We are beyond grateful to have been able to get to know renowned Performance Coach Ben Newman. When we had the chance to interview him for our podcast last month, he said, “What I’m excited about today is to connect you to your burn, your fire, your stories to make this AEP, and the finish to your year, the best possible.”
Ben has worked with professional athletes in the NFL, PGA, NMA, MLB, UGC, and NCAA as well as clients from a multitude of Fortune 500 companies. We’re lucky to have the chance to work with Ben at Senior Market Advisors.
As you can imagine, Ben is a busy man. So when Sarah and Jessica over at the “Selling SMART with Senior Market Advisors” podcast had the chance to ask him questions for 40 minutes, we all got out our pens!
Head over and listen to podcast episode #18, “Ben Newman on How to Be a Top Performer,” to listen in.
In the meantime, we’ll give you a quick overview.
Turning Your Fear and Doubts into Passion
What’s amazing about Ben’s advice is that you can truly relate it to any aspect of your life. When asked to introduce himself, Ben explained that he was talking to Sarah and Jessica because one of his own passions today is “connecting to YOUR story, and YOUR purpose, and YOUR passion.”
Ben had to learn from a very young age how to “live every single day in the face of adversity and challenge,” but every challenge he faced in his life is a part of his story and has led to his passion today. Ben is encouraging us all to take our stories and turn them into our passions.
You can take that advice and use it in your personal life, but hear Ben’s words regarding AEP sales, “There’s probably an uncomfortable fear, doubts, what’s going to happen, but turn it into passion. Turn it into energy. Connect to that burn… and you’ll have a more successful AEP.”
Whatever your fears are – personal or professional – use them to drive you forward. Use it to light a fire, or as Ben says, use it as your “burn” to push you forward. Use them to find passion in your career and in everything you do.
Want to hear more about finding your burn and your passion? Subscribe now to listen to Selling SMART and get insight on how understanding your burn can drive you to have a more successful AEP!
Subscribe to Selling SMART with Senior Market Advisors podcast to hear the full conversation at www.seniormarketadvisors.com/podcast
How Your Attitude Shapes Your Success
Let’s face it – sometimes, no matter what our “burn” is that is pushing us forward, there are days where we are just not motivated. We don’t want to get out of bed, we don’t feel like driving to another appointment just to hear another “no,” and we don’t want to put our best foot forward.
When you listen to our Selling SMART podcast with Ben Newman, you’ll hear Ben tell an abridged version of the story of his mother being diagnosed with a rare disease. He talks briefly about how his mother would find a way (with the help of her nurses) to get to the dinner table every night and talk to her sons.
Ben remembers this and says, “If my mother could show up through that, then I can fight through somebody telling me no on the telephone…I can fight through something disappointing that happens to me. And it’s just provided perspective for me. And I’m not the only one with a story, everyone who’s listening, you have a story too.”
Just like his mother, Ben promotes having a positive outlook on life and using that positivity to feed into your success.
Still, Sarah, Jessica, and Ben all admit that sometimes that isn’t enough. Sometimes there is not enough fuel in your fire, and you need something to reignite it.
Shape Your Own Environment
Ben, Sarah, and Jessica all admitted that some days it’s harder to keep your positive outlook than others.
Podcast host Jessica Vara asked Ben about what he does in those times where he’s feeling unmotivated. and Ben responded, “Focus on what you can control, which is your attitude, your effort, your beliefs through AEP rather than allowing your feelings to dictate how you show up…. just live to the standard one day at a time, but focus on that environment that causes you to stay positive.”
Ben encourages shaping your environment to set yourself up for positivity. That could mean something different for every person.
Sometimes, it’s the little things. Playing your favorite music as you’re driving to your appointments, scheduling yourself meditation breaks, treating yourself to an extra cup of coffee…any of these things can contribute to a more positive attitude throughout your day.
Sometimes, there are more permanent changes you can make that can affect your outlook. For starters, many of our insurance agents spend 6+ hours in their cars every day. Make sure your car is comfortable. Keep snacks and drinks in your car for those moments when your meetings run over and you don’t have time for lunch. For those who work from home, set up a home office that you love. Print out pictures of your family or whatever makes you happy.
Set yourself up for positivity and success.
Ben Newman’s Goal Setting Advice
At Senior Market Advisors, we’re big fans of the “S.M.A.R.T” goal-setting method. Ben is also a huge fan of documenting reasonable goals both in your personal and professional life.
In regards to what your goals should look like, Ben says, “If your goals are going to bigger for 2020 than they were for 2019, you’re thinking bigger, you’re going to be more excited.” Regardless of what your goals are, if they are bigger than they were last year, you’re more likely to fuel a fire.
In a way, that sounds obvious, right? Well, of course, you should shoot for bigger numbers each year. But, Ben is saying more than that. He’s saying that it’s hard to get excited when you’re not challenging yourself. Of COURSE, you’re going to sell more next year, because you’ll have that many more pre-existing clients in your book. You’ll also have more experience and will have learned from more mistakes. So, of COURSE, you can plan on selling seven to ten percent more year over year.
Imagine how much more exciting and challenging it could be if you set a goal to out-sell yourself by 20 percent or more next year! In fact, 20 percent probably sounds scarier than it really is. If you sell 150 policies during AEP, that means you have to shoot for 170 next year. That’s not impossible when you put in the work.
Ben also suggests starting on your goals for next year as soon as October. Given the nature of AEP, that may be a bit of a challenge, but you should at least start thinking about them by the end of December. Ben suggests that people who wait until January to start thinking about what they want to get out of their year are less likely to be excited about the year ahead – because it’s already started. However, if you’re already psyching yourself up about next year in October, you’re going to come into January feeling empowered and ready to take your year by storm.
High-Performance Sales Process
Ben’s first step towards establishing a high-performance sales process is to ask, “what are the pieces of your process that have caused you to have success in the past?” Ben says that while he could share what works for him, you have to figure out what works for YOU.
He also suggests sharing your stories. Of course, you’ll have to stay compliant with CMS and HIPAA – no sharing names or plan details – but sharing stories of how you’ve helped people in the past and connecting with people creates trust and can really increase your sales rate.
You have to be more than a salesperson. In fact, at Senior Market Advisors, our mission is to “serve the underserved.” If you are not providing a top-quality service, and if you are not truly helping people and creating change through your sales, why are you selling at all?
It all goes back to your “why,” or your “burn,” as Ben would call it.
Read this post from our CEO about finding your “why.”
To subscribe to our “Selling SMART” podcast and to hear more from Ben Newman, click here.
To share our “why” (serving the underserved) and start selling with Senior Market Advisors, click here.
