When working your leads it can be easy to let yourself get into a rut with your sales pitch, believing that your current method is “good enough”, instead of continually working to improve your approach. Even if you are pulling decent numbers, your technique can always stand some scrutiny, even if it’s just to tighten the screws and make sure you’re working at your best level.

First, let’s examine how you approach first contact over the phone with your prospect. Do you spend your time following up on qualifying questions, or outlining the plan rates that you can offer?

An insurance sale is a highly competitive career with many agents scrambling for their share of the market. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the industry, agents must work fast to make their pitch, and this pressure can add up to unintended missteps that can actually cost them a sale. Here are several of the most common pitfalls agents face, and advice on how to avoid getting caught in the trap.

New agents are often told that the best way to build rapport with prospects is by asking open-ended questions that will encourage a dialogue and get to the heart of what they are looking for in an insurance package. However, by only sticking with this one form of communication they are limiting the avenues available to them when speaking with their leads. By focusing not just on open-ended questions, but also building their confidence in the use of imperative statements, agents will have more resources in their communication toolbox when approaching new clients.

With so many health insurance agents on the market today competing for the same customers, there are bound to be sales people offering packages priced lower than you can afford to go on your products. So how can you show the value of your wares, and avoiding losing out to these bargain basement offers? Here are several great tips on defending your price and building value in the eyes of your leads.

Meeting with a client for the first time can be difficult on the nerves—there is pressure not only to make an excellent first impression, but also be at your best sales-wise so that you can seal the deal.  So how do you get past the stress and focus on the actual sale? Here are a few simple strategies to help you on your way.

When speaking to new leads, you always want to emphasize your excellent products, exceptional customer service, and the value they will receive if they purchase from you instead of the competition. But if this is as far as it goes, you may be missing out on advertising one of the most attractive features you can offer to a prospective client: ease.

Ask yourself—if you were a client listening to your pitch, do you come across as an agent who will require lots of paperwork, number crunching, and boring, long-winded phone calls, or is a few quick clicks of a mouse and an offer to walk through their policy with them more your style?

When starting out in sales, new agents are often encouraged to take a friendly approach with prospects, chatting about their specific insurance needs and lending a sympathetic ear to their concerns. This is great advice to build rapport and strengthen relationships, however, there is a certain amount of finesse required to ensure that your approach feels genuine and doesn’t actually turn clients away.

Your leads are a savvy bunch, and if you’re acting familiar before earning the right, every word out of your mouth is going to raise red flags and be scrutinized for sincerity.  This is the kiss of death as a sales agent because no buyer in their right mind is going to trust something as important as their health insurance coverage to someone who appears to be shifty and disingenuous.

Today, advances in technology make it easier than ever for prospects to screen their calls and avoid speaking to anyone other than their close friends and family. For a sales agent to get through to an actual lead is often a lucky break, considering the newfound vigilance against telemarketing means fewer and fewer  people willing to pick up for an unknown number.

From leaving voicemails to emails, tracking down prospects can seem like a full-time job all on its own, and once you finally get someone on the line, there’s no guarantee that you will get even the most basic civility as you prepare to pitch your product. This can be an exhausting way to spend your days, and a real blow to both personal and office morale.

While working leads and keeping a pipeline of prospects on the horizon may seem like the ideal path toward sales success, equally important is taking the time to earn the loyalty of your current clients so that they will stick with you through the long haul.

If you develop trusting, loyal relationships with your customers they are more likely to choose you when they are ready to reexamine their current coverage, or change things up due to health and lifestyle shifts. Following the 80/20 rule of sales states, as much as 80 per cent of your current business may come from loyal clients and families.

When you feel your work slipping and stress levels rising, it’s time to review your routine and see where changes can be made. By focusing on a few easy tasks to transform up your normal work habits, you will soon recapture your motivation and get back in the game.