Telling it like it is

It's ironic. When we approach new agencies, one of the first questions they always have is "How long have you been in business?".

My sales team seems to have a bit of a hiccup with this question. Were brand-new. And for some reason their gut reaction is that that is some sort of a sin. It is almost like being a new is a problem. Like every great company didn't have a first today.

It would seem that the question is a way for the agents to quickly assess whether we are competent or not. I find it odd because so many of the people in my particular industry, insurance, really are not competent and somehow have managed to stay in business for 30 years.

Further, I have been in negotiations with the company that has been around more than 75 years on a joint venture project. The ironic thing is that the forward thinking people in that organization have come to the conclusion that "we have all the advantages and disadvantages of being a 75-year-old company. Lime Tree needs to slow down a bit so are people, who are set in their ways, can keep up"

So I started taking some of the calls myself. When the question came up I simply said "we are brand-new". And it seemed to satisfy the person asking the question. I can tell you that I get just as many requests for proposal from these agents as my sales team gets from one's when they dance around the question.

I think it comes down to this: Agents want to quickly assess whether we are competent or not. If we dance around the question, they will sense that we believe something is wrong. We don't believe anything is wrong. If we answer the question directly they will soon realize that we are in fact very competent because they see the way we do our job.

The other advantage of simply telling it like it is, is that, Americans like an underdog and people like to help people. If I take honest feedback from my agents to heart, they will give me the latitude that they would never give an established company. I also get them as a champion who has helped me and has "buy in" for my success.

It's so funny how the basic premises of business come down to what your mother taught you when you were four years old.