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New to Selling Insurance? These Simple Insurance Sales Tips Will Take You Far!
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Selling insurance is as exciting as it is challenging. If you're new to the game, then the world is your playing field, and there are endless sales opportunities. You've got the sales knowledge at your fingertips, and all that's left is to convert insurance leads into customers. You'll, however, soon learn that there's a lot to learn on the job. You're not just selling insurance; you're also selling trust, promises, and ideas. So how do you convince your customers to buy a policy from you?
All the successful agents in your office spent years learning, improving, and adapting so that they could perfect their insurance sales techniques. The good news is that you can also get there. Here are are the best practical and effective tips to get you started.
Dress Professionally
The way you dress highly determines the confidence and trust your customers have in you. In fact, a study revealed that the clothes you wear to work influence not only other people's perception of you but also your self-confidence and chances of being promoted.
The first part of conveying success is a professional appearance. Clients will start taking you more seriously and assume that you know what you're talking about. If your clients don't believe in your abilities, then they won’t buy from you. Most importantly, if you don't have confidence in yourself, you won't make a successful sales pitch. It all starts with the way you dress, and you have to look the part.
Start paying more attention to the clothes you wear, especially when meeting with a client.
Avoid Using Slang and Idioms
This insurance sales tip may seem obvious, but you'll be surprised at how often young insurance agents lose clients due to the language they use. If it's not proper English, then it has no business being part of your sales pitch. Stick to professional vocabulary and avoid using slang (even if the client seems young and cool) or terminology that's commonly used in online chats or text messages with friends.
At the end of the day, you're building a successful career as a professional insurance agent, and you must use language that will help you build and sustain trust with your clients. You should also refrain from using jargon when explaining policies to customers, as insider talk will only confuse them. The trick is to strike the perfect balance between professional and personable language.
Find Common Ground
Find something that can bring the two of you together despite the major differences. For instance, do they have a family? Did they grow up in the same neighborhood you live in? Do you support the same sports team? There's always a connection, and you need to find it! This is the only way you'll be able to build rapport with your insurance leads, ultimately turning them into loyal customers.
Learn From Your Experienced Co-workers
Your experienced co-workers started where you are, so don't shy away from asking them to be your mentors. There's a reason why more than 70% of fortune 500 companies have mentorship programs.
One of the major mistakes new insurance agents make is assuming that they are smarter just because they are tech-savvy. Well, here's the thing; your older co-workers may have a hard time using current software, but they've been selling insurance for longer than you have. They know the best sales tactics, including unconventional ones that you won't find on the internet. They are well versed with industry secrets that will launch you years ahead in your career. You've got a lot to learn from them!
Ask for help every time you face a challenge. Learn to take their advice and embrace their constructive criticism. It may be difficult at first, but in the end, it will turn you into one of the top insurance agents.
Use Technology to Automate Processes
Automate the collection of dec pages with InsurGrid. Instead of manually chasing down policy information, you can request and receive all policy information on a prospect's current insurance coverage via an online link with InsurGrid. This solution is quick and easy for both you and your prospects to use. Prospects expect ease of doing business in the 21st century. Using the InsurGrid tool will help you do business the way consumers expect it to be done!
Proofread All Written Communication
Make sure all your customer communication materials are well written and proofread. This will make them more professional and ensure that they have more impact on your prospects. Polishing your work ensures clarity of the message. If you send documents that are full of errors to your insurance leads, they'll automatically assume that you rushed through your work, and this will end up ruining your trust and credibility.
Record Yourself - Listen and Watch Yourself Talking to Clients
This may seem like a weird tip, but it's highly effective. The point of listening and watching yourself talk is to view yourself from their perspective. Do you sound confident? What does your body language say? Which part of your sales pitch do the insurance leads seem more receptive to? Which seemingly small mistakes did you make that could cost you a sale? This feedback is very valuable!
Practice makes perfect, and if you know where you're making mistakes, you can easily rectify them. This way, the next time you pitch to a prospect, your chances of making a sale are higher. You should also ask for feedback from your clients. This communicates that you value their opinion and helps you identify the areas that you should improve on.
Want to grow your insurance agency, but unsure how to start? Learn how you can 3X your book of business with our 5-Point Personal Lines Growth Strategy Guide.
Remember You Are in Sales; Don't Forget the Fundamentals
It's so easy to get caught up in polishing your insurance selling skills that you forget what you learned in school. At the end of the day, you're a sales expert. Your job is to educate your prospects about your products and sell them the most suitable policies for their needs. Don't think of it as a one-and-done deal but instead focus on fostering and nurturing lifelong relationships with your insurance leads.
There's still a lot to master but what you learned in training is equally important. You just have to find a way of applying the knowledge to your sales techniques.
Speak Less and Listen to Your Customers' Pain Points
The most successful insurance professionals know when to talk and when to listen . There are instances where you need to explain details to your customers before the purchase, but there are others where an explanation is only necessary after the sale. Learn the difference!
New insurance agents are often young and hungry for success. While this is an admirable quality, it can get in the way of your sales if you use every opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge. Pay attention to your customers' needs and pain points! Why do they need insurance? Is there a better product that can solve their needs? Why are they looking for a new agent? What exactly are they looking for in your insurance agency? Listen to them!
If a prospect asks a question, don't pretend that you know the answer. Any mistake could break all the trust they have in you. So instead, let them know that you'll look into their concerns and get back to them as soon as possible.
Expect Lots of Hard Work
Selling insurance is often challenging, especially to new agents, but the rewards are well worth it. You won't be served insurance leads on a platter...you need to put in the hard work. There are instances when you'll feel inadequate and inexperienced, but those are the times you should put in twice the work. Read more books and work harder than other colleagues. By brushing up on your knowledge and skills, you'll find that the sales process becomes easier, and situations that seemed difficult are now a walk in the park.
The colleagues that seem to have it all probably spent years perfecting their craft. They had sleepless nights going through helpful resources. You can get there too with hard work!.
Relate to Your Prospect or Client
Be personable and try to relate to your prospects by asking questions about their families/lives. How are the kids doing? Are they still thriving at their workplace? Did their cat finally get kittens? You're selling to humans, so stop being so robotic! Asking questions makes clients feel as though you really care about them and are not just about making a sale. This then makes them more likely to buy from you.
Jumpstart Your Insurance Selling Career With the Above Tips!
Being new in the insurance industry can be overwhelming, especially when it feels as though everyone else has got it together. The truth is that even the best agents started where you are; feeling like a small fish in a big pond. However, through hard work, diligence, and exceptional sales skills, they made it. Always dress the part, use professional language and find common ground with your prospects. Don't forget to look for a mentor, create personal relationships with your clients, and work hard . You can do this. So, take a deep breath, use the above tips as your guide and make those sales!
Are you having a hard time generating high-quality insurance leads? Sign up for an InsurGrid demo today!
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