When a person goes dress shopping, a good sales associate helps them pick the perfect one. A great sales associate helps them pick the perfect one and pick the matching shoes, earrings, and purse.
The same goes for insurance. When clients request a quote on a certain product, they may not be thinking about other coverages they may need — but you can. By offering your clients other great products, you’ll not only build a client base that trusts you, you’ll be building your commissions too. Here are four tips to get you started on cross-selling.
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Know Your Products
This may seem too simple to be a tip, but how can you sell a product you don’t understand? You may not be trying to cross-sell, but what happens when your client asks about annuities or long-term care and you’re only prepared for Medicare? If you’re not prepared, you may lose a sale.
How can you sell something you don’t understand? Know your products!
Stock your portfolio with great products, and then take the time to understand how they relate to your other offerings and your customers’ needs.
Read Your Client’s Needs
If you don’t take the time to understand your client, you won’t be able to pitch them products they may actually go for. Instead of just shooting in the dark, take the time to develop a relationship with your client, listen to their story, and pick out the important details. These may be the key to offering coverage that your client actually needs or wants. Not only that, offering relevant products alongside establishing rapport is a surefire way to get recommendations and referrals.
Have a Plan
Cross-selling insurance takes some forethought. If you try to wing it, you may not find success. You may even alienate some of your clients. So be sure to have a well-thought-out strategy for offering products. Think ahead of time about which products and carriers you want to offer, how those products relate to each other, and how they relate to each individual client. Read about what ancillary insurance products to cross-sell
Cross-selling takes some forethought. If you try to wing it, you may not find success.
Don’t go into it blind. Practice your pitches in the mirror to make them more natural and test them against other agents who are successful at cross-selling. Then, try our other tips to improve your sales pitches.
Go the Extra Mile
The best way to sell a second product is to sell the first one really well. If your client understands you’re an expert who cares about them, they’re going to be more open to hearing the second pitch. Make sure your service really benefits your client the first time around, and prove you’ll go the extra mile to take care of them. Try things like setting up their first doctor’s appointment or giving them clear explanations about how their policy will work in real-world scenarios. Always answer questions in detail, and be available to answer their questions and help file claims.
The best way to sell a second product is to sell the first one really well.
When you’re in sales, you aren’t just selling coverage or a product. You’re selling the solution to a problem. The more effectively you solve your clients’ problems, the more likely they will come to you again and again to solve their next one. Keep that, and the rest of our tips, in mind and cross-selling will be a cinch.
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