MRL #041- Dynamite Drop-Ins (For Scared-ey Cats)

If you havenā€™t noticed yetā€¦

I tend to be a bit of a contrarian.

When others are zigging I prefer to zag.

Sometimes it serves me, other timesā€”not so much.

Like the time I started doing drop-ins during COVID.šŸ˜³

I got thrown out of almost every office I walked into.

One lady even shoo-ed me out with a broom.

ā€œReally?ā€

No, not really.

Iā€™m just joshinā€™ you.

Believe it or not, after having done hundreds of drop-ins, I can honestly sayā€¦

Iā€™ve NEVER Been Thrown Out Of A Single Officeā€¦ Not Even During COVID!

Not once.

Maybe, itā€™s the eye patchā€¦

Maybe, itā€™s because Iā€™m 6ā€™8ā€ā€¦

Maybe, itā€™s the 70ā€™s era mustacheā€¦

I donā€™t know.

Whatever the reason, Iā€™ve never been thrown out.

And chances are, you wonā€™t either.

So, if youā€™ve been too scared to try drop-ins till nowā€¦

STOP Being A Scared-ey Cat!

ā€œWait?! Who you calling scared, Max?ā€

Easy, Big Chief šŸ˜…ā€¦

I only assume you donā€™t do drop-insā€¦ because, the truth isā€¦ I didnā€™t do them for the longest time, either.

I was scared to death.

I just knew as soon as I walked into that first bizness, they were gonna whip out their steely fangs and bite my head off.

Fortunately, that never happened.

The fear was all in my head.

Kinda like cold-callingā€¦

After you finally make a fewā€¦ you realize itā€™s no big deal.

If I havenā€™t convinced you to start doing drop-ins by now, I probably never will.

But, if I have swayed you, letā€™s talkā€¦

How To Actually Do Drop-Ins

But first, a few things to rememberā€¦

  1. Weā€™re interrupting their busy day

  2. They almost certainly donā€™t wanna talk insurance

  3. We do NOT want to open the door with ā€œquotingā€

With all that in mind, letā€™s continue toā€¦

STEP 1: Walk In The Door And Mozy Your Way Over To The Receptionistā€™s Desk

If thereā€™s not a receptionistā€™s desk thereā€™s always somebody floating around you can ask for help.

If you know the Decision Makerā€™s (DM) name, ask the receptionist if theyā€™re available.

If you donā€™t know who the DM is, ask the receptionist:

ā€œWhoā€™s in charge of the insurance program for you guys?ā€

Nextā€¦

STEP 2: Be Prepared For One of Three Repliesā€¦

Reply #1: Hold on, Iā€™ll get him/her for you.

Reply #2: Oh, Iā€™m sorry. Theyā€™re not available at the moment.

Reply #3: Oh, Iā€™m sorry. We donā€™t allow solicitations.

Expect replies #1 and #2 the vast majority of the time.

Despite what that little silver sign says on their front doorā€¦ almost no one is gonna pull the ā€œNO SOLICITINGā€ card on you.

And even if they do, theyā€™re always cordial about it.

Call me full-of-crap, butā€¦

Youā€™re gonna be surprised how often the receptionist stands up, walks down the hall, says a few inaudible words, and the DM just walks out and meets you on the spot.

STEP 3: Have A Conversation (You Knowā€¦ Like An Actual Human)

Try opening with something like:

ā€œHey Sue, I was visiting with XYZ down the road and just wanted to stop by while Iā€™m over here and say hello.ā€

Theyā€™re either gonna be receptive or not.

You never know which.

One thing is for certain though, they will respect you for having the stones to drop-in face-to-face.

(Which could pay huge dividends if they never even see their current agent).

If the DM seems open to a conversation hit emā€™ with curiosity around ā€œdue-diligenceā€ (we teach you how to do that here).

If theyā€™re not open to a conversationā€¦

Step 4: Leave Them With A ā€œValue Pieceā€

A ā€œvalue pieceā€ could be a market updateā€¦

An article on a recent nuclear verdict in your stateā€¦

A cheat sheet on ā€œ5 Steps To Mitigate Cyber Risk In 2023ā€ā€¦

Doesnā€™t really matter.

Just needs to be something valuable to their bizness and their industry.

If the DM isnā€™t available, leave the ā€œvalue pieceā€ with the receptionist and ask them to give it to the DM when they get in.

Then simplyā€¦

STEP 5: Thank Them For Their Time And Exit

Nowā€¦ youā€™re probably thinking:

ā€œWaitā€¦ walk in? Have a conversation? Leave them a market update? And say thank you? That seems kind of obvious. I didnā€™t need to read this! I couldā€™ve done all that on my own!ā€

Thatā€™s exactly the point.

Thereā€™s no super-secret-ninja hack.

The hack is just mustering up the stones to get off your keister and get out there.

Like everything else in life, there are no shortcuts.

Itā€™s just a matter of doing the boring work.

Overā€¦ and overā€¦ and over again.

So, get off your tookus and go knock on someoneā€™s door this week.

Ok, thatā€™s enough out of me.

You have your marching orders.

See you next Sunday.

Kick ass take names,

Max ā€œAinā€™t Skeerā€™dā€ Revenue

P.S. If you found this letter helpfulā€¦ there are 3 other ways we can help you:

1. The Producer Playbook- The Step-By-Step Guide To Building A $1,000,000 Book of Business (From Scratch)

2. The Max Revenue Show- Our weekly podcast (available just about everywhere).

3. The Max Revenue Channel on YouTube- Weekly videos from Micah ā€œThe Zen Master of Commercial Insuranceā€ Salas, including his new series ā€œDiary of a New Producerā€.

P.S.S. Be on the lookout for more emails from me this week. Gonna start sprinkling in a few more when Iā€™m feeling froggy.

If you find the additional tips, strategies, and motivation to be a nuisanceā€¦ you can unsubscribe below.

No worries