When you meet someone, first impressions count. If you do not manage to keep a person engaged with you, then your battle to grip their attention and get them to be a potential customer is already half lost.
In order to build a long-lasting relationship, establishing a positive and strong connection right from the beginning is important. This is why as an insurance agent, it is important to avoid textbook sales tactics and instead, focus on building a good connection. Content is important so your conversation has to be interesting and gripping for a person to want engage with you and learn more.
Insurance as a product is not always tremendously exciting to sell. Why would anyone be motivated to buy your product if all you can do is quote figures and statistics? Instead, you have to establish why they need this product. How will their lives change for the better after buying it? Remember you are pitching to different people with different requirements, so you cannot have a uniform one size fits all pitch. While you may have a list of points you want to bring up in conversation, try to work the pitch in a way that is appealing to the person you are talking to. His/her needs are what you need to highlight when talking to them about a particular policy.
People need to be able to relate to you and your product for a connection to be made.
This is why you need to bring the art of story selling in to your conversation. Story telling + sales pitch = story selling. Here you are getting them to tell you things about themselves, thereby giving you plenty of opportunities to see where your insurance plan could fit in.
Basically, you are getting them to see why not buying this product would be a problem for them.
Use your judgment – and see where you can share your own experiences. A little self – disclosure goes a long way but only where it is appropriate. Please note the keyword is a “little”. People do not want to hear your full life story, but they certainly won’t mind sharing their life stories when asked the right questions.
Tips for story selling
1. Ask questions catered to the client
When meeting a client, ask them questions. Take cues from the environment, like if you see an elderly parent or a young child in the house – you can always ask (in a non–intrusive manner) about how many kids there are. Ask what their names are – showing an interest in the family life – will get them talking about the people that they care about. And wherever you see an opening, you can use the story they just told you to make a compelling argument on why a certain product works for them.
2. Strike an emotional connect
Human beings are consumers. They buy what strikes a chord with them. Notice, people always try to justify why they bought something. So clearly logic comes into play when it is time to make a decision on whether to buy something or not. If they see value in your product, their minds are already convincing themselves that it is a worthy investment. So, when you are able to drive a point as to why their child or grandchild would benefit from a certain policy, they are more likely to agree to invest, as this is someone they love and care about. After all, who does not want to see their child or grandchild’s future secured?
3. Share a relatable story if you have one
Finally, if you can demonstrate how you went through a situation of not being prepared for a loved ones illness or passing, your clients will be able to empathize as well as relate to your situation. But you should only do this if you have a real story to tell.
You have a responsibility to be honest with your clients. There is no need make up stories. Your job here is to build up their trust in you so that you both can mutually benefit from a long – term relationship.
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