Written by Guest Post on April
19, 2016. Posted in Sales
Today’s article was contributed by guest author Avery
Manko from The Manko Company. Thanks Avery!
Let’s face facts: to the
average person, insurance is not exciting or interesting.
Adding insult to injury,
I’d be willing to bet that most folks think insurance is a necessary evil and
are not thrilled about paying premiums.
Writing new business in
an overcrowded marketplace is tough enough already, so when you sound
like Ned Ryerson from
“Groundhog Day”, the task to grow your book is even more
challenging.
So, here’s the million
dollar question: How do you go from “I sell insurance” to something that’s
actually a conversation starter?
I suggest a short,
well-designed commercial known as an “elevator pitch.”
Imagine getting on an
elevator and the person standing next to you asks what you do for a living. You
now have less than a minute to pique their interest and hopefully get the
opportunity for a future conversation.
Wouldn’t it be great to
have something planned for such an occasion?
Let’s do it.
First –
Create an Intriguing Yet Vague Headline
In order to craft the
perfect elevator pitch, you first need an intriguing yet vague headline. I
suggest something short and unusual.
For example:
·
“I have an unusual business in a not so unusual industry”
·
“If I told you what I did, you won’t believe me”
·
“I have a niche business.”
Hitting them with
something different will create curiosity.
If you lead off with “I
sell insurance” you lose the listener at the beginning.
Second
– Explain Who You Work With
Let them know the
characteristics of the people you want to work with. This statement needs
to convey to the listener a little bit about your ideal client.
Typically, the statement
begins with the words “I work with…”
Here are some examples:
·
“I work with people who own homes and businesses in the
Philadelphia area”
·
“I work with people who own more than one home.”
This is your chance to
let the listener know what kind of business you’re looking for.
Third –
Give an Example of Solving a Problem
The third step is to give
the listener a short example of how you solved a client’s problem.
Typically, these
statements start off with “I recently helped a client…” or “A business owner
was referred to me looking for ways…“
Here’s an example of what
this statement may sound like:
·
“I recently helped a client who’s financially successful. She
purchased a multi-unit dwelling and she needed some options to reduce her
liability and protect her other assets.”
Be careful, the statement
should be no more than 3 sentences otherwise you may sound like you’re selling.
Now you’re going to let
them know who you are and that you’re in the insurance business but you need to
do it in a way that maintains the curiosity.
Perhaps it would sound
like
·
“I’m Bob Smith. I’m in the insurance business. My clients come
to me because I have a unique skill in handling complex insurance needs.”
The purpose of the
statement is to create a distance between you and your competitors by letting
the listener know that you specialize.
Let’s
Put It Together
So here’s what it sounds
like when you put the whole thing together:
·
“I have an unusual business in a not so unusual industry. I work
with people who own homes and businesses in the Philadelphia area. I recently
helped a client who’s financially very successful. She purchased a multi-unit
dwelling and she needed some options to reduce her liability and to protect her
other assets. I’m Bob Smith. I’m in the insurance business. My clients come to
me because I have a unique skill in handling complex insurance needs.”
Finally,
here’s a few tips:
·
Write several statements for each of the 4 steps. Use them
interchangeably depending on the situation.
·
When creating the statements, brainstorm about what makes up
your perfect client and the problems you’ve solved for them. Saying that you
save people money on their insurance will attract price shoppers; saying you
work with responsible people may help you insure more responsible people.
·
Once you have created several statement for each step, practice,
practice, practice!
About the Author:
Avery Manko is
the owner and founder of The Manko Company, a promotional products distributor that
specializes in helping insurance agents. He offers a lot more than great
products, prices, and service. Working with Avery you get an experienced and
knowledgeable insurance promotional products consultant
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