Article Category : Recruiters Press

There are many ways to go about finding prospective agents.
 Some of them are active methods, while others are passive.
 Active recruiting methods are things like Personal
Observation, Personal Prospecting, Public Speaking, Agent
Referrals, Networking, and Centers of Influence, while
passive methods include internet recruiting, newspaper
advertising and direct mail campaigns.

Passive and active recruiting will both produce results,
however they differ in efficiency and effectiveness - and
understanding those differences will make all the
difference to you and your results.  Passive methods are
easy to implement, but they attract 1) “tire kickers”, 2)
people looking for a job, and 3) people simply looking for
a way to make money.  Please understand, these methods do
produce results and can uncover fantastic people who become
great agents, but generally the quality of results is poor.
 When these methods are implemented, plenty of activity is
generated, but few prospects become agents and fewer still
go on to do well.

Active methods, on the other hand, take more time on the
front end, but because they are so much more effective, end
up being much more efficient.  They are so much more
effective because interviews are only generated with people
who have an interest in working with you and also share
your purpose.  They’re often coming on board because they
identify with you and what you stand for, they see it as a
good opportunity to build a future, and they see the
opportunity as one which offers unlimited financial growth.
 Not only are active methods more effective, but agents who
are recruited through active methods historically are
better producers.

Why Active Recruiting is More Effective

. A key to a successful recruiting program is to
effectively identify candidates with an “owner” mindset.
Candidates with an owner mindset are better at taking
initiative while candidates with an employee mindset are
better at taking instruction.  Candidates with an owner
mindset are self-starters who recognize the correlation
between their success and the amount of effort they put
forth - in fact, they thrive on it.  They take initiative,
they think independently and they tend to succeed when
they’re given the freedom to do things their own way.
These are the kind of candidates that make up the
foundation of any winning sales force.  Active recruiting
allows you to better identify candidates right from the
start who are inclined to be owners rather than employees.

. People who respond to recruitment advertising are
generally looking for something better than what they have.
 Either they’re unhappy with their current situation or
they have no job at all.   Now. think about whether you’d
rather have a prospective agent who is happy and productive
where they are or someone who is unhappy and maybe even
unproductive where they are?  Most territory builders would
always prefer a candidate who is already productive and
happy.  They want someone who has a positive attitude and
good work habits.  By seeking out candidates who are closer
to your ideal with respect to productivity, attitude and
drive, you end up with agents who are productive, positive
and successful

. Ever get frustrated with the production of your agents
and wonder how to motivate them?  This is a prevalent
challenge within the industry.  The cause for this issue
comes from how the agents were recruited.  Not only are
many agents recruited through passive efforts, but, often
the manager doesn’t communicate what they’re passionate
about.  Without a worthwhile purpose, it’s pretty difficult
to attract and keep the right kind of people - people who
are happy, energetic and highly productive.  In case you
doubt the validity of this observation about the power of
personal attraction, look over your agents and see who the
highest producers are and/or the ones who are most
responsive.  Typically they’re the agents you personally
recruited rather than the agents you “inherited”.  When you
actively recruit, you create the opportunity to let a
candidate see what you’re about - what matters to you.  You
end up attracting like-minded people.

Active recruiting allows you to attract the kind of people
you want on your team, allows you to interview only those
people who are likely to succeed, and allows you to build a
team of loyal, professional, hard-working, responsive and
successful agents.

Break out of the internet/advertising routine and start
powering up your recruiting and your success!

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Written by Michael Beck, “The Insurance Coach”.  Michael,
an Executive Coach and Recruiting Activist, helps insurance
professionals succeed faster and easier.  He can be reached
at 866-385-8751 or mbeck@theinsurancecoach.com
Visit his websites to learn more:
http://www.InsuranceAgentRecruiting.com
Permission to reprint with full attribution.
© 2006 Exceptional Leadership, Inc.