Thanksgiving is a great time to send a thank you to express your gratitude. Moreover, making thank you notes a regular part of your process could be the old-fashioned secret to making more disability insurance sales.
These days, every DI broker is searching for the next big thing in marketing. There’s a belief that technology and innovation will somehow create an easier method for selling disability insurance. While it’s true that tools like our online DI quote engine can help, I think it’s important to look backward as well as forward. How did our industry’s veterans achieve marketing success before the internet age?
Sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest difference when selling disability insurance. And studies suggest that the simple act of showing appreciation for your customers can go a long way in strengthening relationships and making those customers want to come back for more.
Want the easiest, most inexpensive way to show appreciation? Write a thank you note.
An old-fashioned, hand-written thank you note lets customers and business partners know you care. It’s unexpected since so many businesspeople have forgotten this lost art, so when you write one, you instantly make a favorable and lasting impression.
You can also halt customer attrition. According to Marketing Beat, customer loyalty is dwindling, with 41% of consumers saying they feel less loyal to brands and companies than they did just one year ago. Customers often leave in search of a better price, but happy customers are less likely to do so, and customer service can make or break a customer’s loyalty. In fact, Salesforce Research says that 75% of consumers will do business again with a company after a mistake if their customer service is excellent, and 75% of consumers say they have recommended a company based on excellent customer service.
A simple thank you note can improve your level of customer service and support customer loyalty. By reducing your customer defection rate, you can make a big difference in your firm’s bottom line.
To increase disability insurance sales, DI brokers should strive to write 10 thank you notes every day. Write a note to:
- Prospects you spoke with over the phone
- Prospects you met at industry events
- People you meet in social circles and networking events
- People who are totally unrelated to your business but may be good referral sources
Write your notes on a quality personalized notecard and be concise, yet charming. Reference the recent interaction and what you appreciated about the person you’re writing. Your note can be as simple as this:
Dear Tom,
Thank you for your time last Thursday. I enjoyed meeting you and your partners and learning more about your medical practice. Your patient scheduling strategy is quite innovative! Don’t hesitate to call me if you have questions. We welcome the opportunity to assist with your income protection strategy.
Warm regards,
Dan
Don’t launch into a sales pitch. Keep it simple and enclose your business card.
What about thank you emails when selling disability insurance?
Although not quite as personal, thank you emails can also be effective. According to Campaign Monitor, automated thank you email can result in eight times more opens and clicks and six times more revenue. Sending a thank you email is a quick way to maximize your client interactions, helping you to build relationships and ultimately increasing the chance of a sale.
Three not-to-be-missed thank you opportunities:
- The Follow Up Thank You: This is the thank you we just discussed. It is transactional in nature, designed to respond to a recent interaction. The magnitude of your “thank you” should also match the magnitude of the action the customer took. The greater the purchase or commitment someone makes, the more time, effort and money you should spend thanking them.
- The Seasonal Thank You: Besides the immediate thank you emails to prospects that have taken specific action, don’t forget to thank your current customers at regular intervals throughout the year. Thanksgiving is always a no-brainer, but go beyond national or religious holidays.
- The Surprise Thank You: Everyone loves to be thanked for no particular reason. Develop a quarterly or even monthly thank you campaign to reward repeat business and customer loyalty.
In this era of high tech, many DI brokers fail to nurture the “high touch” factor, and one of the most effective ways to do that is by practicing the simple, old-fashioned act of saying “thank you.” When your customers feel appreciated, they’re more likely to return to you, more likely to purchase, and more likely to recommend you to their family and friends.
And that’s something you can truly be thankful for.
Need more ideas for selling disability insurance? Check out our sales tools.