The process of cold calling in the disability and life insurance world is nothing new. In fact, it still remains one of the most cost-effective ways for DI brokers get appointments on the books, and ultimately generate disability insurance quotes. Whether you’re a new DI agent trying to jump-start your disability insurance selling, or a seasoned veteran building your book, cold calling still works — but only if you’re not making this common mistake.
There is one critical error that many DI agents make while selling over the phone. And once you understand the concept, you’ll rethink your current strategy and set more appointments.
The flaw in most disability insurance phone scripts is that they focus too much on selling the product immediately over the phone. These scripts essentially force-feed the prospect with everything wonderful about you and your company through the phone line.
Of course, you have a great product to sell and you want to convey this to the prospect. But stop and think for a moment about exactly what you want to accomplish when a live person is on the other end of the line. Is the goal to sell a disability insurance quote in 20 seconds or less? The answer is no—well, not yet anyway.
You’ll be far more successful if you stop selling benefits and instead focus on setting the appointment. To master the art of cold calling, you have to understand the significance of baby steps. The purpose of the phone call is simply to move the prospect ONE STEP forward in the buying cycle by setting an appointment.
Below is a classic example of selling the value of the benefit to a prospect over the phone:
Prospect Objection:” “I have some insurance through work and I can afford anything more. Money is tight. No thanks.”
DI Agent: “I understand all about money being tight, which is why I’d like to explain to you why my company’s disability policy is one of the best available in price and protection. I’ve been working in this industry for over 20 years and my company offers the best disability products available.” CLICK!
Now, let’s try this again, but instead let’s focus on setting the appointment:
Prospect Objections:” “I have some insurance through work and I can afford anything more. Money is tight. No thanks.”
DI Agent: “I completely understand and I’m not trying to sell you anything over the phone. I’m a local agent here in your town and all I’d like to do is share some important information on how you can protect your paycheck. I know you’ll find this information helpful. I’m available all next week and can bring this information to you personally so you can read more about it with your family. Is there a time next week when we meet that will work best for you?”
Once you understand the critical difference between selling DI benefits and setting the appointment, your cold calls will become much more productive and your disability insurance quote volume will skyrocket.
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