Retention is Tremendous

Every day is treasure day when working in a tremendous legacy. I continuously find gems of significant worth organizing the warehouse or getting a recording or picture from one of my father's colleagues. For example, this week I found a flyer from the American Insurance Digest dated APRIL 1966. How exciting! I anxiously poured through the contents to see how my father’s insights would hold up to contemporary schools of thought.

And, guess what? You guessed it! His words are as valid today as they were in 1966. These words apply to every single human who has walked, or will walk, the face of this earth. That’s how you recognize truth. Truth is grounded in consummate self-awareness and humility, i.e., we don't know it all, and we need to be teachable. That's why "truth" has been considered heresy throughout civilization; because it strips a person of their right to self, and destroys the illusion that they know and control everything. Part of the human condition is that we tend not to like this reality.

This fact brings me to a tremendous truth about retention and the root of attracting and retaining a talent stack that will take you to levels you never dreamed possible. You have to catch the fish before you can clean it. Here’s how my father, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones explained it:

“If a man doesn’t want to do something with his heart, there is no use paying him. If you don’t want this man because of what your agency can do for him with a tremendous spirit of obligation, I don’t believe you can bring him through. For the battles ahead, there has to be a bond, and usually, this will be mutual respect and appreciation between the manager and the agent.”

Whenever you bring someone on board, consider why you want to recruit that individual. This question is the first consideration that will determine your rate of retention. Are you willing to pour everything you have into them? If so, then it's ago.

Next week, we'll cover the second question: why do they want to sell what you are offering? If their heart is not in it, they won’t be around for long.