Whether you are just starting your
insurance sales career, or if you’ve been running your agency for a while, it
can be tempting to rely on the same generic sales tactics, day in and day out.
Managing your business keeps you busy around the clock, and
it’s easy to fall into a sales rut that can stall your progress and keep you
from reaching your full potential.
Intent & Integrity – The Foundation of Health Insurance
Sales Tactics
Approaching a sale with the intention of helping people can
make an impact on your client relationships and ultimately, your sales success.
Think about this: You may be helping an individual or family
find health care coverage that will provide financial security in the case of a
medical crisis, or you might be providing a Medicare recipient
with the insurance benefits they need to continue living an active and vibrant
life after retirement.
The insurance sales tactics you use should reflect the
personal nature of a client’s decision and convey your commitment to working
with integrity and professionalism. More traditional sales techniques can
be blended with innovative tools and technology to complement your own style.
Don’t just meet your sales goals! Exceed them with these
fresh ideas and effective insurance sales tactics:
1. Create a strong,
dynamic online presence
Effective prospecting starts with a customized, user-friendly
website that draws consumers in for accurate and timely
information. The details count! Consider colors, images, and fonts that appeal
to your insurance niche, and keep your content current. Include blogs,
online seminars and information sessions to reach out to as many potential
customers as possible. Use social media and networking sites to strengthen your
brand and encourage referrals.
2. Take advantage of
automation
Brokers are busy. Managing leads, closing sales,
communicating with clients, and running the day-to-day business of your agency
is just part of life as an insurance sales agent, but when you are only one
person, automation can help you
focus on the tasks necessary to generate more insurance business. Staying
organized is a key factor in increasing sales – insurance agency management
tools, including auto-response and quote engine software, can help you stay on
task and help increase productivity,
manage prospects, deliver quotes, and even enroll clients.
3. Determine your
strengths and weaknesses
Knowing what you are good at is as important as
acknowledging your areas of weakness. If the use of technology, for instance,
is a challenge, make an effort to learn and get comfortable with tools that can
help you generate more insurance business. Work with your business partners to
support each other and take opportunities to strengthen your insurance sales
tactics.
4. Professional
appearance matters
Any time you might find yourself in a setting with potential
clients, make sure you look professional. Know your audience – if you are
holding an information session or meeting with clients, dress appropriately. If
you sell Medicare insurance products (Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and/or
Prescription Drug Plans), your clients may appreciate more traditional work
attire.
5. Practice telephone
etiquette
Many leads require follow-up phone calls, but without body
language and facial expressions, the tone, inflection, and volume of your voice
becomes even more important in closing a sale.
Try practicing phone calls in front of a mirror – this exercise may make you
more aware of your demeanor as you introduce yourself and your services. Be
professional, friendly, and empathetic – and give your call the attention it
deserves. Be aware of the pacing of the conversation, pausing frequently to
allow your client to respond.
6. Establish yourself
as a credible source
Hosting a comprehensive insurance website that provides
accurate plan costs and benefits demonstrates your commitment to your clients.
The strength of your brand and reputation will result in an increase in sales,
referrals, and return business for ancillary products.
7. Listen closely
Whether you are on the telephone, video-chatting, or meeting
someone in person, the most important thing you can do is listen. Don’t go into
a client conversation with pre-existing assumptions – every customer has their
own personal history, health concerns, family obligations, and insurance needs.
Don’t narrow your sale before you really understand your client’s needs.
8. Make a personal
connection
With any new relationship, you want to find some common
ground in order to connect on a personal level. Find out who your client is and
what matters to them. People love to talk about their passions – that can
include their family, career, travel, or hobbies. Avoid giving a hard sales
pitch or sounding like you have a scripted “spiel” you use with all your
customers.
9. Appeal to emotion
Empathy, compassion, and caring all play important roles in
insurance sales. People will respond on an
emotional level to someone they like and trust. By expressing
your commitment to helping someone find the health care coverage that meets
their specific needs and preferences, you position yourself as a confidante and
advisor, as well as a sales agent.
10. Control your leads
Qualifying your leads is an important step in the insurance
sales Consider the potential increase in sales with the help of a lead management system
that helps you buy and sell leads.
11. Find sales
techniques that work for you
There is no single handbook that can tell you how to sell
insurance. Instead, you have to discover what insurance sales tactics you are
comfortable with, and what techniques will allow your personality, knowledge,
and experience to shine through.
12. Realize that
decisions aren’t black and white
People don’t always choose an insurance plan entirely based
on costs and benefits; it’s often based on the overall value an insurance plan
offers to that client. Closing a sale is easier when you understand all of your
customer’s circumstances.
13. Be prepared for
objections
Expect potential clients to have objections – and they can
include concerns about needing insurance, types of insurance plans, costs, or
changes to their previous insurance or broker. Be prepared to listen to
their objections, and respond to those specific issues. They may need
reassurance before they proceed to a sale.
14. Own your age and
use it to your advantage
Being young can seem like a liability if you are starting
out in an industry where your colleagues and clients can be much older, but
acknowledging your age and using it to your advantage can actually help you
establish yourself as an energetic, mature, and knowledgeable insurance agent
excited to share your passion for helping people find the coverage they need.
15. Use your time
wisely
When you are not caught in the frenzy of an open enrollment
period, use your downtime to focus on marketing, lead generation, and
communication with current clients. Participate in industry conventions or
seminars to network with other insurance professionals you can learn from.
Developing sales skills takes time and effort, but you can
generate more insurance business by finding insurance sales techniques that fit
your business model, your market niche, and your personality. Using the right
insurance sales tactics can improve your closing ratio and result in an
increase in sales.
https://www.quotit.com/15-surefire-insurance-sales-techniques/?utm_sq=fmp3n8v7ma&utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=QT+-+Hub+-+Blog+Posts&utm_term=Rusty+Wilson&utm_content=170504+15+Surefire+Insurance+Sales#
No matter how comprehensive your discussion will be about value, it will be useless if the potential buyer doesn’t understand how insurance works. Thus, it is important that while you convince them to buy insurance policies, you also make sense of the concept of insurance for them.
ReplyDelete