Only Focus on What You Can Control
Rob E. never thought he would be in this industry. He never wanted to be an insurance agent, something he knows many cringe at him saying. In fact when approached about it the first time he responded: “I’ll never sell insurance.” What Rob wanted was to be a business owner. He achieved that, since he was 25 years old he hasn’t had to punch a clock. He was a general contractor and restaurant owner for years. But in 2008 the economy collapsed. He knew he had to switch gears and the insurance industry seemed a good way to go, or so he thought.
“I failed my way into final expense. I started in one of these IMO’s that wanted to write mortgage protection, annuities, long term care, healthcare, this care, that care, and final expense. I sucked at all of it. Rob drove around for three months without writing a single policy. He had poor leadership, poor leads, and no training in his new industry. He had trouble selling the various offerings of his new employer, all except for final expense. He managed to have good luck with it and made the concerted effort to focus on what he was good at. “Final expense just clicked, it just made sense. Everybody needs it.” This revelation set Rob E. on his current path as a record-breaker at Senior Life Insurance Company.
In February, Rob E. passed $1 million in production. A remarkable achievement. “It’s just a great milestone, it’s cool, it’s a company record and it’s never been done before.” Rob doesn’t take all the credit for himself, however. Rob started at Senior Life seven and a half years ago, and in that time he’s grown his business and surrounded himself with top talent. Because he understands the importance of teamwork.
“It’s not just one person, it’s a great team of leaders that are plugged into one thing, writing business. Our recruiting numbers have gone through the roof. We recruited 200 people last month, you’re not going hit those numbers by yourself.” Rob has assembled what he calls an all-star team of leaders that are laser-focused on their job. They are persistent and consistent. Rob looks for agents who work like they are business owners. They have to want it as bad as he does. He knows this industry isn’t for everybody, so it’s important to find people who want it, who are hungry, the right people for the job.
Rob wasn’t initially a big goal setter until he entered the final expense business. He’s found setting goals paramount to success. As such, he now requires his leaders to send him their goals. A full set in fact: 30 days, 90 days, 180 days as well as year-long goals. He has his own goals of course. This recent accomplishment of $1 million in production doesn’t stop there. Rob’s not one for resting on his laurels. Next, he sets his sights on $1.25 million in production. For the year he wants to reach $16 million. “My ultimate goal is to have the team writing $5 million a month. I say that’s the ultimate goal but once we get to that we’ll probably be growing from there.”
The best advice Rob has for agents who want to someday be as successful as he has come from Senior Life Senior Vice President Eric Mitchell. One day Rob was having trouble, he was frustrated and
so he gave Eric a call. “Eric Mitchell is the one that told me this. I called him one day, and he told me you got to learn to focus on the things you can control.” At first, he was befuddled by such a statement, but as it settled in his thoughts it just made sense. “It goes to everything in life, we can get stuck, derailed, lost because we are focusing on stuff we can’t control.”
Rob couldn’t control the economy in 2008, but he could control his response to it. He set out into a whole new industry and initially stumbled but once he found his footing he thrived in it. He can’t control everything, but he can control hiring the right people, his all-star team of leaders. By managing what he can control and not getting lost in the muck and mire of what he can’t, he has built a career that has provided him the financial and lifestyle freedom he was always seeking.
