My plans are to sell exclusively in my home state and not venture outside the state at first. So am I better off NOT selling over the phone via leads from my website (I don't actually have a website yet, but will in the near future) or since I'm only selling inside my state am I better off selling face to face?
For heavens sake, whatever you do, don't purchase any business cards or thank you notes.
The rest of the armchair quarterbacks will be along shortly.
------------------------------------ Michigan Health Insurance Is my main site. Check out the links directory, more than 9875 helpful links and growing.
I guess the size of your home state will have a lot to do with your decision.
Around 7 years ago I did face to face all over Texas, put 58,000 miles on my car in 11 months.
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Make sure that brain is in gear before operating mouth
I try to limit my face-to-face work to about one in every 1 or 2 hundred clients. I have a few clients that are from the old days that I like to visit and a few older clients who need the face-to-face.
You have to have volume to make it work. If you can only come up with 10 real prospects a week, you need to see each one of them. If you have 10 or 20 viable prospects a day, you will need to "see" them over the phone. Your closing ratio will drop when you stop shaking hands, but the volume will more than make up for it.
It is kinder to the planet and your wallet. It is safer. I might trip over one of my kid's toys, but I'm not going to get hit by a tractor trailer unless it is plastic.
I'm also home to handle emergencies. If my kid's school calls or my wife has a car problem, I'm reachable and not at the other end of the state.
You have to have volume to make it work. If you can only come up with 10 real prospects a week, you need to see each one of them. If you have 10 or 20 viable prospects a day, you will need to "see" them over the phone. Your closing ratio will drop when you stop shaking hands, but the volume will more than make up for it.
Hey Alstom,
Where do you get your 1-200 leads weekly? I'm in TN. Can I do the same? You call and "weed" out the uninterested, and then meet the ones who say "yes"?
Hey Alston,
Where do you get your 1-200 leads weekly? I'm in TN. Can I do the same? You call and "weed" out the uninterested, and then meet the ones who say "yes"?
I don't meet very many. I haven't met with one all year. I meet with one out of 200 clients, not prospects.
I get almost all of my clients from my website. The site is promoted with SEO and PPC marketing.
I also do email drip marketing, direct mail and telemarketing but almost all of my prospects got into my database via the Internet.
Personally, I like meeting with people, but I'm also comfortable on the phone.
The biggest question is HOW to find clients being new? Sure, I can sell a policy over the phone but what are the best types of ways to generate leads? Buy leads? Generate them off your website? Flyers? Email? Telemarket B2B? Which of those generates the most Life/Health leads?
I would think using your website to bring in clients would be the best way if you know how to optimize your site so that you'll get enough prospective buyers. But where can I get help with SEO optimization? I know the basics of it but that's not enough.
How do those of you who sell over the phone while generating leads from your website compete with the insure.com's of the world?
I think I must be missing something. When everyone that does it refers to selling on the phone, is this someone buying insurance from you just off the conversations you have with them? I would imagine if you called me wanting to talk about insurance and had nothing "tangible" for me to read, touch, and feel, i would just assume you were trying to get me to make a deposit into the personal bank of your pockets. Is there something that you are mailing the prospect prior to talking plans on the phone? how are you building your credibility over the phone?
I'm new to all of this and I am most likely missing something...could be that my brain turns to mush after reading a chapter from this health and life license book.
You can read and touch an on-line brochure through a program called "go to meeting" that I will conduct with the client. Yes, we are talking about purchasing insurance on-line, you would be suprised 9/10 actually prefer this method.
No agent comes to your house we can take care of your insurance needs in a few short minutes. Why, would you not wanna do it this way?
This is the information age, people want something and they want it now at the highest level of convenience they can get it at. I'm not disagreeing that online and over the phone are effective or preferred methods. I would prefer to sell this way, i was simply asking for clarification on how this is done. If it came off differently then please excuse me.
How does something like "go to meeting" work? Is it a website?
This is the information age, people want something and they want it now at the highest level of convenience they can get it at. I'm not disagreeing that online and over the phone are effective or preferred methods. I would prefer to sell this way, i was simply asking for clarification on how this is done. If it came off differently then please excuse me.
How does something like "go to meeting" work? Is it a website?
It's kinda scary how quickly some people will give you their social and banking information...
I still sell occasionally without the desktop share. I will normally send them a brochure to go over while I talking with them, but there is the occasional sale where the application is not physically looking at the outline and they have purchased. It's all about rapport.
First you should try to sell to friends and family. You already have a relationship with them. If you have a product that fits their needs there is your first sale. Then ask them if they know anyone else interested.
Website is key. Budget?
Hire a firm to build it and then hire someone else to do your SEO. Few web developers have any clue of true SEO.
For your SEO to start hitting might take 6 months so keep that in mind. When it does hit start working the leads. Generate indiviudal health quotes over the phone and email them to your prospect so they have something to look at. Send them summery of benefits too. With email applications most of these sales can be done over the phone. Now every now and then you have someone that wants to meet and you should meet them.
Knock on doors
Go out 4 times a month and knock on small business. Look for companies that would not have a group health plan.
When I first started I had lots of success with Hair Salons.
One time I walked in and ended up writing 9 policies in one Salon. THey all got approved too.
A lot of agents buy web leads. I generate my own so I am sure someone else can chime in on that aspect.
Last thing I can add is know your products. Its very important you know the plans you are selling inside and out.
My plans are to sell exclusively in my home state and not venture outside the state at first. So am I better off NOT selling over the phone via leads from my website (I don't actually have a website yet, but will in the near future) or since I'm only selling inside my state am I better off selling face to face?
I will be selling Life & Health. No P&C.
If you don't have a lot of leads, which you won't at first, go see them in person if they are in reasonable driving distance. Your closing rate will be higher in face-to-face contact and your premiums will be larger. I've talked with several big sell-over-the phone agencies. About 1/4 of the apps you mail out do NOT get returned. They change their minds, misplace it, etc.
There are several sell-by-phone courses you can buy--Dean Cipriano, Dayne Vickers, Mark Meuer that I have seen discussed on this board. I have Cipriano's life insurance and like it. It's good but was written before the internet took off (he was doing fax blasting which is illegal now) so it doesn't have the internet followup, quote engine, etc.
Selling locally (re:online sales)
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