Have you ever heard about something positive happening to a negative person? Probably not. Positive things don’t happen to negative people because they don’t allow them to happen. If you walk into your office everyday with a negative demeanor and a sour attitude, you’re probably not very successful. With a negative attitude, you’ll lose sales, loyal clients, and the motivation of staff members.
No one wants to engage with a negative person because it’s usually an unpleasant experience. As a consumer, working with a negative salesperson makes you want to exit the transaction and conversation as quickly as possible. Even without insurance sales training, you ought to know that prospective clients will overlook the benefits of working with your agency and the great products you offer if you approach them with a negative attitude. They’ll rush you off the phone and disregard your agency completely.
You can’t expect clients to be loyal, raving fans of your agency if you have a negative attitude. Servicing clients with a negative attitude makes them feel unappreciated and can change their own attitude toward your agency and the product they’ve purchased. Your clients will question their decision to renew with your agency if they have off-putting interactions with you or your staff. You can grant a client’s every request but they’ll still re-evaluate sticking with your agency if you do it with an unpleasant demeanor.
If you display a negative attitude, your staff will lose all motivation to reach goals and personally destructive gossiping will run rampant. Negativity is contagious. When you walk in with a negative attitude, your staff catches it and the entire atmosphere of your agency becomes negative. The book Whale Done by Kenneth Blanchard, says it best. “The one thing your competition can never steal from you is the relationship you have with your people, and the relationship they have with your customers.” Your relationship with staff members, and in turn, their relationships with your customers, will suffer if a negative attitude spreads through your agency.
Positivity breeds great things, including sales, loyal customers, and a helpful staff. A positive attitude attracts great experiences, like growth and success. So, how do you change your agency into a positive force? Just like negativity, positivity is contagious. And as the agency principal, it all starts with you. Wake up each morning with a positive attitude and don’t let small inconveniences throughout the day change your attitude. Observe yourself and how you may be portrayed. Change anything that you think can be misconstrued as negative. Smile, laugh, and encourage. These may seem like small gestures, but they’re the keys to a positive—and successful—agency.