Online insurance shopping is surging. The 2020 Insurance Barometer Study from LIMRA found that online purchasing for life insurance spiked from 17% in 2011 to 29% in 2020.
Consumers are going online for disability insurance, too, both to purchase and to research. For many consumers, one of the first steps involves getting a disability insurance quote. You can offer this – but so can many other insurance agents. So the question is – how do you stand out?
Everyone Says They’re the Best
You might say you offer the best disability insurance products. You might say you really care about your clients. Guess what? Everyone else is saying that, too.
In insurance, there’s not much differentiation in the products and services you’re selling, especially when there are multiple agents representing the same carriers.
Just saying that you’re the best isn’t enough. You need to show that you’re the best by wowing clients with the “YOU” Factor.
Build the YOU Factor
Your unique brand and everything that goes into it – your personality, credibility and likability – is what sets you apart from the competition. People want to buy disability insurance from agents they like, plain and simple.
Use your website and social media feed to show off your personality. Be professional and helpful, but also be YOU. According to Small Business Trends, a survey found that 57.5% of customers would buy from brands with strong personalities on social media. Additionally, 13.1% of people prefer a professional tone, 13.1% prefer a fun or quirky tone, and 21.4% prefer a tone that’s a combination of professional, fun/quirky and sarcastic.
Put Thought into Your Follow-Up
One of the most effective ways to be more likable is to master one simple and crucial, but often neglected element of insurance sales: the follow-up.
So many insurance agents either neglect it or do it poorly, so you can stand out as someone who is genuinely interested in building relationships, not just selling insurance, by putting some thought and effort into your follow-up.
You can’t mechanically and insincerely go through a list of prospects just to make your quota of calls and disability insurance quotes. Each contact needs to be a thoughtful and focused effort to lead the prospect to the next step in the decision process. While you’re providing competitive disability insurance quotes, take every opportunity to build another level of trust.
The first time you meet or speak with a prospect, gather all the information you can about their motivators and what it’ll take to close the deal. Armed with that knowledge, you can tailor all subsequent follow-up. Send them timely and usable information, for instance. Always give them a reason for the follow up that provides the next step in the DI sales process.
Don’t Give Up
Disability insurance sales usually happen in a series of steps and over a period of time. Consumers today are more cost-conscious than ever, and they want to know they’re getting real value before they make a big purchase, especially in this uncertain economy. So you can’t rush the follow-up. It’s a relationship building process – and you might need to go through the process several times before you seal the deal.
If you’re giving up after four or five contacts, you’re wasting much of the time and energy you’ve invested in generating leads, prospecting and making their DI sales presentations. And you’re leaving money on the table.
Don’t Drop the Ball After the Sale
Follow-up isn’t just vital to the DI sales process. It’s also vital to the long-term relationship building process once those prospects have become your customers. One of the biggest mistakes insurance agents make is not consistently following up with their regular customers after the sale. Staying in touch throughout the policy period is crucial because it sends a message to your clients that you care about more than just collecting a premium.
As an insurance agent, the product you’re selling isn’t always distinct. But you are. Many others can easily sell insurance, but no one can ever emulate or improve on the knowledge and experience you bring to the equation. Make sure your prospects and customers know about your unique value by demonstrating it every time you follow up. Do it regularly and do it right, and you can easily boost your likability factor a notch or two. And that’s always good for disability insurance quote success.
Need disability insurance sales tools? You’ll find everything you need here.