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What’s The Quickest Way To Increase
My Sales Appointments?
Friday afternoon, I got a call
from an agent who had been a career agent with a major insurance company and had
decided to go independent several months ago. He called me for some help because
in the past month he had purchased 200 life insurance leads and wasn’t happy
with the results. From those 200 leads he had only set about 5 appointments per
week (23 appointments for the month); actually met with only 2 of those people
each week (10 fact finds for the month); and closed 1 sale per week (4 sales for
the month). And, he wanted to know where he could buy more and better leads.
As we talked, he told me that
the majority of the leads only wanted him to send them a quote. Some of them had
health problems. And, over half of the appointments he set, had cancelled their
appointments, or were ‘no shows’.
It’s a very typical call that I get several times a week from agents. Whether
they are buying leads; using direct mail, newspaper ads or dinner seminars to
generate leads; they are only getting a 10% to15% appointment rate from their
leads. And, they have a lot of fallout from the appointments they set. Just
about every agent I talk to wants to blame the quality of their leads for their
lack of appointments!
How To Quickly Increase Your Appointments
First, in case you don’t know it, nobody wants to meet with a ‘pushy’
sales person, even when they know they need and want the product or service you
are offering! They are all afraid they’ll be pushed into buying something they
don’t need or want. Or, they are afraid they will be pushed into spending more
money than they want to spend! Second, most prospects make the assumption that
all insurance policies are pretty much alike, so to them it makes perfect sense
to just pick the least expensive one. That’s why they’ll give you objections to
the appointment, like… “I’m too busy right now!”
“We don’t have the money!” “I just want the
cheapest policy!” “Just send me a quote?”
These objections are a natural part of the selling process,
and they are really just an opportunity for you to help people to see how
valuable your service is.
If you want to set more and
better sales appointments, then you’ll have to learn how to get past the typical
objections to the appointment! You must focus on helping your prospects to see
the problems they face and then help them to see how they’ll benefit by meeting
with you. You must be able to differentiate yourself from the rest of the agents
who are calling them. And, it’s not going to happen by focusing on your
products, price, investment returns or your credentials. You must help your
prospects to see ‘why’ they should meet with you. If your prospect does
not see they have a problem, or truly understand the depth of their problem,
then why should they waste their time meeting with you?
Example:
Objection… “I’m too busy right now! Can you just send me a quote?”
Agents Response…
“Mr. Prospect, I think I understand. We are all busy, and no
one wants to meet with a pushy sales person, right? And, I could send you a
quote. However, am I correct in assuming you want the best value for your
dollar?
Prospect…
“That’s Correct.”
Agent… Mr.
Prospect, I’m a little different from most of the other agents you’ll meet. I
want to help you and make sure you get the best policy for you and your family.
There are literally hundreds of companies and policies for you to choose from,
with all sorts of options. And, without knowing the details of your situation,
I’m not sure what’s the best value for you, or what you’ll actually qualify
for. So, if I could, I would like to meet with you and your spouse, in person,
to go over your options, to make sure you get the best policy and value for your
situation. Does that make sense?
Prospect…
“I guess so.”
Agent… “Mr.
Prospect, if I could show you how to get the policy you need and want to protect
your family, without taking any additional money out of your pocket, or changing
your current life style, would it be worth 20 minutes of your time to get
together and talk about it?”
Prospect…
“OK.”
Agent…
“What’s the best day for us to meet?”
Overcoming the objection to the
appointment is your… first sale to the prospect! And, it requires you to
learn a presentation, just like you do for any sales call. You wouldn’t go into
a sales appointment unprepared, would you?
What you’ll want to do is write
down the most common objections you hear, on the phone and in person. Then,
you’ll want to think about what you will say to overcome those objections and
write them down. You’ll want to practice them; know them by heart; and learn
them so well that you never have to think about them while you’re trying to set
the appointment. And, they will just become second nature. By doing this, you
are prepared to sell the appointment, which gives you a better chance of setting
the appointment.
When you know what to say to sell the appointment, you practice it and
you get good at it, you can set appointments with ‘9 out of 10’ of the
leads you get. Remember, the reason these people responded to your letter, ad or
invitation is because they are interested in and want more information about
your product or service.
If you want to set an appointment,
then you just have to give them a good reason to choose you!
___________________________________________________
Now, it’s up to you…
You can try to develop your own scripts to overcome the objections to the
appointment… and the sale! Or, you can attend our ‘Advanced Fact Finding
Techniques’ two-day, live training event on Wednesday and Thursday, February
27 & 28, 2008. It’s The Quickest Way To Increase Your Sales
Appointments… And Your Sales!
Here’s what some agents have
said about our training…
"Lew, I recently purchased
your Advanced Fact Finding Video... I have been on two interviews so far and
used the methods you described. It was surprising how the folks opened-up. Not
only were their defenses totally down, but they actually stated that they liked
the low-pressure approach and questioning process to find out what their
needs/concerns were before they were asked to buy anything. In both cases the
customer actually told me what they were going to buy... By the way, I am going
to recommend that you contact Allstate's Financial Specialist Manger, so you can
help them with their sales efforts. They have spent a ton of money on similar
programs, but in my humble opinion, what you offer is much better. Feel free
to drop my name. Robert Dupuis, Allstate Agency Owner, TX
"I started with Lew roughly two years ago. He has
helped me tremendously with his phone coaching. I was able to give him
information about my prospects and clients, so that he would give me the CORRECT
questions to ask them, to lead them to the sale… my business has grown
significantly because of his help with the right questions as well as
helping me put together some simple marketing techniques that go a long way. Lew
truly helps you have that slight edge."
Joseph F., RIA - NJ, (with a National Bank)
"Lew's coaching and system has helped my practice
immensely! Learning from Lew on how to ask questions the right way, helped me
close $16,800 in commissions in 2 weeks!
Thanks Lew!" Ron Fara, RFC, RIA – IL
Yours in success,
Lew Nason
‘The Nine Out Of Ten Guy’
© 2008 Lew Nason, RFC, FMM, LUTC Graduate -
All rights reserved
Lew Nason, with his sons
Jeremy Nason, RFC, FMM and Will Nason, RFA, FMM are the
founders of the Insurance Pro Shop®
and the creators of the…
Found Money Management™ Advanced Life Insurance Sales System…
The most endorsed and successful Life Insurance prospecting and sales system
available for today’s insurance professional!
Lew
has been helping agents and advisors to achieve long-term success in financial
services industry for over two decades. His unique perspective, on how to truly
help clients, has enabled scores of agents and advisors reach the top levels of
their profession. Visit his web site at
www.insuranceproshop.com or call him toll free @ 877-297-4608.
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