Think for a moment about the most respected professions. What comes to mind? Chances are that a profession like doctors came to mind. On the other hand, it's very unlikely that salespeople came to mind, much less insurance salespeople.
One of our clients defies that stereotype with just one major difference: He sells on value, not price.
A while back he got a call that was a significant claim from a client. While most insurance agents despise claims, he views it as a great opportunity to both demonstrate value and gather great third party stories for selling on value in the future.
In this particular case, when he first had a conversation with his client, they talked about what kind of auto liability you should carry. Many people don't realize what's actually at risk there. When he explained that to his client, they significantly increased their coverage, because they're financially very successful.
So when the call about the significant call came in, while it wasn't good news, his client immediately saw the benefit to buying based on value, rather than price.
The kicker? The client was actually a sibling of a referral partner of his. Can you imagine having to explain the situation to the referral partner if they had sold on price?
The fact that most don't sell on value is why sales is so un-respected as a profession!
The client says, "I only want to spend X dollars a month."
"Sure," the salesperson replies. "We can do that! We'll just cut these three things out of it and we'll save you $25 a month!"
Then the phone call comes in, and they don't have something they need.
In the insurance world, it might sound like this: "Why am I not covered for that?"
"Well, you wanted to save a couple dollars a month, so we took out that coverage."
Can you imagine a doctor doing something like that? A good doctor is going to work to find the right solution, not the cheapest solution, and not the quickest solution. All of us in sales should be doing the same.
You might also be interested in:
