You start selling yourself the moment your client sets eyes on you. Make sure you look dressed for the part. You never get a second chance at making a first impression. We all have bad hair days. Look in the mirror and honestly ask yourself if, as a senior, you would do business with yourself. Consider the values that generation has. Some of these things may seem common sense, but we have witnessed these sorts of things with agents. That is why we have this section. It may seem silly to have to go over this, but we want you to be prepared.
- Your appearance
- Make sure your hair is clean and styled. Keep it washed and not stringy looking. Get a hair cut on a regular basis. No one wants to meet with a Yeti.
- Make sure your clothes are appropriate
- Don’t have food stains on your clothes
- Do your clothes look like they just came out of the hamper? Make sure they are not wrinkled.
- Make sure they don’t reveal too much. You don’t want your cleavage to be the thing that your client keeps looking at. Likewise, if you are female, don’t have a skirt or dress that is too short. Make sure when you sit down that is long enough to not show your underwear or higher on your thigh.
- Are your clothes too tight? If so, invest in ones that fit properly
- Make sure your clothes are not too old. Are they fraying, pilled looking? If so, get some new ones.
- It is ok to have just a few outfits you rotate around when you are meeting clients. You don’t have upgrade your whole wardrobe, but make sure you have some nice outfits to wear when you are meeting with clients.
- You don’t have to dress in a suit or dress or skirt, but make sure you look professional. Business casual is good. Khakis, polo shirt, dress pants, nice top. Wear what you would if you were going to an interview. After all, you are interviewing to be their agent. Never wear sweat pants or a T-shirt unless your client is expecting you to be casual like that.
- If you have piercings or tattoos, make sure they are not visible. Remember the demographic that is your client. For the most part, they are more conservative than the younger people. Whereas grandma may now have tattoos, you should keep in mind that it may turn some people off.
- You want to be a chameleon. Blend in and mirror your client. Dress the way that they do.
- Make sure you don’t smell.
- If you think you may have bad breath, then you do. Pop a mint or piece of gum before you sit face to face with someone.
- Make sure you don’t have body odor. Some people are nose blind to their own smell. Make sure you bathe and use deodorant if necessary.
- Make sure your clothes are clean. If you are a smoker, your clothes will retain a smokey smell. Be aware of that, but don’t drowned it in perfume.
- Don’t use too much perfume or cologne. I have had clients come into my office and stink the whole thing up. If you use perfume or cologne, a little will go a long way.
- People will see your hands a lot as you are talking and pointing things out. Make sure under your nails is clean. If you bite your nails, stop it. No one wants to look at gnawed on fingers. Invest in a manicure (yes even you men) every so often.
- Be approachable looking and acting. Look like someone they would want to introduce to their friends.
- Exhibit confidence.
- Remember that you know more than your client does.
- You know what you are talking about. Act like it.
- Clients come to you because they don’t know what to do. They are trusting you to take care of their insurance needs.
- Never make someone feel stupid for the questions the ask. When they say, “I have a stupid question”, your response should be “Don’t be silly, there are no stupid questions.” People will appreciate your patience and understanding.
- If you don’t know something for sure, then don’t be afraid to tell the client, “That’s a really good question. I’m not sure about my answer, so let me research it and get back to you.” NEVER, NEVER tell them something if you are not sure.
- Research the question.
- Call agent support
- Google it.
- Get with another agent who has been doing this longer.
- Make sure you get back with the client in a timely manner. Follow up to see if they have any more questions.
- Practice your appointment script. Know what is coming next. If you have a standard script you use, practice it so that if you are thrown off course, you can comfortably come back to where you were. Our suggested script is later in this guide.
- Use a leave-behind so that you keep on track with what you want to cover. It also provides the client a reference for after the meeting. We have provided a sample for you to use.
- If you feel comfortable with the material, you will naturally have the confidence you need in an appointment.
- Some of this will come with time. Remember you always know more than your client.
- After you get proficient with running an appointment, or when you have 5 in a day, you can get in a rut. Always remember that this is your client’s first time hearing it. If you are tired, take a break between appointments to get your head back on track.
- Be Prepared for every appointment
- Make sure look up things ahead of time.
- We suggest you get a list of medications and doctor’s ahead of time when you are getting your scope of appointment.
- Scope of appointments are required for every sales appointment. You might think it only applies to those in person, but conference calls, Zoom meetings and virtual meetings all require a Scope of appointment in advance. If you are talking anything plan specific, you need a scope. If you don’t get it in advance, then it should be your first order of business after you introduce yourself.
- Some carriers offer electronic scope of appointments. Make sure you feel comfortable in how to use them. Be able to explain to a client how they electronically sign it. Not all clients are tech saavy.
- Research your networks, rates and formularies before you sit down with your client.
- Have an idea of what you want to present, but listen to the client and be prepared to make changes to what you think they want based on questions you ask.
- This keeps the appointment flowing and shows that you are efficient and prepared.
- Clients will throw you curve balls. They will forget a doctor or a medication. It’s ok. Relax and regroup as necessary.
- We have had appointments where you thought you understood what the client wanted and part way through you realize you misunderstood. If it will take more time than you have to readjust and get the info ready you need, don’t feel pressured to continue the appointment. It is ok to reschedule so you feel confident and prepared. It may take you 20 minutes to get back on track. If you think the client can wait then do, but if not, reschedule. You won’t look bad in your client’s eyes. They will respect that you don’t want to waste their time.
- Have your brochures marked up or highlighted ahead of time.
- Have your PDP or MAPD printout ready and marked up appropriately. This will be covered more in later modules.
- Practice filling out each application so that you don’t bumble through it while with a client. Know all the places they need to sign. One missed signature out of ten will cause the application to pend longer.
- Make sure you feel comfortable with the electronic applications. Know which ones require and internet connection and which ones don’t. Some carriers have “Sand Boxes” where you can enter the applications in a practice mode.
- Be able to explain what they are signing. Not all, but a few clients will want to read the applications disclosures. As we have clients sign the papers, we explain as they are signing what it is they are signing. This will be covered more in the appointment script.
- Keep a copy of a correctly filled out application for reference. We are more than happy to grade your application and let you know what you need to change.
- If you don’t know how to answer a particular question, call Agent Services.
- Make sure look up things ahead of time.
- Sell compliantly. This is a must.
- Even if you have honest intentions, there are points you must touch on for every product in order to be fully compliant.
- Create an appointment checklist and a fillable client-take-home sheet that details things specific to them.
- Create a take-home packet that expands on those compliance points like the deductibles, potential for plan changes, the donut hole, etc.
- Make a copy of the fillable sheet that outlines the plans they are enrolling in. This is for your own protection. If you ever get a sales allegation, you have proof of what you talked about. It can save you tons of time and agony if you can produce that document.
- The repercussions of noncompliance can be severe and can result in losing your appointment with a carrier or your license all together. Some disciplinary action may include:
- Loss of appointment with a carrier
- Loss of state license to sell, which means you will lose your appointments with ALL carriers. This license revocation can last your entire life.
- Commissions can be withheld or terminated immediately. You are 100% commission based. This is a big deal.
- Fines, financial penalties and lawsuits. Either way, you will pay.
- If you get an allegation, respond quickly to it and shower them with the documentation you have on the appointment. Documentation will save your skin.
- You want to avoid damage to a client’s coverage. Doing the wrong thing, intentional or by honest ignorance, can impact someone’s coverage for the rest of their life. With great power comes great responsibility. We can significantly help people by being a local insurance agent. If you have any doubt as to what you are recommending is appropriate, please ask another agent or us. We are here to help you learn the business. What we do it not rocket science, but it does have its nuances.
- Avoid damage to your reputation. In time, all of your business will come from word-of-mouth referrals. Consequently, if someone thinks you wronged them, they will tell people, as well. The word is that if someone is unhappy, they will tell 7-10 people. If they are happy, they will tell 3-4. What we have found that is if people are happy with you, they will tell everyone you know.
- Your integrity is the most important quality you have. Always be honest with your client. If what you have to offer is not the best for them, tell them so. They will appreciate your honesty and will recommend you even more.
- Try to avoid personal failure. Working closely with people has its ups and downs. You will have ups and downs within yourself, too. Suffering from an honest mistake can make you feel bad. Making sure you are covering all your bases helps prevent mistakes or missing things. You can’t please all the people all the time. Some people are just hard to work with. Clients will be frustrated and take it out on you. Don’t take things personally. You need to be like a duck. You just let bad things roll off your back. Learn from your mistakes, but if it is not your fault, don’t let it ruin your day.
- ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING. Integrity is doing the right thing even if no one is looking.
- Your first order of business is to NEVER DO HARM.