There are two dominant feelings that usually affect our desire to sell: fear and shame. How do we beat thoughts that bring fear and shame? Many times it is those two feelings that take over and hold us back from making significant growth.

If you want to make a significant breakthrough, or sometimes when we feel like we are stuck, mostly it revolves around two things: mindset and skill set. What can we do so we can be confident and overcome the shame, whether it is being ourselves or our being insurance advisors?

How we see this profession will affect how our prospects respond. It’s not the other way around. When we call our prospects, what is in your mind? Is it that we are here to give and not to take something from them? And, secondly, do you believe that what we give them changes uncertainty to certainty? This gives peace of mind. That’s beautiful, right? And, lastly, do you believe that what you do is meaningful? For those of us who have been here for quite some time and have experience in helping our clients to claim their benefits, we know that, and we can see how grateful they are for how their insurance can help them in the darkest days of their life. If you are quite new in the industry, you can borrow the belief from our leaders or our friends so you can picture yourself as a professional insurance advisor.

If we have the right mindset, we will no longer wait to take that action. But before we go there, as you go through the selling cycle, please do think about what has been holding you back all this time. If you notice that usually when you are stuck or you feel like you can’t make that significant breakthrough, identify what’s been holding you back all this time. Is it that we just don’t know how to do it? Or is it that there is something wrong with our mindset?

Let’s carry on to the second feeling: fear. Many times I was afraid because I was not sure about what to say or do. So what I do is prepare tools to help myself get ready to go out in the field. I believe that better preparation can boost confidence. Let’s say our goal this year is to repeat our MDRT, or, for those of us who have been a repeat MDRT, we decide to level up to Court of the Table. If we have the right resources and the skill it takes to get to our goal, we would be more confident, right?

Time, network, health and energy can be the resources to reach our goals. Out of these three, our network is the asset that we can use to reach our goal. That result is the combination of market, activities and skill. This can help us to reach our goals. For example, maybe the result you want this year is to add another $100,000 to your production; then it will be the combination of our market, which is our average case size, and then you can calculate your closing ratio and your activities. Our time, our mindset and our energy will reflect in our activities. Do we have enough time to reach our goals? Do we have enough energy and the fitness to actually do what it takes?

When I started this career, it was really hard for me because I needed to know what I would say. When I call my prospects and they ask me things, what do I say? How do I answer them? So what do I do? I prepare scripts. This has helped me a lot.

The first one is a script on self-introduction, as in we share what we do. The second is a script on why we call or message our prospect that day. The third is to have a script to ask them to meet on site or online. And, lastly, I have a script on why I chose this profession.

We can start by chatting or discussing a topic, and when it’s comfortable enough, we can say something like “I want to tell you that I’ve been in the insurance industry the past 10 years. And since I’ve learned a lot, I’ve found financial concepts that are interesting and suitable for me.” Then after that we can find something in common that makes us want to share it with them. Something like “I thought since we’re about the same age, it might be interesting for you too.” Or if your kids are about the same age, you can say something like “I thought since our kids are about the same age, who knows, it might be useful for you too.” And if their profile is completely different from yours, say something like “Lately, I’ve met several clients whose profiles were similar to yours, and they said this was interesting.”

And don’t forget to end with “I wanted to share this with you. What if we set a date at a convenient time? Are you free next Thursday or Friday?” Always give them two choices because it will be easier for them to make that time for you.