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February 03, 2002 at 07:00 PM
Lighten Up, Get Jazzed, Have Fun With Your Products And Services
Shutdowns and big layoffs continue to plague the business sector. Its enough to get insurance professionals down.
Indeed, many are down. Lately, Ive been hearing “down in the dumps” tones in the voices of a lot of people with whom I speak. Ive been noticing some slow-mo responses to new ideas and opportunities, too.
There is almost a jerkiness about some of the product talk, as in: “I, um, havesomething here youthat you, ahmight want toum, see.” Others seem too quiet, very flat, or oddly apologetic: “Yes, we have thatwe could, well maybe we could, if you wouldnt mind.”
Yikes! What gives here? Do industry folk no longer like their products? Do they not have any fun with them? Do they now see their products and jobs as boring?
Times are hard, yes. But thats not a reason to crawl under a rug. Instead, shake a leg. Dust yourself off. Put some sparkle back into your presentations.
I mean, if you have a nifty insurance product to sell but you and maybe the staff and executives at your provider lack the pizzazz to present it well, what are the chances that anyone will listen (let alone buy)?
Pretty slim, Id say.
When we consumers are plunking down hard-earned dough, we like to feel good about our purchase. That includes not only feeling good about the product but also the person selling it to us and the company providing it.
You are the product conduit, whether you are in the field or the home office. It is your job to turn on the product lights for all to see.
Does that mean everyone on the staff should go around yukking it up with customers, oozing state-of-the-art chat on a dog-tired whole life policy or smiling incessantly without reason or meaning?
Not at all.
Some corporate leaders, sensitive to the harm that doldrums addicts can do to sales, sometimes push the happiness envelope, of course. They flat-out require upbeat client interactions. Hence, the proliferation of all those “Hope youre having a great day” salutations and “have a nice day” good-byes.
Unfortunately, although such requirements are well intended, the result often falls far from the tree. Happiness chatter, unless truly felt, has the impact of a gnat–small and annoying.
A more effective solution might be to take an introspective approach to the attitude problem. Specifically, spend a few minutes thinking about your own attitude and the messages you may be sending to those around you about your products and services.
