The Divine Equation

 The Divine Equation

The Divine Equation is said to be the equation of nature. Otherwise called the Golden Ratio, it is represented by the Phi – whose symbol is "φ". The equation is of the ratio 1:1.6 and is said to be the equation of nature because research says that in most things beautiful in nature, the measure of 1:1.6 is established.  For eg., if the inner ring of the pollens at the midst of a flower measures say 1 cm, its immediate outer circle of pollens  measures 1.6 cm.  Likewise, if the outer veins of a leaf measures 1.6 cms, the inner viens towards the tip of the leaf measures 1 cm.  Researchers give many more examples of nature such as the ratio of branches of trees, petals of flowers etc.

Leonardo Da Vinci is said to have exhumed bodies from graves to measure human body ratios in creating his famed “Vitruvian Man”. It contains various proportions and measures of human body .The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, Proportions of Man

 

 The Divine Equation was witnessed in the human body proportions too. – in the relative size of fingers & toes, its phalanges, size of arm to elbow to fingers, upper torso from the navel to lower body et al.  The Vitruvian Man was among the earliest guide to budding artists and sculptors who sought exactness to nature in their works including Le Corbusier.  Thus the Divine Equation has universal applications.

The Divine Equation and Fibonacci Sequence.

The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13,

The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it.

• The 2 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+1)

• Similarly, the 3 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+2),

• And the 5 is (2+3), 

• and so on!

Interestingly, the Divine Equation is experienced here as well.  5 divided by 3 is 1.6 (1:1.6), 8 divided by 5 is 1.6 (1:1.6), 13 divided by 8 is also 1.6 (1:1.6).  Architects, for example, use the Fibonacci Series in designing some of the finest structures.  A simple demonstration would be the construct of the perfect spiral using the series, as exhibited below.

 

That being so, does the universality of the equation apply to insurance sales as well?  The answer may be entrenched somewhere in between the “Fibonacci Sequence”. Insurance Pundits often extol their experience of their Sales funnel - which is 10 Calls to prospective clients, 5 appointments, 3 client presentations and 1 sale emerging from it. Perhaps this experience has consonance with the Series.

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13

                         10 Calls on an average gives

                    5 appointments which leads to

               3 client presentations that results in

    1 Sale

One would obviously encounter this experience this with significant sample size of say 100 or more calls for appointments. The bliss of a one Sale, therefore, starts with the art of prospecting.  Training courses within TALIC helps an advisor to construct a goal for him (LAKSHYA) and calculate the numbers needed in the Sales funnel – right from number of prospects required, the number of appointments that need to be generated, number of presentations that would result in a sale.  This forms the basic “Activity” that every Advisor needs to be habituated with.

Speaking of the Sales funnel, Ernan Roman - a recognized customer experience innovator and a Marketing Hall of Fame inductee brings another remarkable dimension to the Sales funnel through the AIDA format.  

At the Top of the Funnel (ToFu), one needs to be prospecting 365 days in a year.  Beyond writing down names of prospects that one would plan to meet, it is imperative to assiduously create AWARENESS and ATTRACT prospects through words and deeds. Successful  insurance agents practice simple yet effective methods  to ATTRACT prospects and develop INTEREST in them such as  a) using smart elevator speeches b) using a well written and rehearsed tele scripts c) penning interesting articles in community magazines d) being visible amongst your prospects through sponsored community events e)addressing clubs and associations on domain related  subjects etc.,.  These activities opens up a plethora of benefits for an advisor – it helps break ice, builds rapport and gain professional trust in the advisor’s abilities.

These activities would help narrow down to prospects that have INTEREST in knowing more on the subject because they find that there is something in it for them.  It is often said that a sale is a consequence of “coming of minds” – meaning that the buyer has already made the buying decision in his mind and is looking for people to articulate and satisfy his need..  Fact finding, analysis and development of solutions and the structure in which benefits to cost ratio is established converts the interest to DESIRE for the proposition. Agency floors are usually agog with interesting closing techniques that Advisors use to rev up ACTION by the prospect to close the Sale.

Gary Kinder of Kinder Brothers® elucidates this concept even further. He says that when people make a buying decision, they go through 4 stages. These stages are called the 4 buying decisions. 

4 Buying decision:

LISTEN (or gather information, but not buy ) – because he

 HAS A NEED (eg. Customer feels he has a need ) – therefore he is

 LOOKING OUT FOR SOLUTIONS – (fit to the need) and finally

 ACTS RIGHT NOW. 

If this is the buying behavior of a client - how do we then sell? The Selling process therefore has to match with the buying process and Gary Kinder reaffirms AIDA used in the Sales Funnel as pointed below.

 Make Statements to get the prospects ATTENTION so that they LISTEN (ATTRACT)

 Ask Questions to create INTEREST in the NEED (INTEREST)

 Make Statements to build DESIRE in the SOLUTION (DESIRE)

 Ask Questions so that they CLOSE RIGHT NOW (ACT)

The good news is that TALIC advisors can learn and experience their own Divine Equation through TALIC’s flagship program – “Excellence in Selling (EXSELL)”.

Happy Learning.