march
The Georgia Atlas
Issue 3.16
TOP 5 OF THE MONTH FEBRUARY 2016 DISTRICT PREMIUM
OPENER PREMIUM
King District $267,031 Douglass District $214,163 Scales-Miller District $74,097 Mehaffey District $54,053 Joiner District $44,884
Holly Brown-Overdyke $140,179
DISTRICT WELCOME CALLS
DISTRICT CONTRACTS
Graham District Mehaffey District Joiner District Douglass District Chastain District
7 7 5 3 2
DISTRICT 5K PRODUCERS – 1Q Graham District Mehaffey District Douglass District Joiner District King District
Leslie Bussey Rebecca Bowden Sheri Mitchell Makkedah Israel
$82,518 $62,616 $49,007 $28,541
Duggan District Barganier District Chastain District Mehaffey District
4 3 1 1
DISTRICT 10K PRODUCERS – 1Q 4 4 3 3 3
Douglass District Graham District King District Mehaffey District Joiner/Scales-Miller
3550 Busbee Parkway, NW Suite 225 Kennesaw, GA 30144 770-392-8581
3 3 3 2 1
FROM THE HEART OF TSM JESSE DAVIS You’ve heard me say that this business is a series of “peaks and valleys”. Peaks are great….Valleys not so much. They are dark, scary, and ugly. Sadly, many of us find ourselves stuck in a valley not because we intend to be there but because we have tripped over some obstacle of sorts. So how do we get past that obstacle to get back up the hill? Here’s a little help from bestselling author and fellow entrepreneur Kevin Daum: First, it helps to understand that obstacles come in three different flavors.
To overcome obstacles business or personal, you must master these areas: 1. Embrace Self-Awareness If you don't see the obstacle or believe it's a hindrance, you'll never reach your goals, blaming everything and everyone but the person responsible. This is particularly obstructive to resolving Habitual Obstacles.
3. Commit to Focused Discipline It's easy to get distracted with the present. Business people are just that-busy! There is always a fire to put out or a new critical opportunity to distract you. True discipline is about making yourself emotionally commit time and effort to your benefit regardless of external factors. Make the obstacle the No. 1 priority and focus on it every day until it's gone. 4. Engage Your Own Creativity I like to create rhythm in my life so I can freely engage the creative part of my brain for problem solving. There's no better place to apply expansive thinking than on issues holding you back. Quit banging your head against the same brick wall over and over. Take time to think things through and find creative solutions that bring fun and progress to the grind of obstacle removal.
THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
A. External Obstacles -- These are obstacles outside of your control such as the economy, natural disasters, physical limitations, and the political climate. B. Internal Obstacles -- These obstacles are generally one-time issues but you have direct control over them, such as debt, cash flow, time availability, needed skills or talent. C. Habitual Obstacles -- These obstacles reflect how people get in their own way. They can only be removed with behavioral change.
2. Use Time to Your Advantage This is most important with External Obstacles. You must learn to manage your impatience and be ready when the smoke clears. The harder the obstacle, the more time it will take to overcome. Set a preliminary schedule with clear milestones so you can track forward or backward progress. This way you'll see the cumulative impact of miniscule change. With time comes momentum. And momentum is the best way to bust through big obstacles.
TERRITORY EVENTS
Please refer to the online calendar link included in your email to access all of the Territory training class information. Please note, the following are reminders. You MUST REGISTER for any training classes. If you do not register on Propr and just show up, you will be turned away. Please contact Chris Cottrell CGCottrell@ColonialLife.com with any questions regarding for classes.
March 9th : Harmony Training Class March 9th & 10th: Core Certification Training (Leslie French) March 11th: Special Training Sheldon Cooke Competitive Intel
March 16th & 17th: Direct Marketing Class March 18th: Special Training David Zander/April Spires BQI/SMRT/Plan Admin/Billing (via webinar)
DISTRICT OFFICE BEST PRACTICE Hello! Kara here… you’re friendly Territory Assistant. I have been making more of an effort to assist the field by making some time to get out there and see the districts. I visited the Graham district in February and wanted to share something I saw in their office. In the Conference Area, they had frames with numbers in them and were taping the “Ring the Bell” emails for their district’s welcome calls in them. When asked what all of the numbers stood for, they stated that was the number of welcome calls they made in the prior quarter and wanted a visual to remind them to beat the number. I loved that idea!
HAVING THE GRIT TO SUCCEED
“Nothing in the world will take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than the unsuccessful person with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” -Calvin Coolidge Let’s embrace the no’s, the failures and reach to experts for their help and support. Let’s use all of these as learning experiences that are bringing us one step closer to our objectives as Winston Churchill said “Never give up!, never, never, never give up!”. Have a great Month, let me know if I can help you. – Chris Cottrell
ACTIVITY BREEDS SUCCESS
Look at what some famous people have to say about having grit:
- Michael Jordan
CHRIS COTTRELL
It’s been said that in order to become an expert in any given field you have to have worked or practice that activity for 10,000+ hours, that’s over 5 years if you put in 40 hours a week. Luckily at Colonial Life we are surrounded by experts, people who have put in the time to learn and achieve and are willing to share with us to shorten that “Expertise Curve”.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again…I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.”
Regional Instructor
It’s funny how different people view success. When we see a great athlete hit the absolute pinnacle of perfection in their sport and once the cheering has subsided, do we think about what it took to get there. Think about the time, dedication, the early mornings to practice, go to workouts, the sheer commitment to get the job done – it doesn’t just magically happen. I often wonder about the games, races or events that they didn’t win, I think about the failures, disappointments and defeats. I really believe that it’s those “No’s!”, those failures that are the experiences we learn from, it’s what develops your grit, your persistency, your deep down desire to win. Additionally, I think either way it’s those events that define who we are, our character and ability to endure.
Territory Coordinator
COORDINATOR CORNER
TODD LEE
Shhhh! Did you hear that? It was the decision maker telling you where their companies benefit plan is lacking. Often times, we get so anxious and excited to get the appointment, we don’t ask probing questions. We should identify the “benefit pain” the employer is in and exploit it. This way, you provide the best solution for the best benefit(s) to offer employees.
Remember, there is such a thing as overkill. Offer a small piece of the benefit pie to the masses, and you will get a better participation, than a laundry list of all our coverages. If you keep your first year enrollment limited to three to four benefits, you can come back subsequent years and provide a new benefit. Let’s say at the initial enrollment, you don’t offer a Life product. Year number two, let the decision maker aware that we have some new Life rates. Remember, it is a new benefit choice, especially since it has never been shown before by you. The one employee who wasn’t interested last year; may have gotten married, had a child, or lost a loved one. There is a large percentage in this country that doesn’t have any Life insurance, or not enough of present coverage. Another thing to consider, do you get into the habit of asking what the companies major medical deductible is? If not, this is an excellent example of positioning the Medical Bridge. If the employer informs you that they pay for the employee’s health insurance, do you let it go as not being able to offer Medical Bridge? You shouldn’t. Again, ask if the employer is paying for dependent
coverage. Chances are, the employee is usually always paying for family coverage. Another thing to keep in mind, a deductible will apply to more than one person in the family. There are a number of ways to use product positioning to your advantage. I have mentioned in the past, the employer is looking to you as the expert in the best fit to enhance their existing benefits, and not replace them. The situation is always the boss. In the voluntary benefit arena, one has to wear multiple hats. You may go on your next appointment wanting to pitch product “X”, and the decision maker ask you about a different benefit we offer. Simply lead with what they may ask about. Try to avoid simply asking yes or no questions. You need to ask open ended questions. If you ask the yes or no question, and the employer simply answers you accordingly, then what do you do? Sales is all about being a better listener, than a talker. Talking is the easy part, listening, not so much. You will have times where the employer lays out their benefit needs on a Silver platter. Other times, you will work as hard as humanly possible just to get an appointment. Just like the Direct TV commercials, don’t be “that guy”, listen first, ask in depth questions, and provide solutions. Gain the trust of the employer first, business last, and you will succeed. Please let me know what coordination help you may need to further build your success.
WE’RE LOOKING FOR
A FEW GOOD MEN AND WOMEN WHO CARE ENOUGH TO HELP WORKING AMERICANS. ARE YOU GOOD ENOUGH?