In-person meetings offer insurance agents a chance to connect on a deeper level with prospects. Looking at body language, you can read facial cues like a furrowed brow that may mean someone doesn’t understand what you’re saying. Or you can watch for when your prospect’s demeanor brightens, indicating that you’ve mentioned a particular aspect of insurance coverage that they need.
The problem can be setting an appointment for that meeting. People are busy and can be less-than-enthused about spending their time being solicited.
If you’re reaching out to a Hometown Quotes lead, an in-person meeting may seem like a moot point, because that lead filled out a form asking for a quote and may not require or want anything other than a quick insurance purchase over the phone. But you may still want to deepen your relationship with that prospect to sell more lines of insurance in the future, and you’ve likely got leads from other sources, too. Given that, here are some tips that might help you close the first step of your deal—securing an appointment.
Tips to Secure an Insurance Sales Appointment
1. Think through and script the different ways your call could go. Practice your opening so it sounds confident, friendly and appealing. “Hi there, my name is XX from NAME OF AGENCY, and I’m calling for NAME OF LEAD.”
2. If you got the lead through a referral, mention that at the top. It helps establish your credibility, and people generally want to be kind to their friend’s friends. “Thanks so much for taking my call. I got your name from XX, who told me you were interested in…”
3. Offer a preview of what you want to cover, but keep it brief. No one sits around thinking how much they want to receive a sales call. Remember that you are an interruption in their day. This call is not about selling insurance, it’s about selling the idea that you are a person they want to buy insurance from.
4. After you’ve established rapport and are ready to set an appointment, ask with dates and times attached. And give them two options, like this, “Right now, I’ve got time open next Wednesday morning anytime between 10 and 12, or I could do Thursday at 2pm. Which of those is better for you?” Note that starting with the words “right now” means that if neither of the two options you chose are viable, you have an easy opening to ask what is convenient on their end. Then you can come back with, “You know, I’d be happy to shift my day around and make that work. Where would you like to meet?”
5. Once you establish a time and location for your meeting, ask for clarification on directions. “I’ll plug the address into my phone, but is there anything I should know about [how to get into the building/where to park/road construction in the area]?” By doing this, you’re solidifying the meeting in your prospect’s mind and demonstrating attention to detail.
What if they just won’t set an appointment?
Be flexible. There’s more than one way to meet, including face-to-face. Take some time to explore and become conversant with online meeting services. You’ve got a lot of options: FaceTime, Skype, GoToMeeting and Zoom are just a few. Some are downloadable apps that simply provide a screen connection, while others allow you to share your desktop and/or record your meeting, which could be helpful if you want to share visuals or give the prospect a link to review the options again after your meeting has ended.
If you do video meetings, be thoughtful about how you are presented. Wear appropriate clothing, make sure you’re not backlit so your face is clear and bright and eliminate background distractions. You should also test your connection, sound and appearance a minimum of 15 minutes before the scheduled start so you have time to troubleshoot any issues. (Thirty minutes is even better in case you need to scramble to a different location because of slow Wifi or something like that.)
Also keep in mind that if a prospect is resistant to an in-person presentation, you may do more harm than good to your relationship if you push too hard to see them in the flesh. Be open to the idea that a phone meeting or a comprehensive email may be all they’re willing to entertain. If that’s the case, make the most of whatever you can get.
Being rebuffed by insurance leads will always be part of the job. One audience you can always count on to be happy to hear from you is the staff at Hometown Quotes – our customer service representatives and regional directors. We’re always here to answer your questions and help you make the most of our insurance leads. Reach us at 800-820-2981.
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