HVelocity
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What are your most successful prospecting methods for DI? Individual dI.
Prospecting
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I am just commenting so my account will automatically follow this post. I look forward to hearing from those who focus on individual DI.
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Cold walking business owners.
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If you go to the top of the thread under "thread tools" you can follow without posting.
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HVelocity
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Yeah, we call it walking and talking. Where does everyone go to get contractors. I was thinking of maybe loitering at the Home Depot at 6 am...
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I would focus on white collar if you are going to take the time and effort to prospect. Generally speaking they will have larger policies, and they are much easier to get through UW.
Pitch BOE to business owners to get your foot in the door. Often the conversation will turn to group on indy DI, but its a good conversation starter.
I'm still fairly new to this market, since I'm not interested in ACA AT ALL. I've moved toward DI, CI, and Life, as well as simple accident plans w/ DI for those who do not qualify medically for straight DI. I switched to this from almost all health and life back a few years ago--all the changes in health insurance I have no interest in as far as selling goes.
What I do is cold call businesses (and I rarely did this when in health insurance, where I bought leads). I would like to get more white collar (doctors, lawyers, etc), but they are hard to get to through gate keepers, for me anyway. I do have some and have now gotten introduced to a few surgeons and such, that I go to their personal events, but still it's hard for me to get more white collar, simply because most have major gate keeping going on.
So, my focus is mostly on cold calling blue collar farmers, well drillers, builders, roofers, any contractors, etc (and I will add that many of these policies end up being higher than I once thought they would be---I've had plenty of farmers take two or three policies and pay a year in advance---this was kind of surprising to me). These guys too can have major gate keepers, but I get through to many times more of these guys than the white collar guys. If anyone knows of great ways to reach the white collars, please inform.
I do walk and talk, but I get more immediate solid appointments out of cold calling with a good, solid script, at least for an introduction, then I start a real dialogue based on what I learn. I base this on the numbers. I'm sure it's a difference of preference and what your comfortable with though. I get nervous just walking and talking, whereas my confidence is higher just cold calling, therefore more appointments.
I have a few colleagues who do what is called, "pre-approaches". This is where they call business owners and just set up a time that would be good for them to come in and introduce themselves, and show them a little bit about what they do. This isn't my thing. It seems like it would be a time waster to go out giving "free" info all over town, not to mention the gas that's used. I've tried this a little bit, but can't get into it. Some of these same colleagues also belong to a BNI group or whatever, but I still think for me, I do best just calling right out of the yellow pages.
A good script and solid appointments made by cold calls works for me. I actually call straight out of the yellow pages. Not that I'm a super star, because I surely am not, but I do rather well for myself this way. I aim for 6 appointments and usually sell three or four of whatever comes up a week when I'm staying on track with my own goals. I also set these appointments right from my dining room desk. Is what it is.
I come across a lot of uninsurables as well, so what I do with these people is an Acci-Flex by Assurity loaded all the way up with a ROP. Nets me a decent commission and blue collars love it. It's a win/win. I do at least one of these a week from cold calls, when I am sticking to my calling hours.
With all this said, I just went on an extended vacation and I'm having a hard time getting myself re-started. This is why I'm hanging around in the forum...hoping it jump starts me back into full mode.
Sorry if this was long winded. Find what works for you. Everyone is different.
What I do is cold call businesses (and I rarely did this when in health insurance, where I bought leads). I would like to get more white collar (doctors, lawyers, etc), but they are hard to get to through gate keepers, for me anyway. I do have some and have now gotten introduced to a few surgeons and such, that I go to their personal events, but still it's hard for me to get more white collar, simply because most have major gate keeping going on.
So, my focus is mostly on cold calling blue collar farmers, well drillers, builders, roofers, any contractors, etc (and I will add that many of these policies end up being higher than I once thought they would be---I've had plenty of farmers take two or three policies and pay a year in advance---this was kind of surprising to me). These guys too can have major gate keepers, but I get through to many times more of these guys than the white collar guys. If anyone knows of great ways to reach the white collars, please inform.
I do walk and talk, but I get more immediate solid appointments out of cold calling with a good, solid script, at least for an introduction, then I start a real dialogue based on what I learn. I base this on the numbers. I'm sure it's a difference of preference and what your comfortable with though. I get nervous just walking and talking, whereas my confidence is higher just cold calling, therefore more appointments.
I have a few colleagues who do what is called, "pre-approaches". This is where they call business owners and just set up a time that would be good for them to come in and introduce themselves, and show them a little bit about what they do. This isn't my thing. It seems like it would be a time waster to go out giving "free" info all over town, not to mention the gas that's used. I've tried this a little bit, but can't get into it. Some of these same colleagues also belong to a BNI group or whatever, but I still think for me, I do best just calling right out of the yellow pages.
A good script and solid appointments made by cold calls works for me. I actually call straight out of the yellow pages. Not that I'm a super star, because I surely am not, but I do rather well for myself this way. I aim for 6 appointments and usually sell three or four of whatever comes up a week when I'm staying on track with my own goals. I also set these appointments right from my dining room desk. Is what it is.
I come across a lot of uninsurables as well, so what I do with these people is an Acci-Flex by Assurity loaded all the way up with a ROP. Nets me a decent commission and blue collars love it. It's a win/win. I do at least one of these a week from cold calls, when I am sticking to my calling hours.
With all this said, I just went on an extended vacation and I'm having a hard time getting myself re-started. This is why I'm hanging around in the forum...hoping it jump starts me back into full mode.
Sorry if this was long winded. Find what works for you. Everyone is different.
What's your intro like for cold calling?
Congrats on the switch over, hope you get jump-started (try reading go for no)
Thanks EmptyEternity. I should say, I am no stranger to selling as I've been selling products of one form or another since I've been 18. And I'm in my 40s now. Been in insurance for more than 10 years. I am not new to cross-selling life insurance and critical illness, but new to being more specific to those products now.
My cold call script is something like this: Hi, this is Rose with ABC company, I'm the local BLAH BLAH rep (whatever I'm selling that day or trying to sell). I'm calling you b/c I've helped a lot of (whoever I'm prospecting--farmers, contractors, etc--fill in the blank) in the area with AFFORDABLE financial protection. Do you have a quick minute? I can tell you what I do, and if you like what I have to say I can get you more information....blah blah blah.
I move FAST RIGHT into telling them about plans that PAY 100% of their premium back...I am huge into selling ROP plans. Any plans....
Once I get their attention, and the ROP talk almost always does...I start a "rapport/repoire" dialogue.
I've had various scripts over the years, but this is what I do now...it rarely changes, except I don't do all the bs that I used to do...
I keep it simple. I wish I was better at it, but after years of doing it, it doesn't get much easier I don't think...LOL
I actually love it when someone says to me though, "I'm all set!!" Because I instantly say back, "really!! hmmm... I wonder!? do you mind if I ask what you have? DOes that pay you all of your premium back if you never use it??""
I've learned a lot in here, just reading along. I've picked up so much stuff over the years, I don't know where it all came from, but the basis is ALWAYS for me to keep it simple. I have long scripts but rarely follow them other than the intro and end.
After I have their attention, of course, like all of us, I try and pin them down for a solid appointment. THis part is probably where it's tricky for me...but basically, like we all know...something like this..."since, so far you like what I have to say, I'll be right around the corner (at such and such place...I almost always know what's near where I'm calling), I could stop by...what's best for you...morning, afternoons,...blah blah...
It's the samo samo, just I think it's very important to personalize it a bit...you know, match their tone, speed, inflection...etc. lol
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Also, I saw your post about Go For No, Empty. I downloaded it and listened to it a few days ago while at the gym.
I zoned for the first 12 chapters,Very short chapters, so the first half hour. Then chapter 13 resonated, and the rest of the book was very good.
I did like it...thank you so much...it did do what I hoped it would do. I spent my whole day today failing and made a lot of progress. I just wish I could call a lot faster than I do. It takes me damn near all day to make 100 calls. But once I get going, it's like the GYM...lol...you know...then it's on!!
Thanks again! I was getting very bored of what I was listening to....Brian Tracy--No Excuses, his self discipline book...mostly chapter 12 (I think anyway, my chapters are always off on the iphone. The one on sales.
The numbers never lie for me though....the phone calls must happen.
Thank you so much...that book did help.
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- #10
HVelocity
Expert
Thanks, that was very helpful and you gave me some ideas. What do your ratio's look like: dials, connects, appointments, closes? How many appointments per week are you running. and how many dials per day?
Also, anyone have some gatekeeper tricks?
