Anyone Making A Living Coldcalling?

[JustinUpright]

If you are a dairy farmer you are allowed to milk your cows (the 4 legged ones)...however if you have 2 legged ones that you prefer, go for it.
If you are an insurance sales professional, I am sharing what I've heard from very successful folks in this field. You ask for the referral before, after and during the sale. And then you ask whenever you speak with your client. You obviously need not be obnoxious and apply a truckload of charm when you do it (my thought here..I know brilliant!)...I'm still learning this part, as I have not graduated from Charm school yet. Seriously though, "ask and you shall receive"...the opposite is almost always true. I find it hard to believe that people will give you referrals on their own...I'm not saying you won't get some...but you will maximize your "milk" when you squeeze every tit. Hey I'm up to 4 posts y'all

So basically your saying milking cows is a numbers game? If you squeeze every tit you will get more milk but if you quit before the bucket is full you will be thirsty. Hmmmm good words of wisdom. I would say even if you were milking the cow as a beginner and were getting a little milk if you milked lots of cows (not perfect) you would still get more milk.

 

[Frank Stastny]

I would say even if you were milking the cow as a beginner and were getting a little milk if you milked lots of cows (not perfect) you would still get more milk.

Yes, you will get a little milk from each cow but you will only get it for a short period of time. If each cow is not totally stripped of milk then she will dry up and all of a sudden, no matter how good you become at milking, you will no longer get any milk again until she "comes fresh" again. (Has a calf.)

However, the opposite is true about clients. One cannot keep "milking clients" and expect to keep getting valuable referrals. Referrals, the really good ones, are earned not given.

When I get a referral it is a sale. In the last four and a half weeks I have written three. The prospects were already sold by my clients who they had talked to. All I had to do is write the app and send it in.

Oh, I didn't ask for any of them. Each one called me, told me they were friends with a client of mine and they wanted the same policy their friend had. That is what I call a real referral.

 

[briko3]

Frank, I agree with Medsupps that is probably the case. But when a large part of what you do for a client is case design, it's not as simple as your client telling their friends, "hey, look what great policy I have...you need to call this guy"

 

[Frank Stastny]

Frank, I agree with Medsupps that is probably the case. But when a large part of what you do for a client is case design, it's not as simple as your client telling their friends, "hey, look what great policy I have...you need to call this guy"

You are totally correct. I've got to be more careful and make sure reader understands that I am addressing Med Supps. I thought I mentioned it in that post and obviously I didn't. Thanks for adding that.

I don't think I would want to do what you do. It sounds like too much work. However, I'm sure you clients really appreciate it.

 

[briko3]

Haha...it is a pain sometimes. The problem is that a lot of clients that do more complex planning aren't talking to their friends about it. In those cases, it's important to ask for referrals no matter how good of a job you did. Now, unfortunately, I'm haven't been vigilant in asking, but I know I need to.

 

[Frank Stastny]

Haha...it is a pain sometimes. The problem is that a lot of clients that do more complex planning aren't talking to their friends about it. In those cases, it's important to ask for referrals no matter how good of a job you did. Now, unfortunately, I'm haven't been vigilant in asking, but I know I need to.

I believe the big difference is that seniors just love to talk about their health and money. Sometimes I get way too much information, I really don't need to know about their bowel problems. haha

Along with talking about their health and money is their health care. When their doctor gives them a new pill they can't wait to tell their friends. When they save money on their health insurance they can't wait to brag about it to their friends.

"I'm paying less than you are, neener, neener, neeeeener."

 

[GreenSky]

I really don't need to know about their bowl problems

You mean that they complain about dropping a bowl and breaking it? Rural seniors are much different than those in urban areas.

Seniors around here complain about bowel problems. They rarely have problems with their bowls. (Is putting too much frosted flakes in a bowl considered a problem?)

Rick

 

[alphawave2k]

So basically your saying milking cows is a numbers game? If you squeeze every tit you will get more milk but if you quit before the bucket is full you will be thirsty. Hmmmm good words of wisdom. I would say even if you were milking the cow as a beginner and were getting a little milk if you milked lots of cows (not perfect) you would still get more milk.

Justin, Frank and all you all,
Any variation will do....I'm really not that smart. I do remember a wise leader once saying "you can milk some of the people some of the time, and you can milk all of the people some of the time, but you can't milk all of the people all of the time".
All the points being made here on getting referrals are valid to me. Whether they are "real referrals" i.e. people begging you to sell them a policy, or the "fake" referrals, where you have to "sell" them one, it's one more warm opportunity. If you have to cajole, harass and threaten someone to give you a referral, than it's neither "real or fake", it's just another internet lead....a bad internet lead.
I have been in sales for many many years, but new to this field, and honestly not making a living at it yet. Whether I will be selling health insurance, life or whatever it is, my motto has always been and always will be, do what's best for the client. The problem with this profession is that it attracts many people good and bad, which sometimes come in at a point of financial desperation, when they see the great potential to make good money. However, once they..(the bad ones) find out it's not as easy as it seemed, they resort to shady, pushy and unscrupulous tactics, which taints the entire industry and all the people in it. Let me assure all of you, vets or rookies, that whether I make it or not in this profession, its reputation will not suffer worse. I have always lived by the Golden Rule, and if you have a server's heart and people's best interest in mind, it will show through...per Zig Ziglar "if you help enough people get what they want, you will eventually get what you want". If you treat people with respect, dignity and work hard for them...the sky is the limit. Peace y'all...
Alph-red-o

 

[OrlandoSEO]

Re: The Secret to Exponentially Growing Your Leads

The trick is to call people who are already looking for what you have to offer. (ie, they responded to your letter, answered your classified ad, clicked on an e-ad, filled out a survery, etc. This will sharpen your ratios.

Once you land 1 good appointment, you have to milk that relationship and get lots of referrals. Referrals are difficult for many people especially when they have done nothing more than the other guy who could have protected them last week.

And this is where you make yourself different. You have to sit down and think of some way to make yourself different in the home so that people want to refer you to their friends.

Come up with a personal story to weave into your insurance presentation. Get them to hug you before you walk out the door. When that happens your referral list grows exponentially!

Of course milking referrals is something everyone should be doing, but it should not be an either or type of situation. You should really be doing both.
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I really don't care if you believe it or not. When you do your job right, the referrals come, and you don't have to beg.

Going with the build it and they will come angle

anyone interested in more infor on this topic should read this article from ductape marketing.

Why I NEVER Ask for Referrals (but I get them anyway) Part 1 of 2 - Marketing & Sales - Biznik

 

[Frank Stastny]

You mean that they complain about dropping a bowl and breaking it? Rural seniors are much different than those in urban areas.

Seniors around here complain about bowel problems. They rarely have problems with their bowls. (Is putting too much frosted flakes in a bowl considered a problem?)

Rick

Yes, too much frosted flakes can cause a problem if their bowel is not large enough to handle it.