While at an insurance agency, we are not flying multi-million dollar jets and lives are not at stake, a lot can still be learned from the Navy’s elite Blue Angels flying group—and it all starts with the sales meeting.

When the Navy’s elite flying group takes to the air, they spend more time briefing each flight than they actually do flying. On every single mission, they strategize on everything from airspeed, flight maneuvers to how they walk out on the tarmac as a team. Everyone is accountable, from the most senior officer on down. But with countless tasks to perform, even a fighter pilot can lose focus. My brother was a top gun pilot (yes, he was in the movie). His good friend and wingman named Hawkeye flew a perfectly functioning jet into a hillside and died.

What’s your attitude indicator?

There are countless switches and dials in a cockpit but the biggest one in the dead center is called the attitude indicator, indicating the plane’s angle in relationship to the ground. It is easy to lose focus, but you must remember the attitude indicator at all times – not only for better efficiency, but for your own survival. For most insurance brokers, the attitude indicator is retention and growth. In organizing your meetings with your team, keep a laser focus and efficient structure on that goal and purpose to drive your agency securely skyward.

Create a deadly effective weekly meeting

Given the importance of your central task, one could easily argue a monthly meeting is simply not enough. A broker sales meeting should be weekly, highly focused and deadly effective at accomplishing the mission. A sample agenda would be as follows:

1. New business written that week (two-minute summary on how it was written)
2. Referral program (most brokers claim this is how they get business yet do not have a formal program in place)
3. Competitor analysis (Have you beaten a broker recently?  Then everyone in the firm should know who and how and get after their clients!)
4. Business lost (why did the competition get it and what changes need to happen to ensure it doesn’t happen again)
5. Opportunities looking to close that week
6. Sales metrics (closing ratios, etc.)
7. Ideas to get prospect intro meetings (drip marketing campaigns, calls, etc.)
8. Account rounding

Dive deeper each month

In addition to weekly briefings, continue monthly meetings to focus on strategic issues. The monthly meeting can be longer – enough time to do real problem solving – and added topics can include training and agency branding.

• Training would cover things like elevator pitches, overcoming objections and mock presentations. You think you don’t need that? Well, imagine the ego of a fighter pilot, and yet they are continually training to improve and be the best. This type of commitment is expected if you want to be perceived as world class. You have the best people and service? Prove it by raising the bar internally and making training a priority, which will drive results.
• Agency branding would be discussing where you are winning and why you are losing. Check your ego at the door and have frank discussions. Do research on lost opportunities. Learn from these discussions and make adjustments to what you can deliver. This will be time very well spent for both producers and account managers.

So follow the Blue Angels. If you are focused on the mission, discussing the battle plan every week and have the team training to be the best there is, then everyone will come out a winner. Except perhaps your competition.