If you are a dairy farmer you are allowed to milk your cows (the 4 legged ones)...however if you have 2 legged ones that you prefer, go for it.
If you are an insurance sales professional, I am sharing what I've heard from very successful folks in this field. You ask for the referral before, after and during the sale. And then you ask whenever you speak with your client. You obviously need not be obnoxious and apply a truckload of charm when you do it (my thought here..I know brilliant!)...I'm still learning this part, as I have not graduated from Charm school yet. Seriously though, "ask and you shall receive"...the opposite is almost always true. I find it hard to believe that people will give you referrals on their own...I'm not saying you won't get some...but you will maximize your "milk" when you squeeze every tit. Hey I'm up to 4 posts y'all
So basically your saying milking cows is a numbers game? If you squeeze every tit you will get more milk but if you quit before the bucket is full you will be thirsty. Hmmmm good words of wisdom. I would say even if you were milking the cow as a beginner and were getting a little milk if you milked lots of cows (not perfect) you would still get more milk.
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Excalibur Benefits
Larry Roberts
Larry.Roberts(at)Excaliburbenefits. com
I would say even if you were milking the cow as a beginner and were getting a little milk if you milked lots of cows (not perfect) you would still get more milk.
Yes, you will get a little milk from each cow but you will only get it for a short period of time. If each cow is not totally stripped of milk then she will dry up and all of a sudden, no matter how good you become at milking, you will no longer get any milk again until she "comes fresh" again. (Has a calf.)
However, the opposite is true about clients. One cannot keep "milking clients" and expect to keep getting valuable referrals. Referrals, the really good ones, are earned not given.
When I get a referral it is a sale. In the last four and a half weeks I have written three. The prospects were already sold by my clients who they had talked to. All I had to do is write the app and send it in.
Oh, I didn't ask for any of them. Each one called me, told me they were friends with a client of mine and they wanted the same policy their friend had. That is what I call a real referral.
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Medicare Supplement Sales Training and Coaching.
"The Perfect Contact Management Program (CMP) for the Insurance Professional" www.YourInsuranceOffice.com
877.633.0808
Frank, I agree with Medsupps that is probably the case. But when a large part of what you do for a client is case design, it's not as simple as your client telling their friends, "hey, look what great policy I have...you need to call this guy"
Frank, I agree with Medsupps that is probably the case. But when a large part of what you do for a client is case design, it's not as simple as your client telling their friends, "hey, look what great policy I have...you need to call this guy"
You are totally correct. I've got to be more careful and make sure reader understands that I am addressing Med Supps. I thought I mentioned it in that post and obviously I didn't. Thanks for adding that.
I don't think I would want to do what you do. It sounds like too much work. However, I'm sure you clients really appreciate it.
Haha...it is a pain sometimes. The problem is that a lot of clients that do more complex planning aren't talking to their friends about it. In those cases, it's important to ask for referrals no matter how good of a job you did. Now, unfortunately, I'm haven't been vigilant in asking, but I know I need to.
Haha...it is a pain sometimes. The problem is that a lot of clients that do more complex planning aren't talking to their friends about it. In those cases, it's important to ask for referrals no matter how good of a job you did. Now, unfortunately, I'm haven't been vigilant in asking, but I know I need to.
I believe the big difference is that seniors just love to talk about their health and money. Sometimes I get way too much information, I really don't need to know about their bowel problems. haha
Along with talking about their health and money is their health care. When their doctor gives them a new pill they can't wait to tell their friends. When they save money on their health insurance they can't wait to brag about it to their friends.
"I'm paying less than you are, neener, neener, neeeeener."
Last edited by Frank Stastny : 10-18-2009 at 07:43 PM.
I really don't need to know about their bowl problems
You mean that they complain about dropping a bowl and breaking it? Rural seniors are much different than those in urban areas.
Seniors around here complain about bowel problems. They rarely have problems with their bowls. (Is putting too much frosted flakes in a bowl considered a problem?)
Rick
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Training, Community, Support, and Success Independent Life Insurance Agents Assn rick@iliaa.org
So basically your saying milking cows is a numbers game? If you squeeze every tit you will get more milk but if you quit before the bucket is full you will be thirsty. Hmmmm good words of wisdom. I would say even if you were milking the cow as a beginner and were getting a little milk if you milked lots of cows (not perfect) you would still get more milk.
Justin, Frank and all you all,
Any variation will do....I'm really not that smart. I do remember a wise leader once saying "you can milk some of the people some of the time, and you can milk all of the people some of the time, but you can't milk all of the people all of the time".
All the points being made here on getting referrals are valid to me. Whether they are "real referrals" i.e. people begging you to sell them a policy, or the "fake" referrals, where you have to "sell" them one, it's one more warm opportunity. If you have to cajole, harass and threaten someone to give you a referral, than it's neither "real or fake", it's just another internet lead....a bad internet lead.
I have been in sales for many many years, but new to this field, and honestly not making a living at it yet. Whether I will be selling health insurance, life or whatever it is, my motto has always been and always will be, do what's best for the client. The problem with this profession is that it attracts many people good and bad, which sometimes come in at a point of financial desperation, when they see the great potential to make good money. However, once they..(the bad ones) find out it's not as easy as it seemed, they resort to shady, pushy and unscrupulous tactics, which taints the entire industry and all the people in it. Let me assure all of you, vets or rookies, that whether I make it or not in this profession, its reputation will not suffer worse. I have always lived by the Golden Rule, and if you have a server's heart and people's best interest in mind, it will show through...per Zig Ziglar "if you help enough people get what they want, you will eventually get what you want". If you treat people with respect, dignity and work hard for them...the sky is the limit. Peace y'all...
Alph-red-o
Re: The Secret to Exponentially Growing Your LeadsGo to Top
Originally Posted by PowerPlayer
The trick is to call people who are already looking for what you have to offer. (ie, they responded to your letter, answered your classified ad, clicked on an e-ad, filled out a survery, etc. This will sharpen your ratios.
Once you land 1 good appointment, you have to milk that relationship and get lots of referrals. Referrals are difficult for many people especially when they have done nothing more than the other guy who could have protected them last week.
And this is where you make yourself different. You have to sit down and think of some way to make yourself different in the home so that people want to refer you to their friends.
Come up with a personal story to weave into your insurance presentation. Get them to hug you before you walk out the door. When that happens your referral list grows exponentially!
Of course milking referrals is something everyone should be doing, but it should not be an either or type of situation. You should really be doing both.
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Originally Posted by somarco
I really don't care if you believe it or not. When you do your job right, the referrals come, and you don't have to beg.
Going with the build it and they will come angle
Anyone interested in more infor on this topic should read this article from ductape marketing.
You mean that they complain about dropping a bowl and breaking it? Rural seniors are much different than those in urban areas.
Seniors around here complain about bowel problems. They rarely have problems with their bowls. (Is putting too much frosted flakes in a bowl considered a problem?)
Rick
Yes, too much frosted flakes can cause a problem if their bowel is not large enough to handle it.
I really don't care if you believe it or not. When you do your job right, the referrals come, and you don't have to beg.
OK, wrong choice of words, and please allow me to rephrase..."I do believe people will give you referrals without asking". However, the point I was trying to make is that you might, just might, get most people to better respond when they are prompted...and what's wrong with doing that...if you do it tactfully, gracefully...and with a smile on your face, AFTER you've earned it? Hopefully you will agree...nothing wrong with it.
The point I was trying to make again, was that being a little more proactive might, just might give you better results. I am not forcing this down anyone's throat, and I am trying to change my stripes here Bob, I'm that newbie you spoke with here in ATL recently and I'm grateful for your help and suggestions. I'm also probably the least aggressive and most passive sales person on this forum, and possibly the world. And let me make one thing clear about me, because it's all about me after all..... I am not here to bash anyone's ideas...I'm here to learn and share. Have not been long in this profession, but I don't think this totally disqualifies me from bringing my own experience in a different sales arean dealing with people, after all this is a people business, and blend in some of my own thoughts. I've learned a lot since joining this forum, and hope to learn more because there is a lot of industry specific information that I am missing.
I appreciate all suggestions, all comments, and all ideas whether good or bad. "Do not judge lest you be judged"....Thank you, and all you all for sharing.
Alph-red-o
The agent who asks for referrals will get more referrals than the agent who does not ask for referrals. This is not rocket science. How you ask for referrals and how much the prospect likes you will influence how many more referrals you actually get.
...if you do it tactfully, gracefully...and with a smile on your face, AFTER you've earned it?
That makes it much more clear especially with the "AFTER you've earned it".
I "ask" all of my clients for referrals with the PS I put at the bottom of each correspondence I send them. So I guess I do "ask" for referrals, just not the way most agents do.
"PS If you know anyone else who I can help with their insurance needs I would appreciate it if you would give them my phone number"
What you do, Frank, is similar to me. I recently changed my sig from "Referrals are ALWAYS appreciated" to "If I have helped in any way, please feel free to pass my name along to your friends!"
Not so subtle, but not in their face either.
Which airline was it that said they had to earn their wings every day? That is pretty much the way I approach my business, knowing that I must do something every day to earn the trust and respect of the people I encounter, and not just the ones who buy.
Yes, too much frosted flakes can cause a problem if their bowel is not large enough to handle it.
True, and since it is a common practice to put the cereal in the bowl first, you would need to have some grasp of the displacement caused by adding milk and whether or not you intend to use a soup spoon, or a normal sized tea spoon.
Just because you can carry the bowl from the counter to the kitchen table or wherever you intend to consume it, doesn't mean that you are free of bowl trouble.
The additional displacement of inserting an over sized spoon into the bowl can cause spillage on the intial displacement. Add to this fact, your wife walks in right as the spillage occurs, and she's not in the best of moods. You could end up having to leave the kitchen or den or wherever, just to keep from saying something that would ruin the day for both of you. Now you're without breakfast and your wife is ticked off.
It can be a very complex problem, mathematically and socially, just getting your day started.
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No Government can be long secure without a formidable Opposition.
Solid advice. Thanks for the post. Its not my intention to do nothing but coldcalling, but I think that it has its merits. I also think its a great way to cut my teeth at dealing with gate keepers for later attempts at walk and talks. Do you have any thought on the walk and talk approach ?
Thanks
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You are actually selling in my state so I know exactly what you are going through.
There is no doubt you will cut your teeth dealing with gate keepers but those are not the people you want to cut your teeth on. You want to talk to decision makers.
Walk and Talk can be a good way to pick up business but you want to choose the small business that is going to be most receptive. It is very difficult to walk into a 40 life group and get to talk with a decision maker. Now if you walk into a 5 life group you might have a better chance. I have knocked on doors in most of my city with very little success.
What products are you selling and what carriers?
I have no idea what the hell the rest of these posts are talking about.
We are talking about selling group benefits right?
The easiest way I've found is to call and set an appointment and go visit the right person. Walk and Talk doesn't work well for me and the businesses are too spread apart to make it efficient.
With 9,500 posts its obvious that the way you find new members for your little site is by sitting on here poaching all day, but do you really think sniping people with negative thoughtless posts is the best way to achieve membership? I would never join an organization or worse yet, pay to receive responses like the ones you spew out. Do us all a favor and take week off or something.
I have to say John's association is a reputable and worth while service for the low entry fee. I belong to other industry associations and never got as much value out of them (for two to three times the membership price) as I did from the IHIAA. If you sell with a health insurance focus, its a no brainer in my opinion.
Re: Anyone Making A Living Coldcalling?
However, I'm sure you clients really appreciate it.
Re: Anyone Making A Living Coldcalling?
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