Cold calling is widely considered one of the most difficult parts of sales, regardless of industry. Cold calling in insurance sales can be especially difficult for a number of reasons. While insurance is a product that everyone can utilize, the competition is fierce and product offerings are diverse. This can lead to a number of roadblocks in the sales process. While you can’t expect to turn every cold call into a sale, you can definitely give your sales team the best opportunities to succeed.

Here are a few tips on how you can get the most out of every cold call:

• Utilize a Script (but know when not to): A debate we hear all of the time is whether or not insurance sales people should use scripts to help simplify the cold-calling process. Most agents will groan at the suggestion of script usage. However the difference between ineffective and effective agents could be as simple as standardizing the direction of the conversation that needs to take place to close a sale. Scripts are great for providing uniformity between your agents, minimizing the likelihood of your agents stumbling over words, and ensuring they stick to their main points. While you shouldn’t handcuff your agents, scripts can at least drive the conversation in the right direction.

• 100% Focus: While this may seem like a no-brainer, focus is something many cold-calling agents lack. Because cold calling is a dreaded task, agents make the mistake of not dedicating their full attention to their prospect. If you aren’t interested in selling, odds are the prospect won’t be interested in buying. Some tactics your agents can use stay focused and motivated:
  • Dedicate 1-hour blocks to cold calling with a minimum goal of attempting 30 or 40 calls to your cold leads. This minimizes mindless dialing. Plan these blocks out for the entire week; consider it an unbreakable appointment.

• Ask Questions: The conversations you have with prospects should not be 100% selling right off of the bat. Customers who feel like the salesperson is genuinely interested in learning more about their needs are more likely to purchase something. The more you know about your prospect and their current situation, especially when you know very little going into a call, the better you can customize product recommendations.

These pointers will help simplify cold calling, however there are still many other ways to optimize the process. Cold calling can be one of the most stressful components of sales and by implementing these tips you can take some of the stress out of cold calling and improve sales numbers across the board.