The Most Comprehensive Training For Brand New Team Members.
Our training is specifically designed to build lasting success for your newest team members. With hour-by-hour training, personal playbooks, and built-in assessments, we optimize learning and growth with minimal time investment from you.
Key Features of First 4 Weeks
Playbooks
Invaluable, hour-by-hour guides to navigate the team member's first month of onboarding. Plus, we offer an Agent's Guide to help keep you on track and ready to step in for extra training.
Video Training
Dynamic and engaging videos bring learning to life for your new team member. Covering a wide range of essential topics, these videos offer valuable insights and practical knowledge.
Full Curriculum
We take the guess-work out of onboarding by time-blocking training for every topic they'll need to get up and running at your agency. We even include a library of bonus training sessions.
NEW!
Specialized Tracks
You choose from our tailored trainings for Sales and Service roles, ensuring targeted guidance for each team member's unique responsibilities.
NEW!
Collaboration
We incorporate valuable links for an insider view of State Farm computer systems from Team Member Trainer, giving the team members needed technical know-how and enhancing the sales-specific strategies in the First 4 Weeks training.
(TMT subscription not included.)
NEW!
Small Group Coaching
Add personal attention from a dedicated coach, giving your team members the opportunity for one-on-one role-plays, coaching and guidance during the course of the program.
First 4 Weeks takes the guess-work out of onboarding.
Give your biggest expense (your team) the best opportunity to succeed.
How it Works
First 4 Weeks steps into your office and trains your new hire from day one using an hour-by-hour roadmap. Each day starts with a lesson and ends with action.
Learn
Daily Video Training
Your team members start each morning with scheduled training sessions, focused on a new topic.
Discuss
Agent/Team Lead
Meet with your new team members to discuss the training and how it relates to the processes in your agency.
Shadow
Agent/Team Lead
Put theory into action by assigning an agency member to show your new team members specific processes and systems.
Take Action
Scripts + Calls
Each day includes multiple calls to action, starting with lesson-related learning in the morning and a daily Power Hour for prospecting.
The Most Comprehensive New Team Member Training in the Industry
Using our online portal and their personal playbook, your new hire will experience 20 days of training, built-in action pieces and weekly assessments. We provide a Sales Track and a Services (Sales Support) Track.
Office Operations & Systems
Every agency is unique, so we cover the universal systems and processes while allowing you time to show your new team member the agency-specific systems you have in place. We even include links to the best videos in Team Member Trainer!
IAO is not partnered with TMT.
TMT membership not included with IAO.
Prospecting & Objections
Team members will learn tips, tricks and effective word tracks that make it impossible to fail while making prospecting calls. However, the key to prospecting is being prepared for, and ready to overcome, objections. Team members will learn the most common objections and how to conquer them with ease.
Coverages & Claims
Take entry-level conversations to the next level and dive deeper into a customer's need for different coverages, and how to present them during their call.
Multi-Line Sales Process
If your team members master this process, there will be no limit to their success in this industry. By utilizing professional selling skills, they will consistently help more people, in more ways, forever. Our ten-step sales process will take cost out of the equation and create more situations where prospects embrace the Total Protection Package.
Optimizing Opportunities
Participants learn why a New Customer Onboarding process is necessary and how to turn their new customers into three new prospects by running our Rock Star Referral Process.
And More...
From Shopping Competitors to Annual Policy Reviews, we cover everything above and beyond, ensuring your new team member becomes familiar with every facet of the agency in their first four weeks.
Meet the Coaching Team
Co-Founder & Training Director
Scott Grates
Recognized as a Top 5% producer nationally in three different industries over the past 25+ years, Scott takes his expertise in sales to drive the trainings offered at IAO.
Agent Coach
James Parker
James spent 18 years working in education after earning his doctorate in educational leadership. he opened his insurance agency in 2016, and proudly serves the Norman, OK area. He has a passion for lifelong learning and developing those around him.
Agent Coach
Brent Hershey
Starting as a hybrid agent, Brent has qualified for Honor Club and Travel every year since 2014 and opened his MOA location in 2022. Brent is passionate about the phrase, "Just Ask."
Agent Coach
Kim Benton
Prior to opening her successful agency in 2015, Kim spent five years as a team member. Her experience on both sides of the agency gives her the ability to empathize with team members while challenging them to reach the next level.
Agent Coach
Jennifer Jacobs
Starting as a new market agent in 2015, Jennifer has garnered a distinguished list of honors, including Ambassador Club, Chairman's Circle, and President's Club. Her commitment to excellence extends beyond insurance as a devoted community member and a source of support to many that know her.
Agent Coach
Kira Schnell-Harrison
Bringing a fresh set of eyes to agency life, Kira comes from outside the industry and challenges those around her to think 'outside the box' on ways to achieve goals and drive results.
INSTANT ACCESS
Reserve Your Team Member's Seat
Enroll in a Pro Mastermind Membership today to begin prep work for Day One. Don't forget to add on your 1:1 Sales Coach from the Mastermind Dashboard!
Courtney Enwright, Agent
"My team members LOVE the programs, tools and resources provided by IAO. As a new and external agent, all of those same resources are equally helpful. My team just got done with the 6-week program and they had fun and got a lot out of it."
Diana Larson, Agent
"I have taken advantage of every program offered by IAO! My team is energized and we are beyond hitting all our targets. Insurance Agency Optimization provides more value than any price I could pay. My team loves our daily Morning Huddles and weekly calls. They get to hear from other team members, too, and the feel like they are connected to a larger supportive network."
Stephanie Jameson, Agent
"The team at Insurance Agency Optimization has made a huge impact on my agency. [The programs] challenge me and my team to be better every day by making small, incremental changes. My team, whether long-term or new, learns so much from these programs. And I appreciate [my coach] as a thought partner as I grow the capacity for both of my agencies. It's worth the investment!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few answers to our most common questions
This is an on-demand training that you can access at any time.
Purchase a Mastermind Pro Membership for unlimited access 24/7/365.
Any new hire at your insurance agency. We provide both Sales and Service tracks to get any team member exactly what they need their first four weeks.
The team member and the agency owner will each receive their own First 4 Weeks Playbooks to guide them through each hour of the day for the first four weeks. This program takes the guesswork out of training!
Unfortunately, not all will make it through the four weeks, but that's okay. It's better to know quickly that they aren't the answer versus dragging them along for months or years, wasting your money and wondering if you gave them the proper training or not.
If they can't handle this program, and they won't do the little things asked of them to set the foundation, then this program is worth its weight in gold for those reasons too.
As part of our commitment to delivering comprehensive training resources, the First 4 Weeks program includes supplemental training links to an external service called Team Member Trainer, which offers an inside view of the State Farm computer systems.
Your Agency must have a separate subscription to Team Member Trainer for these links to work.
While Insurance Agency Optimization is not affiliated or partnered with Team Member Trainer, the links are provided solely as a complementary resource for those seeking additional insights into the technical aspects of Company operations.
Rest assured, the First 4 Weeks training program is complete on its own and participants can achieve excellent results without access to the Team Member Trainer material. Our focus remains on empowering team members with the tools they need to excel in their roles and provide exceptional service to their customers.
Each office has different service processes and ECRM processes and claims processes, so we're not going to dive into those areas but we do block time for you to do so, as well as provide links to helpful videos on the Team Member Trainer platform (IAO is not partnered with TMT).
Everything we coach and train will be focused on identifying more prospects, more sales opportunities, earning more referrals and ultimately writing more business for your agency in the long term.
The training will remain on your Mastermind Dashboard for the entirety of your Pro membership.
First 4 Weeks is available at no additional cost to Pro Mastermind Members.
Did we miss your question? Send us an email and we will get back to you asap.
This insurance sales training was not developed by nor owned or endorsed by State Farm. The views presented are those of Insurance Agency Optimization only and are not intended to be used as a substitute for prospecting or customer interaction. Each representative of State Farm is personally responsible for acting according to the company’s sales philosophy and adhering to all compliance standards.
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