Member Login

Tag: Time Management

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.

 

Good News

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Hundreds of people that are cared about deeply, respected and are considered lifelong friends have encouraged me many times over to provide this information to as many people as possible. Take a look at the good news below. I hope you can make it. It is going to be the beginning of something GREAT!

Good news

 

Wishing you continued massive success!

“You can have everything you want if you’ll simply give enough other people what they need”
Zig Ziglar

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!

A Picture of…

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

It’s been said “a picture tells a thousand words”… “a picture of efficiency”,
but a video!

Good news for you. I just shot a video showing the REAL WORLD TOOLS
at my own desk that make each person on our total protection team a
“picture of efficiency” which results in a money making machine,

 

 

Now please go implement!

PS Success Leaves Traces….find out yourself for free, Right HERE.

How Important is WHAT Comes Out of Your Mouth?

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

Many agency principles think they can just “wing it” or they “know what they want to say.” True that, but what about every person in your office? On the telephone, you have 7 seconds to grab and hold your prospect’s attention and frequently you don’t get a second chance.

I’ve been in business for 31 years, and before that, starting working for my dad when I was 12. Using a script on every call is imperative… Why?  Because I know what happens when I don’t…

Using a script will help build confidence because it will be known what needs to be said, what questions to ask and it will be known where the conversation should go.  It keeps the person handling the call focused, eliminating the opportunity to get side-tracked or off the subject matter and wasting of precious profit time.

The key to a successful good telephone sales and prospecting call scripts, is a well thought out presentations that says what you want to say, precisely and succinctly, yet that still gives you room to maneuver. Your goal with a call script is for your prospect to hear you and for your prospect to get “hooked.”

Write your script the way you talk – and get to the point! People actually speak more in phrases or fragments, with pauses, sometimes improper grammar and the occasional ah or um…

So what makes a good prospecting sales script? Here are a few questions to ask yourself when beginning the script writing process:

  1. 1.  What is the purpose of this call?
  2. 2.  Who is this person I will be speaking with?
  3. 3.  What are the questions I need to ask?
  4. 4.  What is the potential solution for the prospect or
    customer’s problem?
  5. 5.  What is the next step?

And now it’s time for the close…  ASK for what you want! All your hard work is worth nothing if you do not ask for what you want.  If you have the best product, why are you afraid to ask people to buy it?

Happy implementing,

Mike Stromsoe, Creator of the
Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™
A Coaching Program for Insurance Agents
Website – www.unstoppableprofitproducer.com – Get your 3 Complimentary Gifts Today!

PS And role play with others…. Your team members internally, family members, whoever is willing! Practice is NEVER over for the successful pros!

PPS Don’t wait another minute…  Call and schedule your 29 minute In-Depth, Agency Analysis Call Today, there is absolutely ZERO COST and No-Obligation, it is simply just one more gift to help you.  Call 800-770-9984 or email us at [email protected].

Here are a few words from another agent, just like you, about Mike Stromsoe and the Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™:

“With pleasure I recommend Mike Stromsoe. Mike is continuously pushing forward with new ideas on how to create value to his clients, employees, and business partners. His creativity and implementation is what sets him apart from the pack in his quest to be best business owner/entrepreneur he can be. There are few others who are as accountable as Mike Stromsoe. Plus Mike can lay the hammer down during his cycling training rides. Ride ON!”

Sean McCreary

Owner, M3 Insurance

Never STOP Marketing

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

You have taken the time to sit down with your team, gather ideas and now you have created your AWESOME NEW Referral Rewards Program for 2012…

Now how do you get the word out?

Let’s take a minute to think about this.  If you want to reach 500 people (for example), which of the following media would you use?

  1. 1. Phone
  2. 2. Fax
  3. 3. SMAIL
  4. 4. Email
  5. 5. Text
  6. 6. Social Media
  7. 7. Video

The correct answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!  People are different.  I personally like to correspond via Email, my wife likes to conduct business over the phone, my son likes Facebook… you get the idea.

Here are just a few ideas that you may use to promote your referral program:

    • 1. SMAIL new flier and handwritten letter to your existing client base,
      centers of influence and your past referrers.

 

 

 

    • 4. Create Email signature and use on EVERY Email!
      PS  Did You Know… about our AWESOME New Referral Rewards Program, where YOU get a $15 Gas Card, PLUS a $10 donation in Your Name to Your Favorite Charity just by telling your friends and family about Stromsoe Insurance!  There are many other great prize giveaways and there is NO Limit to the number of gas cards you may earn.

      Check Out ALL of the program details HERE…

      Follow us on the web for MORE Great Prize Giveaways…

    • 5. SMAIL referrer appreciation postcard every month, featuring monthly winner, charities benefited, upcoming prizes.
    • 6. Promote using VIDEO and use it EVERY where.
      The Insurance Doc™ unveils the New 2012 Referral Rewards Program

 

    • 7. ALWAYS include in your monthly newsletter.

 

  • 8. Create a Closing Phone Script (i.e.  Thanks for your time today, we appreciate your business.  Do you know about our new referral program, where you can WIN great prizes like_______?)

These are just a few ideas to get you started.  Keep in mind, it’s NOT about you. Most people move to the beat of their own radio station “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me).

Be CREATIVE, think “outside of the box”!

If you would like to know more about what the Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™ can do for you and your agency business, CALL 800-770-9984 or Email us at [email protected].

Where Is Your Revenue Coming From?

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

I hope this finds you well and consistently implementing!

Today I’m discussing something that I find to be one of the most important systems in ANY business, including insurance agency businesses-Client Segmentation.

In the 1800’s a gentleman by the name of Pareto came up with a principle called the 80/20 rule.  What it means is that in many cases 80 percent of your revenue is generated by the top 20 percent of your existing clients.  I have been in business for a long time, and I have done the math time and time again and have found that this principle is pretty accurate.

  • – So, does your team know who your top clients are?
  • – Are you on the phone with them often?
  • – Do you they get preferential treatment when they call in?
  •  

…or is your team spending all of their time on the bottom 20 percent of your clients that are always complaining about something and constantly have problems paying their bills on time?

If so, then it is time to put our Client Segmentation system in place. I warn you – this is NOT an easy task.  It takes a lot of time and effort, preferably done by someone that is highly detail oriented and talented enough to understand the mindset and to go through your entire book of business.

In our ‘Living Agency Laboratory’ we like to think of all of our clients as an ‘A’ client.  This is why our segmentation is by ‘A’ clients, ‘AA’ clients and our top 20 percent, the ‘AAA’ clients.  In our agency, we try to pay extra attention to our AAA clients because let’s face it, we’re not spending enough time with them anyway.  We are too busy catering to the bottom 20 percent which we systematically do our very best to try to fire – meaning release them, send them on their way.

I can’t tell you enough, Client Segmentation is an absolute MUST DO in any business.

  • – Understanding where your clients are coming from, who your most important clients are.
  • – Who are the influential people that are your clients?
  • – Who are the people that if you touched that client would instantly open five more doors?
  •  

The opportunities are endless.  Are you ready to take charge of your agency today? Call 800-700-9984 or email me at [email protected].  I’m here and ready to help you Explode Your Profits in 2012!!!

Top Notch Team Leaders Do This

Posted on by Mike Stromsoe

I hope this finds your week turning out to be an absolute, over the top, off-the-charts win! If not so far, you still have time to turn the tide.

Questions continue to surface on how we organize our team, keep our team together, keep them motivated, keep them moving forward, compensate them at a level that keeps that motivates them, keeps them producing, and so on.  It would be unfair if I did not share some of that information with you today. Here are few snippets for your implementation:

The hands down, number one thing that we do team wise is the weekly team meeting.  It happens every Wednesday morning at 8:29am, and it’s over by 8:59am.  It’s not very long, but I come to the table with an agenda every week, and I bring something of value to the agenda, a meaningful conversation that might be going on in the mind of my marketplace, and in this particular instance, it’s my team members’ marketplace.  I have to understand what they’re going through, what they’re experiencing, and everything associated with it.  If I’m not paying attention to that, then I can’t relate to it.  So this week’s team meeting as an example was talking about success, I discussed what it takes, it was talking about whether there’s really a magic pill that’s going to bring them more opportunities to write more business instantly, among other things, and what I’ve listed below are the items that are on the agenda, and I’ll give you some detail on that as much as I can:

  1. 1. Official opening of the work comp feeding frenzy in our home state is 09-01-2011. (Educate and motivate).
  2. 2. The reading of client report cards that came in recently. This totally motivates the team!
  3. 3. Distribution of pedometers. One of our health carriers sought us out this week because we are writing so much business, the pedometers were one of the gifts (the other was money).
  4. 4. New comparative rater discussion.
  5. 5. Input from team about marketing to a niche marketplaces. We are consistently launching new programs and this month is NO exception.

And at the very end of the meeting, I showed the following video to finish it off.  Now, the reason I showed this video is I want them to be successful and I want them to understand in the mind of the marketplace they are trying to reach, which are our customers and our prospects.

Here’s the Secrets of Success (video) – please watch it closely, 10,000 times if needed!

I hope this helps you, and I hope this helps you communicate effectively with your team.  One other thing that I do consistently is talk to my team…..all of the time.  I talk to them face-to-face, I talk to them via video e-mail, I talk to them by phone, I let them know that I’m always there for them and I’ve got their back 100% of the time, as long as they follow the procedures that we’ve set in place.

Remember to never, ever stop collecting those special moments from your customers and marketplace via video testimonials. Carry that camera everywhere and record the facts as they happen!

Are you ready for SUCCESS?  Never look back again, Call us at 800.770.9984 or Email [email protected]  to schedule Your F*REE 29 Minute, In-Depth Agency Analysis – you won’t be sorry you did, I GUARANTEE IT!

Mike put hundreds od thousands of dollars in my pocket…

Skip to toolbar