This past weekend I sat quietly in my living room as I watched my husband go from ecstatic to defeated within minutes. He went from cheering at the tops of his lungs and screaming with joy, to cursing loudly and locking himself into our bedroom so he could be alone. You see, my husband is a Packers fan. And as all of you football-loving readers know, the Green Bay Packers lost the NFC Championship Game to the Seattle Seahawks in the comeback game of the season.
As the wife of a dedicated Packers fan, I probably shouldn’t be writing this blog, but I think there are quite a few things the Seahawks can teach insurance professionals, especially in regard to selling disability insurance.
Here are 5 things the Seahawks can teach you about selling DI.
- You should always be looking for opportunities. While my husband would join the masses in saying the Packers would have won the game had Brandon Bostick not gotten in Jordy Nelson’s way, I’d argue that Chris Matthews’s readiness and instinct is what turned the game around. It’s one thing for someone else to mess up, but if you’re not preparing for and searching out those opportunities to swoop in and make your move, you’re missing out. There are plenty of consumers out there whose agents are failing them, but if you’re not consistently looking for ways to find them or meet their needs, you’re missing your opportunity.
- Despite however many turnovers you commit, it only takes one good pass for the game to turn around. Russell Wilson didn’t have the best performance, plagued by turnover after turnover throughout much of the game. But with only minutes to spare, he threw several game winning passes. You might have a few declines here and there, but it only takes one approved as applied to help you get your momentum back.
- Some relationships improve with time. Sure, Russell Wilson and Jermaine Kearse had some trouble connecting for most of the game (four interceptions…eek!), but that didn’t stop Wilson from continuing to throw to Kearse, which resulted in a game-winning touchdown. The same concept applies to agents and insurance carriers. Just because a few of your clients didn’t receive acceptable quotes from an insurance carrier, doesn’t mean you should stop quoting them. The fifth time is sometimes the charm.
- Your fans have your back. They call themselves The 12th Man for a reason. They’re the extra player who’s behind the scenes making an impact. All insurance agents who work with DIS have a 12th Man. From the moment you pick up the phone for a quote, until the moment you retire from selling DI, you have proposal specialists, underwriting case managers and marketers on your side, cheering you on, hoping you succeed. They offer literal, as well as moral, support to ensure you always come out with a win.
- The better team doesn’t always win. Okay, so I’m sure Seahawks fans didn’t like that comment, but as a Packers-fan-by-marriage, I have to make this one point (for the sake of my marriage of course). Many would argue that the Packers played the better game and should have won. But they didn’t. The Seahawks might not have played as well, but they persevered and won. Sometimes, in the insurance world, you don’t know everything you should to make a sale. But that doesn’t mean you should give up and not try. Just because you’re not a master of a product or the most-well known agent, it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. Even if you’re down, you still have the opportunity to win.
Moral of the story/game/Seahawks: Never give up.
As Russell Wilson said, “The will and drive of these men is unbelievable. We always find a way to finish.” As someone who’s heard thousands of phone calls between our agents and our sales and underwriting teams, let me tell you something. The agents with the will and the drive are the agents who succeed. If your client’s application comes back approved other than applied, ask if something else can be done for your client. Or, if need be, ask DIS to jump on a call with you to help you make the sale. Until that policy is signed, the game isn’t over.
Need some DI sales conditioning? Start by downloading two new DI resources: 3 Secret Questions to Unlock Your Sales Destiny and Stealthy Moves for Faster Case Approvals.