Friday afternoon, I got a call from an agent who had been a career agent with a major insurance company and had decided to go independent several months ago. He called me for some help because in the past month he had purchased 200 life insurance leads and wasn't happy with the results. From those 200 leads he had only set about 5 appointments per week (23 appointments for the month); actually met with only 2 of those people each week (10 fact finds for the month); and closed 1 sale per week (4 sales for the month). And, he wanted to know where he could buy more and better leads.



As we talked, he told me that the majority of the leads only wanted him to send them a quote. Some of them had health problems. And, over half of the appointments he set, had cancelled their appointments, or were ‘no shows'.

It's a very typical call that I get several times a week from agents. Whether they are buying leads; using direct mail, newspaper ads or dinner seminars to generate leads; they are only getting a 10% to15% appointment rate from their leads. And, they have a lot of fallout from the appointments they set. Just about every agent I talk to wants to blame the quality of their leads for their lack of appointments!

How To Quickly Increase Your Appointments

First, in case you don't know it, nobody wants to meet with a ‘pushy' sales person, even when they know they need and want the product or service you are offering! They are all afraid they'll be pushed into buying something they don't need or want. Or, they are afraid they will be pushed into spending more money than they want to spend! Second, most prospects make the assumption that all insurance policies are pretty much alike, so to them it makes perfect sense to just pick the least expensive one. That's why they'll give you objections to the appointment, like… “I'm too busy right now!” “We don't have the money!” “I just want the cheapest policy!” “Just send me a quote?” These objections are a natural part of the selling process, and they are really just an opportunity for you to help people to see how valuable your service is.

If you want to set more and better sales appointments, then you'll have to learn how to get past the typical objections to the appointment! You must focus on helping your prospects to see the problems they face and then help them to see how they'll benefit by meeting with you. You must be able to differentiate yourself from the rest of the agents who are calling them. And, it's not going to happen by focusing on your products, price, investment returns or your credentials. You must help your prospects to see ‘why' they should meet with you. If your prospect does not see they have a problem, or truly understand the depth of their problem, then why should they waste their time meeting with you?

Example:

Objection… “I'm too busy right now! Can you just send me a quote?”

Agents Response… “Mr. Prospect, I think I understand. We are all busy, and no one wants to meet with a pushy sales person, right? And, I could send you a quote. However, am I correct in assuming you want the best value for your dollar?

Prospect… “That's Correct.”

Agent… Mr. Prospect, I'm a little different from most of the other agents you'll meet. I want to help you and make sure you get the best policy for you and your family. There are literally hundreds of companies and policies for you to choose from, with all sorts of options. And, without knowing the details of your situation, I'm not sure what's the best value for you, or what you'll actually qualify for. So, if I could, I would like to meet with you and your spouse, in person, to go over your options, to make sure you get the best policy and value for your situation. Does that make sense?

Prospect… “I guess so.”

Agent… “Mr. Prospect, if I could show you how to get the policy you need and want to protect your family, without taking any additional money out of your pocket, or changing your current life style, would it be worth 20 minutes of your time to get together and talk about it?”

Prospect… “OK.”

Agent… “What's the best day for us to meet?”

Overcoming the objection to the appointment is your… first sale to the prospect! And, it requires you to learn a presentation, just like you do for any sales call. You wouldn't go into a sales appointment unprepared, would you?

What you'll want to do is write down the most common objections you hear, on the phone and in person. Then, you'll want to think about what you will say to overcome those objections and write them down. You'll want to practice them; know them by heart; and learn them so well that you never have to think about them while you're trying to set the appointment. And, they will just become second nature. By doing this, you are prepared to sell the appointment, which gives you a better chance of setting the appointment.

When you know what to say to sell the appointment, you practice it and you get good at it, you can set appointments with ‘9 out of 10' of the leads you get. Remember, the reason these people responded to your letter, ad or invitation is because they are interested in and want more information about your product or service.

If you want to set an appointment, then you just have to give them a good reason to choose you!