Instructor Spotlight: David Connolly

Whether speaking before a group, putting on Webinars, or coaching one-on-one, David Connolly genuinely enjoys every aspect of teaching. For Connolly, it’s important to have producers armed with sales tools that aid their success; and to spare companies as many losses as possible.

Connolly has strong opinions on the need for good sales training, especially for newer producers.

“There’s about a 66 percent failure rate in the first 18 months,” Connolly says.

“I think the insurance industry does a phenomenal job with technical training … insurance knowledge.

“They do a terrible job … or, we, and I’m part of the insurance industry, do a terrible job teaching producers how to succeed in this business, ’cause it’s a tough business. It’s very competitive.”

Connolly understands the competition from first-hand experience. He began his career as a loss prevention specialist in 1981. He moved on to the lumber industry, where he found his niche as a producer.

Over time, he became a partner in an insurance agency, where he eventually moved to sales and production. This opened a door for him as an instructor.

“I took a sales course called ‘Dynamics of Selling’ and that was offered through the National Alliance,” Connolly says. “During the course of that class, it just became apparent that I was in sync with some of the instructors and what they were teaching.”

By the end of that course, Connolly was offered a position as an instructor with the National Alliance.

“I was still a producer. I had a full-time job. Once or twice a month, I would travel and do a two-day seminar for them (the National Alliance). I got paid for it, but for me, the great experience was getting up in front of people and teaching.”

Five years ago, Connolly founded IQ Sales Consulting, to offer personal coaching and training to producers and agency owners.

“I wanted to focus more on success. I started working with producers and agencies on how to help producers succeed in this business.”

Connolly recently decided put his ideas on paper. He is writing about his observations of how the most prolific, multi-million-dollar producers he has worked with have succeeded.

“It’s a book on success for producers, because, and I mention it in the book, we’re great at teaching technical skills, but we’re terrible at teaching success.”

Connolly is teaching four Webinar courses for the Insurance Journal Academy of Insurance:

“The Perpetual Pipeline” on April 6; “The Pre-call Strategy: Preparing to Win” on April 27; “Shock Proof: Insulating Your Client” on May 18; and “Non-Optional Behaviors” on December 1.

For more information on these courses, visit www.ijacademy.com.

Topics Training Development