— 6 Surefire steps that turn leads into applications —

— 6 Surefire steps that turn leads into applications —

I just got off the phone with a client letting him know he was approved.

Good news right?

Well…kind of.

The only problem is he doesn’t have the money yet.

But I already knew that.

I knew he wasn’t going to be able to fund the plan until the end of the month, so this was just a call to further the sale. In fact, on this call we went over allocation options and increased the death benefit a little…but I knew we weren’t going to fund the policy today.

The reason I knew is because I always spend a great deal of time; in fact, the majority of my time working with the prospect is spent on the decision step.

We’ve seen more deals go to die in decision than any other area of the sales process. This is especially true when selling virtually (which is our main focus).

I’ve spent many hours role playing, scripting, and training agents on this concept because it is so VITALLY important.

There are multiple layers to the decision step that every successful agent needs to be aware of.Some of these are easy no brainers, some are so difficult you have to be a master closer to get it done right. The first couple are easy and should be covered but aren’t usually what causes a deal to die.

What: (Easy) “What” is the decision that will be made? In our case, it’s whether to proceed and take the application or not. After that, it’s whether to accept the insurance company’s offer and get the policy in force. When: (Easy) This is where you make sure to understand the prospect’s timeline. In the case I just got approved, I went through this process so my expectations are in line with his. When he gets

— 6 Surefire steps that turn leads into applications —

his bonus at the end of the month, we’ll get the policy started. If I hadn’t covered this I would have been expecting to get the policy started this week, and would have been disappointed when it didn’t happen, or pushing him unnecessarily.

Where: (Again, easy) “We’re going to take the app on the next appointment…” Or, when they come into the office.

Why: This should be abundantly clear throughout the sales process. If you and they don’t know why, then you’ve failed miserably at the sales process. Everyone should now what problems we’re trying to solve early and often through the process.

How: This is where it gets a bit more complicated. “How are they going to make this decision?” Asking questions like “Last time you made a decision like this, what process did you go through?” can be very helpful.

Understanding their DISC profile will also help you know what they are likely to need to see in order to pull the trigger. S’s & C’s will want to ask 1000 questions, and see all the details; D’s & I’s will want to feel good about their decision and will likely move more quickly.

This is also where the decision matrix can be your best friend. Many people don’t know how they should make this decision, which is why we help them create a ‘buying criteria.’ If this solution fits the 4 keys of the decision matrix, they can feel good about moving forward.

You also need to protect yourself and the prospect against the biased information they will get online.Prospects WILL do their research online…and when they do, they will find negative stuff. You need to pre-emptively address the negatives.

One way to do this is to simply use this type of scripting, “When you do your research online, you’ll undoubtedly find negative stuff on IUL’s. Of course you can find negative reviews on any product under the sun, right? Someone is always not happy. The truth is many of those reviews saying IUL is a bad deal are 100% correct…if the policy is structured wrong by an agent who doesn’t know what they are doing, or if you buy from the wrong company. So whatever you find out, just write your questions down, and I’ll be happy to answer them next time we talk, okay?”

I would NEVER get off a second appointment without having this exact conversation.

Who: Now this is where it gets ugly.

Besides the online research killing the deal, the “who” is really where you are getting killed and you may not even know it.

EVERYONE…and I mean EVERYONE is going to talk to someone about this decision.

One of the rules of our Triton Selling System is:

“Never Assume Anything…Except The Worst.”

— 6 Surefire steps that turn leads into applications —

What that means is, never assume you know what the prospect is thinking or feeling, or means, when they ask or answer a question. Always ask clarifying questions before proceeding. So don’t assume you know what they mean.

HOWEVER…you must ALWAYS ASSUME someone has come along and told your prospect something horrible about the IUL since the last time you talked to them.

Every call you have with that prospect should start with, “What concerns or questions have come up since we spoke last?” And always take the time to prepare your prospect that they WILL, in fact, hear negative things about the IUL…and that is because these people are talking about policies that are structured the wrong way.

Also assume they will talk to someone else:a spouse (even though they say they make the final decision), a CPA, a friend, family member, neighbor, insurance agent, financial advisor, pastor, teacher, or anyone else you would never imagine in the picture that arrives on the scene at exactly the right time to tell them this is a horrible decision and they are wasting their time and money, and getting ripped off.

This is where the winners are sifted from the losers in this process. This is a zero sum game. There is serious money on the line here: your livelihood, your income and your financial future.

And to treat this part of the decision process with anything other than the CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE that it deserves is malpractice.

People are intentionally trying to take food off YOUR table. They are dishonest. They are biased, and they are stealing sales if you let them.

Take the time to walk them through the scenarios that they will face when talking with their associates. Assume they will get negative information and ask the tough questions.

“What do we do if your CPA tells you this is a bad idea?”

Like a sleuth, walk them through why that might get biased advice, and help them see why they need to make up their own mind about this, rather than letting someone else, who is completely unqualified, give them advice to determine their financial future.

This is not JV football. This is the NFL!

X

— 6 Surefire steps that turn leads into applications —

This is so critical. Address this on each call. Make sure they are prepared for the negative attacks, and help them come to the decision on their own, so even when someone does attack the product they are defending it.

I can’t impart anything of more value than this right now. It’s crucial that you get this right, and when you do, sales will fall into your lap like manna from heaven and you’ll wonder how it all happened so easily.

In fact I felt that this was so important that in our training site for our Elite Program members we prepared an immersive 90 minute session on the exact scripting to use with each of the decision steps and scenarios, how to pre-emptively strike objections we know are coming and the exact scripting to use with a CPA, Financial Advisor, Insurance Agent, or family member.

If you take this just as seriously you can close more cases and gain greater freedom and independence in your practice (which is always our goal).

To your freedom and independence,

Brett Kitchen, Bestselling AuthorWealth Beyond Wall Streetwww.EliteLeadsEliteAdvisors.com

Learn more about our Elite Program in this short video:http://eliteleadseliteadvisors.com/detailsvideo.php