Trying to Save Senior Money on Their Monthly Premium

[Frank Stastny]

I would have told her I could take care of the refund for her(writing a letter and faxing to company), and tried to write her the day I had talked with her.

I'm just saying what I would have tried. Not saying you were wrong. You got the sale!

I'm not sure how you can write the letter for her and fax it to the company. Are you saying you would have signed her name to the letter?

When she called back she said she made her decision on the fact that I wasn't pushy or tried to rush her into making a decision. I gave her the information she needed to make a well-informed, intelligent decision.

I don't "sell" Med Supps. I educate my prospects and guide them toward the company and plan that is the best investment of their premium dollar. They end up selling themselves, all I do is write the app and submit it.

She said she is also going to recommend me to three of her friends because I wasn't "pushy" and didn't talk to her like "an insurance agent".

 

[somarco]

I wasn't pushy nor did I try to get her to cancel her other Med Supp I just gave her a little education, she did it all on her own.

I can't imagine you ever being pushy . . . unless someone says something bad about your goats.

Some folks are good at one call closes and I can do it with the best of them when I want. But it is so much easier for me (and them) when I give them enough information to let them close themselves on their time frame.

Maybe part of it is me feeling pressure to make another sale and not being patient enough to wait on their call back.

That is one of the hardest things about straight commission. When you NEED to make a sale you can't and when it doesn't matter if you get the sale or not they practically fall in your lap.

At least that is my experience.

 

[Russ]

I'm not sure how you can write the letter for her and fax it to the company. Are you saying you would have signed her name to the letter?

When she called back she said she made her decision on the fact that I wasn't pushy or tried to rush her into making a decision. I gave her the information she needed to make a well-informed, intelligent decision.

I don't "sell" Med Supps. I educate my prospects and guide them toward the company and plan that is the best investment of their premium dollar. They end up selling themselves, all I do is write the app and submit it.

She said she is also going to recommend me to three of her friends because I wasn't "pushy" and didn't talk to her like "an insurance agent".

No...I'm saying I would have gone to see her and had her sign it and faxed it in. Plus written her my company.

 

[Frank Stastny]

No...I'm saying I would have gone to see her and had her sign it and faxed it in. Plus written her my company.

I could tell by what she was saying and the tone of her voice she wasn't ready yet to make the decision. Everything I do and say is specifically designed to make my prospect feel warm and fuzzy.

There was no urgency in writing the app, make her uncomfortable and feel like I was trying to rush her into a decision. I do everything I can to not present myself as the public's perception of who insurance agents are.

It has served me extremely well.

 

[Russ]

That is one of the hardest things about straight commission. When you NEED to make a sale you can't and when it doesn't matter if you get the sale or not they practically fall in your lap.

At least that is my experience.

I don't have to sell a policy to survive, right now. Just addicted to selling.

 

[yabadabadoo1026]

.[/quote]I've had about 4 similar occurrences in the last 4 months and I just can't get over how rude and inconsiderate they act after you spend so much time with them. Sweet as pie to your face when you turn your back watch out for the knife.[/quote]


Couldn't agree more, the sheer rudeness and inconsideration of these folks in general never ceases to amaze. Thanks for the story that i can identify with to illustrate its not just me.

Likewise way to many instances of spending lots of time building repoire and seemingly trust and then apps withdrawn shortly after submitted???? and of course still they generally do it direct thinking you are not going to become aware of it. Despite all the great repoire when you call to question they blow you off in 5 seconds as if you hadnt spent 2-3 hours with them.

Had an instance where after being stood up intially i finally met with a couple---had to waste trips just showing up hoping to catch them since the goverment free phone was out of free minutes and of course they would never dip into their lottery ticket buying money to instead buy minutes till the next free reload. Nice couple who I felt reasonably good about----spent 2 and half hours there with repoire building, education, trust gaining etc and wrote them 2 FE plans at a great rate. Then I delivered the policies and spend another hour and half reviewng policy and giving some general education on MAPD plans which they had none. They indicated an interest so I did the SOAs and agreed to meet soon for them to discuss a plan. She expressed interest in a plan with a fitness center membership which she had heard of from friends and was happy I could provide such

Of course again I had to make numerous stop by to try to catch them home cause wouldnt return messages I left on voice mail---------dont even know if these folks know how to retreive messages. Finally find them home and spend another 2+ hours there getting them both into MAPD plans they seeming were quite happy with.

After 2 FES and 2 MAPDs of course they deserved more face time so i show again to review a little their Welcome Pack and establish even more repoire-----all seemed great, they seemed happy with the FE and MAPDs and with me

Within a month after being paid I find out they had cancelled FEs and MAPDs-------of course despite hours and hours with them of seemingly great interaction they cancelled everything direct rather than the basic curtesay of calling to me to offer some explanation, I call and of course blown off in 5 seconds other than they had replaced me and with no further explanation-----------they certainly didnt beat my price on the FE and my MAPD was zero prem with no c0-pays/ dual plan and the new guy prob rode in and spent 10-20% the time I invested educating them and building repoire for naught. Unethical agents come in and replace just taken out plans with nothing better and folks have no sense of loyalty still to those who invested lots of time with them

Moral of the story, repoire building and trust gaining never hurts but virtually guarantees nothing-----we deal with a lot of rude, inconsiderate idiots who certainly dont live by the Golden Rule or have any conscience about not doing the right thing.

Sorry for the length of this but this was therapy to vent over this one which burns me every time I think about it

 

[somarco]

Yabba, they never really trusted you and bought just to make you go away.

First clue.

If you have to chase them they will never become a client. They may be a policyholder, but only for a short while.

Second clue

If it takes you 2 - 3 hours of face time to close the sale there is something terribly wrong. In spite of your comment that you were building rapport and trust, it never happened. You thought it did but it didn't.

That is why they cancelled.

 

[theinsuranceman]

People who can't even afford basic phone service...I'd never invest too much time with. I am nice, etc. with them, but, if they can't even afford phone service I know from experience their persisitency has a high chance of being pretty bad.

 

[briko3]

I hear you and completely understand your frustrations. Case in point...A few weeks ago I met with a senior for med supp sale. I show up and he is frying bacon he asked me if I could use a bite to eat I said sure ..smells great, he fried two eggs for me and two for him. We visited afterwards and then went into the policy I was going to save him and his wife $550 per year exact same coverage. After writing it up we took a walk around his property and he showed me his pond and some other things. Two weeks later I get an e-mail from Moo saying he withdrew his app. I called to ask him what had happened and he cut me short and just said "Something just doesn't seem right about this and I really don't even know you".

I've had about 4 similar occurrences in the last 4 months and I just can't get over how rude and inconsiderate they act after you spend so much time with them. Sweet as pie to your face when you turn your back watch out for the knife.

Sounds like they talked to the previous agent. I can just hear him now...."Something doesn't sound right about that. Where did you meet this guy? Oh, he found you? I would definitely do some research on that."

 

[yabadabadoo1026]

Yabba, they never really trusted you and bought just to make you go away.

First clue.

If you have to chase them they will never become a client. They may be a policyholder, but only for a short while.

Second clue

If it takes you 2 - 3 hours of face time to close the sale there is something terribly wrong. In spite of your comment that you were building rapport and trust, it never happened. You thought it did but it didn't.

That is why they cancelled.

Somarco, you comment is the textbook catch-all reason for business lost---------you are giving some of these folks way too much benefit of the doubt and always wanting to suggest its the salesguys fault. I dont buy that at all------I spend more time than necessary only if I feel its warranted and someone is going to appreciate being educated and helped and establish repoire and goodwill as a result. If there was no apparant trust after the FE they would have declined talking again about Med Adv much less being excited about me being able to get them a no cost fitness center membership

You specialize in another world------healh insurance and Med Sups ----with people of higher education , income and better upbringing/basic common curteseys. In FE that doesnt hold

If someone might not like me for whatever reason then thats one thing I would understand but trust shouldnt be an issue with me generally-----I show my insurance license and write down my license # with the the DOA # if they want to check on me---------I let them see the rates from my rate book and if any uneasiness to proceed I show them the "free look" clause. I pressure noone.

With all due respect I wont accept your usual predictable contention that its always the salesguys fault and there is no basic rudeness and inconsideration by many we try to help