In a land, far, far away…

Wait…scratch that. In a land we call ‘Florida’…

We are constantly on the field of battle, coming to blows with the infamous price shoppers.

Unfortunately, there is no enchanted pill to take, no fairy-tale lamp to rub and no magic wand to wave that will help us thwart price shoppers from pilfering our land.

What we do have, is the confidence in our knowledge of product, ability to confront objections and the belief in the value of our agency. I equate those attributes to wearing a suit of armor, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other hand…ready for the fight.

Sounds awfully medieval, doesn’t it?

Picture this…

You…proudly standing at the top of a grassy hill in that full suit of armor…flags waving in a steady wind…your statuesque castle in the background peering over the land.

Can you picture it?

The castle represents your agency. The armor represents your product knowledge. In hand…a shield, representing your innate ability to overcome objections…and a sword in the other hand, which represents your belief in your agency’s value.

Your sole purpose…to defend your agency!

You can see your land all around you, and your sole purpose is to defend your agency’s very existence.

Should you fail, the land will fall into the hands of the irrepressible price shoppers. And, should you survive, your kingdom will revel in an everlasting life.

Price shoppers are ready to charge up that hill armed with their own ammunition: price, coverage, rate increases and many, many other forms of attack.

We face the battle with apprehension. Try as we might, we struggle mightily for answers.

You see…what we sometime lose sight of is our ability to actually fight for what we believe in. We forgo our purpose to defend our agency, our beliefs…for price.

If you can picture yourself at the top of the hill, and your agency’s survival relies on your ability to fight this fight…then, you can overcome anything. Especially…those shopping strictly for a bargain.

There are those agencies, when attacked, however…that will shed their armor; lay down their shield…and, their sword. They will allow their own agency’s beliefs and values to be cast aside. They forget all about the tools they have been provided to fight the battles. And, at the end of the day, they toil to defend their agency and their core beliefs.

These agents lose their main purpose for serving…the price shoppers have overrun their fortresses.

Make no mistake…price shoppers are on the offensive, charging up each one of our hills…in droves. Daily.

We comprehend the fact that, we all look for bargains for one reason or another…from restaurant deals to clothing to gas for our cars. But, as we shop…we are looking for deals on tangible products. Insurance is an intangible and we must fight the demand to make it otherwise.  Our client’s needs, beliefs and values are all intangible…and, we must stand up for these principles.

This is where the battle begins.

It is our charge, as trusted agents, to lead into battle holding our sword…our value, out in front. It is our responsibility, as gallant agents, is to defend our castles…our land. It is our ultimate objective as knowledgeable agents to identify our products, recognize our skill to overcome objections and our innate ability to sell value.

In the end, we all want clients that appreciate what our agency brings to the table. We want clients that understand how value supersedes price. And, we want clients that will be loyal for years and years to come.

Price shoppers are entrenched on the field of battle. Looking over your land, you can see them coming…and, we must be the ones to lead the charge. Not the other way around.

Communicating to price shoppers that there is more to your agency than price, is as difficult as convincing an attacking mob to lay down their crossbows and catapults! No one said it would be an easy fight. Unfortunately, there is no enchanted pill to take, no fairy-tale lamp to rub and no magic wand to wave that will ultimately defend us from these bouts.

What we do have, is our armor, our shield and our sword…our knowledge of product, our ability to overcome objections and the belief in the value of our agency.

So, hold true to your principles.

Have faith in in your purpose.

And, lead with confidence.