Sales Message – Next Wave Marketing Strategies
If you use cold calling, or if your agents are often in a position where they must successfully pitch to a customer in a matter of minutes, your insurance company needs to put together a strong, simple sales message. Mark Twain once commented that he didn’t have time to write a friend a short letter, so he wrote him a long one instead. When you think about it, Twain was right. It takes far more concentration and energy to choose the write few words to convey your message. Here are some ways to get started building the short message your company needs.
Do a SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses assess what is going on in your agency internally. Adding a new product with high public appeal is a strength whereas high turnover of sales agents is a definite weakness. Opportunities and threats look at external situations. For instance, if the largest employer in your area is looking to switch health insurance companies, that can be a huge opportunity for your agency.
Create a Mission Statement and Values Statements for Your Agency
A mission statement consists of one or two sentences that describe your company in a nutshell. “Our mission is to provide small businesses affordable options for employee health care insurance.” Values statements enumerate the values embraced by your company such as integrity, transparency, and compassion. Your staff may never say these exact words to a customer, but knowing your mission and values can help shape a sales pitch.
List the Services the Agency Provides and How they Benefit Clients
Even though you may feel like you do at least a hundred things, focus on the top two or three that are likely to interest clients. When you are writing your short message, make sure to note how your services are likely to benefit the client. “We sell cheap car insurance,” is not particularly helpful. “Fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance,” is enough to catch the interest of anyone worried about rising insurance rates.
Put Together an “Elevator Pitch”
An elevator pitch is a short message, usually lasting only one or two minutes. It is a compelling, interesting statement about why a person or business would choose your services over any others. Research suggests that concrete and emotional pitches are more successful than intellectual or abstract pitches. If you can, use customer examples in your pitch: “Over the last three years, more than 75% of our customers have experienced [fill in desirable result].
Go for the Close
When you’re cold calling, you probably won’t make a sale the first time you reach the prospect. Even so, you can still move the interaction along to Step 2 with close statements like, “Is there a time next week when I could come by and discuss in person how are services can benefit you?” or “May I sign you up for our free newsletter so you can keep on top of state insurance issues?”
Practice Makes Perfect
Practice delivering your message with conviction and enthusiasm. You don’t need to be manic when you’re making your pitch, but neither should you be so bored with the words that they come out sounding flat and wooden. If you find yourself feeling bored with message, it sometimes helps to think of some customer examples – people who were genuinely helped by your company. This makes it easier to bring a little spark back to your presentation.
The first time you make contact with a potential customer, you often have only a minute or two – if that – to deliver a lot of information. Take some time to think about your pitch and come up with a short, powerful message that leaves the potential customer wanting more.
