William Godwin, famous writer and political philosopher, is quoted as saying “he that loves reading has everything within his grasp.” That is just one of the many beautiful and inspiring quotes that serve to teach us the power of reading good books. But to make the most of our time, we must be selective with our reading material. There are countless books covering almost every topic imaginable, so you have to be quite picky in choosing the right topics based on the so few, disposable hours per day that you have.
Knowing which books to focus on during your valuable spare time is crucial if you are to get the most benefit from your reading. That is why we have put together this list of handy must-reads for insurance agents. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but the information contained within the pages of these books will flood your brain with brilliant ideas to grow your insurance agency’s book of business.
- The Breakthrough Insurance Agency: How to Multiply Your Income, Time and Fun – Applicable to both new insurance agents and those that have been in business for several years; this short read is packed full of information to help you put your insurance agency on a path of continuous growth. The author, Bart Baker, details acclaimed agency-building processes that are designed to maximize success.
- So You Want to be an Insurance Agent, Third Edition – Author, Jeff Hastings is a 30+ year veteran of the insurance industry. After starting out as a humble file clerk, Jeff went on to build an extraordinary award-winning business. It is that experience which has been poured into this best-selling book. Whether you are just starting out or you consider yourself a veteran of insurance, you are sure to learn something from this book.
- To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others – This books does not focus on any one profession, rather, it looks at sales from a broader perspective. These days, so the premise goes, we are all in the business of selling – even people that do not consider themselves a salesperson. It’s a fascinating look at things and one that might cause you to reanalyze your approach to selling.
- The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly – This is one of the most comprehensive books for developing a modern marketing plan. In this day of content consumption, business owners are also required to become content creators. This book offers a step by step plan to help you leverage content and harness PR.
- Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers – If you target the millennial segment (and there is plenty to suggest that you should), then you will need to read this book. The insurance industry has been slow to adapt to the new way of marketing, and have thus become somewhat detached from the younger generation. Permission Marketing from Seth Godin outlines what needs to be done currently to make your brand more consumer friendly. Here’s a hint; it’s not interruption marketing.
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- Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses – Expert content strategist, Joe Pulizzi, offers a radical six-step business-building process in this popular book. It is a perfect follow-up from Seth Godin’s book, Permission Marketing, which tells you, essentially, that you need to create content. Content Inc gives you the why and the how of content marketing. Although neither is specifically written for the insurance and financial services industry, as an agent, there is much that can be gleaned and adapted for your own business.
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert B. Cialdini is the seminal expert in the field of influence and persuasion. This classic book details six universal principles that move people to change behavior. It is a book that will inspire much introspection as well as move you to change the way you interact with your clients. You should read this one at least once every year.
- Networking Is Not Working: Stop Collecting Business Cards and Start Making Meaningful Connections – Building a successful agency is not just about signing off policies. You also need to get out of the office and talk to people face to face. In Derek Coburn’s short 132-page book, you will learn why the old way of networking is practically a waste of time; how to identify and develop relationships, how to become the ultimate connector, and influencer, in your community and a whole lot more.
- Live Free or DIY: How to Get More Customers, Increase Profits, and Achieve Work-life Balance – Everyone hits roadblocks in their business. Finding solutions, however, does not always seem straightforward. In this practical guide from Justin E. Crawford, you will learn that you are not the only one facing these roadblocks: many business owners face the same issues. But most importantly, you’ll learn that the solutions are never that far out of reach.
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition) – This classic by John C. Maxwell is one of the best books on leadership of all time. Now enjoying its 10th anniversary, the book has been updated and expanded to include several new leadership stories, tools to evaluate your leadership strengths and weaknesses, and handy exercises at the end of each chapter to help you grow and develop as a leader.
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Here is another great book for the leader who constantly strives to improve. In Start with Why, Simon Sinek states that in business, it does not matter what you do, what matters is why you do it. Simon carefully analyzed numerous individuals’ leadership styles, from Steve Jobs to Martin Luther King, before writing this book. He proved that great leaders, and the most influential people, always started with WHY. This is a great book to help you analyze your current strategies and tactics.
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity – GTD, as it is now commonly referred, has become one of the most influential books of its era. It spurned a brand-new approach to professional and personal tasks. As we all seek to maximize productivity within our limited time, David Allen’s book helps make things more manageable. The ideas in the book will help you free your mind, declutter your desk, and enjoy more stress-free work.
The most successful people in the world have voracious reading habits: Bill Gates is said to read 50 books per year, Mark Zuckerberg resolved to read a book every two weeks, and Mark Cuban dedicates more than 3 hours per day to reading. Correlation does not equal causation, but reading is clearly a keystone to success in business.
