Continued from previous page.
1. DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU’RE GOING TO DO something you may not be able to deliver.
Lots of people promise to do things, but
lack the follow-through to actually make
those things happen. Have you ever returned
someone’s phone call, only to have them say,
“Thanks for calling me back.” No thanks are
necessary, because it’s only polite that you
should do so, but clearly there are many people
who don’t. When you begin the sales process
and attempt to establish trust with the buyer,
it’s critically important that you keep your
word. If you leave a message and say you’re
going to call back at a certain time, do it. If you
send a pre-approach letter and say you’ll follow
up with a call the next week, do it. If you know
it’s not the right time to write the account
and say you’ll stay in touch with the prospect
over the next year or so, do it. If you’re lucky
enough to write the account and say you’ll
reach out several times during the year, do
it. It may not seem like a lot, but you will be
establishing a pattern of trustworthiness that
can only serve to benefit you in the future. Let
your word be your bond.
2. SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY
Insurance buyers are naturally skeptical. To
gain their business, you need to overcome
their fear of the unknown. After all, nearly
everyone promises them they can save money on
their insurance with little effort on their part.
Think how disarming it could be for you to say,
“Frankly, I’m not sure if I can save you money or
not. But I’d welcome the opportunity to get to
know you better, gain an understanding of your
financial objectives, and see whether we might
be able to put together a program that will help
you achieve a better financial outcome should
a loss take place in the future.” It’s not about
selling insurance. It’s about getting it right.
So, don’t go into a new relationship promising
20
There’s no right price for the wrong insurance.
In the words of the immortal Dr. Seuss in
Horton Hatches the Egg, “I meant what I said
and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful
one-hundred percent!” Be faithful to your word.
3. BECOME AN EXPERT AND A RESOURCE
One of the biggest hurdles for an insurance
salesperson to overcome is the buyer’s natural
tendency toward the status quo. The easiest
decision for them to make is no decision at all
– simply to remain with their incumbent agent.
To get them past this inertia, you must promise
them things will be significantly better should
they decide to retain your services. Of course,
you will then have to deliver on that promise.
It starts by having a true understanding of their
industry, their business and their issues. How
can you do that if you try to be a generalist
and treat everyone the same, assuming the
only thing that matters to them is saving some
money on their insurance premiums? Be a true
risk management professional, not a “peddler”
of insurance policies, and you will go a long
way toward building the trust necessary to gain
the account.
We live in a world where the bonds of trust
have been continually strained or broken
by businesses and individuals. We believe
it’s possible to reclaim the public trust one
relationship at a time. Let it begin with you.
The author of this article, Cheryl Koch, has served
in nearly every capacity an independent agency has
to offer, having been an Account Manager, Producer
and Agency Owner. Cheryl is the President and CEO
of Agency Management Resource Group located in
Roseville, California, and now devotes her time to agency
management consulting and training and speaking at
industry functions throughout the country.
KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | July - August 2018 |