oProspecting. Whether by phone or face-to-face, prospecting is critical to sales success. In commercial lines, X-dating, especially for a new producer, is still one of the most effective ways to develop a nucleus of prospects. Drop-in calls on these prospects provide an opportunity to confirm the X-date and establish rapport.

oDeveloping centers of influence. This is like recruiting your own sales force that will work for you for free. Ideal centers of influence are people in leadership roles–in their churches, communities, schools, companies or organizations. Typically they come in contact with a lot of people who respect their opinions.

oParticipating in a networking group. Most successful salespeople understand the importance of belonging to an effective networking group. Many good accounts are almost impenetrable, except through referral. The best networking groups are those whose sole purpose is to develop referrals for their members.

oUsing a diagnostic appointment questionnaire to qualify every prospect. Even a brand-new producer's time is too valuable to waste on prospects who are not likely to buy.

Step No. 2: Plan for the execution of these critical activities and let nothing prevent them from taking place. Author Steven Covey includes the following story in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”:

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. As he stood in front of the group, he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” He then pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table. He produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?”

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel into the jar and shook it, causing the gravel to work down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand and dumped some in the jar until it filled the spaces between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good.”

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and poured it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things in it!” “No,” the speaker replied, “that's not the point.”

“This illustration teaches us that if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all.”

Producers need to know what their “rocks” are. It's easy for an entire day to slip by while a producer pushes paper or attends meetings. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into unmet sales goals. Prospecting should be a daily activity, scheduled on the producer's calendar just as a sales appointment would be. If X-dating phone calls are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, and a prospect asks for a 9 a.m. appointment, the producer's response should be, “I'm sorry, but I already have an appointment at that time. Can we get together at 2 p.m. instead?”

Producers should “sell all day, app all night.” Complete paperwork early in the morning or in the evening. Administrative detail cannot be allowed to take over prospecting and selling time.

Breakfast can be a great time to meet with prospects and centers of influence. They may be more likely to grant an appointment before they begin their work day, there may be fewer interruptions because you're not at their place of business, and breakfast is less expensive than lunch or dinner!

Producers should know their company markets, so they don't waste time with difficult-to-place accounts. They should place a dollar value on their time and be sure the account is worth the investment.

If the producer's primary job is to produce new business, the day should be measured by the amount of “face time” spent with people who can buy or who can refer people who can buy. Producers should never go to a scheduled appointment without making two prospecting visits on the way to the appointment–and two on the way back.

Step No. 3: Record completed sales activities. Salespeople have always hated completing reports, but having accurate records is the only way producers can be certain how they invest their time. When sales decline, it's normal for producers to think they need to become better closers or learn more ways to overcome objections. In reality, improper execution of traditional sales skills rarely accounts for a sales slump. Almost always, the problem is lack of prospecting activity. Without accurate records, it's impossible for producers to recognize this.

Kenneth Fields is an assistant vice president with The State Auto Insurance Cos. and co-developer of the PaceSetter new producer sales development program. Ken has been a personal coach to nearly 500 new property-casualty producers over the past 10 years. He is also on the national faculty for the National Alliance Marketing and Sales James K. Ruble Seminar. For information on The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research and its Dynamics of Selling program, call (800) 633-2165 or visit www.TheNationalAlliance.com.