We were lucky to catch up with Ciera King recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ciera thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar your firm earns is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
My first client came through LinkedIn. I was roughly 6 months into my business and everything was slow, no team mates or premium. My first client was a working mother of 2 teens; I asked her if she was keeping her options open to earning additional income or interested in our services, and she agreed to meet with me on zoom.
After I shared more information about our services and how we help people make additional income, I didn’t hear back from her for awhile. Later on, she agreed to get a term policy and I set her up with more coverage while also saving money! My commission was only $167, however I was excited because I made that amount of money in a short amount of time; a typical appointment is 30 minutes to an hour. I made $167 within half an hour, as opposed to having to work multiple hours/days at my job to make the same amount. This was a check that I made helping someone get more coverage and setting their family up for financial success. I made money without depending on my job. It was confirmation that if I can help one family, I can help multiple! Typically people quit on their goals or craft because things do not work out the way they want it to, or their goals are not being achieved in their expected time frame. Throughout my business journey I realized that you have to keep showing up for yourself and press forward even if when you don’t see the results, because eventually your efforts will compound.
Ciera, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Initially, I went to school for psychology and behavioral health. I thought I had my career path figured out; my plan was to go to school, get my doctorate, and go on to become a psychologist so I can help people. However, after getting my first job in psychiatric emergency room I realized that this may not be the path for me. I could not see myself working with individuals with mental health challenges in the long term as that eventually took a toll on my own well-being. I still wanted to help people, however there had to be another way.
One night, I got a text from a friend of my mine named Chris who requested for me to sit on a zoom call with my soon-to-be business coach, Roderick. In 15-20 minutes, I learned financial concepts that I didn’t learn growing up throughout my whole education career such as the Rule of 72, which teaches you about how to properly grow and invest your money, and the Theory of Decreasing Responsibility which has to do with life insurance. Roderick explained that he’s looking to train and develop new licensed agents, and I myself needed the additonal income and financial education. It didn’t take much convincing for me to join. In this industry, I’m able to help people and feel great about what I do! At the same time I apply these financial concepts to my own life.
What sets my business apart is that I aim to help families become debt free, properly protected, and financially independent. My team educates clients on financial literacy and help them improve their situation via our debt stacking program, investment programs, and our life insurance plans. Essentially, we help families create a financial gameplan for success. Throughout our lives, we plan for events such as birthdays, vacations, baby showers, etc. but no one really sits down with us to plan for our financial future, and that’s what my business aims to acheive. We explain concepts in layman’s terms that’s easy to understand, and we do what’s best for the client and their family 100% of the time. Not many people in our communities have the financial education, so that’s what my team and I are planning to change.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Yes! Reading is crucial for any business owner. Your business goals won’t expand unless you expand your mind and how you think. Self-development is fundamental to success especially in entrepreneurship.
One book that has significantly impacted my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy is “The Dream Giver” by Bruce Wilkinson. The story is told as a parable and tells the story of Ordinary, who with the help of the Dream Giver sets out on a journey to achieve this big dream. He must overcome obstacles such as staying in the Land of Familiar and confronting bullies in borderland, as well as giants.
My main takeaways from the book is that God or The Creator plants dreams and purpose inside all of us to achieve. Some people don’t realize their full potential out of fear of the unknown or unfamiliarity, or even because of naysayers or people who want to keep us safe from getting hurt. If you aspire to be a entrepreneur, you must be willing to get uncomfortable and be prepared for people to tell you why your idea or product won’t work. You must be willing to take the rejection even from close friends or family members who may not understand what you’re trying to achieve. You must be willing to do things that you would not normally do to obtain the success that you want. And lastly, you must trust God and have faith that you’ll be successful.
After reading that book, I became more comfortable doing the uncomfortable such as prospecting in public, asking for names and numbers, and doing the presentation on my own.
Another book that has impacted me is The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino; it’s a short story about a camel boy named Hafid, who aims to be a great salesman and achieve financial prosperity. It teaches lessons about success and salesmanship such as being persistant until you succeed, mastering your emotions, and multiply your value everyday. Reading this book taught me that persistance and mastering your emotions is fundamental to your success, and the importance of bringing value to others.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
First and foremost, you cannot ask your teammates to do something that you yourself would not do. As a leader you must set the example for your team to follow. Our office members and teammates meet in person twice a week; on Thursdays we meet for our business opportunity night for those who want to learn more about our brokerage, and Saturday is for our leadership and business traning. If you’re a licensed agent it’s mandatory to come to these events each week. Initially, when I got started in the business I was not showing up frequently despite living closeby to the office. Roderick told me that to be a leader I have to set the example for the team that I build, which means showing up to the office on time. Since then I’ve been attending office meetings regularly and plugging into big events. Your teammates or business partners follow your actions, not what you say. Your actions set the expectations for your team.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cieraking712/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciera.king.712/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciera-king-731194177/
- Other: https://hihello.me/p/c842967a-fae4-4b05-98d1-6dc5169901bd?f=email
Image Credits
Photography done by Robstyles Photography & Entertainment