School For IPA’s - Week 2
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Anything multiplied or divided by zero is zero.
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
Sight Icon / Set Button
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
Set The Bar
After you have set what you want and what you will DO to get what you want, click the
Graph Icon and you will see you DO to DID graph, with your red bars set at your
Contact count goal.
Do what you plan to do and you’ll get 100% of what you want! That, or the system will
reveal what MUST be done. Both are extremely valuable because the primary reason
people fail to reach a goal is
a) not DOING what needs to be done
b) not KNOWING what needs to be done
Those who know do and those who do get!
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
About Contacts!
In Week 1, we learned that there are four steps in the Sales Process: Contact, Fact-Find, Present,
and Close. We also learned that activity moves in only two direction, forward or it exits.
When activity exits, any chance of that activity becoming production also ends. Equally, the more
activity that moves forward, the more success you will experience. We also learned that what most
determines if activity moves forward or exits, are WORDS!
As you progress through this training we will discuss words and the impact they have on your results.
Today, however, my goal is to help you DEFINE the Contact step of the Sales Process, so that you
understand what counts as a Contact.
Three Principles To Your Sales Success:
1. The beginning of a thing is far greater than it’s end.
2. Contacts are the #1 secret to sales success.
3. If you focus on the sale, you will fail.
Principle #1 is important because it acts as a reminder that we can’t finish until we start. Principle #2
reminds us that all Sales Process activity starts with a Contact, making it the #1 secret to sales
success. Principle #3 reminds us to NOT make results our focus. Instead focus on BEGINNING,
STARTING, MAKING CONTACTS, knowing that in doing so that results will follow.
The more you start, the more you will finish. This is a natural law of cause and effect and why these
three principles are so important to your sales success.
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
What is a Contact
A Contact is ASKING with the intent of trying to create sales process activity. IPA’s!
Throughout this training we will debate and continuously work to clarify our
understanding of Contact activity. In doing so we will make your sales process activity
more defined and easier to understand, which will lead to bigger and better results. For
example, many might say at the end of a service call, “Is there anything else I can help
you with?” and want to count this as a Contact with the notion that they asked with the
intent of trying to create sales process activity. IPA’s! While a person with this mindset
can often make a good argument, I think we would all agree that if a person only asked,
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” and didn’t follow it up with another ask like,
“Can I ask who’s taking care of your life insurance?” Without this second ask NO FactFind, Present, or Close sales process activity would be created.
So how will we define a Contact in an effort to know when it should or should not be
counted? Unfortunately, because of the vast difference of opinion and how
argumentative people can be based of their view of how sales success is achieved, this
can be a very daunting and exhausting task. To avoid this, I again suggest that we
adhere to a set of simple rules. For example, what if we study the structure of
conversation by breaking it into steps, label those steps, and then decide which step
when ASKING will count as a Contact.
For example, we’re on a service call, which by the way I define service work as taking
care of the requested need of a customer. So let’s say someone called you because
they bought a trailer and REQUESTED it be added to their policies. This is service
work. In future trainings we will have to decide if “give me” type opportunities should
count as sales process activity or we should just chalk it up as service work. Today, our
focus is defining a Contact. So let’s break this conversation into steps.
Received
Call
Discussed/
Quoted/Wrote
Policy
Is there anything else I can
help you with?
Before you go I
did have one
last question.
service_request
service_present
service_exit
Ipa_transition
5
We currently insure your
home and I was wondering if we could save you
money on your auto insurance, would you be interested in switching?
ipa_ask
School For IPA’s - Week 2
In this example, we labeled five steps in this conversation. The first three steps are all
service work. The fourth step is where we attempt to make the transition from service
work to IPA work. The fifth step is the Contact! The number secret to your sales
success!
Received
Call
Discussed/
Quoted/Wrote
Policy
Is there anything else I can
help you with?
Before you go I
did have one
last question.
service_request
service_present
service_exit
ipa_transition
We currently insure your
home and I was wondering if we could save you
money on your auto insurance, would you be interested in switching?
ipa_ask
Let’s now do the same thing, but start from a dial verses a service call. We dialed the
telephone and someone answers….
Hello Mary?
Hi, this is Todd
Shafer calling
with ________.
How are you?
confirm
opening
greet
The reason I'm calling is because we
currently insure your auto and I was
wondering if we could save you money
on your home or renters insurance,
would you be interested in switching?
ipa_ask
In this example, we labeled four steps of the conversation. While all these are IPA
Work because of making an effort to get sales process activity. The Contact doesn’t
take place until we ASK in step four.
A Contact is ASKING with the intent of trying to sales process activity. IPA’s
In each of these examples, I labeled the ASK part as ipa_ask. I used this for illustration
purpose. However, the System For IPA’s labels the ipa_ask from service work as a
pivot. When making outbound calls, it labels the ipa_ask as reason. Any time you get to
a pivot or reason step within the Telephone Flashcards it will give you Contact count!
The #1 secret to your sales success!
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
Did Score
Using the System For IPA’s Telephone Flashcards will help in defining and refining
your sales process activity. As you become more organized, structured, and systematic
you will become far more confident and successful. In addition, I want to say that while
we could learn to ASK without such a tool, the primary reason you should want to
become disciplined in using them is for the data they provide and the visual evidence of
activity they produce.
For example, on the right hand side of your screen is a Did Score chart. This
chart updates in real time as you use the Telephone Flashcards, and scores
what percent of dials or contacts you did based on what you said you would
do. To toggle between Dials and Contacts, click the word Dial or Contact
below this chart.
The concept behind this chart is that if you DO 100% (or more) of what you
planned to DO, then you will get 100% of what you want! It also helps with
your psyche. For example, when the yellow needle is in the red, your mind
accepts the fact that you have work to do. When it reaches the green, you
know that you’re “in the money” and results will come. You also know that
you’re more than half way there, which often gives you that “extra” motivation
to reach your goal. When the yellow needle reaches the black you know
you’re home free and the odds of you DOING what you PLANNED TO DO is
pretty much going to happen. Again, when you DO 100% (or more) of what
you planned to DO, then you will get 100% of what you want!
Three Principles To Your Sales Success:
1. The beginning of a thing is far greater than it’s end.
2. Contacts are the #1 secret to sales success.
3. If you focus on the sale, you will fail.
Question, what things might be added onto you if you were able to keep your
yellow needle consistently in the black? The truth is, none of us know until it’s
done. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if it resulted in you getting a raise,
consistently reaching your bonus goals, increased career satisfaction, or
finding yourself with more opportunities, choices, or freedom.
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
DO to DID
The DO to DID chart, which can be found by clicking on the Graph Icon, is a chart that shows you
your last 20 days of activity. My promise to you is that if your blue bars are consistently at or above
the red bar, then you will have success. Guaranteed!
Where there is activity, there is success.
This principle has never failed me. Ever. In my 20 years of sales, when I needed production, I
simply made ACTIVITY a priority, and every time, and without fail, success always followed.
Where there is activity, there is success.
This principle has never failed those I know. I have watched many start a career in sales. And like
me, many have struggled with the task of establishing and maintaining their activity. When
struggling with the pressure of needing sales, the last thing we want to hear is "no", which seems to
always be the case when needing a "yes" in the worst way. So we avoid, procrastinate, and
struggle with that o'mighty task of ASKING. On the other hand, when successful. When sales are
rolling in. We tend to adopt the "Yes! I made it!" mentality, which lends itself to no longer doing that
which made us successful in the first place. ASKING!
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School For IPA’s - Week 2
If success is so easy. If it's merely a mindset. A "can do" attitude. Why is it that only
7% of Americans earn over $100,000? I have watched so many of the 93% start a
sales career in hopes of a better tomorrow. In hopes of time, freedom, and financial
gain, only to watch a high majority quit and return to that which they were trying to
leave. So again I ask, if success is so easy, why then don't we ALL have it? Are those
who don't lazy? Not smart enough? Unlucky? It's none of the above and always the
same root cause. A lack of activity.
Where there is activity, there is success.
This principle is a promise. It says, embrace me, acquire me, maintain me, and I will
give you success! Unfortunately, mastering and managing sales process activity is
easier said than done and requires having a good system.
Systems are everything. Systems are the secret to success. To reaching your desired
level of income, maintaining or exceeding that income, all while learning to work less
and make more. I know this to be true because my success is the byproduct of a good
system. If I can do it, I know for a fact that all people can do it. The hard part, appears
getting people to buy into the fact that all their dreams, goals, and desired success is
100% dependent on their system. My hope is that our time spent together helping you
to see this as true. That as we define sales process activities and become
accomplished and discipline in working a System For IPA’s, that you are able to reach
your desired level of income, maintain or exceed that income, all while learning to work
less and make more.
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