Activity Coaching Conversations

There are times when coaching will give you positive energy, and there are times when it can be a major energy drain as well. How you manage the mental and emotional side of being a coach can make all the difference for you and those that you are coaching.  

In this episode, Heather Price and Sabine Robinson welcome Kylie McKinney. Kylie completed her Master’s degree in Sport and Performance Psychology. Her studies focused mainly on helping athletes. Now she works as a full-time activity coach, coaching new FRs and helping to develop the mindset, skills, and habits that are necessary to have a successful career. 

Today they talk about burnout, describe the symptoms, talk about the causes – what initiated it, and give some recommendations on how to prevent it. One of the ways to prevent burnout is to keep green and grow. Take care of yourself - eating, exercising, getting enough sleep. And watch for early signs.  Listen to the podcast and find out about the books they recommend and much more. 

Episode highlights:

05:04 – It started with impaired concentration and attention. I started to procrastinate on small, easy tasks I have never had trouble completing before. 

11:50 – When you’re working on yourself, and you’re green and grow, it is easier to help others do that. Look for a study group. Keep a smile file. 

14:31 – I got my own “coach” – my therapist. Find a third party you can talk to on a regular basis – if not a therapist, maybe a professional coach, or a coworker.   

23:16 – You’re coaching people all the time whether you’re doing it intentionally or not. People are always looking to you, how you speak about things, what your mindset is, what are the things that you’re doing. 

Say That Again:

24:10 – Heather and Sabine share some book suggestions that have helped them along the way. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting 

Heather and Sabine have used the last nine episodes to share some of their best coaching strategies. To celebrate their tenth episode, they invited two guest speakers, a former Northwestern Mutual representative, and a current Northwestern Mutual representative to share their perspective on the career.  

In the first part of the episode, Heather introduces Sean Tomko, a current Northwestern Mutual representative in the first 6 months of his career. Sean talks about his recent activity coaching experiences and how his activity coach is helping him succeed in a difficult career. 

In the second part of the episode, Sabine introduces Tim Thompson, a former Northwestern Mutual representative who has since become successful in another career. Tim talks about what he liked about the business, what most difficult and what he learned that he still applies today.

Episode highlights:

07:03 – There was a time when we were looking through the numbers, and we saw that I was asking for referrals, but I wasn’t getting them. You had me go through my language and role-play it out with you. That was very valuable. 

10:08 – Make sure you’re getting to know the FRs you’re coaching and take time to look above the numbers every couple of days with them. 

16:05 – Every time you have to start over, it becomes harder and harder to come back. You lose your momentum. 

18:25 – Thirty years later, I can tell you there are so many things I use today, from my Northwestern time. My approach to finances, being professional, following up, sticking with things. 

22:15 – Tim’s advice - know yourself. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting 

In this episode, Heather Price and Sabine Robinson talk about building trust and how to build a coaching philosophy. Sabine talks about how we can attempt to make trust more concrete and defines some of the specific elements that make for a trusting relationship. She also takes us through some of the best practices for building a coaching philosophy. In the Say that Again segment, they role-play a conversation with an FR (Financial Rep) who isn’t following through and keeping their commitments, and they demonstrate how to build an overall coaching philosophy.  

Episode highlights:

01:25 – Put yourself in the shoes of a new Financial Rep. They want to know three things about you as their coach: Can I trust you? Do you care about me? Are you committed?

04:25 – Trust can be measured by two things: your character, and your competence.

07:25 – Coaching philosophy is, basically, how you approach coaching holistically. Your philosophy should reflect your values, your personality, and your objective. 

09:46 – If you want to build an overall coaching philosophy, start with this three-part base: 1) believe in them, 2) tell them the truth, 3) be patient. 

Say That Again:

12:40 – Sabine and Heather take this three-point philosophy and role-play how that might show up in a conversation with an FR. Heather plays an FR who forgets to ask for referrals. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting 

In this episode, Heather and Sabine talk about why posting and planning are important and how to get your FRs to post and plan daily. In any successful business, you have to track your performance. Posting allows you to measure your performance to your goals, and planning allows you to manage your business effectively and efficiently. According to Heather and Sabine, you never know the truth of your situation and where you are relative to your goals if you’re not keeping your books. And you earn less income. In the Say That Again segment, they role-play how to lead a Rap, who failed to post three or four times, to see the importance of posting and planning regularly.

Episode highlights:

02:08 – A few thoughts on posting: technology made it easier than ever. Everybody has 10-15 minutes at max. CRM and Posting Plus are the books of your business.

06:03 – Reps feel less than professional, which diminishes their confidence when they constantly operate out of chaos because they do not know what’s happening.

07:25 – Planning is all about preparing for the next day. As Benjamin Franklin said: By failing to prepare, you prepare to fail.

09:05 – There is a correlation between points and commissions. And you won’t know how many points you have unless you’re posting them.

Say That Again:

11:47 – Heather and Sabine role-play a conversation with a Rap that continuously has not been posting.

Contact information:

Heather Price Consulting

We all come up with rationalizations for the things we did not do because those things were difficult or painful. The list of excuses is long. The key is to address them early and effectively. In this episode, Heather and Sabine cover three of those universal excuses and show us how to handle them tactically and philosophically. In the Say That Again segment, they role-play a part of an activity coaching meeting with Sabine leading Heather, a financial Rep, to see why she did not prospect in her appointments.

Episode highlights:

02:43 – Three universal excuses: 1) I’m running out of people to call; 2) I’ve run out of time and I forgot to prospect; 3) I took time to study for my ….

03:09 – There are two ways to tackle those excuses, and you’ll be more effective if you can master both of them: 1) tactical, which is solution-based, and 2) philosophical, which is mindset-based.

03:37 – I ran out of prospects to call – check the number of times they’re asking for referrals against their kept appointments.

07:44 – I forgot to ask for prospects, and/or I ran out of time – ask for details.

10:25 – I took time off to study for my (test, …) - schedule the test, make a plan. Activity has to take precedence.

Say That Again:

14:17 – A role-play of activity coaching meeting. Heather is a financial Rep who had three appointments, but she ran out of time or forgot to prospect in all of them.

Contact information:

Heather Price Consulting

In this episode, Heather and Sabine focus on joint work. Joint work is a crucial component of a new Rep’s development. It should be tracked and addressed regularly in activity coaching each time you meet reviewing how many of their appointments were joint work, and who it was conducted with. Heather and Sabine share some of the best practices and nuances around it. And in the Say That Again segment they role-play two different scenarios of a Rep who does not want to do joint work. 

Episode highlights:

01:47 – Positioning joint work for maximum success. Let candidates know that joint work is a part of the culture and that it is an important part of their training and development. 

05:33 – Take some time and get some feedback from your new FRs on their joint work experiences. 

10:48 – Another nuance in doing joint work is whether it is done up or down – who are they doing joint work with. 

13:10 – The impact of diversity on joint work, definitely an important consideration for women and people of color especially. 

Say That Again:

16:44 – A role-play with Sabina being the FR who does not think that the prospect she is going to see is quality enough to bring the joint work along.

19:55 – In the second scenario, Heather plays a role of a Rep who does not want to lose life credit or share the income. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting 

In this episode, Heather and Sabine are talking about the power of activity analysis and applying the Granum ratios to the real world. What are the ratios? And how can you apply them in the way to inspire FRs to make small changes in activity that lead to disproportionately larger changes in productivity? Heather and Sabine talk through six key benchmark ratios and give you some examples of how to apply them. Then they role-play how to do an activity analysis meeting with an FR focusing on one particular metric. 

Episode highlights: 

02:03 – There are three levels of activity to consider: totals, averages, and ratios. All three levels have to be in sync. 

03:07 – The ratios measure skill and effectiveness. 

04:04 – Incorporate monthly activity and ratios report into your monthly and quarterly reviews. 

04:45 – There are a lot of ratios and benchmarks. Sabine shares key six of them.  

Say That Again:

11:00 – Heather and Sabine take us through a detailed activity analysis showing us what a difference in one metric can make to actual dollars in a Rep’s pocket. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting

The activity coaching meeting is one of the most important meetings that a new Rep is going to attend in the first six months. It is a 10–15-minute meeting that occurs 2-4 times a week and helps Reps keep score, stay on track, celebrate their victories, meet commitments and goals, and much more. In the first part of this episode, Heather and Sabine are talking about the purpose of the activity coaching meeting, what the meeting is and what it is not, and they provide five steps for an effective meeting. In the Say That Again segment Heather leads Sabina through an activity coaching meeting using these five steps and asking the right questions.   

Episode highlights:

01:36 – The purpose of the activity coaching meeting is to recognize small daily wins, and to encourage Reps to stay on the proven path to success.

02:15 – First of five steps to an effective activity coaching meeting.

02:38 – Manage the meeting right when you get started. 

11:00 – Activity coaching is not a set review, case analysis, or a case prep, therapy, friendly check-in, technology training, and it is not a punishment for a lack of activity. 

Say That Again:

11:49 – Role-play of activity coaching meeting.  Sabina plays a role of a Rep who is three months in the business.  

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting 

In this episode, Heather and Sabine discuss effective expectations and minimums. It is a comprehensive topic with many facets. Today they give you a few thoughts to consider and some usable language that you can implement into your coaching conversations right away. Heather dives in with thoughts of expectations, and Sabine follows with her thoughts on minimums. The Say That Again segment is about coaching the expectations when no one is hitting them.  

Episode highlights:

01:09 – When it comes to setting and implementing FR activity and productivity expectations, consider the three Cs: 1) clear and concise, 2) consistent, and 3) communicated often

09:30 – How you position expectations is so important. Expectations are not meant to be negative. Winning is a good thing. 

10:35 – This business is an unlimited opportunity, but that can be scary. People like boundaries, they like the boundaries at the top, and the boundaries on the floor. 

12:14 – Minimums are the safety net. The key is how you coach to both - the aspirational expectations and the minimums. You do not want to coach to the minimums.

Say That Again:

20:05 – A role play presentation of how to coach the expectations when no one is hitting them. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting 

The art of asking questions is at the top of the list of necessary and impactful coaching skills. On a scale of 1-10 how good are you at asking questions? What is behind your rating? And what is so important about asking questions? Our hosts, Heather and Sabine, lead us through this episode asking some good questions, explaining why it is important to ask questions, and showing us the better way to ask questions through some examples and a role play. And in the Say That Again segment, they show us how to turn lecturing statements into coaching questions.  

Episode highlights:

02:06 – There is tremendous power in a great question. Questions can change lives. They can change perspective, they can empower, or they can be a call to action. 

04:48 – If you feel it, ask it – the most important guideline for asking thoughtful and deep questions. 

08:50 – The great thing about getting good at asking questions is also that you are modeling behavior that your Reps can take to the market place. You can coach them around asking open ended questions to their prospects and clients that will enhance their meetings. 

11:14 – A role play demonstration of a really powerful question: “What’s important about that to you” 

Say That Again:

13:25 – Today’s topic: Turning lecturing statements into coaching questions. 

Contact information: 

Heather Price Consulting