Recruiting the best new agents demands an understanding of how the best recruits think and reach decisions. As previously mentioned, it also requires an understanding of the natural conflict that occurs inside the minds of people further down the ladder of the recruiting pipeline...the people who are just beginning to ponder the possibility of becoming an agent.
In the preceding two blog entries, I addressed some fundamental problems associated with instant gratification thinking. I have seen many managers fall into this pattern of recruiting. Such tactics really undermine any chance of hiring the best new candidates. If you haven't done so already, I urge you to review the first two discussions on this topic (1,2) so that you are familiar with these pitfalls. Today, I will change gears and address the actual decision making process that unfolds inside the minds of people further down the decision pipeline, and the role you can play in helping them through that process.
Read the next few paragraphs carefully. What might seem ridiculously obvious at first, will gradually build a powerful model toward helping almost anyone with any decision. You must first understand the building blocks...
Throughout most of the decision making process, the wisest people carefully weigh all angles before committing to something new. That means that they typically hold two opposing views (or sides) in their minds that are in temporary conflict.
In order for that conflict to work itself out successfully toward a decision they can commit to, they must be able to think about, consider, and assess the possible pros and cons of each argument that exists in their heads, from both sides. In other words, they have to fully realize and accept that there are two sides, must be open to both, weigh both, and ultimately commit to one. With me so far?
Now, most of you are accustomed to seeing people who have already been through this process before ever speaking to you. They are in licensing school, etc. They have already done the above before you ever meet them.
But, those who have just recently begun the process of discovery haven't had time to consider both sides of the argument. What do you think happens when you become a salesman at this point? Desperate people might comply and fail, but what about people who aren't desperate? What happens if your role slips into only offering all the good reasons to become an agent? If this occurs, two things happen:
- You force them to take on the other side of the argument; and
- They no longer feel that you will act as an objective resource to address their concerns.
In other words, as soon as they sense that you want it more than they do, you lose any leverage or influence. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with overcoming objections, but you must carefully do it without wanting it more than they do.
Your job is to continually push the argument back where it belongs--- in their own head. The conflict doesn't belong between you and them. If you find that you are taking one side, then you are forcing them to take the other. They will defend whatever is the opposite side of the argument.
Many times people even attempt to draw you into a debate in order to force the decision outside their own head so that they can win the argument with you, because they can't win it on their own. If you feel drawn in, as if you want to close the deal, then this is probably happening. Watch for it.
The appropriate way to handle this is to point out to them that they suddenly seem to be trying to talk themselves out of what they had previously been weighing out so carefully. Confess to them that you suddenly feel like trying to sell them on becoming and agent, when it isn't your role to do so. Assure them that it's an anxiety provoking decision, but that it seems like they are trying to undermine what they had previously been excited about.
If you take this patient role of neutral observer and keep pushing the conflict back into the person's own head, then and only then, can they make a decision they can live with. It takes work, but there will be some jewels you'll find along the way. And I guarantee that whatever they decide, they'll respect your objectivity enough to use your company's services in the future.
Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.
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