When I give a workshop or a talk to a group of agents, I always ask how many of them sell insurance for a living. About 25 percent will always raise their hands. I tell them, "If you sell insurance, you'll have a hard time being successful because NO ONE WANTS TO BUY INSURANCE!"
No one likes buying insurance. Not home, car, life, health, or disability insurance... They only want what is covered by their insurance. They only want what's good for them. Believe me, if there was another way for people to get the benefits they wanted, they would do it. So, it will be hard to do well if you "sell insurance." On the other hand, it's a different story if you help people for a living. You might say that the difference is just a matter of words, but there are important differences between focusing on sales and focusing on helping.
This difference affects pretty much everything and how a person does it. If they are focused on sales, they are focused on making sales. From the first contact to the presentation to the close and the follow-up, everything is done with sales in mind. Marketing, contacting, presenting, and following up are all done from the point of view of the product and/or the company. On the other hand, someone who is focused on helping rather than selling will know that the service they provide (helping) is what matters, and the insurance they sell is just a way to get to the solution they create.
I'll show you what I mean. Here's how a person who wants to make sales gets in touch: "I work for the ABC Insurance Company, and my name is Bob Smith. We have everything you need to meet your needs. I'd like to set up a time to show you our products and talk to you about how they can help you." The whole exchange is geared toward selling their insurance products. On the other hand, someone who wants to help makes contact this way: "Ms. Jones, my name is Sue Smith, and I help people protect their assets, keep their employees from leaving, and get a better handle on their finances. Does that sound interesting to you?" They know that they are a professional who can help, not a salesperson who is trying to sell something.
There are a lot of other differences between a professional, helpful approach and a sales approach, and they are all important. Pros help rather than try to sell. They don't have customers or policyholders. Instead, they have clients. They focus on building relationships instead of making deals. Instead of making sales, they offer solutions. They bring in customers instead of trying to find them. Instead of being sold, people buy from them. They look for ways to work together instead of ways to beat each other. Think about what these differences could mean. People usually do business with people they like, and people like people who help them. You've probably heard the phrase "trusted advisor." We're talking about these things. It happens when you switch from trying to sell to trying to help. Imagine that your customers are eager to tell their friends about you.
When you act like a professional and take the attention away from the products, guess who gets the attention? You! Clients buy the service you provide. You become valuable. You become a resource. You get good at something. Clients don't look to their insurance policies for answers; they look to you. One of the hardest parts of getting to this point of view is figuring out what makes you different so you can tell your prospects and clients about it. I often help my clients figure out what they want to do and what their unique strengths are so that their marketing and leadership work well. We tend to play down our strengths, especially if they come easy to us. This is an interesting problem. We tend to take our abilities for granted and think that everyone has the same (or better) ones. I often tell my clients to ask five people they know what makes them good at what they do. This is a very revealing task. (I would suggest asking people who aren't related to you. Ask customers, friends, and business partners.) You might be surprised by what comes out of it. I think the answers can be put into three groups. 1) You'll hear things about yourself that you and everyone else already knew, which will confirm what you already knew, 2) You'll hear things about yourself that you already knew but didn't think anyone else noticed, which will give you new ideas about what people notice and value, and 3) You'll hear things about yourself that you never knew, things that you never thought others would value. These qualities and insights are what make you different from everyone else. People do business with you because of these things. These unique qualities will help you reach out to new prospects, present your ideas, and get people to recommend you.
I've noticed that when people aren't sure what makes them different and aren't sure why they do what they do, they end up leading with their products and their company. Instead of taking the lead themselves, they rely on the strength and credibility of others. Every professional should try to build up their own credibility. That doesn't mean they have to be the best in their field, but it does mean they have to be good at their job, which is helping other people. It means trying to help in new ways. It could even mean helping in ways besides insurance. You can become a source of information or a way for people in your community to meet each other. You can give advice on other business or personal matters (other professionals are more than happy to provide you with article and insights you can pass on).
The whole point is to stop selling insurance and help people instead. People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care, which is true. When you stop focusing on selling and start focusing on helping, you'll get more clients, get more referrals, and sell more insurance. This is an interesting result. Things are good...
