TECHNOLOGY
Move away from the
kitchen table
Using low tech to compliment hi tech sales solutions
Sylvia Gordon , JD is president of Gordon Marketing , a national Medicare FMO . Together with her sister , Rebecca Gordon , they host a weekly Youtube show , The Wednesday Wrap Up . She is a frequent national speaker on Digital Marketing for Insurance agents . Sgordon @ gordonmarketing . com
When my son , the third generation in his family to sell Medicare insurance plans , started training with me , he was horrified how “ inefficient ” it was to drive to a prospect ’ s house . After we drove over an hour to an appointment , only to have her cancel on the front porch because her husband was sick , he implored me to learn to sell over the phone . Sure , big call centers with big lead budgets can sell over the phone , but can an average agent make a living without getting in the car ? Medicare sales have remained a kitchen-table event for the past 54 years . Turns out , however , there isn ’ t that much to creating the secret sauce for phone sales success .
Covid greatly accelerated the interest in phone sales but doing an electronic application is the easy part . Some carriers have great software , some struggle . There is no shortage of programs , webinars , sales seminars or training events to teach agents how to sell by phone . What no one is talking about — to everyones ’ detriment — is retention . The phone giveth and the phone taketh away . If your client has not formed a relationship with you , it is easy for the next caller to convince your client to change plans . This is still a relationship business . You must still prioritize building a personal foundation with your client , if you want to keep them .
People imprint on faces . I often hear , “ You remind me of < my niece , neighbor , nice lady on TV >.” Just because you are not in front of your client doesn ’ t mean you can ’ t forge that same relationship — it ’ s just a little more work . First , you want your photo in front of her , multiple times . Start with your email signature , a quarterly newsletter and a personalized postcard . Have a nice photo on your business card and send your client 3 – 4 cards a year .
Selling over the phone is still selling . You still want to learn about your client and let them know about who you are . Do you hear their grandkids in the background or dogs barking ? There is still time for small talk and that becomes gold in your CRM . When you call back next year and start off by referencing the cruise they were about to take last year , or ask about their dog breeding hobby , you have instant credibility .
20 Perspectives Q4 2020