Website design By BotEap.comThe concept of the China Egg Syndrome has a fascinating beginning. Most people have no idea what a porcelain egg really is. The story goes back to the early 1960s. A life/health insurance coach had one on his desk. It’s usually a nice decorative item, an egg-shaped piece of colored glass or porcelain set on a small gilt metal stand. Maybe you’ve seen one. This particular piece was used as an agent training exhibit. Here is the meaning.

Website design By BotEap.comMost agents, whether new or veteran, have a problem. And, if they don’t fix this particular problem, they are likely to go out of business. It’s that easy. As any successful practitioner of salesmanship will agree, one must be on a never-ending drive to find, develop, and close leads. The search for people and companies that are receptive to our products and services is continuous. In the insurance business, that means using all sources and methods to gain access to those who might be receptive to what we have to offer. Then we need to get them to buy into the political solutions we offer.

Website design By BotEap.comYou would think that finding clues is important but not crucial. Let me debunk that whole notion. It is the life blood of the sale; insurance is no exception. Closing leads to produce business and commissions is the penultimate step in the process. The final step is service and conservation. The main aspect is therefore to develop a constant and fresh flow of good prospects; Which everyone knows is the hard part.

Website design By BotEap.comNow we come to the subject of this comment. In poker jargon, it means knowing when to hold and knowing when to fold. In insurance sales terms, it means knowing when to continue developing the lead (sit back and nurture that egg, please) until it turns into a sale. It means knowing how and when to recognize that one is sitting on a sales floor, (an egg) one that will never hatch, a porcelain egg. Don’t think this is easy. It is not. And to retain and spend time, energy, effort, calls, forwarding, additional contacts and interviews, and worrying about well-developed leads, works in progress, that we’ve really become attached to because we’ve put a lot of effort into them. , is the bane of too many successful business sellers. At some point, we must part with this porcelain egg. It’s almost like saying goodbye to an old friend, a deadly old friend.

Website design By BotEap.comThe way out of this enigma is to turn the problem into a process. It requires organization and discipline. Here is one way to do it. Once the lead sheets are turned into product/service proposal folders, and after the first one is closed, we begin the search to determine if the proposed solutions are eggs that will hatch or are porcelain eggs. From here things get interesting. From here the sales begin. From here the most creative excuses begin. From here, most of the time, prospective buyers start to dwindle (difficult to locate, won’t return phone calls, don’t answer voicemails, emails, faxes, follow-up letters). All seasoned advisory agents have experienced them; therefore, there is no need to burden readers with either.

Website design By BotEap.comThe straight forward process is three notices (follow up) and you’re done. I know this is hard, but it’s the lifesaver. It obviously makes good sense to retain some in a suspense file for future follow-up. When one comes along a few months later, you may want to try again. i say do it There’s something about finding a folder 8 months later that gives it a new look. And sometimes, the porcelain egg turns into a real one and hatches. In some cases, you might even receive a call! It has happened to all of us.

Website design By BotEap.comI even have a FINAL resting place for a few of my very choice porcelain eggs in the back office morgue file. You know, just in case? When this process has been completed and most of the porcelain eggs have been discarded, you will find that you have served yourself best by serving yourself well and in a disciplined manner. The process from initial closure to final disposal can take a few days, weeks, or at most a month. That’s with breathers between follow-ups and all. You know you’re doing it right when you notice you’re not accumulating big files from thick folders that are getting older and more numerous! I have known agents who have kept these lead files for so long that prospects have died! Keep them moving.

Website design By BotEap.comYou know you’re doing it right when you’re constantly receiving new leads, working on them (HARD), and vigorously dismissing most of them, using the “one, two, three tries and you’re out” procedure. all in a fairly short time. It is a judgment call. And by keeping a suspense file, you still retain the chance to pull off a sale every once in a while. Turnover is the name of the game. It’s quite liberating. Time to move on. Here are two final thoughts. 1. Our only stock in trade is time and skill. 2. Eggs from China are nothing more than a waste of time, something like sinkholes, which must be disposed of in a reasonable, quick but orderly manner. Good sale everyone.