MRL #126- How To Make People Like You

Sorry for the delay.

Thanks to the Holiday weekend and a client fire this letter is getting out a bit late.

Thanks for your patience.

Without wasting any more time, lets get into it…

Friday, I spoke with a former client who recently moved their business to another agency.

(They didn’t fire me, I left them behind when I left my old agency. Ya know?… The ol’ non-compete thing).

Naturally, I wanted to know why.

They’d met with two different agencies. Both had the expertise, track record, and dog-and-pony show. When I asked what tipped the scales, they didn’t mention any of that.

They said this:

“The guys from Agency ABC were just unlikable. They came off like frat bros. Pushy, over confident, and immature. Hard to connect with. Agency XYZ, though? They were genuinely interested in us and were easy to like and work with.”

That was it.

No amount of expertise, or “world class” resources could’ve saved the frat bros. Why? Because people don’t buy from people they don’t like.

This story reminded me of one of the first books I read when I started in this business, Dale Carnegie’s classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People.

So, I figured why not do the newsletter on it this week.

If you’ve never ready the book, I highly recommend it. I won’t spoil the whole thing, but for today’s letter, we’ll focus on Part 2 of the book, “How To Make People Like You”.

If you want to become the producer everyone loves working with, here are six timeless habits from Mr. Carnegie worth adopting.

1. Be Genuinely Interested In Others

Quick question:

Do you give a rip about others? Or just pretending to, to extract what you need from them?

Worth considering.

Get to know your prospects beyond their business. Get to know underwriters beyond their appetite. Get to know colleagues beyond their job title.

People want to feel seen.

Amazing what you can “sell” them when you do.

2. Smile, Smile, Smile

Smile in meetings, of course.

But, a smile isn’t just visual.

It’s audible.

People can hear warmth, energy, and positivity through the phone.

When you put out those good vibes you have a waaaaaay better chance of getting what you want.

Underwriters will sharpen their pencil for you, gatekeepers will go to bat for you, colleagues will run through fire for you, etc.

But not when you’re an Eeyore.

Smile. Be happy.

3. Use Their Actual Name

People love to hear their name.

So say it constantly in conversation.

This isn’t just about remembering decision-makers, either. It’s probably 10x more important when it comes to assistants, gatekeepers, and support staff.

Think about it.

Show someone who’s a rung or two below on the ladder that you took the time to note what they said and remember their name:

“Hey Sarah, last time we talked you mentioned your son’s baseball game. How’s that going?”

And you’ve got an ally for life.

It’s not a trick.

Again, it’s just giving a rip about others.

4. Listen Like It’s Your Job

Because it is.

The best producers I know talk less and listen more.

A great way to demonstrate you’re listening, is to repeat back what you hear:

“It sounds like this growth has created some unexpected problems.”

“It sounds like you’ve been burned by a BOR in the past.”

“It sounds like you gave it your best, but it didn’t work out how you expected.”

When people feel heard, they trust you faster.

5. Speak Their Language, Not Yours

Throwing around big words and technical jargon doesn’t make you sound smart.

It makes the insured confused and frustrated.

And confused people don’t buy.

The best producers I know take complex topics and make them simple. They drop the insurance-speak and use words their clients understand.

Do that, and you stop sounding like a salesperson and start sounding like an advisor.

Be clear, not clever.

6. Make People Feel Important

Everyone wants to feel valued.

But few producers make it a habit, including myself.

Next time you reach out to a wholesale broker, maybe drop them a line saying “thank you”.

To clients, maybe send handwritten thank-you notes after renewals, or referrals.

With colleagues, make an effort to remember birthdays and big milestones.

This isn’t flattery.

It’s just being a good person.

Insurance Is A People Game

The producers who win aren’t the ones who quote the fastest or know the most exclusions.

They’re the ones who make everyone around them feel seen, heard, and valued.

Do these six things consistently, and you won’t just make more friends, you’ll build better relationships, become the producer everyone wants to work with, and most importantly:

Win more deals!

Speaking of winning more deals…

You know what else can help with that?

Our Producer Playbook.

It’s our step-by-step guide to building a book from scratch with cold outbound.

You can check out the Producer Playbook here →

See you next week.

Kick ass take names,

– Micah