Life insurance is a product that presents unique challenges for the salesperson. With insurance sales, you are asking your prospect to make the major purchase of a product/service that they cannot see, hold or even use for years. You are offering a promise that “if you give me your money now, I will take care of you later.”
The following tips will cover ways to make this easier. First and foremost, you must realize that you are not selling insurance, you are selling yourself. This is often the hardest concept for a new (or maybe not-so-new) professional to grasp.
If you know a new insurance agent, please send them a link to this article.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
I recently bought a new car at a major franchise dealership. The salesperson that helped me wore slacks and a polo shirt. This was appropriate for the situation since the cars were the star of the show. So long as his clothes were clean and in good condition, I didn’t care about him. You do not have this luxury.
Whether you are speaking with the manager of an office or the CEO of a major corporation, you need to be the best dressed person in the room. This will elevate your prospect’s initial opinion of you. This is important since most people will decide how much of their valuable time to give you within the first few seconds of meeting you.
USE PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE
Let me start by saying that I want you to be yourself. It is your personality that the prospect is buying. Just make sure that you are professional when using your personality.
You can be dressed like the most successful salesperson in the world, and blow the sale by using inappropriate slang. Words like “gotcha”, “for sure” and “OMG” will lose you a sale every time. Even if your prospect uses slang freely, steer away. Be the consummate professional.
FIND COMMON GROUND
Even if your prospect seems to be completely different than you, I guarantee there is common ground between you. Do you live in the same neighborhood? Are your children in the same age range? Did you both have an Hawaiian vacation?
Focus on what you have in common and skip over everything else.
ASK ABOUT THE KIDS
What is the one thing that every prospect loves to talk about more than anything else? It’s their kids (or grandchildren). When people talk about their children, they start feeling good. Get to know that Jonny threw a touchdown pass, that Mary passed the vocabulary test she studied two weeks for, or that the new grandson is amazing!
Remember, children can be a way to connect with your prospect.
LEVERAGE COMBINED EXPERIENCE
How long have you been in the industry? Maybe you are brand new. Perhaps you’ve sold insurance for a few years. Remind your prospect that when they choose you as their financial professional, they are getting your entire office’s pool of experience and expertise. You must show your prospect that their investment is in good hands.
NEVER STOP LEARNING
There are many ways to continue your education in the industry, but I am going to highlight the best source to start with. We will cover other sources later.
In every office, there are agents of varying levels of experience and success. It is important to recognize that experience does not necessarily equal success, and people’s definitions of success will be different.
Learn from the people in your office how they became so successful. Ask them how they handle initial contacts. Learn how to present yourself in the real world. Your experienced coworkers are the greatest source of sales training you will ever find.
BE ENTHUSIASTIC
Believe in your product and how it will help your prospect. Express excitement in the chance you have to work with your prospect.
So, how much is too much or too little enthusiasm? This is different for everybody (you do have a personality after all), but somewhere between the Crocodile Hunter and Billy Mays is a good guide!
Just remember to have fun. We will cover the next seven tips in next week’s post.
For more advice, see http://tjtelemarketing.com/attributes-successful-salesperson/
