So back to blocking and tackling we went. See if this also can help you as you plan to get the rest of 2010 on track. It looks something like this:

1. 1,000 prospects
2. 200 face-to-face meetings in 2010 (20 percent)
3. 100 protection reviews in 2010 (convert 50 percent)
4. 60 presentation of solutions (60 percent conversion)
5. 24 new accounts at 40 percent close ratio
6. $3,000 average commission per account
7. $72,000 in new revenues as our 2010 goal.

Here are a series of tools to help you achieve your sales goals.

First tool: Prospects. We need a minimum of 500 names in our list, but preferably 1,000 names to begin x-dating and pre-qualifying. Work toward building your list 100 at a time based on your strengths, agency strengths and your expertise.

Second tool: No matter what other activities you have, plan to sit with and have meaningful conversations with 200 buyers this year (that's about four a week) and don't focus on their x-dates but rather on their relationships with the incumbent agent and what pains and issues we can identify to help us put them in a better place.

Third tool: Of those 200 folks, about 50 percent will have some reasons to have further conversations with you. That's the 100 we need to identify because those and only those have any value in getting their x-dates; it's called pre-qualifying. These are the ones we'll actually work on this year and take a step toward developing a formal “presentation of solutions” proposal that specifically identifies and solves an issue-pain-need based on their value system and in their priority order.

Fourth tool: Of the 100 we started with, about 60 of those go all the way to proposal. Fallout includes those with open claims, poor credit and a better product than we can offer or an inability to fire their current agent. These 60 are what we refer to as “super qualified.” That means we have an overwhelming chance of earning their business. We never quote just to practice the concept of giving our work away for free.

Fifth tool: Your close ratio. It's like underwear–everyone's is a little different, but you should know yours. We used 40 percent. We know super producers hover around 70 percent to 80 percent and the mediocre hover around 25 percent. Based on that ratio, we know how much activity we need. It's the horsepower that drives our sales machine. If you don't know your closing ratio, you're walking around with your underwear in your back pocket!

Sixth tool: The average revenue per account. This single number becomes most producers' nightmare. One of the folks in our sales meeting had three pages of renewals for June and the average account revenue size was $900. He has no time for new business and no opportunity to ever create a higher income. As you grow your book of business, continue to raise the size of the accounts; if you're strapped with a stream full of minnows rather than trophy fish, get rid of them.

Seventh tool: What is your revenue goal for this year? We should all have one. We promise that if you do this exercise and follow the plan, you will make significant professional progress this year. Would you believe only about 12 percent of the agencies we see around the country have any plans at all, and even fewer of them have set aside a specific budgeted amount of dollars to pay for the growth?

So based on all of this, what does activity look like for the successful producer?

Activity goals
There are approximately 1,000 prospects in the territory. Based on those 1,000 we can assume the following.

In order to get 200 face-to-face meetings we must:
o Assume we have a minimum of 46 working in a year
o Mail 1,000 pieces of mail annually, 22 pieces per week
o Make 50 phone calls per week
o Conduct five interactive fact-gathering face-to-face meetings per week from the 50 phone calls
o Make two presentations per week from those five face-to-face interviews
o Write 24 new accounts annually at $3,000 average commission.

Marketing focus
Start your marketing:
o Identify the top 25 communities where you desire to work.
o Identify 10 accounts in each community (you can get these through referrals if you ask your top 10 accounts to help you build a list of 10 quality accounts they can introduce you to).
o Target the mailings to those communities in priority order.
o Visit those communities after mailing and spend a day or two. You'll quickly identify anyone you may have missed and eliminate those that don't qualify.
o Schedule face-to-face meetings with the ones you feel good about and begin the sales process by completing the diagnostics.
o Don't be afraid to cold call on an account while in a community.

Please have the courage to follow a plan. You'll be amazed at how gratifying and rewarding a fun-filled and busy financially productive year can be.