Nearly every adult you know owns a car and buys car insurance, but selling policies is not always so simple. But it can be simple, as long as you keep the phones busy. That’s half the battle.
Leads are what you make of them. Once you have a quality lead in your hands, it’s up to you to get the business. We’re here to help with some strategies that have worked for our vast network of insurance professionals.
Without further ado, here are 6 ways to sell more auto insurance policies than you imagined possible.
Buy Leads and Calls
If you’re not getting the foot traffic that has sustained you all these years, you’re not alone. It was bound to happen. Everyone warned you that you weren’t utilizing the technology at hand, and look at where we are now during the coronavirus pandemic.
Shoppers have been steadily switching to digital solutions for their car insurance needs, their car insurance claims and anything car-related at all (minus the oil change). The coronavirus pandemic has even gotten technology-challenged newbies to start shopping online more regularly. It started with buying disinfectant and toilet paper on Amazon and it now includes car insurance shopping from SmartFinancial.
Perhaps now is not the time for you to grow your internet presence to create your own leads. Maybe you want a clean, hassle-free way to connect with shoppers without creating a marketing staff at your agency. The cost will be comparable if not more advantageous to you if you simply buy leads from a digital insurance marketplace that runs ads for you and writes articles that create the traffic you want. Let’s face it, every marketing campaign is going to cost you something. Try and see if it brings you a strong return on investment.
Spy a Little
After making the initial call, we always advise agents to link up with prospects and clients on LinkedIn, possibly even from a personal account, so both parties can have a glimpse into the person behind the insurance policy.
On Facebook and Instagram, you will see the family, possibly the car(s) and home. You’ll learn about the prospects’ priorities and how they like to vacation. On LinkedIn, you’ll see if they are a business owner, what affiliations they have and more. All of this information will inform which policies you should sell to your prospect and the types of discounts you may be able to offer. You’ll know how much they need to protect (umbrella policy for that multi-car policy maybe?).
Become a Confidante
After linking up with your prospect on social media, start listening. If someone trusts you, they will tell you everything. Or nearly everything. The greatest thing you can do as an agent is talk less. Your most important work is to gather as much data as possible, to help this person and to sell a car insurance policy and possibly home or business as well.
If you also sell health and life or Medicare, that’s great. Bundling is the way to go, and people will often opt to it for ease, even when discounts don’t apply. But when they do, it’s magic. What does their household look like? What kinds of assets do they need to protect? Etcetera. You will learn all this by simply making friends. And what do friends do? They tell their friends and family about you. And that means you’ll sell more car insurance policies.
Nurture for the Long Haul
With new leads, jump on the phone as soon as they come to you. Your chances are higher if you’re one of the first agents to reach out. You never know where a prospect may have already done a search, so it’s important to act fast.
Follow up in a few days if the prospect did not buy. But bring new and relevant information to the table
or else you’re wasting their time and simply calling to try to coerce a sale. Add value at each point of contact, whether it’s to share what kinds of bundling deals you can offer based on the information you’ve gathered or a certain service your carrier offers that they may be interested in. Keep following for 30 days. After that, follow up less often but continue making contact up to 90 days. Even then, the prospect is not a lost cause. That person is an ex-date to contact at renewal.
Contact Ex-dates and Former Clients
If you neglect ex-dates and former clients you are possibly missing out on thousands of dollars worth of sales each. As anxiety-inducing it is for you to see how quickly and easily a client can jump ship without any warning, there are countless other drivers doing the same, whether it’s because they can save a little bit of money or they didn’t like the way a claim was handled. There are other reasons too that people change insurers, moving for one thing.
Even former clients may come back to you after learning the hard way and leaving. If you don’t reach out, they may feel embarrassed crawling back. Always be friendly to people, even when clients switch to another agent. You never know when you’ll cross paths again and when they may need your help.
Put Their Minds at Ease
Even if your prospect doesn’t come out and tell you what they are but they may have objections. If you notice hesitancy, it may not be a bad idea to head off some common objections just to get them out of the way. Follow up with the quote again and explain that rates change constantly and that you may not be able to guarantee that same rate again.
If this article was helpful to you, know that the account managers at SmartFinancial are a fountain of advice as well. When you buy leads from SmartFinancial, you also get the hands-on experience of professionals who’ve worked with thousands of other agents who’ve succeeded using our leads and calls. Contact us now to see what we can do for you.
