The most important part of Insurance selling is having leads. Regardless of how those are generated, having people to see each and every week is the difference between succeeding or not. The goal of every lead is getting an appointment…period.
The chief mistake I see agents make in appointment setting is over qualifying the lead.
The single most important part of the sales process is choosing the right product and the right carrier to place your application. It is the difference that will either gain you a client or not. Achieve your prospects goal of a new life insurance policy or not.
Field underwriting life insurance applications is about assessing the prospects risk to the insurance carrier and it begins the second you walk up to the front door not during appointment setting. Read the article “The Number One Mistake in Appointment Setting” for why. As you walk up to the door look around noticing any ashtrays or medical equipment such as canes or walkers making a mental note for later.
This is an objection I find more prevalent in working the Mortgage protection market, although it does rear its head in Final Expense as well. Most people site the life insurance they have from their work place as enough coverage for their needs or they have enough money in the bank to cover the cost of a burial.
If you are lucky enough to be sitting in front of folks that feel this way you have the opportunity to educate and enlighten your prospect. The very first words that should be said are to compliment the prospect on planning ahead and considering the need for life insurance and the different goals in your life it addresses.
Consumers are no longer willing to settle for a product just because a life insurance professional says it's a good choice. Most customers these days aren't necessarily looking for products at all.
"Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black."
This famous quote by Henry Ford reveals his strategy for mass producing the Model T and launching the great industrial juggernaut of the early 20th century. For almost 100 years, this attitude also defined the baseline strategy of most life insurance sales organizations.
