GAMA International Journal January-February 2014 - 22

to do. i figured i could teach them and nurture them
into successful agents. While this may be true to some
extent, i have since learned that the amount of time and
effort it takes to do so usually isn't worth the result.
While teaching and guiding agents is a daily part of my
profession and something i enjoy, i found that i needed
to change my focus. A license and basic understanding
were not enough. i needed to hire people with clear sales
potential.
C a pac i t y a n d D i v e r s i t y

in learning how to differentiate agents with potential
from those without it, i have found that there are two
characteristics to focus on: their capacity to grow and
their diversity.
First, we only hire an agent if we see that he or she
has the capacity to become an MDrt (Million Dollar
round table) agent. this doesn't mean that every new
agent has to be at that level at the start, because realistically, that is a difficult point to reach and it would not
be fair to hold applicants, particularly those new to the
industry, to such a standard. But we want to be able to
look at a candidate and, after having had a conversation
with the person, be able to see that kind of potential.
m o t i vat i o n a n d p o t e n t i a l f o r p e r f o r m a n c e

in my own selection process, i gauge how much potential a person has in two ways. First, i want to see a
motivation to reach the MDrt goal because if a person
isn't motivated to aim that high, then he or she will be
unable to reach that high. the people i am looking for
must be hardworking and dedicated to enhancing the
branch and themselves, and they must be extremely
confident in their abilities and motivated to succeed in
the firm. confident candidates will feel the need to
prove themselves and will strive to do so through
successful sales. Add in other motivations, such as a
sincere wish to help clients and their families, and his or
her sales will skyrocket.
the next method i use to determine candidates'
potential is to look at their performance over the past
three to five years. have they been consistent in their
ability to make sales? have sales increased? Decreased?
have they stagnated over time? the answers to these
questions help me understand whether my guidance
would be enough to help these candidates become
superstars in our branch.
Not all the applications i review or interviews i hold
will reveal agents who are able to produce at the MDrt
level, but even if the agent has been steadily increasing
production over the years, i will know that i can help
him or her continue increasing it to reach a higher level.
in this way, i am working with the agent to reach the
potential he or she has already been showing.
Multicultural Hires: Good for Business, Good for Culture
Once i have determined the agent's potential, i will look
at his or her personal background. it is extremely

g a m a i n t e r n at i o n a l j o u r n a l

important to me to have diversity in my office. Because i
am from a multicultural background, i like to engage
others from multicultural backgrounds of all ethnicities
in my office as well. this helps me succeed in a number
of different ways.
First, building relationships with people of various
ethnic and racial backgrounds is easy for me. i am able
to connect with them, and that allows me to be a strong
manager and guide. i also tend to understand which of
their holidays, customs, lifestyle choices, and so forth
are important and why.
second, having lots of diversity in our office allows
our agents to connect with one another. ironically, being
of diverse backgrounds gives our agents something in
common, and having this commonality, as well as
learning about other agents' cultures, allows them to
form bonds with one another in ways they might not
otherwise. An office that has a lot of sociability and
pleasantness is the most successful kind of office,
because everyone begins to work together as much for
the common good of the enterprise as for themselves.
Finally, having a diverse branch means that our
agents can reach out to many different markets across
the chicagoland area. Our country grows more diverse
each day, and having agents who can relate to varied
communities helps boost sales and networking. it is no
secret in the sales world that people tend to place more
trust in others who are like them, and taking advantage
of that concept by allowing my agents to reach within
their own communities to help others lets us broaden
our horizons.
so by hiring people of all cultural backgrounds, i am
able to help myself, the firm, and a range of communities across the country. By looking for agents with
MDrt potential who come from diverse backgrounds,
we build a strong culture in our office and create
relationships with agents and between agents as well.
Not at All Lonely at the Top
i can still envision myself just four years ago, walking
around the neighborhood where the office is located
trying to get the business off the ground with only five
agents on hand. With pockets close to empty and eyes
revealing profound disappointment, i knew that i had to
change the way i managed the branch.
Four years later, our agency is 28 agents strong,
closing in on becoming a million-dollar-commissions
operation. to make the shift took changing my entire
philosophy about how to manage a branch, and creating
a formula that emphasized the three goals mentioned
earlier: building strong, personal relationships with
agents, placing a greater emphasis on true sales potential
in hiring, and staying committed to the agency. it
worked for us, and it can work for others. i didn't
reinvent the wheel, but i may have rediscovered it!
to successfully manage an agency, you should consider
yourself as one with your employees. You may be earning
a higher salary, but at the end of the day, your success

GAMA International Journal January-February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GAMA International Journal January-February 2014