What number of people are you currently following up with? I bet there are many people in your CRM you are contacting every few months just to “follow up”. Let’s be brutally honest and open with each other. What percentage of these people will actually buy from you?
They are very few, I would venture to guess. Many people who follow up with you see you as a pain in their neck and want to get rid. They don’t know how politely to make you go away.
Do you really want that kind of relationship with your clients? Are you adamant that they don’t fear your calls and will look for other agents to replace you in the public? You don’t.
Your relationship with your potential client will be shaped by the way you approach your first contact. Your first impressions can contaminate every subsequent interaction with potential clients. It takes time and effort to charge perceptions.
When you call someone to discuss your insurance and you then push for an appointment, you are doomed to fail before you have even had the chance to start. Many people will say “no” and end any chance of a future relationship. This selfish, pushy approach can quickly destroy your reputation and cause you to lose a lot of potential clients.
How are you supposed get appointments with people? It’s possible by becoming and acting like a professional. Ask me this question: “How many times have you been called by an accountant out of the blue to get a free tax review?” Let me guess, “never”.
How can a professional find qualified potential clients who are looking to learn more about their services? Understanding and recognising a problem is the first step. These two words are key: problem and desire.
Potential prospects may want to protect their money from tax now so they can use it later to help them retire. These prospects are facing a problem. They want to solve the problem because they are thinking ahead and planning for the future. Let’s call Bob our prospect.
Bob would be able to get rid of your call if you spoke to him on the phone in the same way that you are now. To get you off the telephone and out of his life, he’d give you every objection he could think of. Compare that to a conversation in which you talk about a problem, and not “insurance” or “products”. Bob now realizes that you are talking about the exact same problem and asks for more information.
Can we make this even better? You bet. You bet. This is the essence of good marketing.
Effective marketing helps you communicate your problem-based message through all your marketing communications. These communications should be made in person at places Bob is most likely to find them, in literature Bob has already read, and in places Bob is already hearing.
Bob will be open to your communication once he receives it. He’ll listen because you’re speaking directly to him. Bob has now noticed you. Next, get Bob to engage.
It’s simple, just give Bob something to work on. You just need to tell Bob what to do and how. Bob will be interested in learning more. Bob is actually chasing you, not you.
Bob and your minds have experienced something big. Bob doesn’t believe you are a shady insurance salesperson he needs to get rid. Bob believes you are an expert, a professional who may have the answers he is looking for. Bob believes that you might just be the trusted advisor that he has been searching for.
You don’t feel like a lost loser because you have qualified people reaching out to you. Instead, you will feel like the expert and trusted advisor you are. This mindset shift is crucial. This mindset leads to the higher sales that you desire.
From this point forward, you can build on your good first impression by making a lasting impression. This will show that you are a professional and act like one. This means that you won’t use coercion, coercion or self-serving closing strategies. All of these behaviors are counterproductive. You don’t want to make a sale once and then lose your client forever. This means that you must treat your clients with respect and dignity from the start.
