Nothing New. Nope. NOTHING.

 Have you ever started a new project or even a new position, and thought, "This is it! I'm going to change the world. I have all these great ideas!! It's going to be GREAT!"?  That's a valid question. We all do that from time to time, but as we get older, as I get older, I realize that some if not most or all of these times could have been either avoided, trashed, or rethought. After all, there is truly NOTHING new under the Sun, and we know this.  This is not a defeatist attitude; far from it. It is a very positive one. I am positive that there is NOTHING  new under the Sun, but I am equally positive that we can do our best, be our best, try hard to achieve the right answers, and be as gracious and kind along the way. That too is not new.

    My time on this planet as an employee has been many years. I have worked for myself, and I have worked for others. It never fails, when I work for others they have this "go-get-it" attitude of "hit the ground running" and "be the best" yada-yada. How's that working out for you? Is money the end game? I don't think so. Being grateful, having a servant's heart, and being willing to be one of the good guys is a far better motivators for me than to try and coax myself into doing something for the sake of earning an extra buck. In the real end, the things that really do matter, are the things you did and the way you did them in order to benefit God's work, not man's work. If you don't know that, you have some training to do.

    I'm working both for someone now, and for myself. I have two real jobs. In the one where I'm working for someone the man is constantly asking us, his employees, there are two, to watch training videos about retention, being genuine, and cross-selling. OK, and then what? These videos he's sending to us assume for the most part, that the clientele base is both educated and sophisticated. They assume that because that is THEIR client base. They sell these videos to people who are trying to build, grow, and keep businesses. Naturally, they're going to say things like, "Go the extra mile" but then they turn around and say "Let the client do their own due diligence, don't babysit them."  See what I mean? Nothing new under the Sun. All of the KEY TAKEAWAY points were so basic that we all knew them, we were taught these things in primary school. Let's go over a few:

• Be polite and listen. Wait for the client to stop talking before you begin.
• Make sure you are the professional and you say things clearly with a cheerful voice so that the client understands you are in charge and know what you are talking about.
• Be aware of time, only spend a few moments on each call so that the client understands you are busy and your time makes a difference in their lives as well as your business.
• Answer each question with positive reinforcement such as "As I was saying" or "as previously suggested" so that the client understands that you have had this knowledge in your memory bank for a while, and you are not just now coming up with a suggestion to get them off the phone.
• Thank the customer each time. Let them know their business is appreciated.

  It's all so dull and boring. In 2023 we should be directing people to use their smartphones as a tool, not just a phone. They make apps, we have apps, and they can find them, download them, and use them. There is literally no reason to call the customer service line to find out what your next payment will be. You can even add a vehicle, remove a vehicle, change your address, remove a driver, add a driver, and make payments all on the app without having to call in to do these things. I understand if the client is older, or has a disability, but to assist someone properly in 2023 who is capable of doing their own due diligence for their own policy, it is best (in my professional opinion) to train the client to do their own due diligence. We are not their Mom. We are not their babysitter. When I ran my own insurance business I trained my employees to help the clients by training them, not doing their work for them. It makes sense. If you have 500+ clients you can't call each one to say "Please make your payment" or "You may need to review your policy"....it's THEIR HOUSE, and they should keep up with it. 

    Take Turkish coffee for example.  How long have the Turks been making coffee the way they make it? Oh, I bet it's been a minute.  There are literally thousands of Turkish pots on sale with this or that new or improved implement, right? You go to Amazon and you can get a pot with a wooden handle, a brass one, a steel one, or maybe a precious metal handle. The cup can be brass, steel, copper, or even glass. You still need to add water, finely ground beans, and heat. You still need to take the pot off the heat when it films up and then return it for a minute or so allowing the settlement. Just because you bought a new-fangled pot with a pretty terrific handle, and you used the best organic coffee beans available, doesn't change the fact that it is still Turkish coffee, and will always be the same. (Actually, the beans make a difference, but you get my point.) You can use a stainless steel cup and a pair of pliers and the coffee will turn out the same provided you do what you're supposed to do. NOTHING is new under the Sun.

    Due your own due diligence. Be kind. Be polite. Help people. Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. Go that extra mile to train, but not to do their work for them. Be YOU so they can also appreciate that as well.

Photo Credit: Me