Episode Summary
Kristy Sanford, a small business insurance agent, joins Meg McKeen as they talk about success in insurance sales - it has less to do with selling and more to do with listening - and the important distinction between being content and being happy.
In This Episode
00:00 - 03:20 | Meg welcomes Kristy Sanford to Bound & Determined℠. Kristy is an insurance agent, helping small business owners to build business insurance programs.
03:21 - 06:00 | Kristy shares more about her decision to join an insurance agency after spending time as a small commercial sales rep for an insurance carrier.
06:01 - 08:59 | The past year helped Kristy to realize she missed being close to the small businesses she was helping. After some deliberation, Kristy knew she was content but not happy.
09:00 - 10:53 | Change can be hard; it means saying goodbye to friends and colleagues, but it also means welcoming new colleagues and clients into your world.
10:54 - 12:09 | When relationships can transcend a conversation about insurance, you know you've made an impact on your client. It's the best feeling, isn't it?
12:10 - 14:59 | Kristy shares more on the difference between being content and being happy. Why don't we take more chances in our lives and careers?
15:00 - 16:49 | It's okay to question our job satisfaction - to wonder if there might be something else out there. So much of our past experience informs our future decisions.
16:50 - 18:59 | The leap? It doesn't have to be huge! Meg waxes on divorcing our careers - will this be normalized in our lifetime?
19:00 - 22:21 | What makes Kristy Sanford great? What makes you great? Kristy is an expert listener and will never "always be closing."
22:22 - 24:23 | Kristy talks us through an example of her sales style. What works in role-playing won't work in reality.
24:24 - 26:39 | Empathy goes a long way in building long-term relationships. Fear-based sales may have worked in the past, but our clients are craving something different.
26:40 - 27:44 | When you are 100% who you are, the people who value you for that will find you.
27:45 - 29:29 | Kristy's roots are in small business. Though she's not up for entrepreneurship, she respects it and is glad to be part of solving the insurance puzzle - and others - for her clients.
29:30 - 31:59 | It can be hard to make a living selling small business insurance. The numbers don't always make sense. Kristy shares her perspective and why she's here for the long term.
32:00 - 34:49 | You don't know when small business might become big business! And even insurance agents don't get it right every time.
34:50 - 37:43 | Holding space for these conversations is important, and we're not alone. And a final thought on competition. There's more than enough to go around, isn't there?
Kristy Sanford is a commercial lines account manager for Robertson Ryan & Associates. Learn more about the work she does when you connect with her on LinkedIn, or send her a message here.
To learn more about the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance salespeople, through private coaching and workshop facilitation, visit Adjunct Advisors.
To stay up-to-date on offerings, ideas, and Meg's latest travel plans, subscribe to To Taking the Risk here.
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