#5: Chet Holmes on building the ‘ultimate sales machine’

On this episode, Paul talks with bestselling business author Chet Holmes on the topic of how to build the "ultimate sales machine." Unfortunately, Chet passed away. But his material not only lives on, it’s as relevant today as it’s ever been.

Imagine owning a business that practically runs itself, where prospects seek you out. Where your marking and presentations are highly effective and systematic, and with a back office that processes every piece of business with minimal glitches.

What insurance agent or financial advisor wouldn’t want to possess the “ultimate sales machine,” which happens to be the title of Chet’s best-selling book. According to Chet, any insurance producer can apply the four strategies immediately to make his or her business a sales machine.

SHOW NOTES:

02:30  Chet says one of the things insurance agents don’t do very well is target effectively. He suggests this can be remedied by what he calls “the best buyer strategy” – picking a small group of ideal buyers that you want to land and marketing to them relentlessly and efficiently.

08:45  Many insurance agents and financial advisors focus on marketing to consumers, but Chet’s strategy is to go after business owners, who are at the end of the day consumers. Why does he recommend this strategy?

10:40  Chet’s second strategy for achieving amazing results involves crafting a "prepitch" to grab people's attention and quickly position yourself as a solutions provider.

16:05  Let’s say you’re an insurance agent and you send that letter out to 300 CEOs – and you get a call back. Where do you begin?

20:50  There isn’t a salesperson in the world who doesn’t want to get in front of more prospects.

24:15  How to make the prospect say “wow!”

26:45  Chet’s third concept is growing your business by hiring sales people to work for you – something he calls “the superstar growth strategy.” That’s where you hire other sales people to multiply your efforts.

31:35  Not everyone possesses a strong ego and empathy. Chet says a superstar can’t rely on ego alone – they need both.

36:30  The fourth and probably most important step for anyone that owns an insurance or financial practice – or eventually wants to – is being committed to incremental improvements and having "pigheaded discipline."