Engaging Prospects During COVID-19

It’s not the dog in the fight; it’s the fight in the dog. Are you ready for the fight?

And what fight is that? It’s the fight for the buyer’s mind.

Most buyers are very confused right now. For that matter, all of us are. It’s the buyer’s confusion that is your open door. And, here is a fact.

Every day, despite a quarantine order, despite social distancing, despite a full moon, quarter moon, or no moon — insurance is still being purchased. Renewals are happening every single day. And you are either in that conversation, or you are running from it.

If you’re a sharp and knowledgeable agent, you should be looking at this as a rescue mission. You are rescuing buyers who need help. In too many cases, buyers are with a friendly, professional, but reactive agent who has been milking this commission cow for years.

Relationship Be Damned

It’s not about the relationship. It’s about quality. It’s about predictability. It’s about control. Buyers want quality, predictability and control. Those agents who are supplying that are in a high position. Those who are not are vulnerable, and shouldn’t they be?

Isn’t this Darwinism at its highest calling? If so, it’s time for you and any other survivors of this malady to adapt.

You have to keep prospecting. You have to learn to sell virtually. That is the real topic of this article. Adapt, so you don’t descend into a place you don’t want to be.

From Cold Call to Virtual Sales Call

Phones still work. Yes, buyers have some difficult challenges they need to deal with, and you might be thinking it’s not insurance. This couldn’t be less true.

Now, as much as any time in history, insurance could be the saving grace. You need to find your angle and present it to your buyer. Engage them in a conversation about survival and what-if. Prepare yourself to help.

So, when you are making your calls, sending emails, engaging your prospects, it should never be the same amateur messages that others have been spewing on them since the beginning of their buying career. This is embedded in deep thought.

Here is my suggestion. Put on the hat of the buyer. Please, do your best to be them right now.

When you do, get out your yellow pad and make a list of all the things that are confusing them right now in this dark time. Get real about the issues they are facing. And with that list, determine which, if any, you can assist them with by providing timely information and great counsel. Think like a buyer’s coach, not a born salesman/woman.

Buyer’s Coach

If you were a successful high school football or basketball coach, you would be doing all you could to help your athlete have the best career in sports that they can. You would see your athlete as someone who needed your help, not as someone you had to sell something to. As you analyze your athlete, you are looking at their talents, capabilities and skills, and considering ways to help them improve.

A buyer’s coach has the same attitude and mindset. Analyze your buyer’s situation, skills, capabilities and talents, and find the gap so you can help them have the best, most predictable position possible.

When you look at your buyers like a buyer’s coach, it will fill your mind with things you can do to bring a new and different level of value to your buyer. With that, you pick up the phone and make that dial. Don’t hesitate.

It’s not insensitive to reach out to help, to empathize and provide a service. Engage with the buyer, and some will want to talk further because you are different. Because you are bringing a thoughtful, meaningful conversation to the table, you will have set an appointment to speak again.

‘Adapt, so you don’t descend into a place you don’t want to be.’

Virtual Sales Call

I’ve been making virtual sales calls for over 25 years. It started with just the telephone and has progressed to using tools like Zoom or Gotomeeting. I’ve added the ability to write and draw as the buyer talks. You can do this, too. I highly recommend you do this.

Think of your office like a virtual studio. You don’t need much room. You have a webcam. Consider your background, the lighting on your face, and the quality of your audio.

I bought a high-quality microphone a couple of years ago to do podcasts. You don’t need anything this fancy, but you do need a quality device that is easy to talk with and has stable output.

In the background of my office are shelves. My books stay neatly organized, and I have a poster up with my branding on it.

• I want my buyers to see that I am prepared, not a makeshift accident.
• You can do this, too. This is your studio, your brand, your image and your professionalism on stage.
• Is selling virtually any different than selling face to face? Believe it or not, some aspects are actually more manageable.
• You can lay your questions out on your desk and follow a logical progression of thought.
• You can take notes while your buyer is talking, and they see their words written on the screen.
• You can show your proven process for helping them take control of their situation using your graphics.
• You can build your service timeline on the spot and have them agree that’s what they want.
• Being virtual can be more natural if you prepare yourself.

Surviving This ‘Hurricane’

If you lived on the coast and you knew a hurricane was coming your way, you’d board up your house and take your family inland to protect them. Consider this a hurricane of a different breed. It’s going to last not just days, but potentially months. The best way you can protect yourself and your family is to get to work.

Be the best version of yourself that you can be. Push your boundaries. Think differently, act differently, do differently.

If you do, you will be a survivor. If you don’t, your future as an insurance agent becomes significantly less predictable.

Good luck and stay safe!