If you ask most people what it takes to succeed in sales, they’ll say “passion.” They’ll tell you to love what you do, and success will naturally follow. It’s an attractive idea, but it’s also incomplete.
Cal Newport, in his book "Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You", challenges this mindset. He argues that passion alone is a shaky foundation for success. What really sets professionals apart is a commitment to deliberate practice, building rare skills, and following a process that leads to mastery.
And in the world of life insurance sales; where emotions run high, rejection is constant, and markets are unpredictable, that message couldn’t be more relevant.
Passion Without Process is Just Energy Without Direction
Passion can give you a burst of motivation, but it’s not sustainable on its own. Many agents start their careers fired up, only to burn out when the first wave of rejections comes. Why? Because passion without structure quickly turns into frustration.
A sales process, on the other hand, gives you a roadmap. It ensures that even on days when passion is low, your actions are consistent. Prospecting, presenting, following up, and closing, done with discipline, build results over time, whether you feel “inspired” or not.
Skill Beats Excitement
Newport emphasizes that career success comes from acquiring career capital, rare and valuable skills that set you apart. In sales, this means becoming exceptionally good at things like asking the right questions, handling objections, and simplifying complex financial products.
An agent who has mastered these skills will outperform a passionate but untrained colleague every time. Passion may win you a client or two, but skill keeps your pipeline full year after year.
Systems Create Predictability
Sales is a numbers game, but it’s also a systems game. When you rely solely on passion, your results swing wildly with your moods. But when you follow a process, daily prospecting routines, structured client meetings, a disciplined follow-up system, you create predictability in an unpredictable business.
Clients trust professionals who are steady and reliable, not those who are fueled only by bursts of enthusiasm. A process signals professionalism.
Passion Comes After Process
One of Newport’s most important points is that passion is often the result of mastery, not the cause of it. In other words, you don’t have to start out “in love” with life insurance sales. By committing to the process, building your skills, and becoming excellent, you’ll grow passionate about the work because you’ll see the difference you’re making.
If you’re relying on passion alone to succeed in sales, you’ll likely be disappointed. Passion may ignite the spark, but process keeps the fire burning.
Follow your process daily. Sharpen your skills relentlessly. Become so good they can’t ignore you and the passion you’ve been searching for will follow naturally.
All the best my friends!!
#acgadvice