Cold Calling is So Controversial!
- Thread starter leeleerambles
- Start date
- 7,066
I agree! It is work, where is it written that selling insurance isn't work? It's agents who refuse to learn to prospect who are going broke in this business buying leads.
I started over eighteen years ago selling insurance and the "leads" I was promised ended up being a voter registration list for the county because it had dates of birth for the registered voters. After I learned to do that I progressed to learning how to use the phone book.
- 669
jamesshiver
Expert
- 29
I believe that successful people do on a daily basis what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. If you contact enough folks by any means, production will follow.
christiehartshorn
New Member
- 11
Very rarely will you meet someone who enjoys cold calling but if it works 1 time out of 10, then you are bound to try it. Try calling people you already know (warm calling) first, lose the script.. scripts make you sound like a robot. Ask open finished questions, instead of asking “Do you know anyone who wants to buy or sell a house?” try asking “Who do you know?” or “How much would your home need to be worth for you to consider selling it?” Lastly, please.. watch your timing! Hope this helps.
Cold calling is only controversial to those who have to make the calls are are terrified of doing it. The person receiving the call can hear your nervous shady sounding voice and they instant feel negative toward you. That's why most calls result in a negative outcome. Even the positive calls where you some how manage to set an appointment are actually negative because they only set it to get you off the phone. Never mind the fact that they conveniently won't be home when you show up to sell them insurance. They didn't forget your appointment, they are hiding.
This is why experienced callers outsell newcomers. They aren't as nervous an when they make the calls they don't need auto dialers to get the job done. It's all about one customer at a time. Take it slow and make as few calls as possible. Terrible companies want you to make thousands of calls a week. No, slow down and have a real conversation with every single person you talk with on the phone. Stop asking about the weather and get real.
This is why experienced callers outsell newcomers. They aren't as nervous an when they make the calls they don't need auto dialers to get the job done. It's all about one customer at a time. Take it slow and make as few calls as possible. Terrible companies want you to make thousands of calls a week. No, slow down and have a real conversation with every single person you talk with on the phone. Stop asking about the weather and get real.
Welcome to the forum Mike!
Yes, cold calling is still relevant 6 years later in 2017.
Though I don't know if the OP is still in the biz!
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I haven't been around awhile. Was caught up working a "real job", you know, punching a clock, at a hospital in my field of education.
I still cold call. I refuse to pay for leads. I do not even care if I have lists these days. I call straight up out of the yellow pages. And do quite well with it.
I agree. If it's done right it's a gold mine. I use a script similar to what Josh has around here. I just personalize it a bit more. Call a person (small business owner) up and start a dialogue. Open a discussion. Really listen to what they want. Ask questions. Build Rapport, set the appointment, make it clear to them what to expect when you get there, then go get it done. Oh, and do your homework, go armed with quotes relevant to what you know they want. Show two choices in the end, ask which one looks best to them, slide the app over, or in my case these days open the laptop, and get it done. Win/Win. They have more coverage and you have a new client.
Of course, the numbers still do not lie. The averages are always the same. every 20 people you talk to, even if your new, you should get 2 new clients. I think my averages are a little higher, but not much when it's averaged over the course of a 6 month period.
What does seem to have changed over the past decade is only one thing, at least in my opinion, is when I used to call 100 numbers, I almost always talked to at least 20 people. Now, it seems this number is getting lower and lower as to how many people will actually answer the phone out of 100 calls. But doesn't matter. What matters is how many people I actually talk to, NOT how many dials. I haven't actually calculated this out yet, but I might if i get interested enough. I also get more people from my target market on the phone when it's raining.
Cold calling doesn't bother me in the least, although it surely used to when I was newer.
Ask for referrals at every appointment. While I do cold call still often, it's not a necessity as much as it once was when I was a newbie. I do get a good share of referrals today...seems it's a side effect of cold calling. How can that be a bad thing.
That's all I have for today.
Chow
I haven't been around awhile. Was caught up working a "real job", you know, punching a clock, at a hospital in my field of education.
I still cold call. I refuse to pay for leads. I do not even care if I have lists these days. I call straight up out of the yellow pages. And do quite well with it.
I agree. If it's done right it's a gold mine. I use a script similar to what Josh has around here. I just personalize it a bit more. Call a person (small business owner) up and start a dialogue. Open a discussion. Really listen to what they want. Ask questions. Build Rapport, set the appointment, make it clear to them what to expect when you get there, then go get it done. Oh, and do your homework, go armed with quotes relevant to what you know they want. Show two choices in the end, ask which one looks best to them, slide the app over, or in my case these days open the laptop, and get it done. Win/Win. They have more coverage and you have a new client.
Of course, the numbers still do not lie. The averages are always the same. every 20 people you talk to, even if your new, you should get 2 new clients. I think my averages are a little higher, but not much when it's averaged over the course of a 6 month period.
What does seem to have changed over the past decade is only one thing, at least in my opinion, is when I used to call 100 numbers, I almost always talked to at least 20 people. Now, it seems this number is getting lower and lower as to how many people will actually answer the phone out of 100 calls. But doesn't matter. What matters is how many people I actually talk to, NOT how many dials. I haven't actually calculated this out yet, but I might if i get interested enough. I also get more people from my target market on the phone when it's raining.
Cold calling doesn't bother me in the least, although it surely used to when I was newer.
Ask for referrals at every appointment. While I do cold call still often, it's not a necessity as much as it once was when I was a newbie. I do get a good share of referrals today...seems it's a side effect of cold calling. How can that be a bad thing.
That's all I have for today.
Chow
Nice to see you back! Another guy has had great success going d2d in residential, http://www.insurance-forums.net/for...h-annuities-tracker-t88391-2.html#post1188416 - said it was easier than dealing with business owners.
