Prospecting: an unavoidable part of an insurance agent’s job. New agents need to do a lot of it to build their clientele, and experienced agents with large books need to replace clients lost to attrition if they want to maintain or grow their agencies.
Here are three tried-and-true tips to help you up the ante on your prospecting:
1. Script & Practice
Experienced insurance agents know something that the average consumer may not: having the proper insurance coverage can make all the difference after a loss.
To ensure that your customers have the right coverage, you’ll often need to sell on more than just price—you may have to make the case for additional coverages and options, lower deductibles, higher premiums and even particular insurers depending on a customer’s circumstances.
This is where scripting can come in. Take the time to write down your rationale for why a customer should add roadside assistance because of their vehicle’s age, or increase their life insurance to 20 times their salary because they have young children. Include anonymous examples of real-life situations you’ve seen. Practice making those pitches out loud to a trusted colleague and get feedback on how you can improve your language and delivery.
Start with scripts for cold prospecting, warm prospecting and overcoming objections. Later you can add cross-selling, upselling and more. Keep them handy and accessible. This is especially helpful If you’re a new insurance agent. The process of writing out your scripts will help you organize your thoughts coherently, and having a good script in front of you will lessen your anxiety as you learn the ropes of your new career.
2. Create a Ritual
It’s easier to make it to the gym when you’ve got your gym bag packed and you remind yourself how good you’re going to feel after your workout.
You can do something similar with prospecting. Using tools like positive affirmations, vocalized goal-setting, and an intentional workspace are all ways to create a ritual that you can repeat every time you sit down to make calls.
It could be as simple as taking 30 seconds to tell yourself something like this before you begin:
“I am a caring person who wants to help other people. I have good products to sell. Today, I will do my best to match customers with insurance products that are going to protect them.” Or you might choose a specific intention statement such as “I will sell five new auto policies today” and repeat it out loud 10 times with enthusiasm before you begin.
Maybe you shut your office door, light a couple of candles, turn off the overhead lights and eliminate other distractions so you can listen intently to your prospects as you make calls. Or perhaps you do well in a competitive environment. Work with another agent to have timed prospecting sessions where the winner buys the beer after work.
The key to creating an effective prospecting ritual is to look for conditions that you can control and pay attention to those that seem to help you succeed, then recreate them whenever possible.
3. Set a Rejection Quota
A final tip to enhance your prospecting is to set a daily rejection quota. That’s right—a daily rejection quota, because rejections only happen when you’re putting yourself out there and trying to sell.
So don’t be shy! Choose a high rejection quota and go for it. If you reach it easily on your first day, set it higher the next. Each time you raise the bar, you’ll be reminding yourself that rejections are part of the job. This can help turn a dreary part of insurance sales into something fun. Celebrate each time you reach a new high and give yourself a small treat when you hit particular milestones. It can be a fun way to enjoy what is a necessary and unavoidable part of being an insurance agent.
Tracking rejections can also serve another purpose. If you note the time and day of the week for each one, you’ll begin to see patterns emerge that may help you focus on particular prospecting windows and adjusting your scripting. For instance, you might find that Tuesday mornings are a great time to focus on prospecting or that a shortened pitch is more effective on Friday afternoons.
Now it’s time to start putting these tips into practice with prospects. Hometown Quotes is a great source of fresh leads that are qualified and sent to you in real-time. Call us at 800.820.2981 to learn more!
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