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I'm Not Doing Anything Until You Teach Me Everything First!
As a Training Coordinator for a major insurance company (the one with feathers), it often means working with people whom over 75% of the time do not come from a sales, insurance, or business-to-business marketing background.
While many are very “bought-in” about who we are and what we do by this point, it’s both sad and comical when the “rubber meets the road” and the real work needs to be done.
Perhaps an analogy would be fitting here… let me see. Imagine you have a nerdy friend who doesn’t get a chance to go out often. He has been pressuring you to take him out and help him meet women. You hear his favorite band is playing at a venue that will be packed with chicks. Once you get there, your friend is absolutely frozen with fear and feels you are not giving him enough support and pointers… and begins to hate you!
Welcome to the world of the Training Coordinator!
In that analogy, the friend felt like he had to be an “expert” before he would act.
After working in various commission-based roles, I can truly say I have never reached a point of “ultimate expertise” prior to engaging consumers or businesses. To me, part of my drive and ambition was forcing the hand of my trainer into real world situations.
No one ever became an expert quarterback by watching from the sidelines. Get in the game!
Fear Of Rejection
Rejection is a natural part of any sales process… and I don’t take it personal. In the beginning, perhaps I may not have had the skill set and experience of a senior Agent, but I was committed to “fake it until I make it” and to continue to create opportunities for myself that would force my hand in “stepping up my game”.
Instead of agonizing over my failures, I spend more time reveling in my successes.
As also the Regional Director of Recruiting, I field a variety of questions from potential candidates; most of which are: “How do we forward leads to them when they begin as Agents and how receptive are the leads?”
It's All The Fault Of My Training Mentor!
How receptive?
Considering that our model is strictly a business-to-business model, if we were besieged with companies with a blatant interest in our products and services, what would I honestly need you for?
Like the greater majority of organizations, we suffer an “identity crisis” as well. Everyone knows “the duck,” but what else do they know?
Answer: not much — which places the impetus on Agents on having to teach and educate businesses on how they can expand their menu of benefits to their employees. Yeah, or in other words, you have to “work” for your commission… and no one is going to hand anything to you!
That’s the job of an Agent. Due to the general nature of healthcare and insurance, it honestly could take years to fully grasp the intricacies of the industry.
We don’t want experts, we want ambitious, driven Agents who are not so quick to blame their company and their Training Mentors for the self-imposed mental barrier they have placed on themselves.The “mental gymnastics” you have to overcome to get someone to cold call another business is incredible!
Sure, you’re going to make mistakes and have your share of awkward moments, but that’s the only way you’re going to progress.
Of course, we don’t expect for random individuals to begin a new career and be unprepared… just…
Stop over-analyzing!
In Closing
As a Training Mentor, how do you encourage your subordinate to overcome their fears and “just do it?”
