Credibility is an important quality to have when working with prospects and clients in the insurance business.
But credibility cannot be achieved if you do not possess the following three attributes: expertise, track record and respect.
Let's explore each in more depth:
1. Expertise
Expertise means that you actually comport yourself as an expert. Experts' opinions are believed and sought; they are not generally subject to quibbles or arguments. No one has ever walked up to Peter Drucker and challenged his thinking about management strategy.
You gain expertise through experiences, education, observations and boldly moving on from both your victories and your defeats. It's fine to be defeated in a good cause if you learn from it. That's how you hone your skills — through continual application and real-world use. It's often said that saints engage in introspection, while sinners run the world. Think about that.
In a rapidly changing world of technology, globalization and shifting social mores, expertise is an ongoing act, not a static position. How do you know you're an "expert?" Because people cite you, quote you, defer to you, ask your opinion and use you as the standard. Even if all that only happens within your own organization.
2. Track record
Nothing succeeds in promoting credibility like results that others can see, touch, feel, hear and smell. In other words, don't just talk the talk; walk the walk. Track records don't require uniform and unblemished successes. In fact, it's better that they show variation. The idea is to constantly improve.
