The Insurance Salesman

When you start your insurance career, you have faith that the insurance company is going to take you by the hand and guide you along each step of the way. That is the feeling that thousands and thousands of new agents had this year, before realizing their career was doomed. You have your own mind, and in insurance selling, you have to think on you own about your career growth.
There are only two basic ways to sell annuity, health, and life insurance. The first is the time tradition company way. Follow all the techniques the insurance company has set up identically for each new agent. This way is almost certain to benefit the insurance company you represent, and toss aside your dreams and future. The second way is to imitate the styles and traits of a prowling predator. Not only will you will survive, but rise toward leading the pack.
An animal predator who is a prowler has a distinct advantage over you. There are deeply bred endurance instincts running through the bloodlines. These are genetic factors. Insurance sales people have few genetic factors to help them exist. The training program set up by your office is set up in a "One size fits all" fashion. However if you end up like an average health and life insurance sales person you will tend to have a sub-par income. Ask yourself if you are selling insurance as a temporary job, or as a career leading to making the big bucks.
MONEY MAKING PROWLER SKILLS
Set Up A Defined Territory An animal on the loose rarely runs all over the state looking for food. Instead, it has set up boundaries within which the most productive sources lie. So many inexperienced agents are willing to run all over for a chance to make a sale. At first, you may not know how many candidates you have in your preferred driving region. If for example, your initial target will be homeowners with children at home, you can make a sincere call. A list broker can tell you what radius from your home it would take. Find out if 35,000 prospects can be located with 20 miles (or less) of your home. This then becomes your territory. REFUSE to go beyond your territory to avoid losing precious time.
Refine Your Prospect Territory Rarely does a prowling animal search its entire territory as it quickly learns where the hot spots are. Within your territory, eliminate zip codes or characteristics that right now might be out of your league. Are you more comfortable working with people making $100,000 and up a year, or would people making $40,000 to $50,000 with a newborn child make a more comfortable prospect for you. Also, look at certain occupations, maybe plumbers, roofers, and subcontractors that are within your comfort zone. Here is where a list broker can shine if you use the right one.
Knowledge of Competition This is probably one of the easiest skills to obtain, yet one of the most dreaded. When you become a skilled insurance sales person, you rarely encounter any true insurance competition. You just slip quietly around it. Look for competition, and you will be surrounded by a drove of wild stinging. Feel that you are better than any competition, NEVER mention them, and simply ignore or bypass any conversation about them. Forget how much your company may try to compare themselves to them. It is you, the agent that is the competition, period. Your prospect, after feeling you are knowledgeable and trustworthy is going to buy the plan you present by the insurance company that backs it.
Your Prospecting Methods Your company will probably be glad to provide you with a directory containing everyone in the area that is a prospect for some type of insurance product. Within there, but hidden, are the type of prospects with whom you feel most comfortable. Whether talking to, explaining your product with, or selling your plan. This is a blind map with minimal meaning. You want to make big bucks, so you have to invest a little to jump ahead quicker. For $50.00 to $70.00 per thousand, a list broker can come up with a list targeted for your specifications. Let us say homeowners employed as self-contractors earning $40,000 to $60,000 with two adults, and younger children at home. In addition, all living in the zip codes you selected. The key to prospecting is that it must be targeted to certain prospects, and must be performed on a consistent basis.
Gain a Wealth of Product Knowledge One of the greatest powers of persuasion is when your prospect feels immediately your expert knowledge in an area. Like a prowling skilled hunting animal, the prey feels trapped. Only in insurance sales, your prospect likes this, and produces a feeling of wanting to by from you. You get clients not by acting like a stumbling new agent, but by performing like an experience pro. Master two to three products as well as you possible can. Let your prospective client know this is your specialty. The big money making insurance sales people are those that typically have developed an expertise. You can do this today.