Advice for Insurance Agents: How To Ensure A Good Return

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18 Aug Advice for Insurance Agents: How To Ensure A Good Return

If you’re in insurance sales, you understand insurance is one of the most difficult things in the world to sell. It’s expensive, and yet it’s intangible – they can’t see it or touch it. They can’t even use it until disaster strikes, and fear of a potential sickness or accident down the line is hardly the ideal sentiment you want your customers to feel when you’re making your pitch. To help you overcome this initial hurdle and increase your selling potential, we’ve compiled some advice for insurance agents on pitching leads, following through with prospects, and securing sales.

  1. Think about what you’re really selling. Insurance policies can differ wildly, and it can be easy to get caught up in explaining the specifics of each one. At the end of the day, though, remember what you’re really selling – peace of mind. For the most part, your clients will not be extremely excited by the prospect of picking out an insurance plan, so it’s up to you to take a different approach than salespeople in other fields.

  2. Inspire confidence. Your clients should always feel like they can trust you. After all, this is one of most important purchases they’ll make in their lifetime, yet it’s completely intangible. When pitching a policy to a consumer, it’s important to be prepared to answer the toughest of questions. There’s nothing that makes you seem untrustworthy more than not being able to answer all the questions that your prospect may have. It may also help to remind your clients that they’re not just buying from you, but from an insurance company with years or decades of experience. Most importantly, be nice! America’s Professor, which offers online pre-licensing courses, says on their website, “Customer service often sets competitors apart from one another in highly competitive businesses like insurance. Good insurance agents understand that when their quote isn’t the lowest, their ability to make customers feel valued and important can tip the scales back in their favor with clients.”

  3. Find common ground. Make sure to speak calmly and confidently with your clients and try to explain everything in terms they can easily understand. Many insurance agents will advise you to “speak like your prospect”. It goes without saying that a client will feel most comfortable with an agent that they can identify with – someone who “speaks their language”. Learn as much as you can about a prospect before your first call, but don’t forget to continue gathering information throughout conversation, too. Figuring out what kind of tone and sales style will make your prospect feel most at ease will help you form a stronger relationship with them and give you a big head start. And remember above all to listen. Maribeth Kuzmeski, who has written extensively on client relationships for LifeHealthPro, says, “The act of listening — the other half of having a great conversation — shows people you care. When you speak with prospects and listen to what they have to say, you’re showing you value them.”

  4. Improve the quality of your leads. The right sales approach will amount to nothing if your leads aren’t going anywhere. Prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to finding leads, and seriously consider enlisting a lead generation service to help you fill your funnel with only those prospects who match your qualifications, reside in your target region, and have the real capacity and intention to purchase an insurance policy.

  5. Optimize your workflow. Many insurance agents will waste hours of their day calling prospects who don’t pick up the phone. A call transfer service can save you valuable working hours by delivering pre-qualified prospects with real intent to buy directly to your phone lines during the working hours you’ve scheduled for calls. This leaves you more time in the day to follow up with other prospects, secure sales, and write policies.

As you speak with prospect after prospect, you’ll assuredly find your own voice and discover your own tricks for improving your sales, but these fundamental points should be a helpful guide along the way. Above all, if you’re prepared, enthusiastic, authentic, and listen closely to your prospects, you’ll already be ahead of much of the competition!

 

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