I started selling life insurance on the internet in January of 2001. Online direct response marketing was a fairly new concept at that time Jordan Poole Warriors Jersey , so gradually I聮m becoming a person people go to when they are trying to decide whether to get into this career. Recently, someone went so far as to ask me for ten practical steps to establishing a successful online life insurance business. Ten steps. How does one convey the vision it takes to succeed, in ten steps? How can the steps be practical without becoming drudgery?
I started subbing on a bowling league in January of 2005. Some simple tips offered by my teammates helped me discover the thrill of making strikes. Whether those ten pins scatter like buckshot, or trickle down like dominoes, strikes make you feel great. I found myself excited to repeat the steps that enabled me to bowl strikes. And suddenly Nate Thurmond Warriors Jersey , my ten-pinten-step analogy was born.
Making life insurance sales online feels at least as exciting as making strikes, and has the added bonus of making you money! Having a goal that rewards you emotionally is what will enable you to follow, with enthusiasm, these ten steps to success. So here are ten pins to get down to experience the thrilling achievement of consistently making 聯strikes?in the direct response market.
1) Understand the game. Selling life insurance online is not the same as selling in an office. I have heard many traditional life insurance agents say that the hard part used to be getting someone in the door, the easy part was making the sale. The easy part of selling online is getting the client 聯in the door? the hard part is making to the end of the process with a check in your pocket.
So what are online leads like? That can depend on how they came to you. If they were using a search engine that led them to a web site where they filled out requests for a quote or application Rick Barry Warriors Jersey , they are most likely motivated to buy. They are already your customers, and you had best serve them efficiently and expediently, because they will go on to the next web site, if you don聮t!
Perhaps your leads were prompted to request a quote as the result of reading or hearing an ad. Others are 聯incentive?leads, which means they聮ve filled out a quote request form as a hoop to jump through in order to get some type of other reward. You may think that kind of lead is not serious Mitch Richmond Warriors Jersey , and some aren聮t. However, most are asked to give enough info that the truly uninterested ones will usually bow out before their form is submitted.
You聮ve got to put yourself in their shoes to understand how to approach them. If you don聮t answer leads promptly, they may get the feeling the ad or form was insignificant, and blow you off. Some will see the ad or form as a 聯nudge? you聮ll want to assure them that you can easily help them get the coverage they have been putting off. Some incentive leads will hear you out because they know every prize has a price. They may be pleasantly surprised to find that they聮ve received a good insurance price along with their other prize!
It takes some conversation to get to know your leads and to build their trust. But you also have to respect their time, because people use the internet to save time and fuss. Unless they have complicated needs Chris Mullin Warriors Jersey , it聮s best to start by offering the simplest solutions possible. No matter how your leads came to you, they did ask. So you have every right and every chance in the world to make that sale. And you WILL make strikes with internet leads.
2) Know the rules. You聮ve got to have knowledge of all the products being offered at your fingertips to be successful in online life insurance sales. Leads often aren聮t willing to wait for answers, so you have to give them as much as you can on the first call. If you need to delay the quote due to needing medical records or having to first obtain a preliminary offer based on their health, it聮s important to explain that if anyone else is giving them a quote without that step, that quote will most likely be wrong and could end up with a blot on their MIB.
Ordinarily Latrell Sprewell Warriors Jersey , you will find the best quotes for those with perfect health from about 3-5 competitive carriers (rated at least A by AM Best) that use traditional underwriting. Likewise, the best quotes for those with health problems will come from about 3 impaired risk carriers. You聮ll want to know which 3 instant issue carriers offer the best rates for those of good health, and about 3 simplified or guaranteed issue carriers for those of poor health. Those choices will more than satisfactorily meet almost every need, and anyone can learn the underwriting guidelines, ratings Wilt Chamberlain Warriors Jersey , etc. of a dozen carriers. This also helps you approach your leads from a point of wisdom, building their trust in you and enabling you to serve them most responsibly.
Along with understanding the underwriting guidelines, you need to get familiar with how each carrier works, i.e. whether they require a preliminary offer, whether the app can be filled out online Tim Hardaway Warriors Jersey , etc. You also need to know what health conditions are best met by what carriers. This sounds like a lot, but within 6 months, you聮ll have it down. Knowing the rules of the game will help you get many more strikes.
3) Have good equipment. Good bowlers know they will get more strikes with the right ball, shoes, etc. It is essential to getting sales to have a well equipped off