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No Risk, No Nothing

If you have been an insurance sales producer longer than 10 minutes, you know all about risk.

A risk is defined as “exposure to danger.”

Danger surrounds insurance producers every day. It could be in the form of a manager, company, prospect, client, product, or service. That list could go on and on, but the key point is that risk is clear everywhere you turn.

I believe you could categorize sales risks into three areas:

Risk of rejection
Risk of failure
Risk of financial hardship

These three risks highlight that even though the sales profession is the highest paid industry in the world, only a small percentage of the population enters this line of work. Furthermore, an even a smaller percentage of sales producers survive.

I have dealt with these three risks consistently in my own sales career. Although the context of these three risks has evolved over the years, the consequences have not.

Embrace Risk

While the fear of failure, rejection, and financial hardship are real, they are often preventing you from taking the necessary risks to overcome them.

As sales author Jeffrey Gitomer says, “Some people say no risk, no reward. I say no risk, no nothing.”

There is nothing in sales that doesn’t require a certain level of risk.

There is also nothing positive in sales that can occur without taking a risk.

Risk of Rejection

This is the most common risk in sales. Rejection isn’t just part of the sales process, it is the sales process.

Prospects will say no. Prospects will say no often. Prospects will sometimes reject you in a way that will make you want to crawl up and go hide in a deep, dark hole.

So what?

If you get one “yes” for every nine “no’s”, that means that every rejection is one more no closer to getting the yes that you want.

Plus, every “no” is a learning experience that will improve your 1 out 10 closing ratios to 3, 5 or even 8 out of 10. The important question is; “Are you willing to take a hard look at how to learn and improve.”

Experience is a good teacher, but evaluated experience is the best teacher.

You never lose if you always learn.

It’s a matter of perspective and attitude. Rejection can be looked at in two ways.

Rejection affirms that a prospect does not like you or your product/service or
Rejection has allowed you to get better and move one step closer to someone who wants, needs, and will benefit from you and your product/service.

Rejection will forever be a part of the sales cycle, but the only real risk of rejection is if you allow yourself to allow it to hold you back from greatness.

Risk of Failure

This risk goes a step beyond rejection. It’s one thing to be rejected, but another thing to fail.

If you take no action because you are paralyzed by the risk of failure, then you have failed.
If you give up because of rejection or other negative experiences, then you have failed.

Everything else is just part of the process.

Daily purposeful actions mitigate the risk of failure. In fact, daily purposeful actions destroy the risk of failure.

Why?

If you are moving with purpose, even at a snail’s pace, you are at least still moving.

The only way you are motionless is when you haven’t started or when you simply stop. Temporary failures are not permanent unless you allow them to be.

You control the risk of failure, never let it control you.

Risk of Financial Hardship

The last high-level risk that insurance sales professionals face is the risk of financial hardship. Simply put, this means no sale, no money.

Whereas the first two risks are emotional, this risk is tangible.

There are bills to pay, obligations to meet, and in many cases, other family members to care for and protect.

While this fear is often a reason people decide not to go into sales at all, it’s also the reason others make a tremendous income in the sales industry.

While fear can be paralyzing to some, fear is motivating to others. It’s not to pretend that this risk doesn’t exist, it means the opportunity outweighs the risk.

In no other profession do you have full control of your destiny. No, you can’t control every outcome, but you can control your attitude, work ethic, and daily actions.

The best example I can give is the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” If you haven’t yet watched this movie, put it on your must-watch list. If you have already watched it, watch it again.

This is a story of one man who faced overwhelming odds and true financial hardship only to overcome these odds and achieve success. Not because he was the smartest or had the best products and services, but because he believed and he persisted.

You can do the same.

Years and years ago, making a sale consisted of leaving the cave, finding food, and dragging it back home. Today, you just need to have a plan of action, persistence, and the ability to take a risk.

By the way, no saber tooth tiger is waiting to eat you.

Remember, no risk...no nothing.

Your opportunity awaits, but it’s up to you to seize it.

Dare to risk!

Brent Kelly is an executive coach, speaker, and trainer for The Sitkins Group where he helps independent insurance agencies Sell More, Retain More and Earn More with our new All Inclusive Agency Training.