Producer Development

Our producers consistently out perform the competition to win and retain more business. From hiring through retirement, our producer development program helps producers reach their full sales potential throughout their careers. Producers are individuals, with unique personal qualities and resumes, so we begin with interviews, assessments, and infield observation to develop meaningful personal growth plans that target specific areas for growth. We then consult with, train and coach both producers and their managers to ensure mastery of 7 critical success skills that support sustained high performance and longevity in our business.

Why Traditional Sales Training Doesnt Work

Very few sales processes devote serious attention to the biggest obstacle facing your producers, the incumbent agent. We’re not just asking prospects for their business, we’re asking them to fire their agent. In our business, the first sale is really an un-sell.
How many consultants and sales trainers can actually sell? I mean really sell. How many have grown and managed large books or dealt with the complexities of market changes? Most traditional sales training programs are not authored by successful producers, a fact not overlooked by your producers.
Traditional sales training models are typically rigid and scripted. They offer a one-dimensional approach to a 3 dimensional sale. They work well in the classroom, but not in the fluid and dynamic environment of a sales call. Human behavior is unpredictable. Few producers can effectively deal with a difficult prospect or someone who doesn’t want to role-play off of their script
Perhaps the most important factor is lack of support and reinforcement. Producers leave training anxious to use the new techniques they’ve learned. They go out on calls, try the scripted approaches, get resistance, and fail. They become discouraged, put the book on the shelf, and quit.

Our Sales Process

Our sales process is simple, transparent and very effective. Producers like it, and they use it. We employ professional consultative approach that focuses on a transparent comparison/contrast process to leverage differentiation and break incumbent relationships. IQ Consulting stands for intelligent questions. Our process teaches producers to ask intelligent questions that manage the prospect appointment and direct the conversation where we want it to go-towards our strengths and the incumbent’s weaknesses. We teach producers to go to school on the competition and create effective pre-call strategies to prepare for meetings that significantly increase the chance of success. Our coaches are successful producers in their own right and have developed significant books of business. Last, we provide in field coaching and reinforcement to cement learning and new skills, the we provide a world class library of learning reinforcement tools available to producers 24/7/365. See infield coaching and client resources.

The quickest and most effective way to shorten a producers learning curve and accelerate their success is through coaching and mentoring. IQ Consulting is the industry leader when it comes to in field coaching. We know of no other insurance consulting practice that provides our level of infield coaching. Producers need real time coaching and immediate feedback to correct missteps, provide guidance and reinforce success. We begin with a personal assessments, interviews and infield observation. Then we build a personal growth plan and create a coaching schedule that addresses individual needs and focuses on specifically on what they need to succeed.
A goal without a plan is just a wish. Each year we meet with your producers to develop and implement meaningful, strategic business plans. Our business plans detail the activities required to achieve and exceed goals for new business production, retention and book growth. Our plans include concrete actions, timetables and periodic reviews to monitor progress, and create accountability. Change is inevitable, so we participate in the review process to ensure that producers make adjustments and course corrections. Agency principals can budget effectively knowing in advance what they can count on from their producers.
From a producers first day on the job, through validation and beyond, our best practices validation and activity schedules keep producers and sales managers on the same page, and path to success. Progressive goal setting, benchmarking and progress assessments bring producers along at a brisk pace down the road we want them to go, and create frequent opportunities for course correction to keep them on that path.
The death of a salesman? Insufficient pipelines and no accountability. Our 4P process trains and coaches producers how to leverage relationships to generate a Perpetual Pipeline of Perfect Prospects. Once in the pipe, we combine sales meetings, your agency management system and one on one producer coaching sessions to establish accountability, and track the progress of each prospect from first contact to close.
Within 5 to 7 years most successful producers reach a plateau and their new business production and book growth stalls. They spend the rest of their career vacillating between marginal book growth and decline. There are many reasons for this, but all relate to a specific set of skills experienced producers must possess to break through the impediments to growth and reach the next level. Our “No Plateau” program teaches experienced producers the skills they need to optimize their books, over service key accounts and leverage relationships to fill pipelines. Our process routinely transforms stalled producers into new business growth leaders that double their books every 3 to 4 years.
Becoming and expert and becoming known as an expert is one of the fast tracks to success and longevity in our business. Our founder created 3 national programs and developed a 1.4 million dollar book of business by becoming and expert in one industry sector. His experience working with the CAM department of CNA has helped us develop a best practices approach to helping producers develop niche based programs. We’ll help your producers find and develop the niche that’s right for them.
Unlike most producer schools, we don’t teach insurance, we teach Producers how to succeed in the insurance business. We turn out finished producers ready to hit the streets running. New producers leave our schools with the energy and enthusiasm of youth, combined with the skills and tools of a veteran. The result? Predictable outcomes, immediate success and staying power. Training without coaching and follow up is just expensive entertainment, so we finish strong with coaching and mentoring for both students and their managers. Last, we provide a custom portfolio of tools for producers use to differentiate themselves throughout their career.