Advance Team - Training Series

Our closing call of this series focuses on the ATP Core Values, and how they define not just our individual choices but our team culture. Jeremy Boles breaks it down for us as we strive to always Be The Best!

Many of us bring our own baggage and trust issues into this work environment. Any commission or sales job has the potential to isolate us and pull us apart. Here we explore the advantages to bonding together as a team, trusting the system, and leaning into a movement that is larger than ourselves! Some excellent insights here from expert agents Haydon and Josh S.

As we kick off a new series, hosts Tim and Ben lay the foundation for how to craft a mindset of working together. The lone wolf mentality of this type of sales can be very dangerous, and it's important to recognize that in a team environment everyone's choices affects the group. Adopting that level of trust and commitment can make us all better, and that's the topic of discussion for this first segment on teamwork!

Building off of the momentum we experienced at our annual conference, we invited Carol Wesley to sit down and give us some perspective on what it means to jump, how to face fears, and the value of teamwork. She truly inspires our agency to care more and work harder. This episode gives you a front-row seat to her vulnerability, determination, and empathy, so there are plenty of takeaways here for all.

To close out this epic series, we brought in Jeremy and Jimmy to discuss the benefits of leaning into your team. When you follow all the basics, you still win some and lose some. The ones who respond by isolating are in danger of fizzing out. On the other hand, when you trust a team of people who are in the trenches along with you and have your back, everyone becomes stronger. Some terrific lessons in this finale!

As we near the end of the series, it was important to cover what happens after you sell an application. There are many organizational touches to help you with your persistency, placement, and making a difference in your clients' lives! Tune in to hear Carol and Ben's processes of following through on all of the most important details to being a full service (and profitable) agent!

As our series is winding down, we need to tackle the pricing of our customers' plans and how to work within their affordability. We brought in the big guns Chris and Zach to walk us through the process of using multiple closing strategies to create a win-win while completing the sale. You might be surprised how little price has to do with it, despite what our clients tell us!

Sometimes we get to the very end of our sales process and still run into some obstacles. Fortunately we have Jimmy and Jay to walk us through the closing process and how to move forward when our clients put up a wall. These guys know how to stay in control when the going gets rough, so check out their insights in this next installment of back 2 basics!

A lackluster topic comes to life as we speak with some of the top field underwriters in the business, Tim and Jay! Learn not only what makes a good underwriter, but also how to become one using the numerous resources we have available to help sharpen your skills! Get more apps placed and help more families with the tips from this episode.

When conversing and presenting to your clients, it is important to have a road map of where you're going, as well as to check in to make sure they stay with you. Top producers Jeremy and Ben go into depth about maintaining control, timing, and pace of your appointments with solid transitions. But that by itself isn't enough - the guys define and break down the concept of tie downs, which are necessary for ensuring that your clients are with you every step of the way.

Everyone in our group follows a similar presentation that we share with clients, but everyone adds their own flair and personal touches to make it effective in reaching our clients on any level. Experts Carol and Tim provide insights into what each aspect of the presentation is intended to accomplish, as well as how to make it all flow together into an easy close. This episode is 100% essential to long-term success in selling!

Because we split CORE into two segments, this episode is exclusively about highlighting the emotion (or the why) behind our clients' needs. Because this is a heart-sale and not a transactional one, we need to be adept at digging below the surface and establishing how life insurance will protect the people who matter most to each and every client. Experts Zach and Jeremy break it down for us!

Arguably the most essential part of insurance sales is connecting and building trust with your clients. For this extremely important topic, we brought in Josh and Patti, both masters in this area, Their strategies and approaches are shared here liberally to help us all rise to any occasion as we get to know our clients. There is much to discover and room for all of us to grow in this skill set!

Getting in the door is what opens the gateway to everything in the sales process. This episode features Zach and Dameron give us an inside peek at their process of doorknocking, and how to stack the odds in your favor of getting in the home. Learn how to make a good first impression, handle objections, set later appointments, and more in this fundamental aspect of insurance sales!

For the third segment of our series, we enlist the expertise of Jason Ball and Carol Wesley to talk about our leads. There are different types and different approaches, but ultimately we know that lead represents opportunity. We spent some time going over some tactical ideas regarding our leads, but also focused heavily on the mindset with which we view our leads. "Whatever you believe about the leads is true!"

We had a fun time discussing the many little things that add up to big differences when it comes to preparing for your week! Thinking ahead, formulating habits, and establishing processes of efficiency were the focus of today's episode as we strive to maximize our revenue-generating activity hours and help more families to get protected.

To launch our reboot of Back 2 Basics 2.0 for 2019, Tim Wright and Dameron help us get started on the right foot with mental preparation. We discuss the intentional aspects of getting your head right long before you go see your clients, and go into detail about how to pave the way towards a successful week.

Probably the most down-to-earth, relatable episode we've ever done, we gather and share perspectives from agents who have various experience levels but who all have lived through some long drive-times on a workday. Those hours spent in isolation can be a breeding ground for fears, doubts, and negativity inside our minds, so Jeremy and Haydon and Josh help us break down the patterns of what is really happening in those moments, and how to fight those mental battles on a daily basis.

One of the most challenging and inspiring episodes we've ever done! Host Tim Wright asks Dameron Batson about his fast start here at Advance Team and how others can emulate his process. They cover everything from activity, reading, goals, momentum, accountability, and mindset - a fully comprehensive approach to maximizing potential in life insurance sales and becoming a true Difference Maker.

This is a special edition of Improving Your Game. Tracking your numbers is one of the most vital things we can do to measure our strengths and weaknesses, as well as our growth and improvement. This hour contains some takeaways about why that is so crucially important to an agent and an agency. From there we dive into the activity we track at the Advance Team and explain how this will help you take your success to the next level!

Our closing segment is headed up by Mr. Roger Short himself. He's here to help us grasp what might have gone wrong if our clients have identified a need and then either downplay it or backpaddle from it. If that does happen, this episode will help you respond in the best way possible to get the train back on track, and then help your clients move forward with your plan. This is a can't-miss finale!

This episode is the meat of the Need Sandwich! Chris does a deep dive with us on how to go about addressing our clients' needs with them once they have been discovered. We discuss the nuances and best approaches to helping our clients take ownership of their needs, as well as some excellent questions we recommend you ask during your sits!

Recognizing our clients' needs is absolutely crucial, but still second to helping them recognize those same needs. Chris is here to provide some context about how to understand the source of a need, the emotional attachment to it, and how to go about gathering information that will help us ultimately cover the need and give our clients more security.

As a follow up to our conversation on how to get your eyes on your clients' life insurance policies, we did a deep dive into what you'll see. This is an expert lesson on the language of the policies, what the numbers mean, and how to recognize what the coverage is and what it could be down the road. This is a must-listen for every agent in the industry!!

Here we explore the art and the science of getting your clients to show you their existing policies! No matter the reason why they may not be eager to oblige, we need to earn their trust and demonstrate that we can help them once we know what they have already in place. Last year's Advance Team #1 Producer James Himel weighs in on his approaches and shares a major success story.

To cap off this two part series, Tim brings it home with some challenging ideas and recommendations for combating our defeated feelings. He walks us through a progression from goals, to activity, to momentum, to joy, to growth, to confidence, and finally service. The heart of this perspective is what allows us to be bigger and better Difference Makers rather than the of victims of our own circumstances.

Leading off a relevant and relateable 2 part-series, Timothy Wright sets the stage of what's happening inside our heads when we get knocked down. Whether it's life, drama, bad luck, outside circumstances, or work, we all experience adversity and feel defeated sometimes. In this episode we discuss how to recognize patterns, diagnose the problem, be honest and vulnerable with yourself, and hone your skills of self-awareness so that you can put yourself in a position to get back up and keep fighting.

This is a content-heavy episode that's jam-packed with tips of how to use your insurance carriers toolbox effectively. Always strive to find the perfect balance between what's best for the client, what's best for the carrier, and what's best for you!

To close out our series, Zach lays out a thorough template for managing your personal finances in a world of 100% commission sales. Keeping the focus on your clients instead of yourself is key, so Zach offers a disciplined approach to help avoid added distractions and pressures when it comes to your money.

For the second installment of this series, "The Rev" Chris Ball breaks down the battle in between the ears. We all experience head games where our emotions get out of control and we mentally process things through our own limited perspectives. Sales brings all of these fears/insecurities to the surface! So to combat the negative thoughts we either think or feel about ourselves, Chris advises us to talk to a mentor, push through with increased activity, and be grateful for all of life's opportunities. This and more in a very worthwhile episode!

A new segment we will do from time to time is an interview with someone who can share their perspective on success and what it takes to get there. No one better to do just that than Ms Carol Wesley who knocks it out of the park on this episode. We talk about trust, support, fear, organization, self discipline, and making a difference - what each of us strive to do each and every day!

Batting lead-off in our new series is fan favorite Patricia Pemberton - aka Patti P - who is here to share her story of overcoming health problems. This is an inspiring message about self-care and controlling poor habits that can affect your health (such as sitting too much or not managing stress levels). The miracle of discipline is that by investing in your own health, you can keep yourself in business longer, have more clarity and energy, avoid debilitating issues, serve your clients better, and be more profitable in the long run!

While this seemed like it was going to be a tactical and pragmatic approach to outside-the-box problem solving when clients give us the "no money" excuse, this episode turned into one of the most heartfelt and passionate messages from the Advance Team. Please listen with opens minds and hearts as Carol and Zach share their mindsets and their stories about helping low-income families.

Sitting down with Zach Mac-Attack today led us to discover that our clients don't always give us accurate information (whether it's on purpose or not). Since what we hear isn't always trustworthy at face value, we need to take ownership of the situation to determine what's really going on. Hear from the master on diagnosing what's true and false from the ones who probably need our help the most!

What does it take to get from a door knock to a sit? Friends and experts Chris and Jeremy share insights, tips, and banter during this discussion about the 5 things that put you in the best position to move forward after your first interaction with a new client. Some good lessons and good laughs here!

In the series finale, Jeremy Boles is back to tackle another difficult persona - the client who claims not to be interested. Which of the 5 real reasons that people don't buy is behind that statement? How do we as the agent respond? When do we dig in and when do we walk away? How do we help someone who doesn't appear to want help? All this and more packed into a message of determination in today's episode.

On to another difficult sales scenario, today we talk about the person who just wants to hang on to their own policy and won't let you replace it with yours. It can be a complicated and challenging situation with lots to consider, but also can greatly benefit you and your clients when done right. We hope this conversation will help you improve your clients' situations and increase your annual premium this week!

In our first series of the new year, Jeremy Boles drops in to talk about some of the toughest customers we run into - the ones who claim they can't afford coverage. We discuss how to understand where your client is coming from, overcoming that objection, and moving forward to assisting them much-needed protection.

Kicking off the new year, we have friend and local entrepreneur Scott Wilson drop some wisdom about setting goals! More specifically we talked about the mindset behind setting goals, how not to limit yourself, to get help, the break things down into achievable sizes, focusing on process rather than results, and much more. This one is full of nuggets to assist you in visualizing what the new year could mean for you!

On the final podcast of the year, Ben and Chris sit down to discuss the concept of being a generous person. Whether it's a one-time thing or a way of life, whether it's an option or a responsibility, and whether it has an immediate result or a no result whatsoever, being generous changes us and turns us into the person we're supposed to be. As a life insurance agent, our clients respond to that. As we go into the new year, this episode will hopefully challenge all of us to be more generous in every area of our lives!

This informal segment features the voices of our Louisville-area crew sharing their experience of traveling together and sell together on the road. We journeyed a few hours away from our typical market and stayed at a hotel, challenging each other and keeping each other focused and accountable to work hard going into the Christmas season. There are some sensational insights as well as some fun jokes in this episode!

In this segment our host goes solo on the topic of leaning into discipline when your motivation wavers. This message is intended to help you push out of your comfort zone and realize your full potential. The steps are simple but not easy, so challenge yourself to reach further and work harder and dream bigger!

To bring our series to a "close" we brought in the expert, Jimmy "The Edge" Fraser who knows how to help clients move forward and take action to protect their families. We're joined also by Chris Ball as we discuss sharing the hard truths in spite of objections and excuses we may get when we have a client's best interest in mind. This one will help you solidify your sales at the end of your appointments!

In the middle of this extended conversation called Getting Real, we sat down with expert advisors Zach McElwain and Jeremy Boles to swap strategies on giving a personalized and engaging sales presentation every single time you sit down with a new client. This episode is full of practical examples and effective sayings you can use in your very next appointment!

Beginning a powerful new series with Top Producer and Difference Maker Patricia Pemberton, we discuss what trust building ought to look like in the first phase of a sales appointment. Patti P expertly walks us through her strategies to relating to clients, digging below the surface, and having tough conversations with them. She answers the question of how to be yourself while pushing yourself out of your comfort zone!

In this solo episode, Chris Ball and Roger Short join our round table to discuss Momentum and the impact it has on sales. How do you gain momentum? How do you maintain it? Why is it more profitable than having consistent average sales? Why is getting an early start so vital? We talk about all of that - plus holiday sales - in this MOMENTOUS episode!

Closing out our series, Roger Short offers us a veteran's take on what accountability looks like over time. We discuss mentorship, community, goals, humility, trust, and more - this one is filled to the brim with wisdom and perspective!

Building on our conversation from last week on accountability, Senior Agent and Difference Maker Mark Jaunet gives us the inside scoop on what it looks like to be accountable. The practice of being transparent, participating in a trustworthy community, tracking progress towards goals, and pushing himself past his comfort zone are all aspects of his system of Giving Account.

Fresh off our annual conference, we're kicking off a brand new series by speaking with Senior Advisor and team leader Tim Wright on the topic of accountability. Tim shares how his "Why" requires outside motivators to keep him on track. He has decided to Take Account of what matters and linked arms with a team that will help him get where he wants to go in his business and his life.

To close their series, Chris and Jeremy talk about depression and how mental battles can cause paralysis in the field. Dealing with the feeling that nothing matters is something most of us have experienced on some level (medically and otherwise) so here is some context as well as some mind-hacks for being successful in spite of the voices that lie to us in our heads.

Continuing their series on Head Games, Chris and Jeremy build on their talk from last week by discussing next steps in the face of anxiety. The relationship between anxiety and fear, recognizing you're not alone, and the importance of asking for help are all unpacked here in an episode to which we can all relate!