Closing Insurance Deals – Discovery: Article 18 of Randy’s Selling Insurance series.
Hi everybody.
For those of you I have not met,
My name is Randy Mc Arthur.
When Calling on Leads -
You better demonstrate that you understand both wants and needs -
And be able to show the difference between the two -
He’ll probably tell you he’s just looking at rates -
But you know that is something everyone hates -
And for the fun of it -
Nobody ever is going to do -
At this point you have no way to know -
That which has made his doubt and concern grow -
Or even if he is already covered -
After you have said your hellos -
And exchanged a few tos and fros -
Ask good questions -
His motivation soon will be discovered -
The meet and greet is step one -
And it can be really fun -
If you keep it light -
And don’t over do -
The discovery is step two -
Here you find out what is true -
Ask your questions without interrogation -
If you interrogate him you know -
His apprehension will grow -
And you will only increase his trepidation -
Make your questions belong -
As if a part of a song -
That Can only be called conversation -
Now that you are talking like friends -
The sales process begins -
And he will tell you just what he needs -
Always Remember -
Be it May or December -
Be sure to listen -
When working leads.
My philosophy of life is:
Help other people and you will be rewarded. So far it has worked for me. When you are doing your meet and greet just make casual conversation about health insurance until you are ready to transition to step two, the Discovery phase of the appointment.
To transition to Discovery say something to this effect:
“Well I guess we better get busy on this insurance stuff. It’s my job to actually help you. If I help you, you are not going to mind paying your insurance premium and if I don’t help you, you’re not going to pay it. Why would you? Right?” (This is also your first trial close, at some point in the future I’ll go over the trial close.)
“From what YOU have already told me I got an idea of what you’re looking for and (Use the word and. Don’t use the word but.) I have a couple of questions.”
Think about the words and & but for two seconds. Lets use them in a sentence in order to compare how they are received by the listener:
But:
“I love you, BUT, I’m lonely. When will you be back?”
And:
“I love you and I’m lonely. When will you be back?”
Which one of these statements would you rather hear when out of town?
As you can see, the language that you choose has a direct effect on the customer’s perception of you. And perceptions are real.
Enough about language for now. Let’s take a look at the appropriateness of a question. For the context of this conversation, appropriateness refers to the way you ask the question, not the question itself. You have to have the question itself answered. You need the information to help the customer.
For Example:
At this point you are gathering information and need to know both what he wants to pay in premium dollars and what he expects to pay in premium dollars. Instead of asking two closed ended questions that lead to nowhere, ask one open ended question that naturally leads to other questions.
Two closed ended questions:
1.“How much do you want to pay each month?” Answer: $200.00
2.“How much do you expect to pay each month?” Answer: $200.00
One open ended question:
“How do you feel about your total possible losses due to health conditions and medical treatment when you compare it to premium dollars spent?”
Answer: Can you show me what you mean etc?
If nothing else he is going to ask you to explain. If he asks you to explain, that means he now accepts you as a credible source of information.
Explain the question not the answer.
Then let him tell you, in his own words, his reasons for buying health insurance now. Please just listen and resist the temptation to interrupt and help him with his story. This needs to be all him because you may have to remind him of what he said when you close the deal.
Without a doubt, the Discovery is the most important part of the process. It is the step in which you will find out how to help the customer close by his own choice.
By doing a good, honest, thorough Discovery you have reminded him of the reasons he wants and needs health insurance in the first place. Furthermore, you have helped him to make only necessary cost effective decisions that guarantee he has done all he can to protect his lifetime of hard work and your deal will stay on the books longer.
Just allow to say -
Let’s help someone today -
With insurance -
Or some other concern -
It’s not what you have -
It’s not what you got -
In the end -
It’s the lessons you learn -
They will show you the way -
To enjoy everyday -
And love and respect you will earn.
My personal mission is to; first, only and always do the right thing to help people insure that, through their own choices, they are making the best decisions they can make to guarantee their success in everything they do.
If I can help you in any way just give me a call at (919)781-2018 or email me at randymcarthur@ymail.com . I look forward to hearing from you. Good luck in your endeavors and God bless you.
Thanks
Randy Mc Arthur
Thanks for visiting my insurance leads blog.
Cheers,
Mac
