“Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” – Casey Kasem
There’s always another level. Always.
If you’re truly committed to building a great life, then what you do with your business will be a direct reflection of the kind of life you want to live. Everything affects everything and those who want it bad enough will give it everything they’ve got. Those who embrace their miracle of endless possibilities will change the world and we will long remember their story. Everyone is born with this chance, which means everyone has a story.
I am Mark Brodinsky and this is Storytelling for Business.
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Storytelling for Business: Get After It
Living in Nashville and loving the NBA, it makes perfect sense you’d gravitate to being a Memphis Grizzly fan. But growing up, Carson Rogers was also fascinated with another team, because that team featured one man, Michael Jordan and that man was a beast, the greatest of all-time.
In his own life, whether he fully realized his desire at the time, Carson wanted to be just like Mike, the best of the best.
“As a kid, my dad and I were big basketball fans,” says Carson. We’d travel to different arenas to watch NBA games, we must have hit 40 of the 50 states. You name the state, I was probably there. I loved watching Jordan when I was young, I became a big Bulls fan, but I never went to a Bulls game because we couldn’t get tickets.”
But growing up, Carson says his parents gave him the golden ticket – the desire to want more, to always get better. “My parents are the most incredible parents on this planet,” Carson says. “They coached me and my sister that it was grad school or bust. My sister is a pharmacist and I was good at litigating. I wasn’t always sure it was something I wanted to do, in fact sometimes you go to college and you still don’t know if you will enjoy the job you are working toward. I enjoyed law, but in the end, it wasn’t my calling.”
Carson says the challenge with law, or at least his first position in his field, was what he saw pretty quickly – limitations. “The ceiling was not high enough for me,” says Carson. “I was a really hungry 23 or 24-year-old, I had goals and they were all about having great success. I was working hard, but not making a lot of money. People think you go to work for a law firm and you are rich right out of the gate. It wasn’t the truth. I worked with the firm for a little while, then I got the itch to get out.”
To answer his calling, Carson realized he’d have to take a different route. If you want more then go get it, seek it out, ask for it. What you ask for you receive.
Carson’s mom, Janet, had worked in the insurance industry, with a man named Troy McQuagge, who was head of a group called UGA. His mom had experienced great success when serving with Troy and although he had retired, Troy had recently decided to come out of retirement and was heading up an organization called USHEALTH Advisors. USHA is a subsidiary of USHEALTH Group, offering flexible health coverage and supplements to individuals, families and the self-employed.
“I knew about a dozen of mom’s former co-workers who were with USHA,” says Carson. “And I got the word around the end of 2014 that this company was really starting to thrive with Troy leading the way, something special and magical was happening there. I requested an interview with the company and walked in to talk to Andy Montague. Andy was incredible. He showed me the structure and culture of the company and how things were going. I’m the kind of guy who says, ‘What is your top dog doing? Once I saw the layout, the rest was history.'”
But to make history, you’ve got to put in the work. Carson says his early story was all about the transition, making the jump from law to insurance, from being an employee to working for himself. You can’t change your life until you change your mindset.
“The initial challenge was I quickly realized this is an opportunity where you make your own success,” says Carson. “No one was telling me to wake-up or clock-in. And in 2015, in the beginning stages of my career, there were not really big offices. I did most of my early work from home until we developed the office space, but I also learned I could be much more successful in the office atmosphere. I’m heavy into the CRM, (contact resource manager), and in my part of the country, we can work from as early as 7 am, (Central Standard Time). So at 6:55 am I was up and getting after it every day. I soon learned I could work as much as I wanted to and not be capped on my success. My work ethic drove me. The main reason I left law is I had this specific work ethic, wanted to be compensated for what I was worth and to help as many people as possible. I found myself working up until 9 or 10 pm every night. I was working Saturday and Sunday. It was not work for me though, I was consumed by it. I loved putting people in better situations. It did not take long for it to click for me.”
Carson continues: “When I first started, my goals were simple… learn how to do it and get good at helping people make a commission. Once I did that I realized I could make my clients happy and make a good living. My goals now are to bring people into this career and lead them to have the same success and feelings that I have, but I want to do it with a whole lot more.”
Carson now has his chance to serve so many more. At the age of only 31, he was recently promoted to Satellite Division Sales Leader and is one of the top leaders in the country for USHealth Advisors. In only four-and-a-half years, as a personal producer, he has produced more than $6 million in annual volume and as a team leader he is quickly closing in on the $50 million mark. Carson’s girlfriend Christina has been along for much of the ride. “Christina probably knows me as well as anyone,” says Carson.
When Carson went looking for some superstars to add to his team to become Field Training Agents and Field Sales Leaders he knew where to turn. “I was looking for leadership,” says Carson, “I called my mom who was still working for another insurance company, and said, ‘I know you are not really happy where you are.’ “I brought her in, sat her down, showed her the program and three days later she was in. She has been ultra successful.'”
If you can help your mom become a success, you’ve already done a really great job in this world… but Carson says he’s just getting started.
“I’m not striving to make a whole lot of money now,” says Carson. “but to have more and more people come in here, have life-changing experiences and grow a bigger and bigger team to get in front of clients, to help more people.
Carson has developed a simple system that works but requires dedication and discipline.
“The initial goal for my new agents is to learn to work virtually, work significant morning hours and significant afternoon and evening hours. It’s 7 am to 11 am on the CRM, take a break and then get back on and work a 3 pm to 7 pm time slot or a 4 pm to 8 pm time slot. If you master the CRM you will do very well for yourself. A significant amount of time should be spent trying to build their pipeline. The goal is to take 200 to 300 actions each day, which can be a phone call, text or e-mail to get seven people a day into your pipeline, meaning people who want to speak to you right then or later. Schedule at least three physical appointments, and help at least one person or family per day by submitting a policy.”
It’s apparent Carson’s desire is to live the company’s mission of HOPE – Helping Other People Every Day – in fact, it’s more than mission, it’s become his why.
“I think your why changes over time. Initially, mine was to prove to myself I could be successful and be on my own – which was maybe my biggest challenge to date – now my why is more about helping others reach happiness, financial stability, and flexibility. As a Satellite Leader it’s much more the responsibility of recruiting and finding others who can make this satellite, this culture, and this company even better.
It’s all about leading and creating with your team. For Carson one of the greatest to ever do that was Michael Jordan, a superstar, but devoted to his team and to winning. Jordan’s commitment to always wanting to be the best made his whole team better.
Remember when Carson was young he never got to see Jordan in the flesh, but finally, he got the chance to see his hero when Jordan came out of retirement and played with the Washington Wizards. “My father got us front row seats to see him play in 2001,” remembers Carson. It was amazing, even years later, to see him up close and personal.”
Jordan won six NBA Final Most Valuable Player Awards, ten NBA scoring titles and five MVP awards. In 2014, he became the first billion-dollar player in NBA history. This past year USHEALTH Advisors crossed the billion-dollar mark in sales and as a Field Sales Leader in 2018, Carson’s team produced more than $21-million of that billion and Carson himself was responsible for more than $2 million, 10 percent of his team’s production. Carson gave and continues to give his team all he’s got, just like Mike.
“The heavy hitters will say you don’t become successful in this job by being halfway in, you’ve got to be all the way in because it’s more than just a job, it’s a lifestyle. This career is the most incredible on this planet, but you won’t be as successful as you possibly can if you are not strong and motivated to get up and want to help as many people as possible. I go to sleep thinking about this career and I wake up every day, ready to get after it.”
Jesse Fabricant, Jason Blank & Carson
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Your Storyteller,
Mark Brodinsky
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