22 Apr Increasing Conversions During The Purchase & Retention Stages
It is rare to find a sales professional who is not focused on accelerating their efforts and driving conversions. Increasing conversions is the top goal for many insurance agents, whether you are a top producer or just getting your career started. The process of establishing a system for customer success is ongoing. It presents new opportunities to improve conversion rates at every stage of the sales cycle. In part one and part two of this article series, we identified the four key stages of the sales funnel. Then, we highlighted how each unique stage yields opportunities for insurance agents to achieve wins. The earlier articles in the series focused on the top of the funnel, noting key moments during the awareness and consideration stages. In this article, we will describe the opportunities to drive conversions during the purchase and retention stages.
The Purchase Stage: Establish Trust, Value & Need
During the purchase stage, consumer intent is nearing its highest point. By this time, a consumer has likely already become of your brand and services and has gathered relevant information. During the purchase phase the goal is clear: make the sale. It is key to remember that just because a prospect has high intent, they may still need to be asked to move forward with the transaction multiple times before completing their purchase.
Frequent, Consistent, Personalized Communication
One of the most effective strategies an insurance agent can leverage is consistency and personalization in their client and prospect communications. Just because a prospect has expressed higher intent and seems ready to move forward with a deal does not mean you will need to communicate or connect with them less often. In fact, during the purchase stage frequent communication across email, phone, text and even social media is key. This strategy of consistent communication allows you to give your prospective customers clear opportunities to close a deal with you.
An insurance agent’s sales process becomes vital during the purchase stage. Having a solid process in place will make it easier to manage, execute and measure outbound communications. The process should include a combination of automated messages and reminders. This allows for more personalized outreach via phone, text and other channels. Insurance agents should reference and leverage CRM data to customize messages. Messages should be designed to resonate with each contact and continue to solidify feelings of connectedness, relatability and trust.
During this period of frequent communication, automated emails with strong messaging along with phone scripts and other templated communications can be extremely helpful. It is often easier to prepare to overcome objections and present the ask for the sale when an agent can reference and review message templates and quickly customize their responses.
Remember To Ask For The Sale
“Presenting the ask” is a vital step toward closing the deal. The ask is often the most difficult step for many insurance agents. Here are common reasons why insurance agents often fall short before closing the sale by making the ask effectively:
- Concerns on harming your relationship with your prospects & clients
- Uncertainty regarding when it is the right time to ask
- Fear of rejection
Learning how to ask for the sale will help agents enhance their sales strategy overall. If you have experienced challenges with making the ask, check out the Asking For The Sale article series for helpful tips:
The Retention Stage: Reinforce Success & Loyalty
Closing the deal is not the last opportunity for insurance agents to scale conversions. After a transaction is successful, your contact is now officially your client. Customer retention is essential for long-term business success. While customer acquisition efforts often fuel a business pipeline, customer retention rates can contribute to positive lifetime value. Customer retention is all about growing and nurturing loyalty as a result of instilling solid confidence in the value you and your services provide.
Loyal customers are most often the group that becomes a brand’s raving fans and greatest advocates. Because of this, there is strong value and impact in collecting customer testimonials. To keep customers satisfied with their experiences and create multiple moments of positive engagement, it is important to connect with your clients often, and not just when their contract is up for renewal. Remember to show expressions of gratitude and recognize your customers for their loyalty. These expressions can be as simple as a handwritten thank you note or card or seasonal greetings with personalized messages. Regular personalized outreach goes a long way.
To Scale Conversions, Focus On A Strategy That Feeds Your Pipeline
Customer success and a high conversion rate go hand-in-hand. Having strategies and tactics to create wins throughout all stages of the sales cycle can help insurance agents commit to a customer success strategy built on a foundation of achieving results. To optimize results, you’ll need the proper tools and expertise on your side. ZipQuote has a powerful reputation for providing it’s clients with high-quality leads, stellar customer service and an agent-oriented approach. ZipQuote’s industry expertise helps its clients maximize advertising efforts and connect with prospective customers. Click here to learn more about how ZipQuote can help you grow your business.
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