How I Built an $81,000,000 Life Insurance Business in 20 Minutes

Everybody here's got a story. Let me encourage you that what you take for granted it's somebody else's treasure. Like what you deal with on a daily basis like people would love this but they don't realize that where they can get it but they can get it through you and you're the one leading people. Here's some of the things that I drive in my business. Here's something to think about about driving a business. There's two types of activities you can run in your business to start scaling. One is linear activities and one is exponential. One you got to do and the other one you got to do for your business because start taking taking off like a hockey stick. So a couple things operations you got to take care of that. What's my operations and what's my assistant for this department? Boom. Run. Why? Why are we so much when we talk about scale why are we always talking about systems? I remember in the military they train us on SOPs standard operating procedures. Why? That way an 18 year old like me doesn't blow himself up throwing a grenade because I guess standard operating procedures and how to have the technique. How to clear an M203 grenade launcher. How to properly take an XM250 caliber machine gun, hang upside down blindfold, disassemble and assemble in less than 60 seconds. Something like that. Those are standard operating procedures needs to be practiced. The more you have standard operating procedures, the more you have systems in your business, the less you got to think and the less you have to emotionally be dragged down by having to make another decision. The reason why people don't scale their business because they think I have so many decisions to make. That's why systems and process that's why in the military we have something called decentralized command. It means I let my guys make decisions and whether they rise or fall in a department we live with that mistake but I allow my guys and gals running a department to make a mistake. We all learn. I need to learn how to become a better boss. I need to learn how to become a better business owner. I need to become a better CEO. So do we all. Have to learn how to become better at different capacity depending on where we want to go. This is development sales. People get stuck on this. Marketing, marketing, buying leads, marketing, buying leads. Okay, all that stuff. Shaking heads, network, Chambers of Commerce, ads in the paper, Facebook ads. That's business. Those are linear activities. Why? Because you got to pay it. If you don't pay, you don't play it. Those are linear activities. Now what's exponential? What's my next innovative campaign? We just announced two days ago our next innovative campaign to have our guys have a bonus. We did a campaign where for 90 days we had a three-month contest. We had a certain quota to hit and we pay for it and we invite people to this event. It was a leadership development event where we took our guys to Foxboro. We actually went into the Gillette Stadium and watched the nine episodes together as a leadership team to unpack the episodes of Tom Brady's Man in the Arena. How many guys have seen that documentary? Crazy documentaries. By the way, I highly suggest you watch that documentary, Man in the Arena. I think you get on Hulu or ESPN Plus. But his story shows how he started his career, the ups and downs of career, how his family was involved, the price that they were willing to pay, the things that he was willing to commit to, to be a champion and constantly doing that for 10 years, even winning Super Bowls. And how was he feeling at that time? Just, hey, Tom, I think you're on the way out. You're on the way out. Let's draft your players. Garoppolo, let's draft them. How do you feel about that? What was his feelings about that? That was our next innovative campaign. We met Tom Brady's players. We met his business manager, Ben Nawit. We met his business manager at TV 12. So our guys got to be exposed to these type of guys. Why? Because I want my guys, my agents, to be exposed to these type of people. So therefore, when they go out in the field and get exposed to these people, it's not the first time they've been in front of a professional athlete before. So they're like, oh, right? It's not the first time they've been in front of a sports agent before. They're like, oh. They actually start having conversation. They know what type of questions to ask when they meet someone like this out in the field. Leadership development. Everything rises and falls on leadership. So questions for the next level. How clear about what you want and what your dreams are? Do you understand how your dreams are going to be demanding of you and the efforts necessary to get you to the next level? Here's a key point here. How are you willing? How do you feel about that? Are you willing to meet that demand of your dreams? And last but not least, how will you feel when those dreams start coming true? Some of you guys and gals in this business, you go through the logical aspects of selling and building your business. Can I really do this? Can I get to the next level? And you don't think past, okay, that portion of just survivability. Putting yourself in a position of actually actualizing where you're about to go. Not to be some NLP type of stuff, positive thinking type of stuff, but if you just start envisioning a little bit more about what you're about to accomplish and the feeling of actually enjoying it. One thing we did with our guys, I took all my guys down to the exotic car deals. Here, test drive a Porsche. Here, test drive a Ferrari. Here, test drive a Lambo. Man, I love this stuff. How do you feel? I feel awesome. You want one? I do. Okay, now you got to make the foreign grand to get it. Then I have less to remind them on Monday morning to get to work. Why? Because they remember the feeling of the leather and the sound of the engines. Because they got a sense of feeling. We took their wives. We go on an open house together. Some relationship building along the way. Hey, we have lunch. We go to an open house. Hey, do you want to live in this neighborhood? You know some schools over here. You know what type of kids go to these type of schools. You know what type of TV they have in this neighborhood. Would you like your kids to go to the school? I do. Okay, let's help you make the million dollars to get it then. Okay, now the wife is engaged. And now the husband doesn't have to fight with the wife because he's coming home late. Why? Because we have the next innovative campaign to talk to the wife, to build a leadership development of the household because we want to create stronger men and stronger wives because we want them to build a business together. So, the opportunity most people are missing here. Fun part. One word, social media. How many guys are actively on social media promoting your business? Okay. Good, good. All right. By the way, just so you guys know, for those of you who are older, younger, doesn't matter. I'm 48 years old. I had to learn. I got my guy here right now shooting video. There's Ivan over there, right? He's 21 years old. He's my social media manager. I don't know how to do TikTok. I said, bro, what do you think is funny? Tell me what you think is funny. I bounce ideas off of him. I'm recruiting people because I have the next innovative campaign that creates exponential activity in my business. Because remember, you are the CEO of your own brand, your company. But you're also your own publicist, your own PR manager, your own press secretary. What are you pushing out today? What's your message today? So, social media. Everybody here has got a story. Let me encourage you that what you take for granted, it's somebody else's treasure. Like, what you deal with on a daily basis, like people would love this. But they don't realize where they can get it. But they can get it through you. And you're the one leading people. So, you think that dealing with your family, ah, it's just one of those things. No, somebody else is not having that experience. The money that you're making, people love making money, the money that you're making. You need to recruit them through social media by showing how your career is, how your business is. And this is something that has never happened before in the hitch of insurance sales. Let's enjoy this, let's embrace this technology called social media. Again, this is not part of my generation either. I mean, I started my business without a cell phone. How many guys started your business without a cell phone? I started my career without a cell phone. When cell phones first came on, it was the Sprint PCS for 200 bucks a month. It was free phone calls before 7 or after 7. You guys remember those days? So, the fact that we got social media today and it's free, it's a massive opportunity to most people. And if you grow it and you embrace it, you'll capitalize big-time. Okay, the last topic here. Growing as a leader. John Maxwell says, leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's get into it. When you're at the top of your current level, okay? So, whatever level you're at right now. You want to make 80 grand a year, 100 grand a year, 250. When you're at the top of that level, guess what? You're at the bottom of the next. Okay, you grow, grow, grow, grow, grow. That level, guess what? You finally got to the top of that level, guess what? You're at the bottom of the next. Okay, you grow, grow, grow, grow, grow. At that level, guess what? You're now at the bottom of the next level if you choose to grow. Now, it's up to you. I've followed this leadership principle, this value, this principle saying that it's either you're growing or you're dying. Even if you stay stagnant, you're dying. So, the choice is yours if you want to grow as a leader. Your people, your company, your family will only grow at the level of your vision and your income. If you're wondering why your people aren't making money, it's probably you're not making money. If people aren't happy in your family, they're not communicating with, probably it's you're not communicating. You're not happy. You got to figure this stuff out. When I'm thinking, I've been in a situation where like I'm looking at all my kids. Why is nobody like getting along with me? Everybody's always getting mad at me. I'm picking fights all day. I got no wins today. My wife is mad at me, my twins are mad at me, my son's mad at me, the kids don't listen to me. What? Pity party, right? I'm wondering, guess what? I got to fix myself. I got to get myself out of this fuck. So, you have to fix yourself if you're going to grow as a leader. It's got to start with you. Everything rises and falls on leadership. So, let me ask you guys a question. At a count of three, your best day, your best day, how many hours do you work on your best day at the count of three? Ready? One, two, three. Now, let me ask you a question. Who cares about that one best day? Nobody cares. You know what I care about? I care about your worst day. How many hours you put into business on your worst day based on what you want to go in business. Now, for some of you, you say, man, listen, I'm a four-hour work week guy. I'm not a work on weekends guy. Oh, I don't work on Saturdays and Sundays. Again, based on what you want to do in business. But whatever you want to do in business, let's say you want to smash, you want to crush it, or you just want to make another $50,000, $200,000 a year on the side. Whatever capacity you're at, I don't care about what your best day is on the job. We care about what? Your worst day. Here's why. There's three different types of people here. There's the people on the 80% side, the green line, the 20%, the yellow line, the 10%, the red line, and the 1%, the nine and a half line. And there's four of you already in this room. And by the way, getting to know you later on, I think I'm going to show up to this VIP party, but you guys know who you are. People in here know who the 1%ers are, who the 10%ers are, who the 20%ers are, who the 80%ers. Who is the 80%er? 80%er has a distraction. They get a phone call. They didn't take care of the child care, the babysitter, they got a flat tire, and they're about to go sell today, but make some phone calls today, but one distraction caused them not to do any work in the business. No phone calls, no follows, no contacts, nothing. Their business is done. One distraction comes in and they're done. Mom calls, dad calls, kid calls, boom, done. Why? No assistance, no process, and show up those distractions. But they're part of the 80%. They get to it when they get to it. You know the crazy part being inside the insurance business, inside sales, is that sometimes we find ourselves working harder for a boss in a career that we didn't like versus for ourselves in a career that we do like. So you have to ask yourself, why did I apply myself more to my boss that helped me accountable versus to myself holding myself accountable? At the end of the day, who's the worst boss to work for? Who's the worst boss to work for? Sure. Yourself. Somebody else. You're the worst person to work for. By the way, who's the best person to work for? Yourself. So you're the best and the worst person to work for. Why are you the worst person to work for? Because you let yourself off the hook. Because we don't hold these things called discipline. We don't discipline ourselves enough. If discipline wasn't needed, why do professional athletes need coaches? Why do people need pastors? Why do people need bosses? Why do people need the bosses' bosses? 20%. 10%, 20%. Look at all that, by the way. The 10%, the 20%, the 1%. At one point, they all work hard on one particular day and they all compete with each other. But the 20% said, yo dawg, I just got a $50,000 commission check. Woo! I just made more money than everybody in my friends and family. Woo! And they what? Yeah. And they don't compete. 10% says, you know what? Oh man, I got some big goals. I got some big dreams. Okay. I'm consistent. I'm consistent. I'm consistent. I'm less distracted. Okay. 1% says, man, I'm less distracted. Instead of just starting from a 7 or 6, I'm starting at 8 every day. I don't have to be reminded to do a lot of things. I'm less what? Unpredictable. So, which one are you? Which one do you have to be based on where you want to go in business to grow as a leader? So, in terms of driving your leisure, there's 3 components to driving your leadership. Number 1 is pacing. Number 2 is span. Number 3 is focus effort. So, if you say I'm a 4-hour work week guy, awesome. Knock yourself out but make sure you work that week. You work those 2 days. You work those 3 days. I'm a 12-on-12-off guy like I was in the military. I'm a 40-hour work week guy. I'm a 60-hour work week guy. I'm an 80-hour work week guy. Again, depends on what you want to accomplish in business to get you to the next level. For how long am I going to do this? Am I going to do this for 4 days a week? Am I going to be doing this for 6 years, 10 years, 20 years? How long am I going to be doing this? Am I creating a saleable asset? Is 5 years enough of a time to create a saleable asset so somebody can buy my book of business and I have an exit strategy? Is it 5 years long enough or is it 10? Great. Now, I got 10. Babe, I got work to do. I got 10 years to do this. Please, here's my commitment. Let me manage expectations up front. This is what I got to do. This is why I got to work these weekends. This is why I got to work during the summer. I just can't be at home all the time. One of the things I've managed with my wife before I married her, I said, sweetheart, I'm a single dad. I'm bringing some bags to the table and I'm going to talk about the kids. I bring some baby mama drama to the table. Let me share what the mama drama is all about. I wrote it down on the table. She goes, oh, that's what you're dealing with? I am. I'm saying this because I might lose you at the risk but if you choose to date me and eventually marry me, this is what you have to deal with, okay? She goes, oh, that's it? I'm like, so you're good with this. I'm good with this. So now, who's holding the camera for the decision? Me or her? Her because she said yes to this, yes? So it'll come to your family, your business, managing expectations up front in terms of driving your leadership. If I'm going to work this long at this pace for this long as a span, I have to manage the expectations where? In the end, in the middle, or in the beginning? In the focused effort, I got to concentrate my strength at the level of the pace I'm at or the stage that I'm at. So if I need to start creating more citizen product, I need to focus my strength on there. Otherwise, I'll be selling for the rest of my life. I'm always going to be painted in a dark corner. Or if I got those citizen products, now I got to have more guys. I got more managers so therefore I can get that sales volume in my agency starting to grow in scale. Or I need to get more social media. I need to take my talent. I need to make sure that guy that sees me can tell me tell a story every day. Concentrate your strength on the area that you need at the stage that you're at. Let me ask you a question. Last couple slides here. In order of importance, there's many different things in terms of running a business, scaling your agency, driving your leadership, and getting your business to the next level. There's many different areas that we have to pay attention to. Product, customer service, compensation plan, values and principles, sales system, qualities for hiring, systems for accountability, support staff, culture, sales, leadership. Come here guys. Guys, let me ask you a question. Which do you think is the most important? Culture, values and principles. Very good. What else? Customer service, systems. We still haven't hit it yet. Who said that? What's your name, sir? Frank? Brian. Brian nailed it. Leadership. Sales leadership. What? Everything rises and falls on? Leadership. If you're growing in your leadership, you're taking charge, you're taking control, you're taking accountability. Guess what? You're going to find the best products. The Department of Customer Service is going to be stellar. All these things that you talked about will improve if what? You apply leadership. So, rank yourself in the system. Take an assessment of where your business is at. Where do I need to improve coming here out of this conference? So, that being said guys, I'm excited for your business. I'll be hanging out with you guys later on at this VIP dinner but I'm excited for you. I'd love to get to know more about your business. Again, I got nothing to sell you. If there's anything I can sell you, let's just stay connected on social media because I'm not the type of guy that's going to just show you what to do and not actually implement it myself. I'm one of those guys that wants to talk the talk and more importantly, I would love to walk the walk. Great to be in this great industry together with you and until we meet again. Continue to live smart. Continue to live smart and be mighty smart today. Thank you, everybody.