8 Tips for a Successful Sales Call

8 Tips for a Successful Sales Call

Learn the vital telephone skills every salesperson needs to avoid rejection.

Too many people in business look at the telephone as an anchor–that’s how they feel about lifting it when they have to make outgoing calls to potential clients. For some, you’d think it was covered with spiders or that it might electrocute them if they touch it. That reaction revolves around the fear of rejection. Granted, not too many people are brave enough to willingly put themselves in a position to be rejected. However, those who do will find all sorts of long-term rewards for the temporary pain they’ll experience.

With the right attitude and by paying close attention to what happens, each rejection you deal with will be a learning experience. You’ll learn what not to say and when not to call. The key here is to turn that around so you can master what to say and when to call. With every rejection, you’ll want to take a quick moment to analyze the situation in order to benefit from it. Rather than letting it ruin your attitude for the next call, you should find yourself saying, “Well, that didn’t work. What’s a better way to say it?”

With proper fine-tuning, you’ll soon find your calls being well received and you’ll experience fewer rejections. To save you some time on this learning curve, here are eight points you need to consider before making any business calls.

1. Develop a professional greeting. Don’t just say hello and jump into your telephone presentation without taking a breath or allowing the other party to participate. Your greeting should err on the side of formality. Begin with Mr., Mrs. or Ms, as in “Good morning, Mr. Smith.” Or “Good evening, Mrs. Jones.” Everyone else says, “Hello.” Be different. Be professional.

2. Introduce yourself and your company. “My name is Sally Smith with ABC Company. We’re a local firm that specializes in helping businesses like yours save money.” Don’t get too specific yet. Don’t mention your product. If you do, that allows the other party to say, “Oh, we’re happy with what we’ve got. Thanks anyway,” and hang up. By keeping your introduction general, yet mentioning a benefit, you’ll peak your prospect’s curiosity and keep them on the line longer.

3. Express gratitude. Always thank the potential client for allowing you a few moments in his busy day. Tell him that you won’t waste a second of his time. “I want to thank you for taking my call. This will only involve a moment of your time so you can get back to your busy schedule.” Don’t say that you’ll “just take a moment.” The feeling evoked by them hearing that you’ll take anything from them will put them off.

4. State the purpose of your call. It’s best if you can provide the purpose within a question. “If we can show you a way to improve the quality of your product at a lower cost, would you be interested to know more?” This is very likely to get a yes response. At this point, you’re ready to start selling an opportunity to meet this person or to get their permission to provide them with more information. You’re not selling your product yet–you’re selling what your product will do for him.

5. Schedule a meeting. Get a confirmation to meet, either in person or to teleconference to get the information you need in order to give a solid presentation. If he’s so interested that he wants to do it right then and there, that’s OK.

6. If a face-to-face meeting is the most appropriate next step, use the alternate-of-choice questioning strategy. Offer him two times, “Mr. Johnson, I can pop by your office at 2:15 p.m. today to discuss this further. Or would 9:45 a.m. tomorrow better suit your schedule?” You didn’t say, “When can we meet?” When you use the alternate of choice, you take control of getting the appointment. And note: Asking for an off-hour gets you noticed. There’s something about setting a meeting at an off-hour that says you’re a salesperson who’ll be punctual and respect your prospect’s time. Try it.

7. Thank them for their time today and for the upcoming appointment. Reconfirm the date, time and location of the appointment. Ask for directions if you need them. Tell him how much preparation you’ll do in order to make the best use of the time you’ll share. Give him your contact information this way: “If anything else comes to mind that I should be aware of prior to our meeting, please contact me at (212) 555-1212.”

8. Follow up. If your meeting is more than a few days in the future, send a letter of confirmation immediately. If the meeting is tomorrow, send an e-mail confirmation. Keep it short and upbeat.

BY Tom Hopkins

10 Questions + 10 Actions = Lead Generation Gains

10 Questions + 10 Actions = Lead Generation Gains November 23rd, 2011

In this article, you’ll learn…

• Questions to ask yourself before you start a lead-gen campaign

• 10 steps you can take today to bridge the sales and marketing performance gap

Though much has been written about the gap between Marketing and Sales, an equally critical gap exists between Marketing and Sales performance expectations and actual results.

The optimum outcome of marketing and sales activity can be defined as maximum success, fulfilled potential, or realized objectives. But how realistic are those desired outcomes?

Potential results are not being achieved, companies are enduring astronomical costs that include wasted marketing and sales dollars, and deals are being lost to competitors.

The following 10 questions—applicable to each of your campaigns—will help you determine the issues inhibiting optimal results:

1. How much will it really cost?

2. Is the objective clear? Are you looking to gain awareness, interest, or response?

3. What are the expected results?

4. On what basis are those results expected (best and worst case)?

5. Would you approve the campaign if you knew in advance you’d get “worst case” results?

6. What were the results of similar campaigns in the past? If the answer is “not very good,” why is it being done again?

7. If a campaign has never been tried before, has it been tested? If not, why?

8. How critical is it to do this campaign now?

9. What process is going to be used to qualify, distribute, and measure follow-up on response?

10. When and how will you assess the results of the campaign?

If those questions set off red flags for you, stop the spending carousel that has dollars going out with certainty and revenue coming in with less certainty. Many managers tend to keep the carousel going, fearing they’d jeopardize short-term sales if current or future programs are reduced or eliminated.

Once you’ve asked—and answered—the 10 key questions, it’s vital to take action immediately.

Without prompt action, your entire organization is at risk. Some organizations fail because their members don’t know what the real rules are, or because they are run loosely. But organizations that are fenced in by strong boundaries thrive.

Take the following 10 actions to close the performance gap and ensure optimal results.

1. Provide strong direction

Take control to integrate market, offer, and media elements, and then reinforce those elements with strong sponsorship of appropriate activities and campaigns. As basic as that sounds, we work with companies every day that do not follow through.

2. Get strategically involved in the marketing and sales planning processes

You’d be surprised by how many things are being done backwards.

3. Make sure customer touchpoints support your direction

It is imperative that customer touchpoints be aligned with strict standards that support the direction you have provided.

4. Stick to your guns

Once you’ve made a plan, don’t change it based on a subtle market change or limited market research. Avoid strategies du jour or knee-jerk changes. Stay the course, unless you have a valid reason to change.

5. Hold Marketing and Sales accountable

Make Marketing responsible for producing high-quality, valuable leads; make Sales accountable for quality feedback and results.

6. Insist on regular, weekly reports

Create weekly reports to review the status of your prospects (what their environments are, what actions they’re taking, who they are talking to). Few companies have so many prospects that the entire management team could not review every one of them in just a couple of hours each week. It’s that important.

7. Address sales resistance transparently and aggressively

Sales is driven by the three Cs: control, credit, and compensation. Ironically, great prospect-development programs are initially perceived by Sales as a threat to the three Cs.

That is why you hear the following feedback on leads: No telemarketer can talk to the decision-makers I have to reach; I was already in that account and already talked to that decision-maker; The leads are really not worth what you are paying for them. Just get me some names, and I will engage the prospects.

Those are not consciously destructive objections. They are a natural reaction based on experience, and so need to be addressed transparently and aggressively. Eventually, great salespeople become great users of quality prospect development.

8. Insist on training

Start with the basics. Insist on self-education and participation in local and national events that can help boost your lead-generation efforts and results.

9. Set realistic expectations

Generally, deliverables take longer than you think. Quick solutions may make you happy momentarily, but you will eventually pay a price. Don’t shoot the messenger who is trying to do the right thing, even if it’s inexpedient.

10. Check your ego at the door

If something in your campaign clearly isn’t working or generating results, cut your losses, make changes, and move on.

* * *

Investing time in this 10-question assessment to identify your campaign challenges, and addressing them with these 10 action steps, will both help you close the performance gap and provide a concrete path to realizing the full potential your marketing and sales initiatives are capable of delivering.

by Dan McDade

Persistence vs. Being a Pain in the Ass?

Persistence vs. Being a Pain in the Ass? November 28th, 2011

OK, here’s what NOT to do when making your follow-up calls to sales leads.

I received an email from my mortgage provider, a very, VERY large conglomerate who shall remain nameless, inviting me to look at the current refinance rates. The email had a nice little calculator that showed that based on my balance, I could save several hundred dollars a month on my mortgage payment, and shorten the term of my loan by a year or two. Cool. I filled out a “contact-me” form to set up a time to speak with a loan officer.

Afterwards, I received an email from “Dave” within 10 minutes. Impressive response time.

“Send me your account number.”

I thought, they already have my account number, this guy’s not doing his own work. I ignored the email for now, as I was neck deep in other projects and made a note to get back to him later.

The next day I received a second email:

“What is your phone number?”

There was an impersonal and terse tone to this brief message. Besides that, I had already provided my phone number, but stated on the contact form that I preferred email as the primary method. Again, this guy is now showing his laziness. I took the bait anyway, and gave him my cell number. Big mistake. My phone rang within 3 minutes:

5:02: It hit my caller ID on my phone as “Unknown”. I ignored it and expected a voicemail message so I could call him after I freed up. No message was left.

45 minutes later, the guy was “psycho dialing” me:

5:47: This is a respectable time to wait between dials. Good job Dave.
5:49: Hmm. Ok, let this one slide. Maybe he “butt-dialed” me.
6:00: Annoying
6:10: Intrusive
6:11: Really irritating
6:11: This call is coming within 15 seconds of the prior call. I excused myself from the meeting I was in and picked up the phone.

“Dude… I’m in a meeting and cannot take your call. Stop psycho dialing me!”

*click*

Not a word from “Dave”, no apology, he just hung up the phone. No email to follow up. Never a voicemail left in any of his dials.

As Bugs Bunny used to say, “what a maroon.”

His email address had identified him as being in an offshore call center, so this is probably why his Caller ID was blocked and why he was dialing me relentlessly. Perhaps he cannot take incoming calls. Hey “Dave”, how about leaving me a message like:

“Hi Patrick, I’ve tried to reach you but it sounds like you’re busy. Can we set up a time to talk? I’ll follow up with an email as well. Thanks Patrick.”

Whoever this idiot was, he’s not going to last long in his current position. Good luck buddy.

So the moral of this story is, persistence is a good thing, but use it wisely. Everyone has competition, and an experience like this just gives someone a reason to look around. I would much rather work with my own mortgage company to refinance, but now I have to reconsider that choice.

Good selling!

By Patrick Fern

The New Cold Call – It’s NOT Cookie Cutter

November 30th, 2011

“Jeffrey, come down to the office, there’s a guy here who has cookies for you! They’re those Biscoff cookies, the ones that you like.”

How could I resist? I love those cookies. I’ve eaten them for years, predominately on airplanes, more predominately on Delta. They also have them in the Delta lounge, and occasionally you can find them in the grocery store.

For ten years, my good friend, the great Nido Qubein, sent me a case of Biscoff cookies for Christmas. They were usually gone by the first of January.

When I got to my office Bradford Coons was beaming from ear to ear. His ploy had worked. But in reality, he was not just giving me the cookies, he was representing the cookie company, Lotus Bakeries.

He demonstrated his special “100 cookie caddie box” door opener.

And went on to enthusiastically explain that this new product package was being designed for corporate America, and sales people in particular. It could even be customized with the company logo or photograph.

At a very reasonable wholesale price, I quickly became interested in using the product myself. I thought it would make a great gift (people always give what they want to get – keep that in mind while you are shopping this holiday season).

I decided to try the cookies at our next public seminar event. As an enticement, Stephanie and Elizabeth strategically placed one Biscoff on the table at each seminar participant seat. Using the potato chip philosophy, you can never eat just one, they figured all the boxes of cookies would be gone by the end of our two-day event. And, except for one box, they were correct.

But let’s go back to the original cold call.

Bradford Coons did not make a cold call, he made a strategic, targeted cold call. In fact, that day, I was his only cold call. He was well prepared, got through to the decision maker, created engagement, made the sale, and left smiling.

How targeted are your cold calls?
How strategic are your cold calls?
How pre-prepared are your cold calls?
How engaging are your cold calls?
And here’s the killer question: How successful are your cold calls?

HISTORY: If you know me, and my sales philosophy, you also know that cold calling is at the very bottom of my list, with respect to making sales connections and sales. Especially in these times, there are smarter, better ways of making a cold call. And my definition of cold call is not “dialing for dollars” or “calling from a list” or selecting a category and making random calls, either on the phone or in person. Those strategies are a total waste of time, and “no” is 98% of the outcome – or more.

There are 2.5 basic understandings of a cold call:
1. It is the lowest percentage sales call.
2. Rejection is likely.
2.5 Several rejections in a row can cause self-doubt and can challenge your attitude.

Before you make any cold call, you have to ask yourself these questions about each call you are about to make:

• What is your desired outcome of the call? Is it a sale? Is it an appointment?
• Who is the actual decision maker?
• Who do I really ask for in order to get to the decision maker? (for years I have recommended asking for someone in sales)
• What is the one question or statement that may get me to the decision maker?
• What is the one question that I want to ask the decision maker to engage them?
• Do I have anything of value to offer besides my stuff?
• Do I have anything to show, or say, that’s fun?
• How will I engage the prospect?
• What’s my total plan to make the sale?

Once you’ve struggled with the answers to those questions, keep these 3.5 major elements of the cold call process in mind.

1. In sales it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. So the challenge of cold calling is to become known as a person of value, so that the prospect may recognize you and take your call or agree to your meeting. People will take your call if you have a great reputation, and if they perceive there is value in working with you.

2. Why would I want to meet with you? What are you offering me OTHER than your product or service that would create a desire to meet with you? Set the meeting up with something of value or impact.

3. Could you pass the Google test? Could you leave a voicemail telling the prospect to Google you and, based on their findings, they would want to set an appointment with you? That’s the real test of a cold call. Not having any message and going purely on reputation.

3.5 Can you create a cold-call-close that will get the meeting or the appointment? “Mr. Jones, our product/service is a value fit for many people, if you grant me a short meeting, and answer a few questions, if I think I can help you I will tell you. If I don’t think I can help you, I’ll tell you that too. Is that fair enough?”

NOTE WELL: If your product isn’t as saleable as cookies, maybe you should carry a box with you to sweeten the deal.

Cold calling isn’t easy, and it’s NOT cookie cutter, but when you are well prepared, the results of your efforts can have life-long rewards. They may not be a good place to make a sale, but they’re a great place to learn how to sell.

By Jeffry Gitomer

10 Tips that Separate the Good Sellers from the Great Ones

If you go to work every day, you might as well go all the way and shoot for the pinnacle of your profession. It’s a competitive world, so set your sights high. If you’re going to take the risk and invest the time, strive for greatness.

Ever since Jim Collins wrote his best-selling book, Good to Great, in 2001, business people worldwide have been fixated on greatness. Why do some companies do so well when a similar competitor languishes? Why do some companies transition from being merely successful to being truly great? What traits and behaviors separate the good from the great?

Of course, good-versus-great questions apply not only to companies; they can be asked of people who want to be great salespersons or marketers.

And remember, everyone is in sales AND marketing regardless of their title.

Whether you’re selling medical equipment, working in business development or brokering international business transactions, it’s frankly easy to fail. Salespersons, marketers and dealmakers in every profession commonly fail. Some succeed, but only a tiny percentage achieves greatness.

The question then is what sales-and-marketing traits will lead you to the top of your profession?

Character

Great professionals are ethical and honest. They don’t tell a client or colleague what he or she wants to hear, it’s what they need to hear. Leaders with character tend to hire employees who are also upstanding citizens. Together, they attract clients of character. Everybody wins.

Be Competitive

“Second don’t mean nothin’,” said Hall of Fame football coach Barry Switzer who led the Oklahoma Sooners to three national championships and the Dallas Cowboys to the Superbowl. Play to win. Be persistent. Don’t let anything fall through the cracks. Keep track of your competition and do what it takes to run at least a couple steps ahead of them. Be bold for the world has no room for shrinking violets.

Interpersonal Skills

It sure helps if you possess some charisma, but rule number one is to listen. Great professionals listen and truly HEAR. When you are engaged in conversation, remember it’s not about you; it’s about your client.

Strategic Thinking

Have a plan that takes into account the big picture. What’s your philosophy? Strong organizations have developed mission and vision statements. Great individuals need them too.

Focus

Whether you are looking at this from an organizational perspective or a personal one, determine your competencies and spend the majority of your time, energy and resources working on those. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, ask yourself, “Am I doing what is truly important?”

Have a Good Product

Contrary to the popular saying, nobody can really sell ice to Eskimos. If your product or service doesn’t stand on its own merit, trying to sell it is no different than beating your head against the wall.

Others First

Real estate agents, accountants and trustees are said to have “fiduciary” responsibilities to their clients. In other words, they are legally required to put the client’s interest before their own. No matter what you do, pretend you have a fiduciary duty to the customers you serve. If you do this, you will build rapport, which leads to a relationship, which leads to the holy grail of sales and marketing: trust.

Ability to Handle Stress

“There are many guys who can paint an incredibly cogent picture of why a company should be investing in China or why a football team should run a certain offense,” says Joe Moglia, who serves as both chairman of TD Ameritrade and a head coach in the United Football League. “The reality is, when things are not going well, when you’re losing money in China, and your guys keep fumbling the ball, how do you handle yourself?”

Keep Prospecting

No matter how busy you are as you put the finishing touches a big deal, remember to think about future deals. Always take time to fill your hopper, so you always have a steady supply of business. Don’t get emotionally attached to a certain piece of business, because you give up your power. Always go where the business is, where your best prospects live. It makes no sense to fish for business in a deserted lake.

Wrap It Up

Ultimately, the purpose of marketing is to get somebody to say “yes.” Know what you hope to achieve from a prospect before you meet him or her and then keep steering the conversation toward closure.

By Jeff Beals

Tags: Allstate, auto dialer, closing a sale, cold calling scripts, dialer, insurance sales, marketing, mojo dialer, power dialer, predictive dialer, realtor, realtor sales, sales, sales success, salesdialers.com, telemarketers

Best Voicmail Tips When Using a Powerdialer

Best Voicmail Tips When Using a Powerdialer December 5th, 2011

Among salespeople who make prospecting calls, there’s a hot debate about whether or not you should leave a voicemail message.

I’m of the opinion that you definitely should – but only once every three days.

For a voicemail to have any impact, however, you have to avoid the common blunders… and many of them are easy to make.

During one of these hot debates, I asked our followers which are the worst voicemail mistakes you can make in prospecting. Here are their top 20.

1. Not leaving one so your prospect doesn’t have the chance to return your call.
2. Pretending you have called when you haven’t.
3. Not having planned what you want to talk about in advance.
4. Talking about your products, instead of things that matter to your prospect.
5. Speaking for more than 20 or 30 seconds without letting the prospect say anything.
6. Leaving a message that’s too short and doesn’t give your prospect a compelling reason to call you back.
7. Not showing that you have researched your prospect, and his or her situation, in your voicemail message.
8. Speaking so quickly that you can’t be heard. Or worse, mumbling.
9. Leaving a voicemail with lots of verbal pauses (like “ums” and “ahs”) that make you sound less confident, and less credible.
10. Leaving a message and then passively waiting for a call back, instead of continuing to try to reach the prospect.
11. Not leaving your name and contact information at the end of the message. Better yet, leave it at the beginning when the prospect is poised to take notes.
12. Sounding too “canned” or “salesy” to catch your prospect’s attention.
13. Not mentioning your company’s web site, if it’s your strongest sales tool.
14. Using a tone of voice that suggests you don’t expect a call back.
15. Not following up via other means, like email or handwritten note.
16. Giving up too soon, when most prospects won’t return your call until you have tried them more than nine times.
17. Not mentioning another company you have helped with a similar problem that the prospect is likely to have.
18. Failing to stick to one topic per voicemail message.
19. Not verifying that you have the right contact before leaving multiple messages.
20. Forgetting to mention a common colleague or someone who has referred you.

Article written by Kendra Lee

Allstate Agency Marketing Dialer

Allstate Agency Marketing Dialer

Quadruple Line Power Dialer

Dial Four Lines At Once For Up To 400 Calls Per Hour and Increase Call Productivity by over 400%

SalesDialers.com is the leading dialer company for Allstate agent their market. We are an A rated BBB company based in Georgia with offices in Dallas. SalesDialers.com is entrenched in the NE, South, and South East regions. Find out why the leading Allstate agencies use SalesDialers.com. If you want to be successful with Allstate then you need SalesDialers.com.

An essential pillar of growing your Allstate insurance agency is seeking new business. Leading Allstate agents and coaches agree that in order to take your agency to the next level you must always be prospecting. Insurance telemarketing can be a conceivable numbers game if you have the right tools. Regardless of what list you are dialing, Salesdialers.com has the quadruple line dialer to increase your call efficiency by 400% thus increasing your prospecting efforts by 400%.

Quadruple Line Power Dialer

Quadruple your calls with the Salesdialers.com quadruple-line dialer. Turn one phone line into four and make outbound calls at a rate of 400 calls per hour. When you connect with a call you will hear the first, “Hello”, without hearing the silence of a predictive dialer while trying.

The quadruple line dialer system is so easy to use. With a computer, a phone, and a few clicks of the mouse you are off and running.

Pre-Recorded Message Drops

While you are blazing through 400 calls per hour, you will come across a few answering machines, so you will love the pre-recorded message drops. Within your Salesdialers.com power dialer, you have the proficiency to create as many pre-recorded messages as you need. This allows you to drop your messages on any answering machine with a click of a button as you continue calling campaigns without interruptions.

Import List Wizard

Another easy to use feature with the quadruple line dialer is the ability to import a data list. The list import wizard uploads lead lists in a variation of formats to turbo charge your calling efforts on any customized list you can dream of.

Caller ID Personalization

Allstate Agents can choose their own caller ID! This will enable your agency to receive direct call backs to any location or phone number of your choice. Allstate Agents can also change their caller ID on the fly!

Additional features:

Abandonment Rate Meter – Don’t be fined thousands and thousands of dollars. Dont know what this is? The FTC thinks you should and if you don’t know, you better find out!

Schedule and send a series of emails (drip email marketing) to your prospects to stay in touch with them automatically through out the sales process.

Email blast features- Send out thousands and thousands of emails to leads or contacts in seconds.

Real time lead alerts- Get real time alerts on when leads open emails and you have the ability to click and call the leads as they are reading emails. They are at their desk, not at lunch or in a meeting. There is no better time to call the lead then while they are reading your email. Now you know when they are at their desk!

New- Create a video of you or your company or upload a video into our email system. Create and play slides in emails. This new technology engages the lead much more then regular emails.

Ability to change the number of lines on the fly- Dial one to four lines at a time.

Rerun your (got leads),(Call backs) through the system as many times as needed to filter down the prospects that are truly interested.

Media Library- Have unlimited number of on hold and answering machine recordings and switch them out per campaign.

Push lead technology- Push leads to your own CRM vendor like, Leads360, Blitz lead manager and Quote burst.

Leaves pre-recorded messages on answering machines in your voice, while your talking to prospects.

Editable disposition buttons- Change and track your leads better with editable disposition buttons. You can track leads better by creating disposition buttons that cater to your business.

Auto Notes Script Technology- Automatically track the status of leads by auto notes script technology. It automatically documents in the notes field when leads are called, when a voice message is left, email is sent, and email is opened. You don’t have to type anything.

Send emails (templates) to leads- Send pre-designed email templates to leads while you are talking to the lead.

Pick up to 3 email templates on the fly- Pick and choose 3 different email templates on the fly while talking to the lead.

Track leads from cradle to grave

Real time Internet leads- Get real time leads from vendors? SalesDialers.com can have your real time leads imported into your system automatically.

Time Zone protection- Stops you from calling to areas that are earlier than 9AM and 9PM.

Sales Coach Recorder- Record your calls and have your coach or trainer listen in and coach you after the call is over. (no additional cost)

Employee tracking reports- Track you employees to make sure they are making calls and getting leads. Know when they log in, log out, talk minutes, number of leads, phone calls etc…

Productivity Modules. Track your ROI per call,per hour, and sales per day and per hour.

Lead tracking modules. Change you leads from Red-hot, yellow-warm and blue-cold so you can track the interest level and concentrate on your hot leads in real time. This module also has the ability to change notes on prospects in real time as well.

Schedule reminders, Callbacks, and appointments for call backs for prospects.

SalesDialers.com syncs with your calendar- Your appointments, reminders and call backs will show up on your outlook or Gmail calendar.

Mac Compatible

Cloud based- You can log in from anywhere, from any computer and start making calls. Not tied to a software based dialer! More flexibility.

Daily planner- Gives you an over view of your calendar for today with tasks, appointments, call backs etc…

Tags: Allstate, allstate agency marketing, Allstate Agents, allstate dialer, allstate insurance dialer, Allstate Managers, allstate marketing, auto dialer, automated dialing, automatic phone dialer, bgi marketing, bgi marketing systems, bill gough, bill gough allstate, calling, calling insurance leads, calling leads, close more sales, closing more sales, cold calling, cold calling scripts, decision maker, gps dialer, gps insurance marketing, gpstelemarketing, insurance leads, power dialers, telemarketing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 at 12:29 am and is filed under Salesdialers.com and Your Allstate Agency. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6workers + 1 year = $8M in revenue

Web start up bucks economy big time

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Banking & Financial Services, Health Care, Insurance

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A local technology company tripled its revenue last year by refining its automated process of connecting insurance companies with potential customers — via the Internet.

NYC 'S Bqi4u.com generated $8 million in revenue during 2011, just three years after it launched. The cash flow is unusual given economic circumstances, but perhaps more surprising to onlookers is that the company began the year with just eight employees.

Best Insurance Quotes4u.com, which now employs 9 people, was founded in 2009 by Joe Pichardo from Astoria Queens who was a stock broker before they hit on the idea for Best Quotes.

Since insurance companies, agents and brokers will pay for sales leads, Joe developed Web sites that would attract consumers researching insurance premiums. Once on a site, consumers are faced with a 12-question form that’s simple enough to ensure a high rate of completion.

That collected data, which are effectively solid sales leads, are then sold to insurance companies, agents and brokers in a highly automated process.

“Pretty much, from Day 1 we were making money,” said Pichardo, who is the company’s CEO. “We don’t need a lot of people to do what we do.”

Bestinsurancequotes4u.com completed 3.1 million questionnaires during the last 18 months, representing a 25 percent conversion rate, he said.

The executive director of the Independent Insurance Agents of New York, said personal insurance providers have traditionally relied on newspaper advertisements and personal referrals for leads. But he acknowledged that the adoption of third-party lead lists is growing in popularity.

Dozens of companies such as California-based InsWeb Corp. (Nasdaq: INSW) and Utah-based InsurQuote Inc. are competing for such business.

During 2008, 52 percent of U.S. adults who researched auto insurance prices did so on the Web, according to Massachusetts-based Forrester Research Inc.

The Web-based approach to sales leads is so cost-effective that carriers in the United Kingdom commonly operate their own price comparison Web sites in which they offer estimates from competitors as well as their own, Forrester analyst Chad Mitchell said. He expects the same strategy to catch on in the United States.

“Clearly the Web is the strongest channel for initial research,” Mitchell said.

The insurance industry has shrunk due to the economy but is still a sizable market. For example, the U.S. property and casualty insurance industry generated $4.1 billion in net income during the first nine months of 2008 compared with $49.6 billion during the same period in 2007, according to a report by Marsh Mercer and Kroll.

Joe launched Bestinsurancequotes4u.com by pooling together credit cards of friends and family. Last year they did $2M in revenue and this year its more like $8M

Best quotes’ innovative use of technology and potential market has attracted Wall Street investment.Can you say IPO?

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Consumers oppose most of health mandate but like some parts

Posted on , December 8, 2011

As lawmakers continue to debate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the majority of which will go into effect in 2014, a new poll is gauging the support it's receiving from Americans.

Only 37 percent of consumers support the law, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's poll, compared to 44 percent who view it unfavorably.

However, there are portions of the law that consumers approve of. For example, nearly 85 percent said they were supportive of the provision that requires insurers to provide summaries of benefits that are more easy to understand. In addition, they are also generally in favor of tax credits the plans provide for small businesses and the subsidies that low-income individuals may qualify for in order to obtain coverage.

The least popular element of the bill is the provision that requires policyholders to purchase coverage, as 63 percent said they were opposed to that sort of government mandate.

Though it's unclear how the Affordable Care Act will impact the private insurance industry, agents should try to become as well versed on the topic as possible, as insurance leads may have questions about it.

Perfecting Your Business Persona

Tip #1: Perfecting Your Business Persona

Never underestimate the value of a professional and pleasant first impression. There are several factors to consider when putting your best foot forward to customers.

• Agents already know that a lead is not the same as a sale - your interaction with consumers is highly influential to your conversion rates. According to a popular lead management system, converting a lead is 57% lead quality and 43% sales process.
• Because of the unique comparison-shopping environment consumers expect with web leads, to win consumer preference it's especially important to be professional.
• People often use sub-conscious cues when making decisions about agents and companies to work with. View your communication and appearance from the consumers' perspective to make sure you're representing a professional, experienced, and approachable agent.
• Replace free email accounts that are being used for customer communication. A small investment in a professional website and email domain name helps establish consumer confidence in your agency. Would you rather buy a professional service from slydog@yahoo.com or john.doe@insurancepros.com? Domains are inexpensive, easy to set-up, and can be purchased from companies like GoDaddy.com and Register.com.
• A key element to being professional is removing personal expression. The wrong reference can be off-putting or even offensive to a customer that does not share your taste. Consider how your choices of ringback tones, hold music, email signatures, and religious or political statements could be affecting your customer pool.
• Customers are naturally drawn towards people who they like and feel comfortable around. Practice skills like maintaining friendly conversations in social situations, speaking slowly and clearly, being a good listener, and keeping an optimistic attitude. An agent's personality can be a huge advantage.
• Stand up while you're speaking on the phone - you'll automatically project your voice with more confidence. You can also write a script ahead of time to follow along with until you know the right wording to use by memory.
• Remember that YOU are your most important business asset. Invest in yourself - through educational seminars, classes, webinars, online insurance forums and blogs, industry publications, and advice from professional acquaintances.
• You have the keys to success! Top producer Chuck Taggart expressed this concept in an interview recently: "I got into the insurance business because I liked being rewarded for my own efforts. The insurance industry is one of those places where if you work hard you can do well."

What do you think about this tip? Do you have one to add? Email your comments and suggestions to: joe@bestinsurancequotes4u.com

10 mistakes most agents make and how you can fix them

10 common mistakes most agents make and how you can fix them


Be honest with yourself. How many of these common mistakes are you making?

A few weeks ago we featured an article, 10 traits of insurance sales superstars. The article centered on the 10 common traits of the highly successful people we've studied and worked with. This week we are going to review the 10 primary reasons why agents, advisers and planners are not earning the incomes they want in this business and what you can do about it right now.

1. Always looking for shortcuts.

You will start succeeding when you realize that your success comes from mastering the fundamentals. There are no secrets, no shortcuts and no magic bullets.

Success takes patience and determination. The get-rich-quick mentality is a disease, just like drinking or gambling. It can ruin your life if you don’t stop it, and you won’t make any real progress towards your goals until you give it up.

2. Spending all of your time studying products.

Product knowledge is dramatically over-emphasized and misused in the sales process. As a result, selling often becomes nothing more than pitching and presenting.

Studies show that 80 percent of training dollars spent annually are on product knowledge training. Agents, once filled with this product knowledge, are eager to share this information. Their focus then becomes totally on product, and not on identifying and solving the prospect's problem, which is where it belongs.

3. Failing to treat sales as a profession.

Professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and CPA's all have one thing in common — they are continually studying to maintain and increase their proficiency. Yet how many insurance agents are continually seeking opportunities to increase their skills? Many have the attitude, "I've been selling for years, what more can I learn?"

Top performers in every profession are always looking for ways to sharpen their skills and gain the fine edge that leads to consistent success. The top sales performers study an hour each and every day to improve their marketing and sales skills.

4. Not approaching and staying in front of the people you already know.

Who do you trust more, someone you already know or a complete stranger? Then consider, do you honestly feel and believe that you are really helping people? Are you focused on making a positive difference in people's lives, instead of just making a sale?
Then who are the first people you should be helping? Do you want your friends, family, neighbors, clients and prospects to call you when they have a problem and need your help or advice? Or do you want them to call your competition down the street? Who is going to take better care of them, you or a stranger?

5.
 Expecting overnight results.

When you aren’t seeing immediate results from your marketing and sales efforts, are you trying to come up with new ideas, instead of following through and mastering the fundamentals that are proven to work?

Most of us would never build a home without a strong foundation, yet most businesses are built without a solid foundation. There is no marketing plan. There is no defined value proposition. There is no defined and documented ideal prospect, no identified sales process and limited real branding.

6. Selling a product or sales idea instead of solving a problem.

Are you focusing on selling instead of helping? If you want to increase your sales, then help your prospect to identify and understand what they really need. Focus on their needs, and keep your own goals and agenda out of the conversation.

7.
 Talking too much and poor listening skills.

We all love to talk about our products or sales ideas and how great they are. In reality, we need to focus on listening to our prospects’ needs, concerns and challenges. When we listen first, we will be able to understand what is driving their buying decision.

Prospects will tell you what they want, the problems they face and what it takes to have them buy — we just need to take the time to truly listen.

The key to successful sales is the ability to meet prospects’ needs and create relationships with clients that keeps them coming back to you as their expert in what it is you do or sell. Only after you have listened and taken the time to understand the why of the issue, will you be able to solve their problem.

8. Not practicing.

Many of us enjoy participating in sports. All of us love to win. In order to consistently win, we must practice.

Consider champion tennis players like Nadal and Federer. How much do they practice? Yet, most agents are winging it in every part of the sales process.

Do you have an elevator speech, referred lead talk, appointment script, etc.? How often do you practice your sales skills, such as asking the right questions to drive the sales conversation? In the past month, how many times have you practiced your appointment script? To turn what we know into action takes disciplined regular practice. We improve by mastering the fundamentals.

9.
 Not seeking help or coaching.

Most of us know everything we need to know about how to increase our income. Unfortunately, for most of us, knowing is of little value. For example, we all know that exercise is beneficial, but do we do it? We know that eating more vegetables is good for us, but do we?

Those who are truly committed to being their best get a coach to keep them on track. No athlete could ever make it to the Olympics without a coach. Many successful business owners, executives and salespeople have their own executive coach for the same reason.

Professionals have coaches and amateurs do not. Coaching helps the best get better, the good to become great and the struggling to break through.

10. Lacking confidence and passion.

Often the difference between selling our exceptional products or not is tied to our level of confidence. If you allow yourself to get caught up in the prevalent news of a “struggling economy,” you may freak out and not project yourself as the confident professional that you are.

Remember that desperate people never get dates. Similarly, desperate professionals rarely get sales.

You are good. So are your products and services. Be confident and exhibit sales skills that help you sell your products. Sales requires passion to be successful. As the owner, you know your brand better than anyone else, but if you aren’t passionate about selling, your efforts won’t work.

Be honest with yourself. How many of these common mistakes are you making? Starting today, focus on fixing just one of these mistakes. You'll be amazed at the good things that will happen.