Tuesday, November 13, 2007

A little about my system

First, 12 more leads yesterday which is fantastic. Lisa finally gets her internet hooked up tomorrow which means Jenn and Lisa putting in at least 30 hours a week combined.

Before I get into my system I want everyone to realize that this is something that simply suits me. What you'll find is you won't stick to any system that doesn't fit your personality.

Everyone should be focused on results - not closing ratios, lead sources, online sales vs. in-person, etc...Basically, if it's no broken don't fix it. If you're making great money off shared leads and online sales don't change a thing.

SYSTEM:

STEP 1:
The morning after I get my leads, around 10am I start the calls. At this point I haven't sent any info by email. When they answer I simply introduce myself and tell them I'm about to email them the newest health plans but I want to make sure I'm sending plans they're interested in:

"....I'm about to email you the newest health plans on the market but I'm pretty sure you don't want to look at 50 plans. I know you're busy and I'd rather just send the plans that fit what you're looking for."

This is either going to open up a conversation or:

A: "You really caught me at a bad time. Could you call me back in say, next August?"
B: "Just send me what you have and I'll look over it and get back to you."

In either case, I read the tone of what they say. I can tell when they're actually busy, but still interested and when I'm getting the blow off. If they're disinterested I'll shoot them out an email but mark the lead dead. They got into Constant Contact for monthly follow-ups.

For the people who actually are willing to discuss what they have and what they're looking for, I can't get too much info; current rate, health status, current doctors, etc...Then I leave them with:

"Ok, I'm going to email some plans for you to review but it'll take around a day to get the rates together, then I'll call you tomorrow and let you know if you can save any money."

This gives me time to contact underwriting and find out the scoop on their conditions - very few people have no pre-ex conditions going back 7 to 10 years. In fact, when some 52 year old tell me he doesn't have anything pre-ex, that's when I start digging. A simply question does it "So you've never seen a doctor in the past 7 years?" which elicits "Oh, well I had some chest pains recently so I went in for a stress test but my doctor told me..." - yeah....no shit.

STEP 2:

I call back the next day and let them know the scoop - whether it's them being better off staying put, telling them I can only saving them $50 or so a month, or if I can save them a significant amount of money.

If I can't save them much, I'll just say thank you and if they know anyone looking for coverage just let me know. They'll also get a letter shot out to them with my card. If they were interested enough to give me all their info, their situation could change in the future.

For the people who I can save a decent amount of money:

"Ok, you're paying $680 a month now. I have plans that can save you between $200 to $300 per month depending on what you choose. What I'd like to do is set up a time when I can sit down with you (and your husband if spouse is in the picture) and show you your options.

Just to let you know how this works. There are no fees involved. Once you choose a plan your application simply goes into underwriting, which normally takes a few days. I've also already researched your doctors and they accept all the plans I'll be showing. I need about 30 minutes so what's a good time for us to meet?

A few points:

1) It's important to tell people there's no fees. They have no idea how we're paid and they might think they'll be hit with fees when you meet. If you're doing online sales they might think there are hidden fees if they do an app.

2) I always let people know how long it'll take. I think that's important for both phone and in-person sales. If they think it's gonna take more than an hour that could be a reason for people not picking up the phone for a phone sale or failing to set an in-person meeting. I'm not a "pet the dog" and "Wow!!! What a nice house!" guy. 15 minutes going over plans and rates, 10 minutes for the app and I'm history.

3) I violate a HUGE sales rule by not giving them dates or times to choose from: "I have tomorrow at 1pm or Thursday at 10. Which is better for you?" The reason is I'm looking for level of interest. I just told them that in 30 minutes I can save them at least $200. If they come back with "oh...wow. This week it out. And next week I have to wash my cat. How 'bout the week after that?" Forget it. Next lead.

And that's it. 2 steps. I'm not a big fan of waking up every day and wasting time trying to talk to people who are avoiding me. This is why when I get a hold of a prospect it's either they display interest or they don't. If they're interested by legitimately busy they generally say:

"You caught me at a very bad time but I'd like to talk to you. Can you give me a call back in an hour?" But when they just say "It's a bad time" and leave it like that I'll ask if there's a better time to call back. When it's "I don't know, it's a rough week" then just leave them be.

I also always call and confirm the appointment the day before and also never set appointments more than 1 week out. When I call to confirm I think it's weak to basically say "Hey, just reminding you that I'm coming." Instead, I call to confirm Mapquest directions - which has proven very helpful since a lot of times they give me a quicker way.





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