Insurance Agent Forum

[emptyeternity]

I think Hell for Paul would (will? lol) be sitting in a lone boiler call room, having to cold call through an endless phonebook for shamwows or something. LOL

[CaptiveAgent2009]

I am tweaking the content of my scripts from time to time. Sometimes i think the best script is one of sincerity. Using the nonverbal communication skills like tone, speed of speech, sounding conversational. I have always found that just trying to have a conversation but getting to the point about why i am calling seems to help in reducing the shield that automatically goes up for a telemarketing call. Unlock the Game is a website that i found insightful about cold calling. But i am always trying to learn new things and perfect the craft.

[JacquesWerth]

Learning how to sell for free is extremely expensive.

[Frank Stastny]

Originally Posted by CaptiveAgent2009

i am tweaking the content of my scripts from time to time. Sometimes i think the best script is one of sincerity. Using the nonverbal communication skills like tone, speed of speech, sounding conversational. I have always found that just trying to have a conversation but getting to the point about why i am calling seems to help in reducing the shield that automatically goes up for a telemarketing call. Unlock the Game is a website that i found insightful about cold calling. But i am always trying to learn new things and perfect the craft.

Captive, that is exactly what I tell the agents I train. Be conversational, use the correct timing in what is said and never use a "script". Listen carefully to what they say and start the conversation by asking them questions you already know the answers to.

I do my own telemarketing. No one can represent me better than I can.

I have not purchased a "lead" in about the last eight years. However, I work only the senior market for Med Supps. They are the easiest kind of insurance to prospect for and sell.

[Delta76]

Cold calling will not work, don't try it. Instead, wait for them to come to you. The only exception, you don't have time to wait or would like to make more money. In that case, it might work. But I'm skeptical.

[padthaiforlunch]

Originally Posted by Delta76

Cold calling will not work, don't try it. Instead, wait for them to come to you. The only exception, you don't have time to wait or would like to make more money. In that case, it might work. But I'm skeptical.

[Frank Stastny]

Originally Posted by Delta76

Cold calling will not work, don't try it. Instead, wait for them to come to you. .

I totally agree. How ignorant of me to even suggest that an agent do such a thing. Especially if that agent is licensed in Missouri.

Thank you for setting the record straight.

[robliano]

I'm not sure I understand how cold calling is obsolete but turning cold calls into warm calls is a winning strategy, wouldn't that mean cold calling is not obsolete?

Can you elaborate, please? I must be missing something, I can't hear Jimi, LOL

Originally Posted by JacquesWerth

[COLOR=black]I agree Cold-Calling is Obsolete. It alienates most of the people you call. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]However, turning cold calls into a series of warm calls is a long-term winning strategy. [/COLOR]

It enables you to develop "favorable front of the mind awareness" in a large target market. That is important because prospects buy in their own time for their own reasons. Each time you call your list, some of them will be ready to buy and they will want to buy from you.

[COLOR=black]Like everything else that gets posted here, this information probably won’t do you any good unless you learn how to do it. [/COLOR]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Paul, what does his track record or mine have to do with what we're discussing? Secondly, Tom Hopkins has a longer history many, does that mean all that he teaches is still dead on the money, current and credible today?

There are many people who successfully cold call, period.

Originally Posted by moonlightandmargaritas

You don't have to believe me, or Frank Rumbauskas, Jr. (the "Cold Calling Sucks" guy).

We've had Jacques Werth come on this forum and post. Jacques is the author of the long-time best-seller High Probability Selling. I first read his book seven or eight years ago.

He has trained thousands of salespeople, and has been a recognized expert on sales training for over twenty (maybe thirty) years.

Maybe you should look up his posts on this forum, and see what he's got to say about "cold-calling".

I appreciate that you love me, but can you put your track record up against his?

[SportsNut]

Originally Posted by robliano

Tom Hopkins has a longer history (than) many, does that mean all that he teaches is still dead on the money, current and credible today?

There are many people who successfully cold call, period.

Tom Hopkins... now there is a name from the past. I cut my teeth selling by hanging on his every word my first year and implementing his verbage, when I didn't have my own. TH undoubtedly saved me light years at becoming a competent sales pro, or saved me from bombing out of the biz, way back when.

TH is the master, IMO, and communicating with people really hasn't changed all that much over time. Sure, there are lots of new technological advances, but belly to belly selling, or voice to voice on the telephone is about what it was 30 yrs ago... presentation of ideas, identifying certain needs and problems, and helping the client obtain their (wants and needs) aka goals... Nothing really new, and the old is still new in that sense.

[padthaiforlunch]

I think what he's getting at is to start with a targeted list and then you keep calling that list with different selling propositions. Eventually your name will become familiar to them and at some point they will be ready to buy what you are selling.

Originally Posted by robliano

I'm not sure I understand how cold calling is obsolete but turning cold calls into warm calls is a winning strategy, wouldn't that mean cold calling is not obsolete?

Can you elaborate, please? I must be missing something, I can't hear Jimi, LOL

[COLOR=black]I agree Cold-Calling is Obsolete. It alienates most of the people you call. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]However, turning cold calls into a series of warm calls is a long-term winning strategy. [/COLOR]

It enables you to develop "favorable front of the mind awareness" in a large target market. That is important because prospects buy in their own time for their own reasons. Each time you call your list, some of them will be ready to buy and they will want to buy from you.

[COLOR=black]Like everything else that gets posted here, this information probably won’t do you any good unless you learn how to do it. [/COLOR]

[OHInsAGNT]

Originally Posted by squeed

A good number of the posts here that talk about prospecting via phone, sound to me like a very gimmicky approach. Almost like you're trying to trick someone into having a conversation with you. The scripting just doesn't sit right with me. If I were being read that script, I would hang up.

I'm not an agent, yet, but I am in sales.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried and succeeded with a more straight forward, yet still scripted approach. For example.

For Health Insurance, calling on a small business.

[COLOR=blue]"Mr. Jones, this is Mr. Smith from Smith Insurance. We haven't met but I'm a local insurance agent in town and I would like to be able to help you in lowering your health insurance costs, while keeping the same if not better coverage. Is this something that you would be interested in having a conversation about ?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]If Yes, "Great, what time can we speak ?"[/COLOR]
[COLOR=blue]If No, "OK, thanks for being upfront with me. I appreciate your time, I do have one last question. Is this something that any of your employees may be interested in or potentially a colleague who may be paying too much? or without health coverage ?"[/COLOR]

For Life Insurance & P&C, calling on a a homeowner.

[COLOR=blue]"Hello, may I speak with Mrs. Jones, this is Ed Smith from in town."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]If Yes, Mrs. Jones, my name is Ed Smith, I'm a local insurance agent and I live in town, about 10 minutes from you. I work with several folks in the community in helping them to lower their insurance costs while still receiving the same or better coverage. I've also helped people who couldn't find affordable coverage. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]I know that you weren't expecting my call today, so I want to be respectful of your time. I also know how uncomfortable it is when people try and sell you stuff, and I promise, that is not my intent today. My approach is a little different. I like to provide 3 insurance options that outline what your coverages looks like today and what your coverages could look like as well as what your investments for those coverages would be. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]There are three things that you can do with them. You can use them in talking with your existing agent to get a better deal, you could find them interesting and we could speak further, or you can throw them away or use them to start a fire next winter. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]Would you be interested in having a 15 minute conversation with me later this week to see if I can help you get a better value for less money ?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]If No, OK, thank you for being so up front with me. If you do know someone without coverage, or someone who has difficulty obtaining coverage, my phone # is xxx-xxx-xxxx. I may be able to help them. Have a nice day.[/COLOR]

This is what I plan to do when I become an agent. Has anyone tried more of a straight forward approach like this and do they work ? If not, do you think that they would work ?

I know that that's a lot to say on a cold call. So I'll assume that I would get hung up on at least 1/3 of the time. That aside, what are your thoughts on this approach ? Can you see the difference in how this feels vs. some of the other approaches ?

-S

Just talk to them. You might get 1 out of 100 contacts interested with this approach. I do a ton of cold calling. Don't build up all the non-sales, non-confrontational junk. It just bores them and shuts them down.

You get ONE SENTENCE to get them interested at first. Get it out and let them rebut. They will rebut 99% of the time.

Hi, is this XXXXX? Hey XXXXX, just a quick call. I'm an agent here in XXXXX, I can take about 5 minutes of your time and see if we can save you money on XXXXX insurance. Who are you with right now?


NEVER ASK THEM IF THEY ARE INTERESTED. THEY AREN'T 99% OF THE TIME. ASK THEM A QUESTION THAT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE ANSWERING. GET THEM TALKING. FIND THEIR OBJECTIONS. MEET THE OBJECTION AND CLOSE.

[robliano]

It's called "permission marketing" and it's still a form of cold calling, or at minimum a scripted intro is involved in the approach. If they want to be fancy, it's all good, it's still going out there and doing it.

Originally Posted by padthaiforlunch

I think what he's getting at is to start with a targeted list and then you keep calling that list with different selling propositions. Eventually your name will become familiar to them and at some point they will be ready to buy what you are selling.

[healthagent]

Cold calling works and there are those who do very well at it. Then there are those who can't stand cold calling. They end up writing books about how it doesn't work.

[robliano]

The only thing in sales that comes to you is a gift known as a referral, not the kind you ask for, the kind that is sent your way when you didn't even ask. Anything else is work, whether it's advertising, cold calling, mailers, buying leads, etc, basically everything else is going after a client.

Even if you merely tell someone "do you mind if I stay in touch?" it's still proactive.

Originally Posted by healthagent

Cold calling works and there are those who do very well at it. Then there are those who can't stand cold calling. They end up writing books about how it doesn't work.

[JacquesWerth]

[COLOR=black]Most people (including prospects) can only keep four new concepts in their minds. Look it up. Scientific studies have been done by Educators, Broadcasting Companies, Psychologists, and Communication Scientists. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Most people will listen to a sales offer with an open mind for 15 to 20 seconds. After that, they rapidly go negative. [/COLOR][COLOR=black]Read 'How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less" by Milo O. Frank.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]If your prospecting “pitch” does not conform to those criteria, you are operating with major handicaps. [/COLOR]

Anything that you say that is not completely true will sabotage most sales, including implications that you do not intend to sell the prospect anything.

Engaging prospects in conversation, who have not said “Yes,” to your Prospecting Offer, is a losing strategy. It sets up an immediate adversarial relationship.

[Frank Stastny]

Originally Posted by healthagent

Cold calling works and there are those who do very well at it. Then there are those who can't stand cold calling. They end up writing books about how it doesn't work.

Amen!

Cold calling is extremely effective when done properly. The operative term is "done properly". It is a learned skill, not something that one can get a "script" for, pick up the phone and start reading.

Agents are inherently lazy when it comes to prospecting. I get really tired of hearing "I'm just not good on the phone" or "these leads suck" or "I'm so busy writing apps that I don't have time to do my own telemarketing". Horse feathers!

Anyone, absolutely anyone can "sell" insurance. It is not rocket science. Put a knowledgeable person in front of a prospect who is ready to make a purchase and bingo, a sale is made.

Agents need to quit whining and looking for those "magic" words. They do not exist unless they are your words that you have carefully put together after a lot of trial and error. Once the agent "has the words" then it takes a lot of practice to learn how to say them.

What I say is smooth, conversational and non "script" or "gimmicky". Does anyone really believe that there is a "gimmick" that can be used that the prospect will not recognize as a "gimmick"? I think not.

I have taught many, many agents how to prospect and helped them choose their "words". Once the agent has the words then he/she needs to learn how to say them. The timing used to say those words can be just as important as the words themselves.

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Originally Posted by Frank Stastny

Put a knowledgeable person in front of a prospect who is ready to make a purchase and bingo, a sale is made.

Yes, once your marketing plan is working like this, the business is much easier and more enjoyable.

[healthagent]

Originally Posted by Frank Stastny

Amen!

Cold calling is extremely effective when done properly. The operative term is "done properly". It is a learned skill, not something that one can get a "script" for, pick up the phone and start reading.

Agents are inherently lazy when it comes to prospecting. I get really tired of hearing "I'm just not good on the phone" or "these leads suck" or "I'm so busy writing apps that I don't have time to do my own telemarketing". Horse feathers!

Anyone, absolutely anyone can "sell" insurance. It is not rocket science. Put a knowledgeable person in front of a prospect who is ready to make a purchase and bingo, a sale is made.

Agents need to quit whining and looking for those "magic" words. They do not exist unless they are your words that you have carefully put together after a lot of trial and error. Once the agent "has the words" then it takes a lot of practice to learn how to say them.

What I say is smooth, conversational and non "script" or "gimmicky". Does anyone really believe that there is a "gimmick" that can be used that the prospect will not recognize as a "gimmick"? I think not.

I have taught many, many agents how to prospect and helped them choose their "words". Once the agent has the words then he/she needs to learn how to say them. The timing used to say those words can be just as important as the words themselves.

The entire sales world operates on cold calling. At some point in time almost every sale started with a cold call.

There are not many sales industries that all where some form of cold calling is not made.

If you don't want to cold call you're looking at things like retail or car sales.

In our industry, in theory, you can just buy leads. Really. I guess if just buying leads worked we'd see a 95% success rate. Leads me to wonder why 95% of all agents who buy leads crash and burn.

[moonlightandmargaritas]

"Leads me to wonder why 95% of all agents who buy leads crash and burn."

John, I've been in this industry for almost 20 years now. The reasons vary, but 95 % of the agents crash & burn - whether they buy leads or not.

[healthagent]

True. The only one solid piece of info I can give any new agent coming in is if they're "broke" with no previous successful cold-calling experience their odds are near zero.