People buy from people they trust. It’s that simple. What’s not so simple is making people trust you when you sell insurance. You have a short span of time to earn the client’s trust, so how do you do it?
Most people are hard-wired to distrust sales people of all stripes. Insurance agents also have their share of stereotypes that they must overcome in order to be successful.
As a starter, it’s important to show that you’re a genuine person. First impressions are everything when you’re hoping to offer a quote. If you’ve been referred by a trusted source, like an existing client or SmartFinancial, it helps quite a bit.
The following are some easy ways that you can gain the confidence of insurance shoppers.
1. Buy SmartFinancial Leads
If you are working with SmartFinancial as your lead provider, you’re half-way there to winning over your prospects. Shoppers come to us after reading our informative articles that answer questions about coverage and policy types. When they land on our pages, they are actively researching topics in order to become informed shoppers. Our team of SEO writers taps into the customer journey with tips on how much insurance they need, what types of insurance they should buy and what’s covered and what’s not.
Quick tip: It’s always best to tell the shopper how you found them. Make sure to mention SmartFinancial, especially if you’re buying live transfer-calls. Bridging the gap between their experience with our call center and yours may make or break a sale. It’s easy to do too, because we always send our live calls from the same number, so you never have to wonder when these calls are coming through.
2. Talk About Your Children, Pets and Parents
While it’s important to be aggressive about getting a lead on the phone, it’s not a good idea to strong arm them once you have their attention. In your elevator pitch, talk about your kids and pets. We all tend to like folks who love their kids and pets, and it’s often the one thing we have in common with others who may be very different from us.
Not only do we trust other parents, but we favor people who give back to their communities. While it’s most important to listen to your clients above all, consider sharing any involvement you or your spouse have with the local schools, clubs or sports teams. Share anecdotes that show you’re involved in your children’s lives. Let people see a gentler side of you.
If you have aging parents you look after, you can mention the joys and challenges, especially if you’re selling Medicare products. If you inject your conversations with a little bit about yourself, you may strike up some very rewarding conversations about the client. You may learn that they’d greatly benefit from an insurance product they’d never considered.
3. Show Genuine Concern
This may be surprising to many new agents but nicer folks do better in sales. It’s true. And by nice, we don’t mean shy and timid; We mean people who have a genuine interest in protecting their clients by asking pointed questions and using their expertise to prevent catastrophe.
If you think you have found a way to truly cover all your clients’ bases, without adding on any unnecessary policies, you’re doing your job right. However, you must show your expertise, even if it feels like unnecessary extrapolation. Patiently explaining why your client should have certain coverages is much more beneficial than talking hard and fast, hoping they’ll buy on faith (even if you mean well). They will trust you if they understand their coverage.
Over-explaining is always better than under-explaining. Step into the shopper’s shoes. Be empathetic as you explain, pausing to ask if they are following, backtracking when necessary and smiling a lot, even though the receiver. When the insurance concepts become confusing, use real-life examples or illustrate hypothetical situations. And remember, you can’t fake empathy. It comes through, even over the phone.
4. Testimonials
At SmartFinancial, the tip we repeat over and over again is to bring something new to the table each time you call the same lead. Reach out to the prospect with a fresh approach, maybe text or email a quick note with a link to your testimonials page to stay top of mind.
First things first, though. You need to create a page full of testimonials. The more detailed the better. You can do this by offering your best clients gift cards in exchange for as much as they’re willing to say about all the wonderful years you’ve been protecting them. What others say about you is always more important than what you have to say for yourself.
