Scott Simmonds - Insurance Newsletter

Helping Insurance Experts Build Great Businesses
www.ICMentor.com

June, 2007

Stop Holding Useless Meetings

Face to face meetings are the most expensive and inefficient way to communicate ideas and get feedback. Email is faster. A phone call is immediate. A conference-call saves travel time. Make the formal meeting the last resort in your communications arsenal. Sure, there are times when you have to get together. If you are building relationships and establishing rapport, being in the same room is essential.

With effort you can cut your client meetings in half. Next time someone calls you saying, "I'd like to get together to discuss xyz," reply with, "What are the issues we need to review?" and encourage the caller to expand on the thought. Push the caller for actions and decisions right away. Why wait for calendars to clear? Resolve the issue right now.

I've found that many people call a meeting when they are stuck or want to put off an activity. Don't allow your schedule to become the victim of your client's poor organizational skills. Every client can be trained! Her objective is to accomplish objectives. True results rarely rely on in-person meetings.

Here are some other things to think about if you really must meet.

Announce at the beginning of the meeting when the meeting will end. Tell the people in your meeting that you plan on ending at the end time. If you finish the material that needs to be covered in the meeting before the end time, end the meeting. Don't allow the material to fill the available time.

Send out background and other information ahead of time. Expect that people can read materials in preparation for your meeting. Send data charts, proposed policy language, and notes from prior meetings before hand. Perhaps you can even cancel the meeting by sending the info and asking for emailed feedback.

Agendas are helpful. Outcomes are vital. Make sure everyone knows why you are meeting. That may include a list of topics. It may mean a statement outlining the desired outcome. For example, "At the end of the meeting we will have identified the three top agents for the bid process."

Give a ten minute warning. "We have ten more minutes here. Let's summarize." Move to wrap the meeting up with a few minutes to spare. At the end-time stand up, ready to walk out.

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Please Forward This Newsletter To Other Insurance People

Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM
Insurance Consulting
Phone 207-284-0085
Fax 802-992-4027
Scott@ScottSimmonds.com
www.ScottSimmonds.com

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Comments regarding insurance policies or products in this newsletter do not constitute an endorsement. I accept no fees of any kind from any company mentioned in this newsletter.