There was no meeting the next morning as I was slated to be on a panel for the first session of the day. With me was Larry, who was about 45 and the insurance companies' top agent and Stan, who was about 60 and was the top agent for a decade before Larry took over. I was pretty stoked to be in their company.
The session was set up for each of us to get 15 minutes and then 15 minutes for questions. Both Larry and Stan took 20 minutes leaving me with just five so I had to just give a brief overview of what was the biggest reason for my success at a young age especially compared to these veterans who I had taken two pages of notes while they talked.
"Be a good listener" I implored. "Every one of you has been to a party and you can always tell who is having the best time. It is the person doing all the talking. Let your clients have the best time by letting them do most of the talking. Ask pointed questions and listen to what they tell you. They will tell you what they want and how to sell them if you just listen". Time was up and Q&A started.
Larry and Stan got every question which was totally understandable. The moderator said, "We have time for one more question" and picked out one woman and asked her to stand. It was Annie.
"Peter, can you give us a quick outline of how you would present to my husband and I?" she said pointing to her husband and then sat down.
I only had three minutes left so I asked her husband if in the interest of time he would play along and agree that he was the chief decision maker I had already satisfied his concerns and goals. He agreed.
I then looked directly at Annie and started to talk. "First of all, it is important that I talk directly with you. I will look straight at you as I want you to think you are the most important person in the room. I ask you about your life, concerns and what it would take to satisfy you. I don't look at your husband at all while you open up and let me into your life. I then ask if I come up with a plan that satisfies you will you take action?
She subliminally nodded her head as I asked that question. I then go back to her husband and ask him, "You are satisfied with my plan, your wife is receptive to the plan. If that plan satisfies your wife, do I have permission to go ahead with the plan?"
I wasn't expecting a response but he answered trying for a laugh. "She is difficult to satisfy so if your plan satisfies her, I am on board." With that, the moderator ended the session with only Annie and I knowing that he had just given me permission to fuck his wife.