The key to closing insurance sales may have just as much to do with bettering communication techniques as it is with understanding your customers. Meeting the needs of your clients involves a lot of research, patience, and confidence. However, your efforts may fall flat if you’re not going the distance to communicate your preparedness, intentionality, and trustworthiness in the sales process. Though there is no magic formula for closing insurance sales, finding ways to grow your communication skills will help you develop strong customer-agent relationships which can have a major positive impact on your sales potential!
Assessing non-verbal and verbal communication styles are a few ways to understand the full scope of how you’re engaging with your clients in the sales process.
Non-verbal communication can be just as strong as verbal communication and is a way to strengthen your relationship with the beneficiary, as well as a major indicator that your customer is willing to close the sale with you. As you’re in sales meetings, it’s important to notice these non-verbal communication styles and practice them yourself:
- Body positioning: Your client’s body positioning has a lot to say about their interest in your materials. Are they sitting back with their arms crossed, looking disinterested? Or are they leaning in towards you, actively listening? This is natural for someone who is interested in something you have to say. Pay attention to this for yourself as well! Is your body positioning showing that you’re closed off or interested and invested in what the beneficiary has to say?
- Mimicry: This tends to happen when people are in close proximity to each other over a period of time. It’s interesting and also helps to express genuine interest in one another. Utilizing this helps to show you’re loyalty and intentionality to the client.
- Facial expressions: Your facial expressions can set the tone for your meeting with the beneficiary. Making sure to genuinely smile can make your client feel comfortable, even if it’s just when you first meet or say goodbye.
Understanding the type of verbal communicator you are, in tandem with your non-verbal communication style, can also help you maximize your productivity and allow you to close insurance sales more effectively. It’s also important to know which type your client is in order to know how to properly affirm them in the sales process. Two common styles of verbal communication are:
- Aesthetic: An aesthetic person can be summed up in the phrase, “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it”. This type of person looks for meaning behind what’s being said and values verbal affirmations! When working when this person consider your tone, inflection, and non-verbal cues and make sure to encourage them verbally.
- Pragmatic: A pragmatic person can be summed up in the phrase, “here’s the bottom line”. This type of person focuses on the words, rather than the intent and takes criticism well. When working with this person be direct, concise, and present the bottom line.
With these non-verbal and verbal communication techniques in hand, this is a good checkpoint to self-reflect and assess your communication styles and how you’re closing sales. Here are some questions to consider that can help you assess your numbers, celebrate the wins, and make a strong game plan to close out AEP strong:
- How am I taking the time to understand my customers’ needs?
- How am I presenting my customers with solutions?
- What are my current non-verbal and verbal communication styles? What do I want to incorporate more of?
- How can I change some of my sales conversations or processes to communicate more effectively?
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As your North Carolina Medicare FMO, Carolina Senior Marketing is committed to serving you, the Independent Insurance Agent. If you’re not an agent with us, we’re still glad to meet a new face and answer any of your questions you may have. Please email us at [email protected] to reach out.
