The Insurance Sales Library

Using Software To Maximize Your Business

2008-03-10T23:03:00.003-04:00

I apologize that it has taken me some time to get back with all of you. I'm currently working on a project that has been keeping me busy after business hours and I haven't had time to post any new reviews.

You will notice that I have changed the look of the blog by adding a few links on the right side of my blog. I have used or currently use some of the products. Vista is great for affordable print work and their very competitive and reliable. At the very least their website should give your some ideas about things you can buy to market your agency.

One of the key methods you can employ to protect your business from being stolen by your competitors is to ensure that you explain why you're recommending a particular product, so another agent cannot come in from behind you and steal the account by talking your client into buying an inferior plan. This can and does happen!

Secondly, sending out a monthly or quarterly newsletter is important because it allows your clients to get to know you better, while providing you with a medium to advertise additional services that might benefit your clients. Here' s a small tidbit of information you should think about when drafting a newsletter. Even though I know you LOVE talking about insurance just as much as me, the other 99.9% of the population would rather experience an IRS audit. Do your best to differentiate yourself from the traditional agent by adding "value" to your by thinking outside the box. The key is to find a way to write a quality publication that your readers look forward to receiving and want to share with their friends a family. Here is an example newsletter that one of my friends send his clients. You'll notice that Al actually tries to engage his readers in a conversational way vs. the standard clinical, "Insurance rates are going up in 2 months, so you should feel fortunate to have bought a policy from me XXXX months of ago" newsletters I have read.

I'm obsessed with macaroni and cheese and once included a recipe for the best Mac' N ' Cheese I have had the privilege to eat. You definitely don't' want to eat it every week, but oh man is it good! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. If you're interested in the recipe follow this link. I like to add some Maryland crab meat or clams to the dish, and put in half a cup of sour cream. Let me know what you think of the recipe if you try it out. It goes great with a nice steak (medium rare please).

I'm almost finished with my latest book and I cannot wait to share it with you. It's not your traditional sales books per say, but I know you'll find it useful and can use the material to increase the effectiveness of your sales and keep yourself positive.

Telesales Tips Fom The Trenches, Part Two

2008-02-24T23:17:00.007-05:00

Ring Ring...

Prospect: Hello!

Agent: Hi, this is John Smith with ABC Insurance.

Prospect: I'm not interested. Click.

Agent: Hello, you still there?

Have you ever had one of these days? If not, you're probably in denial or have better luck than me.

I recently provided a review of Joe Catal's book and it's now time for the fun part. If you're serious about telemarketing this is one book that needs to be in you library!

I’m not a big fan of telemarketing, but it does work and is an excellent way to get yourself off the ground when you’re new. I recently entered my 2^nd year of business and anticipate that I will be cold calling for at least 1-2 more years. I’ve had to find ways to feel comfortable on the phone and I learn best by trial by fire and various behavioral and psychological techniques I’ve picked up. Later down the road I’ll provide a review for one book that compliments Joe’s work. Here is what I’ve learned in the last 2 years of cold calling.

Rule # 1: Cold calling doesn’t suck, you suck. If you’re sales manager said that to you would you get pissed off and come up with excuse or show that person he’s wrong. I’m competitive and would choose the latter.

Rule # 2: Whoever invented the term cold calling is an idiot and did not understand the power of persuasion and psychology. I prefer to and say I’m telemarketing or teleprospecting. I do not like to use negative words and have no patience for negative people. I tolerate it because that’s life, but your ability to perceive and feel good about what you’re doing has a direct impact on your results. A self-fulfilling prophecy can be positive or negative. .

Rule # 3: A lead to me is a name, phone number, set time, set place and set date where a prospect and I have agreed to spend 10 minutes to discuss the potential to work together. (HINT: This is another way of saying I need to qualify this prospect so I don’t waste time or energy)

Rule # 4: You’re either a business person or you own a business. Which one are you?

Rule # 5: Stand up when you talk. (NOTE: Purchase a headset)

Rule #6: Set daily goals and do not stop until you reach them.

Without rehashing everything Joe went into here’s a summary of the top points I took from his book.

- Do not do personal things when you should be working (e.g., checking e-mail, talking with a friend, etc.)

- Track all of your calls and call for 45 minutes out of every hour and use the other 15 for paperwork.

- Record your calls to learn what is working and what needs to be changed (NOTE: Check state laws about recording before you accidentially commit a felony)

- Understand that everybody has a different personality and you need to match your tone, speed and pace with everybody on an individual basis.

- Be patient, shut up and ask questions. NEVER interrupt somebody unless you’re on fire!

- There should be a ratio of 10:1 You vs. I’s. The prospect could care less about you and needs to know what’s in it for them.

- Explain what you and your product can do for them. People buy benefits, not

- Get rid of words that do not add anything to the call and substitute more effective words (e.g., Take the word just and get rid of it; Do not say cost or premium…say investment)

- If somebody wants you to send information to them, be specific about what type of information they need and DO NOT END THE CALL until you agree about the next step. If there is no agreement do not waste your time!

- Always follow through with what you say and make sure you take IMMEDIATE action if you drop the ball. It’s better to look forgetful than incompetent.

-Don’t sell, solve problems.

I've been using a program that has helped me design, implement and track various marketing campaigns that does not entail telemarketing. The upcoming software review will save you at least $200-$400 on marketing costs that could be best utilized elsewhere. I'm very excited about this software program and after thinking things over I've decided to provide a review. The information will be up within the next couple of days. Until next time.

Telesales Tips From The Trenches, Part One

2008-02-20T23:52:00.007-05:00

You look out your window and see your neighbors pull out of driveway and begin the long trek through to get to their job. With coffee in hand you feel a sense of elation that you don’t have to deal with the headaches of driving to work and watching woman put on their makeup while they drive and men trying to scarf down that delicious Burger King egg and sausage croissant while listening to the radio and yelling at the other drivers. You start to slowly sit down and sift through your e-mail slightly glancing at the clock to see that it’s almost 8:00 a.m. You think to yourself, “I have one hour to muster up the strength and pick up that phone!” It is now 3 hours later; the e-mail has been checked and double checked; the dog has been walked…twice. Now two cups of coffee are flowing through your body and you feel alive fully knowing that lunch is right around the corner. Then that little voice in your head tells you to stop screwing off and pick up the phone and start calling! “Nah, I’ll get to that after lunch.”

Joe Catal has done a great job at debunking some of the myths about telemarketing. In his book, aptly named, “Telesales Tips From The Trenches: Secrets Of a Street-Smart Salesman.” he provides a no holds barred approach to picking up that infamous phone!

Here’s a little secret you may not know. Telemarketing doesn’t suck; it’s the pending feeling of rejection that sucks! As a new insurance agent you should expect to be rejected a minimum of 100 times a week, and that’s if you’re doing real well.

I’m a naturally motivated type of guy. You tell me something negative and I’m immediately thinking how I can turn it into a positive. Joe takes a similar approach to how he handles himself on the phone by:

Averaging 100+ calls per day since 1985 and hearing over 350,000 No’s.

Throughout the book Joe provides real life stories (my favorite) and examples about how to write an effective opening; answer objections without sounding superfluous or ignorant; techniques to find hot leads and steal accounts (another one of my favorites), while laying a strong foundation by asking the right question and ASKING for the order when the time is right.

His thoughts about time management and techniques to increase the effectiveness of listening were entertaining and insightful.

The customer should be talking 75% of the time…NEVER interrupt a person while they’re talking.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever interrupted another person when they were in the middle of talking. Did you feel that awkward moment where you both wait about 2 seconds and speak at the same time? Next time, keep the mouth shut and if you do happen to interrupt, count to 5 in your head.

The material in his book does come off very strong, but I’ve noticed an increased level of confidence and control after implementing some of this strategies.

In conclusion, some of the material is not worth reading if you cannot control the pricing of your products, nor negotiate said product. However, I do give this book 5 stars and highly recommend you pick up a copy, grab a highlighter and implement some of the material IMMEDIATELY! You can pick up a copy by clicking on the link above or to the right in the section entitled, “My Favorites.”

In Part Two, I’ll share my input about how I was able to overcome my apprehension about telemarketing, as well as recommend a few tricks I’ve learned that reduce my stress and help me to feel more comfortable on the phone.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble.

2008-02-14T02:03:00.005-05:00

I've received some great feedback about my latest book review and implementation strategies Ironically, most of the feedback focused more on cold calling and developing methods to produce the best results. If you'd like to see one of the spreadsheets you can look at it on the right listed as Telemarketing Sales Tracking 2008, but if you want a copy e-mail at info@midatlanticquotes.com as I have no idea how to make the document available for download.

One of my main methods I use to reach my goals is to track my progress and look at it everyday. The reason why I force myself to track my telemarketing efforts everyday is because it paints a clear picture about how well I'm doing or what I need to fix. The numbers on the spreadsheet are simply for illustrative purposes and do not reflect my stats. I'd love to get to $25,000 AV a week though and think that's possible without enough hard work, experience and discipline.

I hope the document helps.

I'll be posting the next book review shortly. Originally I wanted to write a review about one of my ALL TIME favorite sales books that encompassing everything, but since I've received a lot of feedback on telemarketing, I'll review one book I recommend that has helped me increase my confidence and telemarketing efforts.

Be Safe.

Question Based Selling, Part Two

2008-02-10T17:07:00.002-05:00

I recently provided a review of the book Question Based Selling. Now I’d like to explain how I have been able to receive some great results utilizing some of the techniques explained in the book.

Thomas Freese discusses the importance of understanding how people have a natural aversion to people they don’t know and trust. Once you realize that EVERYBODY feels this way you’ll be ahead of the game. It’s very difficult to fight Mother Nature, so it’s better to just accept it and know how to react.

Mismatching

Have you ever talked with a prospect who seems to contradict everything you say? It can be quite annoying and make you feel like you want to throw the phone out the window and purchase a taser gun. Instead of taking the risk of getting arrested, I offer an alternative solution that will save you some money on telephones, an attorney and therapy.

For the last week every cold call that I initiated, began this way.

“Hello XXXX, this is John McCollough and I'm a health plan expert. Is this a good time?”

I call 100 numbers every weekday and usually talk with about 200-225 people on average on a weekly basis. 14 people said it was a bad time! When I got that response I asked when would be a good time to call back. About 1/3 replied, “what is this about?” Ah-ah, so this isn't really a bad time! Next time your making a call mix it up a bit. Instead of saying, "Is this a good time?" say "Is this a bad time?" This will give the the information you need to adjust your script and find out what works and what needs to be discarded. I suspect that if you use the latter line you'll get a lot more resistance, but try it out and post a comment about your results.

Herd Theory

I have got some great news for you. Have you heard about the new lead company out of California that provides leads for $5.00 each and only sells them to 3 agents? Yes, it actually is the truth because I have been using this company for the last 4 months? Another great thing about this company is that their credit policy is very liberal and I’m averaging right around $3.50 a lead after factoring in uninsurables, false information, etc.

I almost forgot, they signed a contract with me stating that they WILL NOT sell the lead to no more than 3 agents without drafting up a new contract and I get seniority should they chanege their policy. I love it when a new lead company comes out. I don’t get anything for recommending this company…just a chance to help my readers. If you’re interested in learning more about this opportunity you can find it here

It’s really something isn’t it! Who would have thought that this opportunity existed. Hopefully you realize the purpose of this fun experiment. If you can create the illusion of something grandiose and you merely suggest (slight push) taking a course of action vs. “sell” (pushing or pulling), you’ll have a better chance of persuading an individual to reach the same conclusion you anticipate. You’ll feel better about yourself because you just separated yourself from every other agent who still thinks closes work in the long term!

Are You Running Away From Dogs or Aiming For The Gold?

The answer to that question is that you should be doing both or you’re going to miss half the deals you could be getting. People don’t buy insurance because a certain plan is cheaper. There are people who like change, people who abhor change and people who lie! When it comes to keeping the status quo or risk making a bad decision, most people will choose the former UNLESS you present options that offer a reward (cheaper premium) and a risk management strategy (no loss in benefits). Here’s an example of what I mean.

Situation (Family X)

-3 person family currently paying around $700 a month for an HMO plan with all the bells and whistles.

-Rate is expected to go up about 17% within the next month.

-Understands they will have to get new doctors/network.

-Cannot stand HMO’s or MEGA

-$0 deductible plan with $20/$30 copays for doctors or specialist and an OOPM of $7000 per year.

Solution

- High Deductible Health Plan w/out HSA and an OOPM of $2500

- Stable rates for 12 months

- Extensive PPO network in Mid-Atlantic area.

- New Premium $408.02 p/month (69% SAVINGS or $3500 a year)

Now you are probably thinking to yourself that the saving alone justifies the switch. Up until September 2007 I thought the same thing, but that isn’t the case. My record to date was a lost opportunity to save a family over $10,000 a year until Medicare kicked in a few short years away. They decided to self insure and cancel their plan instead of protecting their family and saving $20,000. That case still amazes me. Sometimes people do things out of spite because their upset about something and close-minded. Try to move on and not take it personal when you deal with these types of people. We all get them!

Even though I saved Family X a substantial amount of money that isn't enough for 9 out 10 people I talk because they have no idea about other insurance carriers besides Blue Cross Blue Shield and being comfortable with a carrier is 100%. That's fine and I can respect that..

All I did to finalize this deal was maximize their feelings about saving money using selective imagery combined with reducing their fears about switching carriers to a nameless carrier. For example, here's what I said.

"Mrs. X, I think I may have a solution for you that will enable you to take charge of your own plan and cut your premium in half (gold) ...while ensuring that you're families protected with a highly rated and financially sound (who let the dogs out) company...(Smiling) So take the extra money and spend it however you wish. I'd recommend you spend some of it on shoes and invest the rest!"

I LOVE sales!

Let me know how things works out you. Hopefully I've been able to shed light on a few topics that will help you to retain your ethics and sell more at the same time w/out having to resort to using a "fake family picture" because your manager said you need a family to sell health insurance online. If you're offended by adult language do not read this next line. My ass you do!

Question Based Selling, Part One

2008-02-06T00:31:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes feel as though you’re not getting anywhere with a prospect because you don’t know what to say next to make the person want to buy from you? If you’re like most people talking comes very easily for you and when somebody asks your opinion, via directly or indirectly, you immediately go off into sales mode and then somewhere down the road you catch the prospect looking at his watch and telling you that he needs to “think it over.”

If so, then a book written by Thomas Freese entitled, “Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool Can Double Your Sales Results” might very well provide you with the ammunition you need to separate yourself from the competition and give you the tools to get the job done. I’m going to offer you something fun…something exciting…something you’ve never heard before. Are you ready? Sales professionals talk too much!

Yes, it’s true; part of the reason why some people have disdain for people like sales professionals is because we won’t shut up. Rather than learning more about a prospect and his needs, fears, hopes and dreams, we regurgitate the same canned sales pitch that we used on the last 10 people that had the same effect. Rejection without accomplishment!

This books does a very good job at illustrating a basis paradigm, a foundation shall we say, about what is needed to win…that is, to get a sale and help the client feel proud and secure.

Have you ever wondered why people some seem to flock to the gas stations every summer when gas prices go up $.05 like flies to honey? How about the beanie baby rave or the dot.com crash?

Thomas uses his sales experience to illuminate a basic social psychology principle entailing what motivates people in a group. The sad fact is that most people would jump off a bridge if everybody else did! But you’re not like everybody else right?

Everything we do when were prospecting, selling, etc. can be stripped down to its core. Namely, we need tools that will enable us to increase the probability of succeeding. Thomas does a good job at illustrating ways to build credibility through asking questions, avoiding mismatching, using a social psychology theory (herding) to generate interest and using rewards and risk aversion to sell a product.

Surrounding prospects with the perception that “everyone else” is already moving in a certain direction is a very powerful QBS technique.

Let that sink in for a moment. He explicates that in order for a sale to be made; credibility must be built; questions must be asked and addressed; interest must be peaked; while building value in a presentation so a the proper solution can be offered that will help a prospect find a reward and avoid risk.

Thomas uses 259 pages to illustrate exactly what I said in the preceding paragraph. He even throws in a chapter about cold calling that is a must read for anybody serious about taking some stress out of cold calls. He says that the success rate for contacting prospects is between 2-5 person!

That means that out of every 100 hundred sales calls, the average performer can expect to generate only a small amount handful of opportunities. The other 95 to 98 percent of these calls end in rejection.

My personal experience is averaging right around 10%, meaning 10 out of 100 people I talk to end up as a lead. I’m not an average insurance agent though!

In conclusion, I give this book an 8 out of 10. The only reason why it’s not a 10 is because he needed more examples of his questions that didn’t rely on his computer background. I spent about a week reading this book, making notes and making some changes to my presentation and cold calling techniques. One change can be found here

I had a hard time correlating some of his computer questions to the insurance lingo. I stopped watching Star Trek about 15 years ago (movies excluded), so I’m not up to speed on quantum-flux capacitors and how they relate to health savings account. I had no idea what he was talking about upon the first reading, but with the help of another book (Christmas present) I’ve been able to almost double my reading speed and increase my memory retention.

In Part Two, I’ll show you ways on how you can apply the aforementioned sales techniques to sell more insurance using real world examples. I’ve spent the last 2 weeks trying out various techniques and I’m looking forward to sharing my results.

Business Wish List

2008-02-04T01:49:00.001-05:00

I will continue to add links that I think will benefit all of you. I recently added the Business Wish List link (located on the right) and I want to make sure you understand how it works. Once you click on the link you will be brought to the Insurance Sales Library Store. The links located on the bottom are as follow.

1) The Insurance Sales Library Store: Illustrates the books on my wish list that I'll be buying in the near future. I'll provide reviews for those books, as well as current books that have benefited me.

2) Shopping Cart: If you want to purchase any of the books this is where they will be listed.

3) The Insurance Sales Library Home: Takes you to the main blog web page.

4) About Us: Self explanatory.

The first review will be up shortly.

Welcome

2008-02-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

I appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog. More than likely you've found my blog via one of the numerous websites I actively provide articles for it's readers; you've been referred by a friend; or you accidentally were trying to find an adult site and ended up here through an affiliate link. If it's the latter case I'm sorry and I hope find the site educational before you go off using your VISA.

The purpose of this blog is simple. I've been approached by numerous friends and business associates in the last few years about publications and various sales tools I've utilized that I recommend to new and experienced sales professionals. Although this website is primarily geared towards helping insurance agents develop their "Sales Code," the information contained within can be utilized across many avocations and boundaries.

An insurance agent seeks out a prospect and then turns that person or family into a business associate...and sometimes a friend. Some of this is deliberate, while other times it's as elusive as winning the lottery. The same approach could be said about the man who seeks out a wife and dates numerous women only to find out that things don't always go as planned.

You might have surmised from the the title that this blog entails something relating to a library. If that's the case than I wish to congratulate you on being perceptive. Pat yourself on back and go grab a cookie.

I aim to review various books and provide my thoughts about the subject matter as it pertains to the aforementioned demographics. Each review will be broken down into two parts. Part one will entail the review of a particular book, while the second part will explicate methods about how you can incorporate the subject matter into your life. Hopefully this will help you to think outside the box about how you act with your clients, live your life, and what ways you choose to interact with your friends, family members and loves ones. Sigmund Freud once said, "Love and Work...work and love, that's all there is." If you don't love what you do then I suggest your figure out what you love and find a career doing that. If you love learning, then you have come to the right place, so sit back and relax. For me, I love movies, documentaries, selling insurance, my dog and family, and I'm OBSESSED with watching every documentary I can find on Tornadoes. Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, when I retire from selling insurance there will be plenty of tornadoes left to chase.

Hopefully the love I have for reading with benefit all of you. I have enough book to write reviews for at least the next 5 years. However, I don't think the History of the World is relevant. Please feel free to e-mail me if there is a particular book that you would like to see reviewed or simply wish to share thoughts. I will return ALL e-mails within 48 hours. Of course, you're more than free to post your comments.

I appreciate your time and consideration. I'll be posting my first review of the book entitled, "Secrets of Question Based Selling," written by Thomas Freese shortly. Make sure you sign up for my newsletter on the top right of this page so you can keep up to date and stay ahead of the pack.

Be Safe.