1st Day Ever of Selling Insurance

[jamesflou]

I remember my first time ever out selling insurance. Actually we did more prospecting than selling that day but here is what we did. When I say we it's because my sales manager at American General was out there with me. I really didn't know what to do and I kept asking him what is the first step. I said show me how it's done Cecil! So we walked up to the first door at an apartment complex and knocked. When the young man came to the door Cecil extended his hand and I followed and he told him who we were. Then he revealed what I was sure was the insurance agents big secret. He said "Who do you have your life insurance with" ? The man replied I do not have any insurance. Then we took his information and set an appointment. About 4 or 5 of the people we approached the same way and got three appointments. I was excited and thought this is to easy. I am gonna be rich! Reality set in the day of the appointments. No one came to the door. I still use that question today but add a name to it such as:
Who do you have your life insurance with Prudential? They usually will say no I have it with American general or I don't have any. The idea is to tell them a name so they will correct you. When just asking them the question the first way they often stumbled and made up a name. But I discovered through trial and error that the only secret to was to help people with their insurance and not try to sell them insurance. As Cecil said it's "activity,activity,activity".

 

[Guest]

Cecil is (or was) a smart man.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Put their interest above yours and you're golden!!

I remember my first time ever out selling insurance. Actually we did more prospecting than selling that day but here is what we did. When I say we it's because my sales manager at American General was out there with me. I really didn't know what to do and I kept asking him what is the first step. I said show me how it's done Cecil! So we walked up to the first door at an apartment complex and knocked. When the young man came to the door Cecil extended his hand and I followed and he told him who we were. Then he revealed what I was sure was the insurance agents big secret. He said "Who do you have your life insurance with" ? The man replied I do not have any insurance. Then we took his information and set an appointment. About 4 or 5 of the people we approached the same way and got three appointments. I was excited and thought this is to easy. I am gonna be rich! Reality set in the day of the appointments. No one came to the door. I still use that question today but add a name to it such as:
Who do you have your life insurance with Prudential? They usually will say no I have it with American general or I don't have any. The idea is to tell them a name so they will correct you. When just asking them the question the first way they often stumbled and made up a name. But I discovered through trial and error that the only secret to was to help people with their insurance and not try to sell them insurance. As Cecil said it's "activity,activity,activity".

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

When the young man came to the door Cecil extended his hand and I followed and he told him who we were.

Then he revealed what I was sure was the insurance agents big secret. He said "Who do you have your life insurance with" ? The man replied I do not have any insurance. Then we took his information and set an appointment. About 4 or 5 of the people we approached the same way and got three appointments. I was excited and thought this is to easy.

Reality set in the day of the appointments. No one came to the door.

Sounds real effective.

 

[beatuplunchbox]

My first appointment I thought I was going to see a small business owner of a convenience store (an assumption I made because the place was called the Pit Stop.) I rolled up ready to make my first sale and it was an adult novelty store. I still went in and found a the prospect to be a really large man stuffing what looked like a grocery bag of egg mcmuffins into his mouth whole...

When I got back to the office all of the guys were laughing their butts off at me. They gave this lead to all new agents...

To this day I can not force myself to eat an egg mcmuffin.

 

[Todd King]

My first appointment I thought I was going to see a small business owner of a convenience store (an assumption I made because the place was called the Pit Stop.) I rolled up ready to make my first sale and it was an adult novelty store. I still went in and found a the prospect to be a really large man stuffing what looked like a grocery bag of egg mcmuffins into his mouth whole...

When I got back to the office all of the guys were laughing their butts off at me. They gave this lead to all new agents...

To this day I can not force myself to eat an egg mcmuffin.

That is way too funny!!

 

[beatuplunchbox]

Not as bad as the next guy that got sent there. The big guy gave him a pen from the place and he came back in to the office chewing on it...GROSS!
Needles to say we mounted the pen on the wall with the plaques on it and retired the lead...

 

[xrac]

My first appointment I thought I was going to see a small business owner of a convenience store (an assumption I made because the place was called the Pit Stop.) I rolled up ready to make my first sale and it was an adult novelty store. I still went in and found a the prospect to be a really large man stuffing what looked like a grocery bag of egg mcmuffins into his mouth whole...

When I got back to the office all of the guys were laughing their butts off at me. They gave this lead to all new agents...

To this day I can not force myself to eat an egg mcmuffin.

That story belongs in the funny insurance story thread!

 

[Justin Bilyj]

We should have a forum area all for bizarre, funny, and crazy cases/clients. Rob you have so many quotes, you should make one of those quote calendars for insurance agents ;-)

 

[Joseph H. Deacon III]

One of my early appointments was with this gentleman about long term care insurance. He sounded a little quirky on the phone, but I figured, "hey, it is someone to go talk to about LTC". I went with a more experienced producer and he was to give the presentation and I was to listen and take mental notes.

We pulled up to an old, southern style home a little out in the country and figured this might be a good prospect. The man answered the door and said to come on in and we'll talk. This guy had a pet bird (parakeet) that sat on his shoulder. Somehow, this bird had learned to talk just like a parrot. The bird also seemed to think that the back of this guy's shirt was a bathroom, as he had bird droppings all over him down his back. I knew that this was going to be an interesting appointment/experience as we were walking in.

For pretty much the entire appointment, the bird talked and repeated insurance terms and other things, and it took everything I had in me not to laugh hysterically the whole time. The bird would also fly around the kitchen from time to time and used the bathroom on the man more than a few times. It was difficult for me to keep a straight face even though I was just sitting there and had no part in the presentation.

At one point Matt (the slightly more experienced agent) had to stop and look straight down at the floor and cover his face because it was such a weird appointment and everything about it was hilarious. About this time the guy's mother who was apparently the oldest person in this particular county came out and shook her cane at us because she thought we were attorney's and that her son was trying to sell the family farm. I hate to admit it, but she was a scary sight and I was a bit afraid because that cane looked pretty hard and heavy. He convinced her that he was not in fact selling the family farm and we resumed our presentation.

We ending up writing an LTC app (John Hancock CC II), but unfortunately he could not pass the cognitive portion of the application. I sometimes wonder if he is still there hanging out with that bird and his mom.

I don't think that anyone at the office believed our story, but it happened.

 

[jamesflou]

That is an interesting story. The things that we encounter in a home are sometimes unbelievable to most. Almost like telling someone you saw a UFO or something!