Psychological Assessments Help Agents Grow Business

But "the results themselves are meaningless unless you have someone you trust, someone you should consider your psychological coach, who can turn this information into something you can use," he added.

Klein listed three threshold skills and attributes a person needs to succeed in selling insurance:

1. "Wear your passion on your sleeve."

2. Display a "strong willingness to accept yourself, warts and all, and to project a sense of confidence to clients."

3. "Be able to lift yourself up, sweep the dirt off, and try and try again with the belief that it's going to work out."

Psychologists call those attributes and skills assertiveness, self-regard and optimism, Klein said. But other attributes are also important, he continued, citing ambition, empathy, prudence, inquisitiveness, and reality testing.

"Taking one of these tests, where you answer questions without knowing why it is being asked, is the only true way to get a score on these dimensions," he noted.

But people can do self-assessments, too, he indicated. In fact, Klein asked the audience to do a self-assessment, with each person giving a self-score of high, low or moderate on the previous 5 attributes. Then, Klein commented on the attributes.

For instance, to advisors who gave themselves a low score on ambition, he said: "Remember that you are in a competitive business, but that you don't need to kill the big elephant. Fire those clients who give you ulcers. You will never make them happy or understand why they need everything yesterday."

To those who gave themselves a high score on ambition, he said: "You might intimidate younger professionals and you may compete with your own staff. You may have incredibly high expectations for your staff and push them very hard. Remember that not everyone is as driven as you are. Find someone else (maybe a chief operating officer) to manage staff on daily tasks."

It's difficult to make recommendations to anyone based on one score or one test, Klein stressed.

Also, he said "any good test doesn't have an overall score because every person sitting here is different enough from the next that you need to dig into the details a bit–make sure you shine light on what is unique about you."

Information gleaned from assessment testing is applicable to making staffing decisions, he said. It can also help clients make important decisions in their lives.

Klein told of a client, Caroline, who was going through a divorce. Her highest scores were on "interpersonal sensitivity" and "inquisitiveness," he said, noting she is incredibly approachable; easily understands; tends to others' feelings; and is creative, thoughtful, and curious. Her lowest scores were "sociability" and "ambition."

The process gave "great relief" to Caroline, he recalled. It "confirmed that she was a competent individual (without her husband) who had her own goals, values, and interests, and would be able to create a new life around herself in his absence."

This process not only helps clients, he said. It can also help the agent "understand how to work best with the clients."

New clients or prospects may be impressed that the agent wants to offer them a chance to enhance their understanding of their own personality or style, he explained. The process also gives the agent an opportunity to say to the client, "I walk the talk. Not only do I say I will work with you as a whole person, but this brief, on-line self-assessment proves that I want to fully understand you and how I can best work and communicate with you."