By Bob I. Richards
If you’re in the insurance business, you depend on leads. But what are insurance agent leads really? You’ll be surprised to learn what the real answer is behind the names, phone numbers and email addresses, and understanding this will help you master your business.
Behind every lead is a real person. This insurance prospect has just submitted their personal information to a person or company that they don’t know in order to get more information about insurance. While this may seem like a simple act, in order to increase your sales rate dramatically, you have to fully appreciate what this means.
The insurance agent lead is likely asking for more information because they’re experiencing transition in their life. Most people don’t think about insurance when they’re perfectly fine and nothing is happening in their life. They think about their family, hobbies and career, but they typically don’t think about insurance.
It’s safe to say that when you get an insurance lead, this insurance prospect or family is in a transition in life. Perhaps they just lost their job, or maybe someone close to them in their family just passed away and they’re thinking about their own mortality. Maybe they just had a robbery and want to add more coverage to their homeowner’s policy.
Understanding the prospect’s motivation is the key to making the most from your insurance agent leads. Each one of these insurance prospects has his own fears, worries and concerns – it’s your job to find out what these concerns are by asking questions and to learn what the prospect desires.
The good news is that you don’t need to guess or assume what motivated your prospect to become a lead. You can ask them. In fact, asking them their motivation is more important than introducing yourself. So when you call, make these the first words out of your mouth: “Mr Jenkins, I received your inquiry about long term care insurance and I am not sure I can help you. May I ask what motivated you to complete this (postcard, Internet form, etc.) about long term care insurance?”
Once you know what the prospect wants, closing the sale is just as simple as offering it to them in a clear and concise manner that they understand, and making them feel comfortable with you and your company. While It may seem trivial, few insurance agents do this before they talk to a lead. This puts them at a huge disadvantage when it comes time to convert the lead to a client.
If you approach every insurance agent lead that comes across your desk like they have a problem that you absolutely have to solve and make it your objective to solve their problem, not only will you increase your business substantially, your customers will thank you for all of your help and send referrals.
Last, realize a difference in expectations when it comes to insurance agent leads that are generated via different mediums. For example, internet insurance agent leads expect a completely different level of service than mail order leads do, and vice versa. Keep this in mind the next time you want to call up an internet lead and have a serious conversation and save the heavy marketing strategies for leads that have sought you out via more “hands-on” means.
About the Author: To learn more and get additional details about how to follow up on leads and what to say, see Bob Richard’s blog on Internet Lead System.
Source: www.isnare.com
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