5 Must-Ask Questions Every Insurance Agent Needs to Be Asking
How Insurance Agents Can Optimize Discovery Calls to Convert More Clients
Getting acquainted with a prospective client is the first step in relationship-building. This is often when insurance advisors will need to overcome any sense of hesitancy and confidently approach the process of getting to know someone new. That confidence comes easier when you’re equipped with the right types of questions to ask of a prospective client — questions that go beyond a one-word response of simply “yes” or “no”, and really help you to begin to lay the groundwork of understanding the concerns, personality, and individuality of the person you want to help.
Open-ended sales questions allow you to acquire in-depth information within a discovery call or first meeting. When the conversation is centered around the prospect, you are able to gather more of the type of details that can allow you to tailor your conversation around the insurance products that may be the best solutions for their specific situation. The right questions, asked from the very beginning, can help insurance agents understand a prospect’s product needs, budget, and willingness to buy.
Here are 5 key questions that you can incorporate into every discovery call:
1) Who else will be making decisions about your insurance products? Often, the person you’re speaking with isn’t the only one involved with the conversations about insurance. Whether it’s someone’s spouse or a business or organization’s committee, you’ll want to learn as much as possible about everyone who will be part of the discussions.
2) Aside from value, what features are you most interested in comparing? You’ll want to be efficient in how you present the best options to your clients. You don’t want to bombard a prospective client with too many options or products that don’t address a particular need that may be a critical factor in the prospect’s decision-making process.
3) Tell me about any issues or memorable experiences you’ve had in the past when shopping for an insurance product. The response that you receive can help you to immediately address the client’s trepidations or concerns. Have there been situations of coverage gaps in the past? Disappointing encounters with claims adjusters? If so, you’ll want to learn about these previous experiences as early into your relationship as possible.
4) Do you have a budget in mind? All sales professionals must wrestle with how to broach this important topic. Just remember that your goal, as an insurance advisor, is to provide value to your clients — and part of how that value is measured is determined by cost. Therefore, it’s critical that you understand your client’s budget. Don’t be shy about asking this key question. Its answer is how you will have the information that you need to be able to find and recommend the products that can offer the best value.
5) Why are you considering new insurance options now? The changes that happen in our lives are what determine our insurance needs. By getting to know the factors that led to the initial interest, you’ll be able to not only provide better recommendations for today, but also begin to assess the types of recommendations you may want to share in future conversations or during annual policy reviews. Someone whose career frequently places them in different situations or someone who is just beginning a family may be best served by frequent follow-up conversations that can address the ways in which their insurance products may need to be adjusted to accommodate the changes in their lives. By understanding the urgency of a prospect’s needs — or the root factors that are prompting their initial interest — you’ll be able to build a plan that can position you to offer both immediate value as well as a long-term strategy to support this client throughout the future.
While not all prospects will convert to clients, every discovery call or introductory meeting can be worthwhile. When you ask the right types of questions, you’ll get to know the prospect’s buying pattern, concerns about insurance, level of satisfaction with their current provider, and how you can best create a strategy for your follow-up conversations.
For more professional recommendations, customized guidance, and sales support, get to know us at GS National Insurance. GSNI is a unique FMO that empowers our partners with tools that save time, optimize processes, and help you achieve more success — faster. Schedule a demo or learn more at gsnational.com.
Sources:
· https://www.yesware.com/blog/open-ended-sales-questions
· https://quotewizard.com/marketing/resources/posts/26-sales-questions-to-ask-insurance-leads
· https://smartfinancial.com/agents/blog/questions-to-ask-auto-insurance-leads
· https://www.jebrown.net/content/408/questions-ask-when-qualifying-insurance-lead
GS National Insurance is an independently owned insurance marketing organization. We specialize in helping independent advisors increase their Health, Life, and Annuity Business. Our primary focus is the senior health insurance marketplace. We combine technology and experience to deliver high-quality service and support. Learn more at gsnational.com
