It is an incredible time to be working in insurance sales.
Think about it. 17 years ago, agents were using maps, calculating premiums by hand, and going to their clients’ homes to collect their monthly premiums for insurance companies.
A lot has changed in a short amount of time. There were some huge tech advancements in the insurance industry.
Now, clients have their premiums auto-drafted from the bank, we use rate calculators, and our phones tell us where to go.
In an ever-evolving industry, the only thing that is certain is that it will continue to change.
We saw that with Covid. After the national shutdown, the industry evolved again. Now, agents are working from home selling virtually.
It is appealing isn’t it? Why put the miles on your car? Who in this industry loves windshield time? Nothing gets in an agent’s head like the drive time between leads.
While it does seem appealing to work from home in your pajamas, the truth is… that to be successful in telesales, you need to be even more disciplined in your work than you are when you are selling face-to-face, AND you need to have a system in place to be successful.
Here are three things that you need to consider if you are going to start selling virtually…
1. Pick up the phone
The hardest thing to do when doing something new is getting started.
The phone can be the heaviest thing in the world. Really. Agents fail because they have an expectation that virtual sales will be easy. It isn’t easy, it is…different. It takes focus, discipline, and thick skin.
You will get more no’s than face-to-face sales. There is a learning curve. You have to learn the right pace, tone, and cadence in order to communicate effectively. You must give yourself enough runway and commit to the process regardless of the results of your first two weeks.
If you commit to picking up the phone and calling everyday, you will learn a lot and begin to get some sales. This will give you confidence, and confidence changes everything.
2. Use a script
You can try to wing it. I did. I thought I could get by on my personality and that people would buy from me because they liked me.
It wasn’t until I was a year into my sales career that I realized that there is a process and a system to selling. This was great news to me, because if I could learn the process, then it would take all of the pressure off of me. I could lean on the system. An effective sales script is a system. It is something that you can learn and put pressure on.
A good script follows sales principles and is not gimmicky. If you are trying virtual sales and are not using a script you are fighting an uphill battle. If you need a script, reach out and we can help you.
3. Connect with a mentor
A good coach will help you get where you want to go faster.
Virtual sales is an art and a science. It requires confidence, and confidence can only come from feeling competent. It is hard to feel competent when you are trying to figure things out on your own.
A good coach will direct you to affordable leads. They will coach you on your tonality and cadence. As you progress, they can even direct you to some resources to help you become more efficient in your sales processes. A good coach will ultimately help you become profitable.
Need a coach? Reach out to us. We meet you where you’re at and work alongside you to help you get where you want to be. Just send us a message in the chat feature in the bottom right corner to get connected!
