By Brandie Hinen

Great Producers, like great athletes, don’t happen by accident. They are extremely disciplined and focused on the behaviors that will produce the greatest results. Their application of specific practices, determination and focus is what propels them from average to exceptional. Do you have the skills of a Great Producer? Want to achieve more? Keep reading!

1. Great Producers don’t discover customers, they create them. Just as there are good producers and bad producers, there are good customers and bad customers. The best producers have defined the traits and patterns of good customers and seek to work with those customers alone. They focus time on activities that will generate additional income. Bad customers create problems and waste valuable time for everyone in the organization. If you have never done so, list seven answers for the following statement: MY IDEAL CLIENT IS:
2. Great Producers fish in stocked ponds not open oceans. As great anglers study to find the best fishing holes and are constantly finding the best equipment or resources to catch prize-winning fish, Great Producers decide what they want, educate themselves on the industries and relationships they choose to work, and utilize the best tools to accomplish their goals. Great producers pursue excellence in their knowledge of a defined field and are able to provide the best information and service to their customer base.
3. Great Producers conduct a formal customer needs assessment prior to making product recommendations. Too often we see that producers focus on what will make them the most money and not necessarily what is best for the customer. Chasing the money alone is a short-sighted approach that will harm your book of business in a very short period of time. Great performers ask questions and listen intently to determine the personality, wants and needs of the buyer versus making self-focused, cookie-cutter recommendations.
4. Great Producers educate rather than “sell”— they provide their customers with enough information to make informed decisions. A Great Producer has to speak on a level that the customer can understand. No one likes to be sold but all of us enjoy buying things and building relationship with people we like and feel comfortable with. After conducting a formal needs assessment, great performers seek to align their program or services with that of the buyer. If it doesn’t appear to be a good fit, they respectfully decline to pursue things until a better time for both parties.
5. Great Producers go beyond product to provide their customers with value, integrity and trust. Peak performers don’t assume to know what is important to the buyer. They care to own a different perspective by discovering the needs of the other first. None of us really ever buys anything from anyone we don’t like or trust. Great Producers care about their reputation. I say that the TRUE DEFINITION of BRANDING is what others say about you when you leave the room. Do you have the courage to really stand for your values? Would your coworkers say that you are a person who develops trusting relationships with others? If the only time you talk to your customer is during a claim or renewal, or the only time you invest time in your account manager is when you want something, then you don’t understand this concept. The best producers provide more in value than they take in compensation.
   6. Great Producers are heavily networked within the industry and their community. Great producers are known as “connectors.” They pursue relationship based on a drive to assist others in achieving their objectives. Do you have the character to truly serve others without expecting anything in return? Networking is not about keeping score or asking for a return favor; it is about being the person that cares to help meet the needs of customers, acquaintances, friends, and ultimately you will find, abundant new business referrals. Seem to be too fluffy of an approach? Consider the alternative: When was the last time you met someone who clearly had an agenda to “get” something from you? Not a great feeling; like you were being used. In fact, your brain was screaming, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” “DO WHAT YOU CAN TO GET OUT OF THIS! QUICK, HURRY, HE’S LOOKING AWAY. RUN FOR THE EXIT!” Don’t be that person. There is an old saying, “If you help enough other people get what they want, you will always have what you want.”
   7. Great Producers work exclusively with those who want to work with them. Super performers surround themselves with like-minded individuals who share knowledge, insight and value in their relationships. Remember that just because you are ready to sell does not mean the buyer is ready to buy. Do yourself and your organization a favor: find out quickly whether you and the buyer are a good fit. If you have aligned yourself to understand the needs of the buyer, asked questions and listened intently, you will know the answer with certainty. Sometimes things are just not meant to be, and you shouldn’t waste your time with customers who don’t want to or who aren’t ready to work with you.
   8. Great Producers establish “rules of engagement.” A Great Producer respects the value of their customer’s time and in the same way expects the same in return. Super performers build mutual trust and respect in the selling process. How does the buyer make decisions? Is the buyer connected to a firm relationship with the incumbent agent or broker? Are you clear that the buyer is willing to part ways with their current relationship and work with you instead? Do you have a product that will truly bring the best value in terms of price, product and service? Producers who are not willing to establish the rules of engagement have the lowest hit ratios, nationwide, without exception.
   9. Great Producers can identify a valuable opportunity from one that is a waste of resources. They also know their own capabilities and limitations. They focus on their ideal customer base, discover their strengths through the willingness to risk learning new things, and engage in opportunities that will help them achieve their objectives. Peak performers size up the situation, trust their instincts, and learn the language to walk away with grace and dignity.
   10. Great Producers have a high A.Q. Paul Stoltz, of The Adversity Quotient, says it’s not I.Q. or emotional intelligence but our ability to identify and overcome adversity as the NUMBER-ONE FACTOR FOR SUCCESS. When life gets tough, Great Producers aggressively seek to overcome impossible circumstances, discouraging news and negative feedback by realizing that “this too shall pass” and do not let anyone or anything get in the way of their dreams. Great Producers do not let society, the economy or the opinions of others sway their resolve for excellence.
   11. Great Producers have a passionate personal vision. Those plans can include a VISION, a BUSINESS PLAN, a MARKETING PLAN and formal GOALS. Having a passionate personal vision gives meaning and purpose to your pursuits. Even top performers stumble and fall behind, but the most disciplined will learn from their errors, adjust their plans and continue to move forward. They are driven by a passion to live their vision and overcome adversity. Do YOU have a vision powerful enough to call you through the pain of change?

How many of these traits reflect what you are currently doing well? Are you constantly trying to achieve excellence or have you allowed circumstances, mediocrity or outside influences get in the way of your pursuit of being a top performer? Knowing what makes a Great Producer can be valuable, but it doesn’t magically happen. It is not what we know that matters, but instead it is WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT WE KNOW that sets good producers apart from Great Producers.

Revenue Work
Pick one area you know you need to work on and do something different this week. Write down what you want and what you know you need to do differently. Then set a BY WHEN for yourself of when it will be started, and when you will be more confident in your knowledge of the skills, traits and behaviors I have shared this month. You can also e-mail me for tips and short cuts to becoming a Great Producer.

About the Author
Brandie Hinen is president of P.A.C.E., Inc. & Maestro!, a company that specializes in professional coaching and business training to help firms move from DISCUSSION to ACTION! She can be reached at [email protected].

© Copyright 2010 Zywave, Inc.