The biggest sale you will ever make in your career is to yourself. Before your clients buy from you, you have to believe in your message. Your No. 1 priority is to believe in what you do.

You are important: Why? Because many of our institutions may not be able to keep the promises they have made to the American people. The federal government may be forced to cut benefits for programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. State and local governments could reduce or eliminate pensions and promised health insurance benefits.

Regardless of the life insurance market you choose to work activity is the key to success. Meaning having people to talk too is what we all need, and the more the better. Understanding how lead campaigns work will maximize your income and reduce your expenses.

Those people that are generated from leads be they referrals, purchased, or both. They are generated through lead campaigns which include seminars, directmail, telemarketed, internet, pre-approach letters, and your skills at gaining referrals.

The most important part of Insurance selling is having leads. Regardless of how those are generated, having people to see each and every week is the difference between succeeding or not. The goal of every lead is getting an appointment…period.

The chief mistake I see agents make in appointment setting is over qualifying the lead.

In talking with agents about leads the questions I am asked are all over the board. Questions such as “What are the returns I can expect,” “What is the closing ratio,” “What’s the cost,” and, believe or not, “How good are they?”

Any IMO, recruiter, upline manager who spits out an answer to these questions leaving you with the impression that their leads are the best around is lying to you. Let me explain taking on these questions one by one.