I have been training new and seasoned agents for over 2 decades now. I can tell by how the agent shows up for trainings, how successful they will be with our agency. We have all seen the different ways that agents approach training meetings especially those meetings that are held weekly. Whether you are the trainer or a participant, we can all recognize these 4 types of agents training.

• Prisoner—this is the agent that shows up to get credit for training. They complain to everyone that will listen except the trainer, of course. They feel it is mandatory and believe they are being held against their will and can’t wait to leave. Needless to say, these agents are the ones that ask questions at every step, because they didn’t pay attention when trained.

• Vacationer—this agent shows up when he or she has nothing better to do. Bad weather, no appointments, no drinking buddies and no good games on, might as well go to training. They grace the trainer with their presence as if they came by because there was nothing better to do. Sometimes they learn, just not consistently. Again another time waster of question after question.

• Critic—this agent drives their trainer insane. This agent is brand new, but already knows everything and feels the need to point out how your company or agency has been doing things wrong for years. He or she is there to show you the way. The only good thing about these agents training is they don’t last long.

• Golden Nugget—this is the agent we all want to train. This can be a new agent willing to learn everything they can or the seasoned agent looking for a few gold nuggets of information to help them close more deals. They show up excited for the opportunity and always help their trainer feed off of their energy and enthusiasm. We all want a room full of these agents training.

Whether you are the trainer or the agent, how you show up for trainings we dictate your future success. As my friend 4 life Jim McCarthy says “if you are green, you are growing, but if you are ripe, you are rotting”. Don’t approach training with a bad attitude, no one knows everything and when you do, you will begin to rot. Regina Brett said it best, “no matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.”

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”—Muhammad Ali

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Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, grandfather of 2, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, employee benefit specialist, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger, author and team leader with over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.