Did you know that 63% of sales agents say that cold calls are the worst part of their job?
However, statistics also reveal that 82% of buyers have reported accepting meetings with salespeople after a series of contacts that started over the phone.
If you’re thinking of selling final expense insurance, knowing how to work leads over the phone is imperative. Not only can it make your job easier and more flexible, but it can also be more effective than other channels.
According to estimates, the average office worker receives 121 emails per day. Many of these get ignored or simply disappear in the influx. On the other hand, phone calls demand the recipient’s attention and make you stand out in their minds.Â
Do you want to increase your final expense sales numbers and ramp up your passive income stream, all via the phone?
Keep reading to find out how to get started.
Craft a Script
One of the first steps to selling final expense insurance over the phone is creating a script. Although this might sound “phony,” having a loose script to refer to can increase the effectiveness of your calls significantly.
Crafting a well-thought-out script is likely to trigger much better results than if you stumble into every conversation with a weak opening line, lots of ums and ahs, and poorly formulated responses.
When creating your script, make sure that you use powerful language that sparks emotion. For instance, instead of droning out that you sell insurance, rather opt for words that ignite a feeling. Such as, “I specialize in providing people with coverage for one of the most challenging periods families can go through.”
Besides this, you should also take care to personalize your introductions. For example, instead of opening with something like “It’s Joe here from XYZ insurance sales, and we sell final expense insurance,” you’d be far better off with something along the lines of “Hey Mary, it’s Joe here from XYZ insurance sales, do you have a minute to chat?”
From here, you can go on to say that you know the lead expressed an interest in final expense insurance recently and that you may have some attractive solutions for them.
When drafting your script, ensure that you make it clear to leads that this call will provide them with value and free information. This will increase the chances of them staying on the call.
You should also formulate a list of talking points that answer “what’s in it for me” questions.
Build Your Confidence
Another important component of final expense telesales is building your confidence. Cold calling a prospect can be nerve-wracking, which is why creating a script is so important.
Once you’ve done that, rehearse it in your mind and practice saying the sections out loud and with confidence.
Besides this, you should also take time to get into a confident mindset. Remind yourself that you’ll get better with every call and that you’re going to be calling hundreds of leads. If the first few don’t pan out well, it’s not a big deal; simply move on to the next one.
Find Leads
If you want to sell final expense insurance from home or as an independent agent, one of the most important tasks you’ll need to master is lead generation.
There are various ways you can generate leads. Some of the main strategies include:
- Paid ads
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Cold Calling
If you’re getting into selling final expense insurance, you’ll want to start by building yourself a sales funnel. Your sales funnel should target leads at each stage of the buyer journey and gently direct them toward making purchases through you.
Besides this, you should also look into buying leads. This can be especially helpful in the beginning when you don’t have a steady stream of leads to call.Â
Follow Up With Your Leads
Did you know that 60% of customers say no four times before saying yes?
What’s more, 48% of salespeople never make even one follow-up attempt.
These statistics show just how important it is to follow up with your leads.
If you are cold-calling leads, it makes sense that they aren’t ready to buy from you. After all, they don’t know you; you’re just some sales agent on the phone. However, if you make it a point to follow up with them multiple times, you can start to build a relationship with your leads. Once they are ready to make a purchase, you’ll probably be the first person who comes to mind.
Be Organized
Another critical tip for selling final expense insurance is to get organized. This is especially important when selling over the phone.
Before you call up a lead, make sure that you have your CRM tool or sales system open on your computer. As you converse with the lead, make sure you jot down any relevant details they tell you. For instance, they might share with you budget concerns or coverage requirements.
They might also tell you that now is not a good time for them to buy coverage because, for instance, their wife is in hospital and requests that you call them next month.
Make a note of these details in your CRM program and schedule a notification to call them in one month. When you do, you can consult your database and ask them how their wife is doing after her operation. Not only does this ensure that you stay on top of leads, but it also adds a valuable personal touch and helps to build trust.Â
Leave Great Voice Messages
There’s no avoiding the fact that you’ll have to leave many voice messages when doing final expense telesales. Although this can feel like a pain, it’s imperative that you leave great voice messages.
If you don’t, leads will likely delete them without even listening all the way through. Here are some top tips for leaving voice messages for final expense telesales:
- Keep it short, ideally under 15 seconds
- Address the lead by their name
- Identify yourself
- Get to the point
- State the reason for your call
- Trigger interest
- End with a question
- Be friendly and positive
Also, when leaving a message, always try to inject confidence and enthusiasm into your voice, and make sure you enunciate and speak clearly.
Don’t Be Pushy
Another important tip for selling final expense insurance over the phone is to avoid being pushy.
Pushyness over the phone won’t win you a sale. Instead, it will probably cause your lead to hang up on you!
Instead of trying to steamroll your lead into buying final expense coverage from you instead, try to inform them of all the benefits your offers hold for their specific needs. Embrace the advisor role and make your leads feel like you are at their beck and call to help them with free information on final expense insurance.
Practice Active Listening
Besides giving value wherever possible, you should also practice active listening. This applies to any insurance sales situation, but it’s especially vital for final expense insurance jobs where you have to call leads on the phone.
When you engage with leads over the phone, there is no record of the conversation. This means that you need to actively listen to what they say. Besides this, you should also record important details and requirements within your sales or CRM software.Â
Besides giving you valuable information, active listening will also make your leads feel like you are actually interested in their needs and what they have to say. This, in turn, builds trust and helps to establish a relationship.
Don’t Rush Your Calls
Along with practicing active listening, don’t forget to take your time with each lead you call. If you have a list of 100 leads on your desk, it can be tempting to rush through the list until you land on someone ready to buy.
However, this is rare. In most cases, you need to spend time chatting with leads and educating them on final expense products and coverage options.
What’s more, many of your leads won’t be familiar with the insurance jargon. Take the time to explain your products to them and answer their questions carefully, and you’ll be far more likely to build relationships and close those sales.
Thinking About Selling Final Expense Insurance? We Can Help
Mastering final expense telesales takes practice and persistence, but it is still a powerful way to convert leads and build relationships.
Do you want to begin selling final expense insurance from home?
If so, we can help.
Here at InsuranceSales101, we specialize in providing people like you with comprehensive, industry-leading final expense training.
If you want to make more sales and build a successful career, you need the right support. With our insurance sales training program, you will get instant access to training videos and insider content. You will also be able to review case studies, tap into discounts, schedule coaching sessions, and receive rapid support.