Different people can have different motivators. For example, some people are motivated by more money, others by more recognition, time off from work, promotions, opportunities for learning, opportunities for socializing and relationships, etc. Therefore, when attempting to motivate people, it’s important to identify what motivates them.

Ultimately, though, long-term motivation comes from people motivating themselves. In a meeting I had with the agents on my team, I asked them to tell me how I can help you make more money than you made last year. Their responses were all different:

1. challenge me
2. brag on me when I deserve it
3.  run monthly contests
4. more insurance product training
5. more computer training
6. just keep helping like you always have

So by asking them to tell me how I can help them, I now know what motivates them. I know what I need to do to get more production out of them.

The moral of the story, just ask!

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about selling insurance.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sjaggers . Or get a health insurance quote at http://stephaniejaggers.mymedquotes.com.

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now.

Have you ever sat down at night after a long day of  insurance sales and wondered if anyone has really noticed that you worked hard? Business today asks a lot of you. No matter how much you do, you know your clients will always want more—greater value, more sophisticated service, and the maximum convenience for the minimum trouble. And even if you’re very good at insurance sales, there’s nothing easy about holding on to business, or winning it back or adding to it. 
 
Do you ever wonder what you can change in your everyday activities to make this year better than last year? Start first with your current data base of insurance clients. Ask them the “tough love” questions. See what they need now that they didn’t have last time you spoke with them. How will you get your clients to spend more money? Call them and offer a solution instead of an option.
 
Have you asked yourself what you want this year that you didn’t have last year? You have to be motivated, determined and most of all adaptable. You have to help yourself before you will have enough stamina to help others. If you can’t solve your problems how will you be able to help others.
 
Okay enough lecture. Here is the best part. I came across one of the most brightest most touching words ever…..
 
May what you see in the mirror delight you,
And what others see in you delight them.
May someone love you enough to forgive your faults,
Be blind to your blemishes, and tell the
World about your virtues
 
Have a wonderful 2010!

What do you need to do today to make up for yesterday so that you will be on track tomorrow?

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about setting goals.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sjaggers . Or get a health insurance quote at http://stephaniejaggers.mymedquotes.com.

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now.

For the past seven years, I have been setting goals for the new year. We all do it. We all say we are going to hit a certain number of  insurance applications sold or reach a certain annual premium dollar. But if we don’t write this down and keep it in front of us, it goes to the way side. Do you agree? This isn’t due to our lack of desire for a better life; it’s just a byproduct of the reality that change is difficult. Our habits become ingrained and automatic; changing them requires constant effort until a new habit is formed. We have to make alterations in our expectations, attitudes, and methods of change so that we can experience real results that last.
 
Think in terms of “GOALS” rather than “RESOLUTIONS.” Instead of saying New Year’s Resolutions say New Year’s Goals. It a mind thing!
 
Expect to work your way up, rather than maintaining perfection and feeling let-down if you don’t achieve it immediately. Set small, attainable goals, and add more steps as you complete each one. This way you gradually work your way toward the life you want and the necessary changes, but you experience much more ‘success’ along the way, rather than feeling like a failure if you don’t experience ultimate change overnight.

• Identify your goal.
• What are the benefits of reaching that goal?
• What will be some of the obstacles your will have to climb?
• What skill is required for you to reach the goal?
• Who can help you reach your goal?
• What is your plan of action to reach the goal?
• What date do you want to reach the goal?

The most important part is the promise to yourself. 
 
If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.
Yogi Berra

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about setting goals.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sharris .

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now.

Some people may read this and say “what?” But those of us who think outside the box will read this and say “Amen!”
 
My daughter made a bowl of jello over the weekend. Well Monday morning when I got up that bowl of jello was in the refrigerator. As soon as I opened the door it hit me that “Life is like a bowl of  jello. If you never shake it, it’s perfect!” Here’s how it applies to insurance sales.
 
Our lives will never be perfect. Its like the jello. Somebody is going to shake it just to see what happens. Something will come up that gets under our skin. There are always going to be obstacles. But it’s what you do in that moment that determines the outcome. It’s how you handle those obstacles that get you through the shakiness.
 
In our insurance sales career world, we get shook daily, whether it’s a prospect that doesn’t come through for you or an appointment that’s a no show.  But it’s the strength that you have that keeps you coming back for more. Many times we get frustrated and the first thing that comes to mind is “I can’t do this anymore”, we tend to want to give up too easily, our emotions over power our thoughts.
 
Our insurance business asks a lot of us. No matter how much we do, we know our clients will always want more —greater value, more sophisticated service, and the maximum convenience for the minimum trouble. And even if we are really good, there’s nothing easy about holding on to business, or winning it back, or adding to it.
 
Don’t let your everyday challenges direct your future. Think outside the box. As I have heard many times in my career as an insurance agent “some will, some won’t, so what— next!”
 
If our lives were perfect, we would have nothing to look forward to. There wouldn’t be an opportunity to learn. There wouldn’t be room to grow.
 
You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can control the width and depth…. 
Henry Mencken

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about building an insurance sales carreer.    For a health insurance quote, go to http://stephaniejaggers.mymedquotes.com

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now.

Many times in our insurance sales career, most of our extended families do not even know what we do on a day to day basis. During reunions, birthday gatherings, or holiday dinners the subject never comes up. But at some point in our lives we have to reach out to the ones that matter the most to us. So I have come up with what I call a “Christmas Love Letter.”  This will get their attention and keep you off the hook by bringing up the subject of life insurance.
 
Dear ______________,
 
I hope this finds you doing well. I don’t know if you realize what I do for work. It has never really been brought up during reunions or birthday parties, but I feel this is the time of year when we should reach out to our loved ones.
 
If you are like most of us, we never really think about a life insurance policy. But think about this. Will someone you know suffer financially if you die today?  If the answer is yes, you need a life insurance policy!
 
If you think about it, buying a life insurance policy is an act of selfless love. Can you think of the last time you did something kind, caring or generous for someone else and expected nothing in return? For most of us, acts of selfless love aren’t an everyday occurrence. But they should be. These acts often go unnoticed because they typically involve quiet sacrifice. We don’t do them because we seek recognition or personal gain; we do them because we see a need—someone will be better off because we chose to act.

In all likelihood, you won’t be around to see the benefits of a life insurance purchase. But the proceeds of your policy could benefit your loved ones for many years after you’re gone.

I just want you to know, I am here if you ever want to sit down to talk about it. I promise not to pressure you into a sale but I also promise you that upon our talk you will know the importance of a life insurance policy.
 
My card is enclosed should you decide to make the call.
 
Happy Holidays with love always,
 
Stephanie

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now

My husband and I went to the movies this past weekend to watch “The Blind Side.” If you have not seen this movie, you gotta go see it. But I would advise to buy your tickets early.

During this movie, the main character did his term paper on courage and honor. That got me to thinking about what it takes to be at the top in the insurance industry. I don’t just mean in management but also in the insurance sales force. Many people try insurance sales and because someone wasn’t there to lead the way, they failed. Or maybe they failed because they weren’t taught how to overcome the daily obstacles that get in our way?
 
Let’s talk about courage first. Courage is a gift! It comes from within. When you are faced with challenges, do you ask yourself can I do this or do you jump in and give it your all? Courage is getting in the habit of looking inward and going with your highest feeling of what’s true and what feels right for you. This is important if you wish to grow and stay successful. It works! This gift fuels our motivation, our passion, and our reason to succeed. Keep encouraging yourself to take the necessary risks to refuel your confidence. Courage is the strength to stand up or move on when it’s easier to fall down or give up!
 
Now let’s talk about honor.  Honor is  selflessness! It can be offered or received. When honor is offered it is a selfless act that is beautiful. You look beyond yourself and see the potential to help others. It’s the idea of doing what’s right in all situations. When honor is received, it is a dangerous temptation. We let our ego’s get in the way. Sometimes we don’t say thank you. When you say thank you to someone you are honoring the deed that they have accomplished for you. Whether it is showing you an easier way to market your products or picking up something you dropped.
 
So ask yourself today, “Am I one of those people who make things happen, one who watches things happen, or one who wonders what happened?” It starts with you!

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about building an insurance sales carreer.  Or, learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sharris .

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now

Many times we see other people and wish we could be like them. If only I had what they have….all my worries would disappear! Do you think just because someone has a big house, nice cars, and money that they don’t have everyday problems? If life were only that easy!

As I sit here and try to write something that would touch someone’s life that will make today better than yesterday, that will make tomorrow a day to look forward to, I think about shapes. I know that probably sounds crazy but let’s think about this. What kind of shape would you be? Are you thankful for who you are and what you represent? Would you be a…..

• Circle—perfectionist never changes, does the same thing day after day—hard workers but are never pioneers in their field?
• Square—old fashioned & stable, has strength & shows  leadership skills.
•  Octagon—needs to be the center of attention (life a soccer ball), never satisfied, bounces around.
• Triangle—goal oriented—always looks forward and never backward—smiles a lot.
• Diamond—has great qualities, the potential for greatness, productive, self assured, disciplined.
• Hexagon—Complains, finds fault in others, unwilling to make a change, lacks motivation, lives in a dream world.
• Polygon—pessimist, negative attitude, drags other down.
• Rectangle—the staller, afraid to make a decision alone, lives in the moment.

If you don’t really know which shape you would be classified as, ask your manager or your associate. I am sure they wouldn’t mind telling you.

During this holiday season we need to be thankful that we don’t have everything we desire because if we did there would be nothing to look forward to. We need to be thankful that we don’t know everything we need to know because if we did there would not be opportunity to learn. We need be thankful for our limitations because we have room to grow. We need to be thankful for each new challenge we face because we it will build our strength and character. We need to be thankful for our mistakes in life because we learn valuable lessons. We need to be thankful when we are tired and weary because that means we have made a difference.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for setbacks. We need to be thankful for our troubles, for they will become our blessings.

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about building an insurance sales carreer.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sharris .

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now

During today’s MMM (Monday Morning Motivation) call, Chris’s insurance sales message struck a nerve. I was just about to begin my weekly meeting when all of a sudden I changed gears. I had this meeting all layed out detail for detail but it sorta took a turn. I began to ask my insurance sales agents “what is one thing that deters you from giving up?” Of course each agent had a different response. But all I could think of  is why I haven’t given up on insurance sales.

 There have been many times during slow months, aggravating pressures from the higher ups, deadlines to meet, numbers to crunch that I wanted to drop everything and run. But I always would find myself back at the office making insurance sales calls and setting appointments. 
 
The first thing an insurance salesperson thinks about is “taking time off”….what good will that do? When you get back, you still have to make calls and set appointments but you have to start from scratch because everything that was in your pipeline has dried up. So taking time off actually hurts you rather than helping you.
 
The second thing a salesperson thinks about is “all the negative reasons why he/she shouldn’t be in sales”….what good will that do? Try to think about all the positive reasons we do what we do. If it were easy, everyone would do it. What other career can you have the gives you the flexibility and income that sales does?
 
The only time its going to be tough is when you quit working. When you give up….it dries up! So the best thing to do is stay positive, work smarter not harder!

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about building an insurance sales carreer.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sharris .

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now

Today I was speaking to one of my top insurance agents about an application he submitted with one of our insurance carriers. This particular health insurance application came back as a counter offer due to the primary being declined but the spouse was approved. However, since the agent did not follow back up with the primary, the company rated the application incomplete. Remember most all carriers pay on issued business not submitted. Had this agent followed up he could have saved the approved business and written the declined business through another company. With that being said this brings me to the heart of the article.
 
You have heard me speak of insurance sales pipelines in recent articles. We as agents have pipelines from making calls, pipelines from making sales, but also pipelines on follow ups. So I camecome up with 4 reasons why we shouldn’t manage our pipelines. 
 

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about building your pipeline.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sharris .

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now

Every evening while I am cooking supper, I watch the food network channel. You know, cooking and insurance sales has a lot in common. There are many ingredients to construct the best recipe. You have to know when to put in and when to shut up!  Sometimes you have to stir the pot but sometimes you just let the pot simmer. As with sales, depending on the prospect you are speaking with, you have to know what the best ingredient in your sales knowledge would be with that person.

Sometimes we just sit back and watch the pot burn up! Meaning we become complacent with out success. We have a good week and sit back and wait on a deal to come through that probably will never happen. While we are waiting on that one big insurance deal to come through, those small deals go somewhere else. So in the end, we loose! Just like with food, the burner was left on too long without any attention to the pot.
 
Always fill your insurance sales pipeline. I see too many agents who chase after those potential prospects who in the end never make a decision. Those are the people you waste your time with! There has to be marketing devices in your schedule that can be filling your pipeline daily. Below are my suggestions which are some that we use here in MS.

Flyers
Surveys
Car signs
Pole signs
 
My theory has always been put 10% back into your  insurance business and you will be rewarded greatly. You have to have a marketing strategy and schedule or you will fail! I don’t want to see that happen and neither do you.   
 
“Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.”   Charles F. Kettering

Email me  if you’d like to talk  about our recipe for success.  Or learn more about me at www.insuranti.com/sharris .

Stephanie Harris-Jaggers is a Regional Manager for Insuranti living in Thaxton, MS. If you are interested in working for Insuranti, or would like to learn more, contact us now