!

Freedom

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

The only thing that matters is helping you build a business that supports the life of your dreams.  About 6 or 7 years ago, our agency was gaining momentum and growing quickly. We had acquired an agency, brought in people from the acquired agency, and brought the entire team together through the definition of each specific, documented task. We were firing on all cylinders. I finally had a business that truly “supported the life I wanted to live”. I was free!

Shortly after that, I noticed the team needed direction. Another roadblock in our evolution. That’s when our Intranet was born. Building an Intranet for your agency business can bring a whole new atmosphere to your business and your team.  Here’s just a few of the benefits this can bring:

  1. 1. Reduces Cost – with an Intranet in place, you can publish most of the company documents, memos and such directly through a webpage, go paperless.  This saves you on printing and distributions costs.  What about training costs?  If you could upload training videos directly to the Intranet, for your teams’ use (when they need it), do you think this might free up your time?  That brings me to the next item…

    2.  

  2. 2. Saves Time – How much is your time worth? Have you recently calculated what an hour of your time is worth? With all of your agencies documents in one place, it is easier and quicker to add new or update existing information and make it instantly available.  When your top producer needs a form, they know right where to look – no more searching endlessly through computer folders, numerous workstations and simply wasting your valuable time.

    3.  

  3. 3. Teamwork – An Intranet offers an environment where your team members can share knowledge and support, edit and manage documents/projects as a group and promote virtual team working.  Keep everyone on the same page with announcement section, interoffice memos, team calendar, FAQs, employee handbook, team motivational programs and the list goes on.

    4.  

  4. 4. Increase Productivity and Effectiveness – By reducing cost, saving time at every corner and setting a stage for your team to enhance their communication and collaboration, you have become more productive and effective as individuals and an agency alike.

 

An Intranet has made a tremendous impact in my agency and many others. I encourage you to do a little research and see if an Intranet is the right solution for your agency business.  For an example of an intranet, check out Intranet Concepts.

To your success,

 

Mike Stromsoe, Creator of the
Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™
Phone 800.994.9984
Email – [email protected]
www.unstoppableprofitproducer.com

 

PS  BTW, building an Intranet was not easy and took months of blood and sweat during afterhours work.   If you would like to virtually eliminate your pain and take advantage of my pain, see my limited time offer below.

PPS  If you are ready to take the leap and start living life on your own terms, Call 800-770-9984 or email [email protected]  to schedule you F*ree 29 minute, In-Depth Agency Analysis today.  There is absolutely ZERO Cost and No-Obligations – you have NO RISK!

10 Proven Tips to Explode Your Profits in 2012….

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Are YOU ready to make your 2012 the year that will catapult your life and the lives of those you love into a rewarding experience that will make a difference for others?

 

As you know, to do this, we must create and maintain businesses that relentlessly churn profit on their own.  Does this describe your business(es)?

 

Whether your businesses relentlessly churn profit on their own or not, please accept these 10 Proven Tips to start your year on a foundation that insulates you against any and all economic pressures. I strongly encourage you to print or write down the following 10 Proven Tips and Implement, Execute and Take Action on each one:

 

1. Be Decisive – When you make a decision, make the decision and run with it.  Don’t waver around or hesitate.  Either implement or decide not to implement and MOVE FORWARD.

 

2. Stay Focused – You have made the decision, now FOCUS on it!  Segment your time, do whatever you must do to follow one course until you meet success!

 

3. Write Your Goals – What gets written down gets done…  Now that you have written down your goal down you have made a commitment to yourself and to others. Review them often.  Share them with those you hold closest and post them all over, in your car, bathroom mirror, fridge – EVERYWHERE.

 

4. Plan Thoroughly – Planning before taking action helps you to do things better, cheaper and faster.  Planning ahead will allow you to maintain focus, prepare yourself, see obstacles that lay ahead and a strategic exit plan, if necessary.

 

5. Involve Others – Two heads are better than one.  It’s okay to learn from someone who knows more than you.  You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, learn from those who did.

 

6. Welcome failure – Success cannot exist without failure.  Think about it, Einstein failed 10,000 times before he invented the light bulb.  Success cannot exist without failure, learn from it and move forward towards your goals.

 

 7. Take purposeful action – There is no magic pill to get you success, you must Take Action – roll up your sleeves and work your way there.  If you are waiting for it to fall in your lap, you are going to find yourself sitting there for a long time. Implement, execute and take action today!

 

8. Inspect what you expect – Evaluate where you currently are, in relation to where you would like to be.  Are your actions driving you down the road to meet your goals?  Things change, make sure you consistently know where you are going.  If not, you may end up traveling a long ways down the wrong road.

 

9. Reward yourself – Set a reward for each goal you make, or even a reward for each step accomplished to get there.  This will help motivate you and encourage you along the path to your goals.  Recognizing your achievements is critical to continue the positive behavior of striving for and meeting your goals.

 

10. Maintain personal integrity – Are you committed to your goals?  What’s the purpose of setting a goal if you do not plan to achieve it.  Personal integrity is the key to success.  You must commit to your commitment, keep your promise to achieve it.

 

How do you plan to make a difference in 2012? 

 

If we can help you in any way, please get in touch with us at 800-770-9984 or [email protected].

 

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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