6 Forgotten Insurance Sales Techniques You Need to Know

The best insurance sales techniques are sometimes the ones we overlook.

In today’s globally connected marketplace, it’s easy to forget the importance of traditional selling techniques. These days it is almost unthinkable to increase your professional network without LinkedIn or to increase customer engagement without the help of email, Twitter, and Facebook. Often what’s lost in our high-tech lives is simple face-to-face customer interaction. Sometimes the best insurance sales techniques are the simple ones from decades ago that still hold true today.

1. Find your own selling style and stick to it.

Simply put, insurance sales techniques that work for one agent may not necessarily work for another. Every insurance agent, just like every customer, is unique. A good place to find your style is to learn as much as you can about the industry. Ask around at your agency to learn what has worked (and what has not) for other agents. Be sure to include questions pertaining to your target customer, their pain points and struggles, and how your products can help. However, at the end of the day, it is up to you to piece all of this information together and successfully craft an effective selling style that helps you reach your sales targets.

2. Read your customer.

When speaking to a customer, make sure that you’re doing more listening than talking. At face-to-face meetings, this tip is especially important. Pay close attention to your customer’s body language to ensure that he or she is comfortable. And for yourself, make sure that you keep your arms open because keeping your arms crossed can portray the image of someone who is passing judgment or is possibly close-minded. Customers may choose to speak more about a particular line of coverage, which should give you a hint that it’s the policy they have already decided on. Listen carefully to what your client is saying, how they are saying it, and use that knowledge to your advantage to close the deal.

3. Accept that some leads may not be open-minded.

Changing insurance agents can be a tough decision for some customers. However, that means that you may have your work cut out for when trying to convince them to hire your agency. One of the most important insurance sales techniques is to understand that you might be fighting an uphill battle in some case, so be prepared for how to counteract their resistance. Provide help, guidance, and resources that will hopefully make the decision to switch easier for them and more palatable. And then once you complete the sale, keep the customer engaged so they keep you as their agent.

4. Help customers to understand what you do.

Sales leads might have the wrong idea about what you do and what your role is in the process of selecting an insurance policy, filing claims, or servicing their account. Walk your customers through what it is you do, how you can best help them, and then discuss which colleagues they will be working with from time to time in other departments. This will help your client to feel more comfortable with the idea of making the switch to your insurance agency.

5. Resist the urge to use technical jargon.

Generally, technical jargon should be limited to those select conversations with customers or prospects that possess a high level of industry knowledge and want a very detailed and advanced look into their insurance options. For the average consumer, if you throw out technical jargon thinking that it will impress them, all you will likely do is confuse them which could lead to frustration. And if someone is confused, what are the chances of them going through with the sale? Exactly. So if you are using technical terms just for the sake of demonstrating your industry knowledge, please stop. It’s not helping you win customers.

6. Understand that some people don’t perceive your industry positively.

It is an unfortunate reality that those that work in the insurance or financial industry are not very trustworthy in the minds of most consumers. Some clients may believe that you only want to sell them a policy to earn a fat commission check and that you do not have their best interest at heart. While that is not true for most agents, the perception is still alive and well, even if it is misplaced. So, take the time to earn their trust and your efforts will be rewarded later on with productive working relationships.

What are the best and most effective insurance sales techniques at your agency? Are there any insurance sales techniques you believe work better than others? Please post your comments below.