I learned that one of my job duties as office manager is to hold weekly meetings on Wednesday mornings. I was excited because A. It is at a pre-set time. B. It gives me some private time with the staff without the phones ringing to talk about service and to update them on changes. C. I love meetings. Especially meetings where I am the chair. I will do my best not to conduct them in parliamentary procedure even though it is chronically underused, super efficient, and it would be great to teach them in case they need it in the future.
Primarily my job will be service with a thick layer of sales. I would have helped people anyway because that is what I do but I love the idea of assisting in the training of a sales staff. I have practically been in sales since I was 14. My step-mom sold insurance independently and I used to go with her and answer the phones. That is where I started in sales but it was not limited to insurance. We sold birddogs, horses, rose bushes, cookies on Valentines Day, and Carol had a bistro in town that served very fancy lunch. In the manager role I am still required to sell but my quota is smaller and I bonus on retention. I may be speaking too soon but I love that.
The parallels from dental to insurance are uncanny. This week I have determined that if you know how to answer the phone, help the customer politely, navigate the computer system, and sell you can be successful at pretty much any industry you fall into. Things like patient/customer retention require the same steps. Just like dental you have to establish value in your product before the customer will consider it. It feels a lot like you are helping them make the right decision for themselves and for their families that without your help they may have never done. If you don't get this root canal you will be in pain and lose your tooth is exactly like if you don't get life insurance you could die and your kids wouldn't even be able to pay your funeral expenses.
On Friday Kenneth held the sales meeting. He is a great motivator. Even thought it was my first sales meeting I was able to contribute. I added a lesson on the dual-alternative close at the end of the meeting. It is how you guide patients into scheduling and specifically at a time you want them to come in. For instance: I would love to sit down with you and talk about making sure you have enough life insurance. Do you prefer Mondays or Thursdays? Morning or Afternoon? 3:00 or 4:00? Okay I will see you at 4:00 on this coming Thursday the 14th. It really works. Having so much sales training to offer makes me excited to help. I will have to do my best to dole it out in bursts so they can implement and see if it works for them.
I asked if I can decorate my office the way I want and he said yes. He did qualify that statement with I can't decorate in offensive things. Come on...well, I will do my best. I put up that glass decoration I posted last week. It looks great. I will be adding several pictures of the kids and of inspirational things to my office along with Walter and Gregory. Walter is a stuffed sting ray that I have hauled with my to every office job I have had the last 6 years. The running joke is he is the manager of the complaints department. I am not going to lie, Walter has gotten me out of a bind or two. I always joked about putting Walter in the office chair facing away from a customer, saying Walter will see you now, flipping the chair around, and running out of the room. Funny right? In my last post I was unsure if I should take him but I am already certain that he will fit in. Gregory is my mother in laws tongue that I have had since 2004. He is really big and has produced lots of babies which I have gifted to other lucky people. All of which are required to refer to them as baby Gregorys. He, along with another plant, will be going to the office with me tomorrow.
Two Months: Professional:
1.
Hit my first sales goal.
2.
Show up to work on time every day and leave on
time.
3.
Dress professionally each day.
4.
Learn how to use the online quoting and sales
tools well.
6.
Get to know my co-workers.
Two Months: Personal:
1. Lose 10 pounds.
2.
Put makeup on each day.
3.
Fix hair 4 out of 5 days each week.
4.
Finish Colin’s Room (Complete with curtains) Paint Colin's room
5.
Put the fish tank on the new stand.
6.
Put away maternity dress pants for good.
7.
Continue to breastfeed my son.
8.
Wash and clean out car.
10.
Get a haircut/ eyebrows done.
Progress: So far I have not dressed professionally each day because Friday was casual day. I don't think that counts so I am still on track with that goal. Kenneth has a 5 minute window to get to work on time so taking that into consideration I have been on time each day. I will be assuming the manager role tomorrow. I have gotten to know my co-workers but I feel I need to get to know them a little better before I check that one off. I now have 11 pounds to lose. I have put make-up on each day. I fixed my hair 5 out of 5 days last week. I am an overachiever. Dan is painting Colin room right now. The fish tank is not on the new stand. I am a long ways away from putting the maternity clothes away. Colin is still exclusively breastfed. My car is a little cleaner because it rained and I have not gotten my hair or eyebrows done. I did find out that it was not my check engine light that was on but the maintenance required light which reminds me to get the oil changed. It isn't even time to change the oil. Silly car.
This weeks goals:
Professional:
1. Sell/refer to sell at least 1 life insurance policy.
2. Navigate the State Farm system without any huge problems.
3. Get to know the girls more.
4. Make sure I schedule to Kenneth's calendar and get together paperwork he needs the day before.
5. Do not set off the alarms. There are two.
6. Be on time.
7. Look nice. (Isn't SMART goal format)
Personal:
1. Adhere to my calorie goal 4 out of 7 days this week. (Baby steps)
2. Walk 50,000 steps on the treadmill. It doesn't matter how many sessions.
3. Track everything that I eat no matter how small. I need to know exactly how many calories I am taking in.
4. Drink an 8 oz. glass of water before each meal 75% of the time.
5. Eat at least 12 servings of vegetables/fruit.
6. Record weight each day.
7. Have a least 1 dinner/ get together with a friend.
8. Empty laundry hamper once.
9. Put totes in the attic.
10. Send my grandmother a hand written letter, a picture of the boys, and her Christmas present that was not ready when she was here last.
11. Hang Colin's wall art.
12. Read books to both boys at least 3 times.
Rewards: This last week I earned some more stickers for my car. I get to put them on when I wash the car. I also earned some colored pencils for my new coloring book I got for Christmas from the in-laws. I found a painting that I would like in my new office. It is huge, bright, beautiful, and 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I must have it to complete my office but I will have to wait until payday.
I found these and now they are on my 10 pound goal reward list.
Progress: So far I have not dressed professionally each day because Friday was casual day. I don't think that counts so I am still on track with that goal. Kenneth has a 5 minute window to get to work on time so taking that into consideration I have been on time each day. I will be assuming the manager role tomorrow. I have gotten to know my co-workers but I feel I need to get to know them a little better before I check that one off. I now have 11 pounds to lose. I have put make-up on each day. I fixed my hair 5 out of 5 days last week. I am an overachiever. Dan is painting Colin room right now. The fish tank is not on the new stand. I am a long ways away from putting the maternity clothes away. Colin is still exclusively breastfed. My car is a little cleaner because it rained and I have not gotten my hair or eyebrows done. I did find out that it was not my check engine light that was on but the maintenance required light which reminds me to get the oil changed. It isn't even time to change the oil. Silly car.
This weeks goals:
Professional:
1. Sell/refer to sell at least 1 life insurance policy.
2. Navigate the State Farm system without any huge problems.
3. Get to know the girls more.
4. Make sure I schedule to Kenneth's calendar and get together paperwork he needs the day before.
5. Do not set off the alarms. There are two.
6. Be on time.
7. Look nice. (Isn't SMART goal format)
Personal:
1. Adhere to my calorie goal 4 out of 7 days this week. (Baby steps)
2. Walk 50,000 steps on the treadmill. It doesn't matter how many sessions.
3. Track everything that I eat no matter how small. I need to know exactly how many calories I am taking in.
4. Drink an 8 oz. glass of water before each meal 75% of the time.
5. Eat at least 12 servings of vegetables/fruit.
6. Record weight each day.
7. Have a least 1 dinner/ get together with a friend.
8. Empty laundry hamper once.
9. Put totes in the attic.
10. Send my grandmother a hand written letter, a picture of the boys, and her Christmas present that was not ready when she was here last.
11. Hang Colin's wall art.
12. Read books to both boys at least 3 times.
Rewards: This last week I earned some more stickers for my car. I get to put them on when I wash the car. I also earned some colored pencils for my new coloring book I got for Christmas from the in-laws. I found a painting that I would like in my new office. It is huge, bright, beautiful, and 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I must have it to complete my office but I will have to wait until payday.
I found these and now they are on my 10 pound goal reward list.
I think I may be able to use them in my new coloring book without bleeding through.
I would like to close with something a little heavier this post. I think that it is inhumane how society in the US treats pregnant women and new mothers. They definitely want you to have babies but they will not pass laws that encourage businesses to provide paid maternity leave or paternity leave. I was one of the unlucky ones that had to take out a personal loan to pay bills while I was not working. I am the primary bread-winner in my family and that puts a lot of pressure on me which I gladly accept and wouldn't want it any other way. If I would have kept the job I had the loan would have been paid off by now no problem but because I did not I now have to pay that loan and $4500.00 in medical bills that I was not expecting. I paid the $2200.00 that I was told would be the estimated cost of having Colin. Then Colin's bills, the pediatrician being out of Aetna's network, the anesthesiologist bring out of network, and the additional $1000.00 over what my estimated cost was came to the amount above. There has to be a better way. I am not advocating for socialism or not being responsible for your own bills, but come on, is this really the best we can do? Kicking the American middle class family when they are down doesn't seem like something the US should be doing. Not just to protect the family but to maintain a healthy taxpaying base. So just know that the professional goals are also financial goals. It would be nice to make enough money to pay off the medical bills in the next 12 years. $25.00 a month to each one is not getting me very far and there is always a chance they will send me to collections and hurt my credit.
So... I need to work every day no matter what so I can make more money, don't get sick ever because I don't have health insurance, and put every extra penny I can spare to paying off my debt. Sounds like a plan. Have a great week everyone. I would love some feedback so don't feel shy about commenting.
I would like to close with something a little heavier this post. I think that it is inhumane how society in the US treats pregnant women and new mothers. They definitely want you to have babies but they will not pass laws that encourage businesses to provide paid maternity leave or paternity leave. I was one of the unlucky ones that had to take out a personal loan to pay bills while I was not working. I am the primary bread-winner in my family and that puts a lot of pressure on me which I gladly accept and wouldn't want it any other way. If I would have kept the job I had the loan would have been paid off by now no problem but because I did not I now have to pay that loan and $4500.00 in medical bills that I was not expecting. I paid the $2200.00 that I was told would be the estimated cost of having Colin. Then Colin's bills, the pediatrician being out of Aetna's network, the anesthesiologist bring out of network, and the additional $1000.00 over what my estimated cost was came to the amount above. There has to be a better way. I am not advocating for socialism or not being responsible for your own bills, but come on, is this really the best we can do? Kicking the American middle class family when they are down doesn't seem like something the US should be doing. Not just to protect the family but to maintain a healthy taxpaying base. So just know that the professional goals are also financial goals. It would be nice to make enough money to pay off the medical bills in the next 12 years. $25.00 a month to each one is not getting me very far and there is always a chance they will send me to collections and hurt my credit.
So... I need to work every day no matter what so I can make more money, don't get sick ever because I don't have health insurance, and put every extra penny I can spare to paying off my debt. Sounds like a plan. Have a great week everyone. I would love some feedback so don't feel shy about commenting.
No comments:
Post a Comment