Getting Appointments with Prospects For Life Insurance - Advice?

Mburns

Expert
27
Hello my fellow professionals,

I know this question gets thrown around a lot but I am looking to see if anyone has any experience with specifically trying to set appointments for life insurance.

I've been an intern at my company for 6 months, and just had my first month really dedicated to the field after graduating college. Managed to help protect 9 different families and 6 of them were people I'd never met before. All from referrals and solicitation.

My question to all you experts out there is how best to use the time I've got. I've been going for making at least two appointments every day and had good days and bad days. Sometimes I'll get 4, sometimes I'll get 0.

As far as my strategies go, I've been cold calling off Reference USA and business cards I find in restaurants (so many DNC numbers it makes my head spin), door to door knocking, canvassing business owners (rarely on those two, too damn hot outside here in Texas), writing handwritten notes to all my neighbors and existing clients, sending postcards and mailings, networking at least 3-4 times a week and I think that's it. I really love this job (long story but my second client ever found precursors to kidney failure and is able to treat it before it gets any worse) and I want to emulate successful people who help cover tons of lives.

My phone skills were really awful but after gritting my teeth on cold calling I feel much better about it. My favorite clients thus far are the closely held business owners, and I want to make that a target market.

To get to my question - what should I do with my prospecting time to get my 2 appointments every day? Should I buy a scrubbed list of residential and start calling that or should I start calling local businesses? Has anyone had any experience with that they'd like to share?

Thanks a ton in advance.
-Matt
 
Re: Getting Appointments with Prospects For Life Insurance - Advi

If you want to work with closely-held businesses, why are you targeting residential?

Give us an example of your script, and hopefully we can give some pointers.
 
Re: Getting Appointments with Prospects For Life Insurance - Advi

If you want to work with closely-held businesses, why are you targeting residential?

Because I'm trying to practice my phone skills before going to the big guys. Silly reasoning I know, but calling businesses still makes me nervous.

Here is a basic script I've been using:

Good (whatever time of day), Mr/Mrs Prospect. This is Matthew Burns with the New York Life here in (prospects town) Do you have a moment? Am I calling at a good time? (positive response)

Wonderful. Now, Mr/Mrs Prospect, I'm going to be upfront and honest with you because I value that in my practice. We have not met yet. And I know I certainly don't like getting called my a stranger but my goal in calling you is to take just a brief moment because I absolutely love what I do, and it starts with a short phone call. Would you be open to me going on? (positive response)

I'm an Agent with New York Life (insert relevant fact or two pertaining to their market). The reason I'm calling you today specifically is so I can stop by and tell you about how I help protect families with proper life insurance planning. I'm sure that you, like all my clients and friends in (prospects city) are interested in properly planning for the future. (positive response) That's great, Mr/Mrs Prospect! Listen, I'd love to get together with you next week. On your schedule, what works best, mornings or evenings?

And that's that! :D It's been working fairly well I'd say. Maybe it's just luck, but of the 8 people I manged to talk to last week that weren't on the DNC and picked up the phone, I got appointments with 3 of them. As far as residential goes though the hardest part for me is finding a number that's not on the DNC. And that script probably wouldn't work with a business so I've been researching on how those processes work to try and write a new one.

Any tips or pointers on working with businesses (or schools for that matter) would be much appreciated!!
 
Re: Getting Appointments with Prospects For Life Insurance - Advi

8 Reaches and 3 appointments? I'd say that's a pretty good ratio. Keep doing what you're doing. Just do more of it.
 
Re: Getting Appointments with Prospects For Life Insurance - Advi

I know NYL likes to target small business owners. If you can get in front of them and know business life insurance planning, you can make a killing and get some great clients. You wouldn't have to worry about the DNC list either. Learning buy/sell agreements, deferred compensation, etc. will take time if you are new, but should be an area of focus IMO.

Wonderful. Now, Mr/Mrs Prospect, I'm going to be upfront and honest with you because I value that in my practice. We have not met yet. And I know I certainly don't like getting called my a stranger but my goal in calling you is to take just a brief moment because I absolutely love what I do, and it starts with a short phone call.

I'd change that to something to the effect of "to take a moment because I absolutely love to help my clients". For all the other person knows, you might love what you do because you make a lot of money off them. Try to put it in a position where you are helping them instead.
 
Re: Getting Appointments with Prospects For Life Insurance - Advi

Would you like to discover the new and easy ways you can save money on your taxes?

Do you love your family and your work?

Do you need safety with proven results and guarantees?

Would you like a free health check-up?

whatever etc ...
 
Try this it's been working for me:

Hi, may I please speak with so and so please?
Gatekeeper: Who’s calling? Hi this is agent calling from firm.
Gatekeeper: What’s this regarding?
I was wondering if you could help me out. I need to speak with so and so regarding saving money on his/her life insurance policy. Is he/she available?
He/she’s not in: When is the best time to call to reach him/her?
Business Owner/Individual script: Hi so and so this is agent calling from firm. Is this a good time or a bad time to talk for a quick minute? Good time: Great! Bad time: When is the best time for us to talk for a quick minute?
What’s this about? With all that’s uncertain in the world today, (Inflation, stock market volatility, rising housing and health care costs) I show people how to use cash value life insurance to be certain that they can protect their families, build wealth and create tax-free income.
I can’t promise to make you rich, but if I can help you guarantee to never be poor, would you have any objections to meeting with me to see if I can either save you money on your premiums or get you better coverage for what you’re currently paying?
Yes: Great! When can we set up a 30 minute meeting to talk more about it? Is or better for you?
Send me information: , every life insurance company has product brochures. Would you agree that it’s how well the agent listens to the client and designs the policy to meet the client’s needs and goals that separates top agents from average ones? Yes: Great! With that in mind, would you have any objections to meeting with me to see if I can either save you money on your premiums or get you better coverage for what you’re currently paying?
Can I send you my business card and would it be okay to keep in touch from time to time?
 
Back
Top