When you mention insurance to a pro-spective client, do you often feel as though they'd rather have a root canal than talk about this topic? Or maybe you find yourself driving home from the office at night, fingers bruised and bleeding from repetitive dialing, thinking that even a prospect who prefers a root canal would be better than no prospect at all.
Every business needs new clients at regular intervals. Yet finding a decision-maker who actually wants to discuss insurance is a pretty tough exercise. You are usually met with a resistance so strong that it appears to be embedded in your prospect's DNA. Setting an appointment to discuss insurance can take on the tenor of a test of wills. You know there has to be a better way.
Most salespeople are aware of the strategy of eliciting many small "yeses" from prospects as they lead up to the final contractual agreement. What they often fail to realize is that acquiring these affirmatives starts before you even meet with a prospect in person. In fact, it may start with the gatekeeper. The best way to get your foot in the door without compromising good will is to make it easier and more interesting for your prospects to say "yes" than it is for them to say "no."
Traditionally, companies create a marketing campaign, mail a package, and follow up with a personal contact. Not only is this approach less than exciting, it eliminates their first opportunity to say "yes." You can, however, begin developing a "yes" attitude in your prospects even before your first marketing message leaves your office. How? Simply ask your prospect for permission to send them your marketing package. You may want to ask if there are any special needs or interests the prospect would like to discuss, but don't make your questions so involved that they begin to reconsider. If it is well-stated, your request to send information will be perceived as benign, and you will be encouraged by the number of times you hear, "Sure, OK, send it on."
Not only have you received your first "yes," you can now mark your envelope "requested material." This dramatically increases the odds that your prospect will notice, open, and review the information. Now when you make your follow-up phone call, you can be reasonably assured that your prospect has received your information and is in a better position to have a discussion than if you had reached them with a cold call.
Do you want to be even more certain that your prospect will see and remember your package? Send something more memorable than a sheaf of literature with a cover letter. After all, those are dime a dozen. Unless you have something to say that is earth-shatteringly different than everyone else, you may have succeeded in getting your foot in the door, but your package is still at risk for being just another annoying sales pitch. And let's be honest, while insurance is recognized as a necessity, it isn't usually on the list of things people look forward to handling.
Why not make your marketing message a bit more palatable by tying it into something that will intrigue people? For instance, pick your top 100 prospects and send them each a cactus with a "Don't Get Stuck" theme woven throughout your message. Yes, these cactuses will survive a mailing just fine. Just put them in a good, sturdy box and water them well the night before you pack them, and people will be talking about your package for weeks, if not months, to come.
Are the majority of your prospects golfers? Send a package of golf balls. Personalize them with your agency's logo. Consider this a prime opportunity to overcome the less-than-stellar image of many insurance salespeople by stating right up front, "We shoot straight with you."
If you have no idea what your prospects might enjoy, ask them. Spend time on the phone doing market research. Keep in mind that the less formal your research conversation is, the more likely you are to obtain valuable insight into your target market. If your interest is sincere, people will gladly take a minute to talk about what they enjoy.
Step outside the traditional box of conservatism. After all, no one has ever been bored into buying anything. If you are excited about what you are doing, if you find yourself laughing over and becoming energized by your marketing campaign, your clients and prospects will respond accordingly.
With enthusiasm on your side, follow-up phone calls become something you can look forward to rather than dreading, and you will find yourself getting so many "yeses" that you won't even notice your fingers getting tired from all that dialing.
Mitzi Crall is the author of "100 Smartest Marketing Ideas Ever." She can be reached at 770-310-4873 or mjcrall@aol.com.
