In this episode, we discuss an audience submitted topic around the timing and transitions of the sale. Most people would agree that you have to build rapport before you can make the sale but how long should you spend building this rapport and how do you make a smooth transition to your presentation. Furthermore, how long should your presentation be? Listen in as the guys weigh in to answer these questions.
Show Notes
This is a great question that most agents have asked or struggled with. On top of that, many agents are shaking off the dust after this Mad Max-like healthy at home period and getting back into the practice of sitting with clients and doing presentations. In this episode, we dive into the how to judge the length of your presentations, how long to spend on it, and how to make the transition.
Setting the Baseline
Our team has talked about presentations and sits in previous episodes but these are words that can mean different things depending on who you talk to in our industry. First we want to put into context the timeframe of the terms we will use throughout this episode:
A sit is from the time you walk into the home and begin your conversation with them until you leave.
A presentation happens in the middle of the sit where you’re going over your material on the product.
The discussion before the presentation is – in our opinion – probably more important than the presentation. However, as we said in our episode on tracking your numbers and in today’s show, sometimes you will have sits without presentations. Most of the time this happens during a one-legged sit (a sit that is missing a spouse or other decision maker – not a sit with pirates or those missing a leg).
Sometimes companies or people put a lot of focus on measuring the amount of presentations you give versus sits which often times devalues what comes before that in the sit. What happens prior is a huge influencing factor in your sale. This is when your personality comes out and you’re able to connect with people.
Selling is not telling – the best sales people are the best listeners. The presentation is about telling or as we like to train agents, it’s about educating. But first, you have to listen and uncover the five real reason’s. As we dive into figuring out the best length for a presentation, make sure to remember the bigger picture of how you do what you do and don’t make the timing the main focus.
The Timing of the 3 Course Meal of Life Insurance Sales
One way to think of your sit’s with clients is like a nice three course dinner. You have your appetizer, main entree, and dessert. Serve each part in order with an appropriate amount of time. You want the client to walk away reflecting on a great experience so you also can’t skip out on any part of the meal (or process).
- Appetizer – Trust Building & the 5 Real Reasons Why People Buy (or Don’t)
- Main Course – The Presentation
- Dessert – The Cool Down
The Appetizer – Where the Clock Starts
As we continue to define the length of the sit, we first need to figure out when and how it starts. As we train our agents, the sit starts once you enter the home with your materials after the door knock dance. However, even though this begins the “sit,” you’re probably not physically sitting down yet. Instead, you’re working on building trust and connecting with the client by walking around the room, looking at pictures, noticing their interests, and having discussion with them around these things that they care about. As you move through these things, you can transition to a sitting location while you continue to build trust and move into CORE: Children, Occupation, Recreation, and Emotion.
The amount of time you spend on CORE will vary but our rule of thumb is “long enough” or doing it until it’s easy. You are connecting with the client and building trust with a purpose during this phase. They will naturally have a wall up because they don’t know you. You want to let them know you are a human and you are like them and you have a family too. When the conversation is flowing and natural and easy, you’ve hit “long enough”. Typically, this stage will take 15-30 minutes but sometimes longer if you have a client that is talkative or quiet and more reserved requiring you to put more energy to probe.
The caveat here is to not let the conversation get away from you and spend too long in CORE without ever getting to the presentation. You don’t want to get stuck in the friend-zone of sales but rather, pull a George Costanza and leave them wanting more. Don’t connect so much that they are afraid to say no or just buying because they like you. We want to get warm enough to know that we’re all people just trying to help each other and then you’re moving on.
One thing to distinguish though is that the small talk is not something you do as a requirement before presenting. The upfront information and time spent building core and establishing trust is vital to your success. It may appear to be niceties and politeness but its conversation with a purpose.
Transitioning from the “Small Talk”
If your first few transitions from CORE to the presentation is awkward or forced, don’t worry – you’re not alone. The key is to integrate the transition into the conversation so that the experience between the two feels interlocking. Whether you’re talking about NASCAR or fishing or gardening, you know you need to get to the reality of death and the burden it brings. Remember that the reason they filled out the lead card is something happened to make them feel an urgency or emotion that lead them to taking action.
The transition is done through having discussion around emotional topics but not necessarily negative. Begin with positive emotions like discussing the day the couple got married or when a child or grandchild graduated or reached a milestone. Then the discussion can move towards negative emotions like were your parents able to be at your wedding, are they still alive, and when did they pass. Eventually that will lead you to the question of “Is that what lead you to start thinking about protecting your own family so they won’t be left with a burden? Well I have some information I’d like to go over with you to show you how we might be able to help you with that.” As you’re say ing this, you’re pulling out your presentation and you’re already on page 1. This creates a seamless transition.
The Main Course – The Presentation
While we know Valerie and many other agents are looking for a specific number to answer the length of the presentation question, we challenge agents to pay more attention to the check points of the presentation that will give you indicators to address a topic more or move on. While buyer fatigue is a real thing and something to pay attention to, we believe that our presentation method with educating and tie down transitions can prevent this while still being efficient. So with that being said, the presentation length should be as long as it takes for the client to be educated.
However, the presentation length is more of a set number than CORE but it depends on the trust and credibility you’ve built. If you did a good job in the beginning of the sit, then you’ll be able to move the presentation and educate them and have them locked in to what you’re saying and you can help them understand and teach them. If you didn’t establish a connection and credibility, the client is more likely to be reluctant and challenge you and give objections.
Another thing to remember is the client base we serve is generally an older population that may be hard of hearing or slower to process what we’re saying. Be mindful of how fast you talk. We’ve also found that visuals and lists in a short 7-10 page presentation can help them understand what you’re saying in smaller, bite-sized chunks without overwhelming them with information.
One thing that agents may run into while giving their presentation is a moment of “realness” where your client shares an emotional or traumatic experience with you. For example, when you’re discussing why people request information on final expense plans and they reveal a recent death of a family member who didn’t have coverage that they are still paying for. To continue in your presentation because you’re trying to stick to a presentation length is inappropriate. Take a moment and pause there to have a dialogue about that experience, the impact on their family, and how they’re coping. Remember, we’re not just salesmen and women – we’re difference makers. Then you can address if that’s a concern they have for their family which builds a need and want that you can make sure is fulfilled by a policy that protects their family. There is structure to a presentation but there is also flexibility because we are humans serving other humans.
The Transition of Tie-downs
A tie-down is a positive statement followed by an affirmative response question. This allows us to take their emotions that they’ve shared with us and we help them put them into words. The psychology behind this is to make sure people are coming with you throughout the process so you are securing the information together. This moves you from sales to partnership where you are serving as an advisor who is helping them get the best product based on their desires.
Tie-downs serve as temperature checks along the sales process to make sure that everything is normative. Think of yourself as a guide on a hike or in a tour that stops along the way to make sure the entire group is staying together and is understanding. Similarly, each tie-down serves as a stake that secures a tent to the ground so that when a gust of wind comes (or an objection) the entire tent doesn’t blow away. Worst case scenario, you just have to re-secure one of the stakes and then you can continue on setting up the tent.
This practice prevents objection’s at the end like “We need to think about it” or “We need to check our budget” or “Can you leave a business card?”. For example, “I’m assuming Mr. Smith that the reason you filled out this request was your concern for your family after experiencing the burden from your brother’s death and you don’t want that to happen to your family. Is that right? {Correct} So if I can find you something affordable then, I’m assuming you would want to at least apply for that to see if we can get you covered.” These confirmations give you the positive temperature checks you need to move forward with the client’s permission.
When we step back and evaluate why we as agents are there to begin with (because someone has a need to protect their family), we can keep our focus on keeping the client’s understanding and engagement at the forefront. At the end of the day, we’re not trying to get the most sits we can in a day. That doesn’t help our clients and it doesn’t help us. The number we’re tracking is applications because that’s families covered and deposits in our bank account that support our family. By taking the temperature checks and doing the tie-downs, we are more likely to close each presentation and make the most difference.
Tie-downs will also give you early warning signs of objections and concerns from the client that you can address in that moment. Zig Ziglar teaches that people don’t buy because they don’t have enough information. With tie-downs, you uncover the areas of information you need to review more to make sure the client feels comfortable to move forward with confidence. When our team gives a presentation, we don’t move to the next page in our printed out collateral until we know that the client is with us because they’ve responded positively to a tie-down.
Tom Hopkins wrote a book called Low Profile Selling – Act Like a Lamb, Sell Like a Lion (Audiobook / Hardcover) that encompasses the idea of the micro-agreements. The goal with tie-downs is to get multiple small yes’s that add up to a big yes. It’s much easier to address a small no than a final no when it’s often too late to recover.
Dessert – The Final Transitions
Once you have an idea of the product and carrier you’re going to apply for, the transition to get the sale is not a question. It’s a nonverbal micro-agreement of going ahead and filling out the application. Your credibility and trust increases when you act like you know what you’re doing (which you do!). You know the next step is to fill out the app so take control and start the process rather than asking for permission. Solve the problem that they are needing you to take care of and assume the sale.
However, once you get the app, you’re not immediately leaving as this would break the trust that you’ve spent all this time building. Bring them back down slowly to prevent buyers remorse or doubtful family members or feelings of bamboozlement. Take the time when you finish after you put your things away to return to some of the items you built in CORE or upcoming events. You’re talking about anything and everything other than insurance to remind them that you’re still human and can still be trusted. You want to make sure you have a relationship with them before you leave because that’s what maintains your persistency but also creates opportunities for referrals! Remember, if you don’t get a good dessert after a great meal, you’re probably stopping somewhere else on the way home. Make sure they have no reason to stop!
Final Thoughts
For the “C” personality types that have been waiting this whole time for a concrete time, here’s some averages from the guys:
- Zach: “The biggest factor is whether there’s one person or two. On average, it’s 1.5 hours to 2 hours from knocking on the door to leaving.”
- Chris: “I would agree but when I was in the friend zone, there were times I would get caught up in just hanging out with people… I like the human connection…it’s the best part of this job.”
- Roger: “Ultimately I have done presentations and written applications in 30 minutes and I’ve also been in the home for 4 hours. It varies…whatever it takes to get the job done but do the best you can with what you have.”
Make sure to review your numbers – if you’re seeing that you’re in the home for most of your day with some or no apps OR you had 7 or 8 sits within a short amount of time, you may need to adjust your approach. Either way, review your activity, evaluate your sits, and “check yourself before you wreck yourself.”
Next Steps
Sidenotes:
- Many of our team members including Chris have made the transition back to the field and face-to-face sales with clients. One thing we’ve noticed is that people receptive to seeing people again and are even ready to shake hands.
- Chris got a haircut after 3 months and is looking great!
- Speaking of transitions, do you think Bane transitioned to Immortan Joe who transitioned to Darth Vader. Liberty Bankers Life probably would have covered them.