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Learn How To Successfully Sell Insurance Over The Phone
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Insurance isn't a physical product, it's a protection plan to help consumers avoid significant financial losses in the event of a disaster. When consumers purchase insurance policies, they're protecting their most important possessions. This means that insurance purchases rarely occur on impulse and are often thoroughly researched before the potential customer speaks to a professional. To sell to these customers when and where they need insurance, you must be flexible and prepared to meet their needs.
Selling insurance over the phone makes you available to efficiently complete a sale at the peak of your potential client's interest. While 69% of insurance consumers research companies online before making a purchase, 78% of customers convert over the phone. The ability to take care of an essential purchase over the phone offers a convenient purchase for both you and the customer. Consider these reasons why selling insurance over the phone is more important now than ever before.
You or the Potential Client Could be Stuck at Home Quarantining
The arrival of the COVID 19 pandemic forced many insurance companies to make their operations completely remote within days, or even hours. During the unexpected crisis, these agents were also fielding calls about changing policies and altered lifestyles. Even as vaccines are available, and infections are declining, spikes still occur, and new variants of the virus continue to emerge. This means you, or your potential customer may be under quarantine when an insurance policy is needed.
People Too Busy for In-Person Visit
Whether you sell insurance to businesses or individuals, convenience is key. The largest generation of consumers today want a streamlined buying process with a personal touch. While some of these demands can be met online, phone calls can introduce potential customers to the human behind the sale. By completing effective sales over the phone, insurance agents can win these customers with a convenient process that doesn't interrupt their busy day.
Working from Home Has Become Very Commonplace
Pandemic restrictions have forced companies from practically every industry to utilize remote work options. As companies and employees adjust to the changes and iron out the kinks, the benefits are obvious for both employers and employees. The insurance industry is no exception. After investing in technology that increases the convenience of working from home, only 1 in 4 insurance companies expects to return to a fully traditional work model with 100% of workers in the office. To succeed in this new normal for the industry, agents will be required to have the skills to sell insurance over the phone.
Selling Over the Phone to Warm Leads
A warm lead is a consumer who has shown interest in your company or product with specific actions. This can mean they've visited the website, requested a quote, or follow the agency on social media. When you have the opportunity to sell to a warm lead, your chances of conversion are more likely than from a cold call. Use these tips to make the most of this potential sale.
Do your Research
Warm leads typically the intent to purchase a product. You can use this fact to provide them with additional value. Utilize any data you have from the source of these leads to help you understand who they are and what they want.
Know Who the Prospect Is and How You Can Help Them
If at all possible, you should know your lead's approximate age, their pain points, and how you can provide value. A personalized offer can increase a potential customer's interest, and help them connect with your human side. Besides using sourced information, you can scan social profiles and any available online information to make a better connection during the call.
Prepare for Possible Objections Ahead of Time
Even when you call a warm lead, you're the one instigating the conversation. This means your potential customer was unprepared for your call. Unlike when a customer comes into the office prepared to make a purchase, a warm lead has simply shown interest in your product. While they might be ready to buy a policy, they're not necessarily prepared. That's why you should be ready to respond to these common objections.
- I didn't request a quote.
- The policy is too expensive.
- I need time to think about it.
- I already have a plan.
- I don't have time to talk right now.
Be Prepared to Close
Customers don't like to be pressured into making a purchase. In fact, such pressure can lead to a lost sale. When it's time to close a sale, share the value this product brings to your potential customer's life. Your customer has a problem and you have the solution. Instead of pushing the technical data about an insurance policy, share the value of being prepared for an emergency if one ever arises.
Closing new business can be tough. Discover a strategy that works best for your agency with the InsurGrid Closing Purchased Leads training video!
Selling Over the Phone to Cold Leads
A cold lead is someone who hasn't shown interest in your company but has provided contact information for another reason. You'll be taking this customer completely by surprise, and likely have little information about how you can provide them value. This means you'll have to complete your research based on the contact information and be prepared to make a great first impression. Use these tips for successful cold calls.
Be Organized
By making a cold call, you've interrupted your potential customer's day to offer a service they probably think they don't want. You'll need to have all information at your fingertips and no distractions from your primary goal. By utilizing CRM software, call management software, a cold call script, and marketing tools to provide immediate quotes, you can quickly gain the customer's interest and keep them on the phone long enough to close the sale.
Be Ready to Ask or Answer any Type of Question
By asking questions, you can make a personal connection and get to know your customer better. However, you need to be prepared to answer any questions the consumer might have about insurance. By listening more than you talk, you can be prepared to share valuable information that will address your potential customer's pain points and lead to a sale.
Remember It's Not Personal If They Tell You to Take a Hike
When you make a cold call, you're addressing a consumer that may not be interested in the product you're selling. Even if you're sure you won't make a sale, and the person on the other end of the line exhibits rude behavior, it's important to keep your professional demeanor. Part of good customer service is making a good impression. Consider this call as a potential sale in the future if the individual's needs change.
Have the right equipment
Whether you're calling warm leads, making cold calls, or taking calls from prospective clients prepared to buy, it's essential to have the right equipment at your fingertips to make a successful sale. No matter where you sell insurance, you need to maintain your professionalism and efficiency. Make sure you have these tools on hand to efficiently navigate the sales process.
- Customer information
- A cold calling script to help you stay on track
- Quoting software
- Tools to collect dec pages for faster quotes
- Company website
- Calling software
Be extremely organized
Organization is key to keeping relevant information at your fingertips at all times. Your customers don't want to hold the phone while you search for relevant products or documents to complete a sale. Instead of digging through a cluttered environment and offering pauses where your lead can end the call, maintain an organized environment to provide a streamlined process and a valuable product.
Try to Reduce Background Noise
Remember, working away from the office doesn't mean you're not a professional. It is your job to listen to your clients so you can empathize with their problems and offer relevant solutions. Background noise is distracting for you and makes your customer think you're unprofessional. Work in an office or otherwise quiet space to create a professional atmosphere.
Be Personable and Relatable
Humans buy from humans, not companies. A phone conversation gives you a chance to form a connection with your customer and relate to their issues. Ask personal questions and have a conversation instead of simply sharing information about a product. Listen more than you speak so you can constantly gather more information about your customer. When it's time to close, you can base your offerings on a personal conversation instead of a product description.
Follow Up
Most insurance sales aren't completed in a single phone call. The initial phone call has provided you with an opportunity to make a connection with the client and offer valuable information. After the call, follow-up communications can help you nurture your relationship with the lead and get them to convert. Follow up the initial call with emails, texts, and even phone calls to offer relevant resources to inform the decision-making process. For example, you can email additional information about the policy most likely to fit their needs or text your InsurGrid Link to gather information to provide a quote.
Maintain Your Current Clients
Insurance is a necessary investment that most people depend on throughout their lifetime. As families grow and change, individuals change jobs and make new purchases, and the world around your clients alters their lifestyle, their insurance needs may change as well. Since it costs five times more to attract new clients than to retain a current customer, it's vital to keep a good relationship with your current clients. Reach out to your customers to ask about changes that may affect their insurance and to offer new options. Maintaining your current client also offers an opportunity for you to cross-sell additional products based on their initial purchase. Always make yourself available to your existing customers to answer questions and take care of concerns.
Phone calls are a vital part of insurance sales and becoming more important than ever before. They provide consumers with a simple way to invest in the policies they need without taking time to come into the office. By utilizing cloud-based software like a CRM system along with a marketing tool like InsurGrid, you can offer more value to consumers and convert more leads to customers. InsurGrid gives your clients the power to share their insurance information with you in a few easy steps. Agents can collect dec pages faster and increase close rates by 50%.
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