Training new employees with no insurance experience to become producers

Step # 3: Finalize the New Employee's Learning Program

task #

descriptions of action items

Explanation

Observation

Implementation

Recognition

Graduation

Completion

preparatory tasks (before work can be done)

Verify your phone works by checking for a dial tone and preparing to use the agency phone system to receive, transfer, and conference in-coming calls.

_______, as our receptionist, will explain how the agency phone system can be used for receiving, transferring, & conferencing calls from insureds and to other parties

new EE will observe _______ while learning how to receive, transfer, & conference in-coming calls from insureds and to other parties. She will be given a handout & encouraged to take notes. ______ will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with ______.

___ will have new EE do every other task required when receiving, transfrg, & confrncg calls from insureds and to other parties while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five in-coming calls to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's independent work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five in-coming phone calls.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more in-coming phone calls

__/__/07

Verify your computer works and the network is active by logging onto your computer, the network, and our e-mail program.

_______, as our computer system expert, will explain how the agency computer system and software programs can be accessed for business purposes

new EE will observe ____ while learning how to log on and open the most basic of our software programs. She will be given screen shots & encouraged to take notes. _____ will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with ______.

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Verify our agency management system is available by logging on to it.

_______, as our agency management expert, will explain how the agency computer system and software programs can be accessed for business purposes

new EE will observe ____ while learning how to log on and verify our customers' information is available. She will be given screen shots & encouraged to take notes. ___ will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with ______.

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Verify our agency's comparative rater is available for quoting and retrieving old quotes by logging on to it.

_______, as our quoting expert, will explain how the agency's comparative rater should be accessed and availability verified

new EE will observe ____ while learning how to log on and verify the rater is working. She will be given screen shots & encouraged to take notes. ___ will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with ______.

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Check your calendar to see who you should shadow today and when you should meet with her/him. Plan your shadowing (personal observation) activity for tomorrow too. Confirm it will happen as planned.

_______, as your mentor, will give you a directory & profile of our team so you will know who does what kinds of work in our agency and she will introduce you to everyone explaining you will need to shadow them, as part of your training, soon

new EE will observe her mentor while the mentor introduces the new EE to four of the team members. She will be encouraged to take notes about each team member's areas of interest and availability for shadowing. The mentor will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with the mentor and introducer herself to the rest of the team.

the mentor will have new EE do every other task required when being introduced to team members. The mentor will then give new EE the three team members to do introductions by herself.

the new EE's mentor will review new EE's introductions to learn how well she did them. Supplemental instruction will be given if any difficiencies exist. The new EE will introduce herself to the rest of the team.

the new EE's mentor will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's completed introductions to all of the agency team

__/__/07

Open a new e-mail. Address it to your mentor and your agency's owner. Begin listing your daily actions so they know what you accomplish daily.

you will document your professional progress daily by listing the types of activities you participate in at work and what you accomplish daily

new EE will observe her mentor while learning how to write up the new EE's daily activity/learning. She will be given a sample printout & encouraged to take notes during each workday. The mentor will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while being taught this task by the mentor.

the mentor will have new EE do every other task required when documenting daily activity/learning. The mentor will then give new EE five examples of activities/learnings to document by herself.

the new EE's mentor will review new EE's documentation to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five ficticious activities.

the new EE's mentor will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully completed five days of e-mail reports

__/__/07

With a smile in your voice and on your face, look at everyone you come in contact with to thank them for being there and ask what you can do for them today. Customers give us money, part of which, pays us for working. Plan accordingly.

_______, as your mentor, will explain you are becoming an important member of our team and your attitude will influence your altitude (how high you climb the ladder of success in our industry)

new EE will observe our receptionist and others while greeting walk-in prospectgs and customers. She will be encouraged to take notes. The receptionist will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with the everyone who modeled the preferred behaviors.

(Implementation, as noted elsewhere, is not really applicable to this action.)

the receptionist & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five walk-ins.

the receptionist will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more walk-ins

__/__/07

Resupply the fax, copier, and printer machines with paper.

_______, as our agency equipment expert, will explain how the agency machines should be prepared for use each day

new EE will observe ____ while learning how to log on and find customers' information, as well as capture prospects' data. She will be given screen shots & encouraged to take notes. ___ will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with ______.

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Turn on and warm up all office machines.

_______, as our agency equipment expert, will explain how the agency machines should be used for business purposes

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more _______

__/__/07

elementary/basic work tasks

Learn about our training methodology (i.e., Explanation-Observation-Implementation-Recognition-Graduation). Read your program document. Google "adult learning methodology" and "competency-based training" to learn more about how adults learn. What can we do to make this training better for you and others?

_______, as our agency training expert, will explain how the agency training system and your personal efforts will enable you to learn and serve significantly for years into the future

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

At the end of each day, help manager our housekeeping efforts by arranging our reception area furniture neatly and emailing our janitorial service if anything needs cleaning. Cc your mentor.

_______, as our agency custodial expert, will explain how the agency works to keep things clean and organized to impress customers and insurers' marketing representatives

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

At the end of each day, help manager our housekeeping efforts by arranging our staff work areas neatly and emailing our janitorial service if anything needs cleaning. Cc your mentor.

see # 11's Explanation

see # 11's Orientation

see # 11's Implementation

see # 11's Recognition

see # 11's Graduation

same as above

At the beginning of each day, survey/look over our supply of forms to see what should be ordered. E-mail your findings to your mentor and the agency owner. Develop a checklist for you to use daily.

_______, as our forms expert, will explain how the agency forms files are organized and enable us to capture information and earn money from insureds and insurers

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

At the beginning of each day, file all client folders left in staff out-boxes from previous day's work.

_______, as our chief record keeper, will explain how the agency file system is organized and enables us to capture information and earn money from insureds and insurers

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

At the beginning of each day, find in-coming facsimile prints and deliver them to staff in-boxes.

_______, as our chief record keeper, will use the directory & profiles given you in step 5 to explain how you should decide who gets what types of paperwork each morning

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Learn how to use our prospecting data base. Know how to enter data, when it should be entered, and how it can help us make business decisions about our agency's future.

_______, as our agency management expert, will explain how the agency computer system and software programs can be used to prospect (find clients and sell insurance)

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Learn what each of our markets (insurers) offer insureds/customers so you will know which customers should be insured by which insurers.

_______, as our marketing expert, will explain the agency has relationships with insurers to distribute their insurance programs; she will calendar meetings for you to meet our insurers' marketing representatives

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more _______

__/__/07

Learn what types of our customers should be serviced by each of our markets (insurers).

_______, as our marketing expert, will explain the most common types of insurance customers and which insurers want to serve each type of customer (insurer marketing reps will help here too)

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more _______

__/__/07

Study when you are not performing a standard work duty. Monitor coworkers when you have nothing to study.

as your are the owner of your success, make sure you manage your time so you learn about work when you are not working

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

intermediate work tasks

Retrieve each telephone message, document each telephone message, copy what you create, and deliver telephone messages. Make sure your documentation is useful (legible and complete).

_______, as our receptionist, will explain how the agency has a main voice mail box and you should document each call and give documentation to the right people so the agency can respond successfully

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more _______

__/__/07

Retrieve e-mails sent to the agency's general e-mail address. Foreword e-mails to the right persons, Ccing the agency owner.

______, as your mentor, will explain how to access the agency's main e-mail box and how to print, copy, file, and distribute emails from prospects and customers

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Greet walk-in customers warmly and encourage them to let you know what they need.

_______, as our receptionist, will explain how you can begin welcoming prospects and clients to our office helping each person connect with our team using the directory & profiles given you in step 5 above

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more ________

__/__/07

Start new quotes for new-business automobile insurance customers (let a licensee present all quotes).

_______, as our quoting expert, will explain how the agency's comparative rater should be used to create quotes for personal car insurance policies

___ will have new EE do every other task required when ______ while sitting with ____. ____ will then give new EE the next five ____ to work by herself.

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five _______.

____ will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more _______

__/__/07

Begin studying to pass the 220 or 440 licensing exam. (This, more advanced learning, substitutes for action # 19.)

_______, as our agency training expert, will explain how you will be given times to study during your firt 45 days of employment in preparation for the ____ exam; make sure you receive study materials & the exam application within the first week of being hired

new EE will observe our training expert while reviewing the study materials and preparing to register for the ____ exam. She will be encouraged to take notes. Application of what the new EE learned will be done on the state sponsored examination.

(Implementation, as noted elsewhere, is not really applicable to this action.)

(Recognition, as noted elsewhere, is not really applicable to this action.)

the agency training expert will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully passed the ____ exam

__/__/07

advanced work tasks

Begin soliciting walk-ins who are satisfied customers to sell them other types of insurance (round their accounts).

after passing the ____ exam, your mentor will explain how happy customers are our best source of more business and how you should start offering them more types of insurance

new EE will observe the mentor while learning how to "round accounts", as well as capture clients' data. She will be given an if/then table as a set of guidelines & encouraged to take notes. The mentor will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with the mentor.

the mentor will have new EE role play doing every other task required when soliciting a satisfied customer. The mentor will then make sure the office staff gives new EE the next five satisfied customers to work by herself.

the new EE's mentor & office staff will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five satisfied customers.

the agency training expert will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more satisfied customers

__/__/07

Develop a prospecting program (a notebook or folder with a targeted prospects list, brochures, introductory scripts, a calendar with time-based goals) to help meet with neighboring business owners, your friends, and relatives to solicit their business and personal insurance purchases.

_______, as our agency owner, will explain how you can be in charge of how much money you will earn if you will begin finding and selling to new customers

(Observation, as noted elsewhere, is not realy applicable to this action.)

___ will have new EE write up a personal business development plan and the mentor will begin monitoring the new EE's prospecting efforts

_____ & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's progress to learn how well she works at it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next steps in her plan.

the agency owner will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully prospected and sold insurance to five customers

__/__/07

Begin asking satisfied customers for referrals persuasively.

your mentor will explain how satisfied customers are a great source of referrals and you can ask customers for referrals persuasively

new EE will observe our staff while learning how to encourage happy customers to give us names of friends, relatives, and businesses. She will be encouraged to take notes. The mentor will then give new EE a chance to apply what she learned while partnering with the sales staff.

the new EE's mentor will roleplay soliciting of referals with the new EE. The office staff will then give new EE the next five satisfied customers to solicit by herself.

the office staff & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five satisfied customers.

the mentor will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully worked five of five or more satisfied customers

__/__/07

Study Marketing Niche Analysis & Planning for Insurance Salespeople and recommend a new market niche we should target. You will lead the effort so propose a plan you will be able to implement successfully.

_______, as our agency training expert with the mentor, will explain how the, now very trained & experienced, employee should target a market segment/niche and begin to plan how the agency should work as a team to begin prospecting that niche

(Observation, as noted elsewhere, is not realy applicable to this action.)

the mentor and training expert will have new EE write up a proposal for analyzing a market niche and set deadlines for accomplishing the actions noted in the proposal. The mentor will then give new EE the first five action items to work by herself.

the training expert & the new EE's mentor will review new EE's work to learn how well she did it. Supplemental instruction will be given before she works the next five action items from the employee's proposal.

the agency owner will sign off on new EE's Jr. Sales Person training certificate when she's successfully implemented her new market niche proposal

__/__/07