Over the past 5 episodes, we’ve covered the adaptations an agent needs to make to be successful during the transition from face-to-face sales to telesales. In this episode, we’re back in the studio and we answer agent submitted questions around this topic and how to close more sales over the phone.

Show Notes

Questions

• Is there a good time to call people and when?
• What do you do when “nobody answers the phone?”
• What are the best types of leads for telesales and where do you get them?
• What have you learned about the preparation for making calls?
• What are the best carriers for telesales?
• What are some common challenges and objections in telesales and how do you respond?
• How do you close a life insurance sale over the phone?
• How do I get more telesales resources, information, leads, or carriers?

Q: Is there a good time to call people and when?

Starts at 5:48

• Anytime is good to call as long as you’re calling! Make the call!
• The results from our team has been varying but we’ve found early in the morning and late in the evening after 6:30PM has been great.
  • The first hour or two of the morning is generally quiet and slow for our client base and then they get going with their daily activities. Catch them during that slow time before they get busy. The same goes for the evening as they start to slow down and prep for bed.
• You should still call between those windows because everyone has a different schedule – they may work 1st or 3rd shift, helping a family member, or at the doctor. Never prejudge a lead!

Q: What do you do when “nobody answers the phone?”

Starts at 10:00

• You have to get creative and think outside of the box! Modify your workflow.
• Get on a lead program with immediate notifications of requests for information. The sooner you can get to them the better because they will remember their request and they’re probably still on their phone.
• If they aren’t answering the phone, send them a friendly, personal text message (have a template ready that you can copy and paste). Let them know you’re calling in response to their recent request for information and what number you’re going to be calling from. Include an identifier if your leads provide them.
• Send leads the option to schedule an appointment using a tool like Calendly that syncs with your calendar. Make sure to limit the availability to the next few days so that the request is still top of mind. Leads that schedule appointments have a high rate of sale.
• Have a web presence for clients to be able to see who you are to create more trust with you and your company.
• Utilize video calls through Zoom, FaceTime, or Facebook Messenger. They don’t have to turn their video on but at least allows the client to see you and gives a face-to-face feel.
• If their phone goes to voicemail or is the wrong number, try looking them up online or sending them emails. Note that the response may come a few days later if they don’t check their email regularly.
• Have a “Do whatever it takes” mentality to get ahold of your leads. Don’t be afraid of burning leads and don’t treat them as fine china. Until it’s a sale, it’s already a no so do everything you can to get the sale and protect their family.
• Use CRM and automation tools to take care of the initial lead follow-up so that you can maximize your time and your return.

Q: What are the best types of leads for telesales and where do you get them?

Starts at 19:58

• When doing sales over the phone, you aren’t limited by trying to keep leads within a close geography. Get statewide leads which are generally available at a lower cost.
• Get licensed in multiple states so that way you can get multiple statewide campaigns. This exponentially increases your opportunity and decreases cost. By doing this you can get more leads for the same amount you were previously spending for limited geo’s.
• Sometimes you can get leads in different timezones which also expands your hours that you can call on people.
• Make sure your leads are coming in real-time
• Don’t limit your opportunity by decreasing your lead flow and lead spend. Oftentimes, a single sale can cover a week of leads.
• If you need leads, fill out the form below or reach out and our team can connect you with a lead partner that offers proven high-quality, high-intent leads with real-time notifications.

Q: What have you learned about the preparation for making calls?

Starts at 23:27

• You have to mentally to prepare yourself and commit to working.
  • This is an opportunity to see what you’re capable of in the face of adversity.
  • You have to limit your distractions whether that be people, entertainment, or personal projects. There’s a time and place for each of these but you also need to commit to time to work.
  • When we come out of this, you will be stronger and better because you put in the effort to learn something new and you’ve continued to “work-out” your sales muscles.
  • It can be easy to not push yourself when stimulus checks come in to supplement income. The stimulus checks have been very good and helpful to many families in need of help but for most in insurance sales, there’s still plenty of opportunity and these checks can be a crutch for agents.
  • The process to receiving stimulus / unemployment checks and commission checks are very similar – you fill out an application and receive a check. The difference is there is no limit to commission checks AND you are protecting families while you serve your own!
  • Don’t get stuck in a daily “Friday at 2pm” mindset where you are already thinking of the weekend and going on cruise control.
  • Know the “measure of your metal” – what are you going to do when things are tough.
  • This is a great time to add to your skillset because the future is unknown – telesales may be a part of your future business even if you’re knocking on the doors. This is something you can do anywhere including when you’re on the road to a market or between sits or during no-shows.
• Create a great workspace
  • Get a second screen so that you can have more screen real-estate for leads, call resources, applications, video calls, and anything else you may need on the call. Everyone on our team has one of these and they are available for around $200.
  • Gather your telesales resources and put them in one place to make it easy to get the information you need at a moment’s notice.
  • Utilize a headset to improve call quality and have hands to look up information on your computer or fill out electronic applications. Here’s some that we use and recommend:
    • Jabra Talk 5 Wireless Bluetooth Headset (For Phone or Computer ~$20)
    • Cisco Headset Wired Headset RJ9 (For Phone ~$37)
    • Logitech USB Wired Headset H390 (For Phone or Computer ~$50)
    • Plantronics Voyager Legend Wireless Bluetooth Headset (For Phone or Computer ~$89)
  • Use apps like Magnet or Spectacle to easily size windows on certain parts of your screen.
  • Use OneTab to consolidate your tabs into one place. This will allow you to see what all of your tabs are as well as speed up your computer.

Q: What are the best carriers for telesales?

Starts at 38:18

We covered the best 8 carriers for telesales in episode 16 and and episode 17 so check out those episodes.

Q: What are some common challenges and objections in telesales and how do you respond?

Starts at 40:14

• People hang up before you can even get into the sale
  • As hard as it is, try not to ask how they are because it gives them a chance to take control. You can start with, “Mrs. Jones? {Yes} Hi, I’m …. {opening below}”
  • Always start the call with answering the three questions the client is wondering: who you are, who you’re with, and why you’re calling.
  • Eliminate as much dead air or pauses as possible
  • Move immediately to validating the information they submitted and getting affirmative answers. Integrate some personality into some of these questions like “Happy late birthday!” to show you’re also human and real. End with an identifying quality so you can have conversation that relates to them. Don’t speed through this.
  • Identify yourself with a title they understand and trust like an “underwriter” with a relatable company that describes what you do like Senior Benefits Services. You can’t sound like a telemarketer.
  • Bring positivity and good energy to the call, build a little trust, reiterate the three questions, and then move into the rest of the script.
• Unknown amount of decisions makers
  • Over the phone, it can be hard to determine if there’s another decision maker which can lead to frustration when you find out there’s someone else after you’ve already given your pitch. You can ask towards the beginning after you verify their information: “Were you looking for this information for yourself or is there a spouse or significant other that you were looking forward for information as well?” Based on their response, you can move forward or figure out a time when both are available.
  • Sometimes you can prequalify the spouse when they’re not available and cover the person on the phone and then schedule a time to take care of the spouse.
  • When there are multiple people, you can utilize speaker phone or video call so that both people can hear. You can switch to them individually during the actual application process and then bring them back together to cool-down and wrap-up.
  • Another approach is to get the quick app and then ask for the referral. The biggest thing to remember is to adapt to who you are and what your clients are looking for.
• Approaching the sensitive discussion of pricing
  • You have to build trust early and continue it throughout the call
  • One way to build trust is to have a virtual business card or website that you can text to people so they can see who you are.
  • You can also have the client write down your license number or send them a link from the state department with your license information.
  • Set expectations of pricing upfront and early. Figure out what they need and uncover what truly matters to them and what they already have in place.
  • You need to make sure the client can identify what their existing policies are being used for and figure out what they would use the new or additional benefit for. If the use is vague, then they may not believe in it or have any desire to move forward.
  • Sometimes you need to discuss the client’s budget but you can only do that after trust is developed. The budget will help you identify both carriers and affordability of what policy coverage you can pitch.
  • Giving a low priced option they can afford is better than them feeling like they can’t afford anything and decide on no coverage. This leaves their family unprotected.
• Approaching the sensitive discussion of personal information like banking or social security numbers
  • Build trust throughout the entire call.
  • You can figure out who their bank is early on when asking about any accidental policies offered by their bank. When you get to the payment information, you can verify their routing number by looking it up online with their bank name and area to see if they are a qualifying payment option. Most likely, it will be theirs and then you can ask for the account number. You get the information in stages.

Q: How do you close a life insurance sale over the phone?

Starts at 1:04:09

• When selling over the phone, you don’t have the luxury of non-verbal closing techniques such as body language, pulling out the application, etc. You have to set expectations and make sure every comment you make is moving forward.
• You have to train your mindset for closing to not take your foot off the gas and asking for the sale. You need to assume the sale and understand that you’re just there to figure out what’s best for them and to submit the policy.
• Utilize “we” and keep affirmative language the whole way through
• Gather information throughout to work on the application.
• The biggest hurdle in closing is yourself – don’t get in your own way. Don’t leave a gap or ask for the sale.
• Have a script that has tie-downs and control statements throughout get you through the close
• Discuss upfront what you’re sending them after you complete the application to not only build trust but also to set the expectation of applying.
• Let them know you work with multiple carriers (if you don’t have multiple carriers, we can help out) so they know that you’re not trying to up-sell but assure affordability for the best product that gives the most benefits for their family.
• At the end, you can let them know they are in control after the sale via the 30 day provision to make a benefits change up or down. This allows you to get coverage in place on that day and also a connection with them should they want to change coverage or cancel in the future.

The transition to telesales is a unique experience for everyone. We will all have to modify our workflow, approach, and presentation. Just remember: be adaptable to change and find out what your metal is made of.

We know that there may be other questions or needs you may have so let us know below. Our team is here to help you become more profitable.

Sidenotes

• Pro-tip: if you’re in the car by yourself, don’t wear your mask so that way you don’t fog up your glasses and wreck.
• Another pro-tip: the best material to make masks out of is commission checks from carriers and we show you how to do that today. Must be earned and prevents commission breath.
• The way to get unlimited stimulus checks is to stay committed, run your leads, and earn your commission checks from insurance carriers.
• The Woodford Spire is a delicious Kentucky Derby cocktail. (Please drink responsibly.)

What did you think of this episode? What adaptations have you made during this transition? Let us know in the comments below!

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