We recently connected with Michael Davidson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michael, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I opened a State Farm agency in 2019 and by the end of that year we had accomplished some pretty incredible things in a short amount of time. I owe this success to the people I hired and my wife Sarah who now co-manages the agency with me. I’m a firm believer that imposter syndrome doesn’t happen until you start to experience some success within your industry. It can often be tough to overcome the feeling that your success isn’t earned or deserved, but I live by the mantra of taking things one day at a time and “winning the day” which can mean something different each day. Taking a step back from the big picture and focusing on winning the day helps you take small bites out of an annual goal and break things down to where they don’t seem like such an albatross. My team and I live by winning our day every single day and when you do that you overcome all obstacles – including imposter syndrome.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Michael Davidson, and I have been a State Farm Agent for over four years. I went to college at Eastern Illinois University, hoping to become a teacher. I quickly realized that while I enjoyed the coaching aspect of being an educator, I wasn’t passionate about the content of what I would be teaching. After graduating, I interviewed with a State Farm Agent who helped me realize that being an Agent is often like being a teacher. You are constantly coaching and building up your staff, helping them achieve personal goals. Still, you are also educating your customers and helping them realize the coverages they need to protect their hopes and dreams.
I became a licensed Sales Associate for a State Farm Agent in 2013. Fortunately, the Agent I worked for provided all the training I needed to succeed. I focused on developing strong processes and refining a needs-based conversation unlike anything else in the insurance industry. My goal was to give people an experience they couldn’t get with any of our major competitors and to educate potential clients on how certain coverages worked and why they needed to change. The vast majority of people I spoke with daily were underinsured, and by having a needs-based conversation, I was able to thrive in this role for roughly six years.
In June 2019, I earned the opportunity to open my own State Farm agency in Fenton. There have been many moving parts over the last four years, but having my wife Sarah alongside me has helped us achieve every goal we have set for ourselves thus far. We have achieved some amazing things simply by putting the customer first and by making professional recommendations to our customer base along the way!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I went straight into a sales position upon graduating from college. For anyone starting in a sales role the first piece of advice I would give is don’t be afraid to go for it. When you’ve got a potential customer on the phone or in front of you don’t be afraid to ask thought provoking questions that start a deeper conversation based around what services you offer. I constantly tell my team that your batting average doesn’t matter. Meaning, I’d rather you ask someone for their business 100 times and get told “No” 97 times than ask someone 5 times and get told yes twice. Repetition creates comfort and habit. By asking those 100 times you will develop positive habits and your conversation will grow stronger and more organic.
My second piece of advice is to be a sponge. Take everything in and be a student of whatever role it is you were hired to perform. When you learn something – write it down and commit it to memory so you don’t have to ask again in the future. Strive to be the best version of yourself each day and you will have a chance to be the best.
Thirdly, connect with your coworkers. People enjoy working with individuals who are friendly with a positive attitude. This will further your career more than you know.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Developing my team and getting them fully trained and confident when talking to customers has been one of the biggest challenges but also one of the biggest rewards of my position. Over the last 12 months we have hired three new employees (one of which starts in August) and spend hours on their development each day. As a result of their successes we are off to the best six month start of the year in our agency’s history.
Image Credits
James Jackson Photography
