One reason insurance sales can be a tricky gig is the bad rap the industry gets due to agents who are doing it wrong. Don’t be like them!
While many want to practice their latest sure-fire, can’t-miss trick on their leads, they’re missing the big picture: you’re not selling products–you’re helping people with problems.
At core, you want to be a problem solver for your sales prospects
That may seem simplistic, but you’d be surprised how easily some forget this basic truth. The best way to close, really, is to best address the actual needs of a given prospect. When you solve problems, you free people to live their lives. At the end of the day, you walk away with a sale, they walk away with peace of mind.
To meet those needs, solve those problems, and ultimately close–you’ve got to inform your personal sales style with certain tried-and-true fundamentals. Here are three great ways to maximize your chances of a sale:
1. Use your ears more than your mouth
Sure, it’s good to know what you want to say and practice it ahead of time, but don’t clobber sales prospects over the head with your pitch. More importantly, take the time to really listen to and internalize their concerns.
Remember, you’re a problem solver–not just another salesman. If you do right by clients, they’ll do right by you in the form of repeat business and referrals. Don’t just bowl over prospects with schticky pitches, be confident of course, but slow down and think of how best you can help your lead–it came to you for a reason. Find out with a fresh perspective: what was that reason?
2. Keep their attention by solving their main problem
Your product may very well be superior. Prospects don’t really care about the product–they want to know what it’s going to do for them. You are there to relieve them of a burden, so they can focus on more inspiring life pursuits than problem-solving–important as it is.
By listening, you’ve gotten to know your prospect better. Use that information to talk about big goals: what do they want, how can you help them get it? What’s keeping them from it? Relate your specific product to something that offers a larger, positive, life benefit.
Don’t prattle on about the Ins and Outs of the product, match your best product with their biggest problem–and explain how you solve it.
3. Deal with concerns and objections
Maybe the prospect’s not quite there yet. Sure, they know they have problems, but are you really the person to solve them? This is where trust is so important.
Virtually anyone can sell the benefits of a given product–that just takes memorization. You want to instill confidence in your prospect and spend some of the goodwill you’ve built through the whole process. You’ve turned a sales pitch into a conversation, now it’s your turn to listen again.
If they have objections or worries–address them head-on…but take your time. No need to stammer or rush into a fumbled answer. If it’s a tough question, consider using a conversational asides or even a relevant anecdote to show you understand their concern (even if your direct answer isn’t coming to you instantly!)
If you know your products, don’t get rattled if they push back a little. Answer them as best you can, and when they run out of questions, assume the next step in the sales process.
If you’ve solved their problems, you may very well need a pen for the next step.
