Selling insurance is not easy. It's a highly competitive business filled with a confusing array of products. Consumers don't like to think about insurance, and they usually believe the price is too high. Many people believe that they don't need it, or they're simply willing to put off purchasing a policy until they have more time and/or money. Additionally, buying a policy can be confusing for the uninitiated consumer.



You've rustled up five insurance leads from a topnotch online service. Ready to sell each and every one of them. At least, you think you're ready. Here are some tips to help you prepare to go 5 for 5.

1) Be Organized

Prior to calling anyone, you must be organized. Being organized refers to both the product you're selling and the method by which you sell it. First, you must know your product inside out and be able to talk about it easily. If a potential client has a question about term life insurance and his or her choices regarding length and amount of coverage, you need to be able to give them an accurate answer. When calling leads, be sure you have everything you need with you. It's preferable to call with your computer in front of you, enabling you to easily access any information you might require. You won't lose a sale if you're asked a question and you say, “Let me just double-check my computer,” but you may lose it if you say, “I don't have that information right now, I'll have to get back to you on that.”

You must also be prepared in the manner in which you go about pursuing your leads. It will take numerous phone calls before you connect with a lead. You'll need a system for tracking calls, taking notes after you speak with the lead and for determining the next action to be taken regarding that lead. It's very important that you take time to keep careful notes regarding a lead. Missing a follow-up call, forgetting to send requested materials or losing information essential to that lead will all have the same result—no sale.

2) Be Educated

Being educated means that you understand the marketplace, your products as well as your potential and existing clients. How do you know if you're properly educated? Ask yourself this simple question—what makes my service and product more valuable than any of the other services and products that crowd the insurance market? What is the value of what you are trying to sell and what separates it from all of the rest? Is it your commitment to service? Are you a full service agency, offering a broad range of products? Do your products carry great value—are they priced competitively but does the consumer get more for their money than from any other company? Perhaps you provide additional services free of charge—a monthly newsletter, portfolio planning or a yearly insurance review?

To define what gives your service and product value, you'll need to know what your competitors offer, understand what consumers want and determine the significant attributes of your products.

3) Be Quick

When you receive a fresh lead, you must act quickly. If someone has requested information, there's a small window of opportunity for you to make contact. Working against you is the fact that people are busy and it will usually take 5 calls or more for you to connect with a lead. If you have the opportunity to leave a message, do so each time you're given the chance. Hanging up on someone's voicemail is equivalent to never having made the call at all.

4) Be Polite and Professional

When contacting someone via the phone always remember that you are, in essence, in his or her home or territory. In other words, you're talking to someone because they are willing to listen to you. Always be polite and professional, even if the lead's behavior is not reciprocal. Ask if you've called at a good time and, if not, if there is a better time to call. Don't try to keep someone on the telephone if they've said they're busy. Always offer to contact the lead at another time or to send them information via e-mail or the post office. Try to keep the contact alive, and if they say they are not interested, ask if you might call them again in three months to see if they may be interested in your product. Even if you sell that lead nothing, you may still realize a sale due to your phone decorum. That lead that does not work out may know someone who's looking for insurance and your professional behavior may have impressed him or her enough to mention your company. One thing is for certain, if you're rude or non-professional, that person will definitely talk about your company to friends and family, and those conversations won't help you one bit.

5) Be Willing to Go the Extra Mile

Consumers constantly complain about bad service. Remember, you're working to earn the business of that lead and once you've done that; you're working to keep their business and possibly expand upon it. If you develop a reputation for good service and for going beyond the norm when it comes to service, your enterprise will be held in high regard and good word-of-mouth will provide you with more clients.

Leads do not sell themselves. Yes, there will be those rare times when you get that easy sale, but more often than not it will take persistence, effort, and knowledge for you to convert an insurance lead into a client. In order to succeed, you'll need to be at the top of your game day-in and day-out. Can you go 5 for 5 in converting those new leads? If you do, you'll be batting 1.000.