I wanted to share this with you all. This is something my father Greg Rosenthal wrote and it might help some of you..or give you some food for thought.
Leads? I don’t need any stinking leads, I know how to prospect!
And I want to share with you how to do it. I want to teach you how to have many valuable prospects that you can turn into clients. I want to show you how successful, professional agents make $50,000 to $150,000 a year in annualized commissions. This process is called DIRECT Marketing. It is also called NEED SELLING. But first, let’s CONSIDER WHO BUYS LIFE INSURANCE? Who is our TARGET MARKET? It is very important that you memorize this list:
Who just attended a funeral?
Who just had a new baby?
Who just adopted a child?
Who just got married?
Who just got divorced?
Who just had a new grandchild?
Who just bought a house?
Who just bought or started a new business?
Who just got a raise or promotion on their job?
Who just lost a job?
Who just took on a partner?
Who has an employee or partner that would bring about a financial lost if he died?
I listed 12 categories, and I want to concentrate more on the first seven. I listed them in order of importance or in ease to find and sell. I think most of us know WHY they buy Life Insurance. Notice I listed “attended a funeral” first. A year ago, an old friend that I do not hear from very often phoned me and said “Greg, I need to buy some life insurance.” I responded, “WHY? Who do you know that just died?” He laughed and said “My wife’s cousin, how’d you know?” Plain and simple, people attend funerals and discuss life insurance. It should be number one on your list to target.
When I was a Sales Trainer back in the 80s, the best and easiest prospect to sell was the NEW DADDY. He was easy to find, we simply went to the Maternity Ward at the local hospital. The new agent that I was training and I sat in our business suits with our brief cases and waited for the new daddy to approach that big glass window and look at his new born son or daughter. I would jump up there beside him as he admired his new child and ask him “which one is yours?” After some small talk and flattery and compliments, I’d ask him “Reckon he will go to college?” He’d look at me with a strange look and say something like “Man, he was just born yesterday?” I would come back with “Let me ask you something, is he worth a dollar a day to you? He would always answer “Man, he’s worth a million dollars to me.” I would proceed to tell him for about one dollar a day (or $30 a month) he could start preparing the baby’s financial future, and convince him to let me write up an app right there and get his $30. Together we would go upstairs and he would proudly tell the new mama what we had just done.
What we want to do, what our goal is, is to build a list, a new mailing list, weekly, every week, week after week. We need a list compiled of suspects or prospects from the listed 12 NEEDS above. Every week, we need to add at least 50 or 60 names, up to 100 names to our mailing list, and then mail them every week.
How do we find these people? Well, it is much easier today with the Internet and computer than it was back in the 80s for me back then. Back then, I had to use the phone book and a typewriter. Today, the best source of prospects is still the local newspaper. We want to first go to the Obituaries in the local small town newspaper. It will list the deceased and many survivors. It will say something like “survived by his son, William Jones of Mableton, Georgia.” We write down those survivor’s names and look up their mailing addresses in the phone book, or easier, on the Internet. If there are two William Jones, that is OK, we simply get both addresses. In my small home town of Griffin, Georgia, there are 5 to 8 deaths listed daily. For each death, they will list 2 to 20 survivors, so the Obituaries are good for 20 to 100 or more names daily. That is an easy 20 to 100 prospects to mail my “pre-approach letter” to, every weekend. Let me tell you here, NEVER tell them where or how you got their names. Tell them you got them from the phone book, that you work the phone book every week. When they get your “pre-approach letter” you want it to appear to be a timely coincidence. They will interpret it as DIVINE INTERVENTION, or karma, or fate, or the hand of God, or an inspiration. You want them to think it is their idea to allow you to visit them, after they receive your letter.
In the same small local newspaper, you can possibly find in the Legal Section, people who just bought a house and people who just got divorced. Some papers offer wedding announcements and birth announcements. The smaller the town, the smaller the newspaper, and the more information you can find and gather for your mailings. You can also visit JC Penny, Belks, and stores that keep “gift wedding lists” and “baby shower lists” too. You have to play “detective” in gathering your names. You can also visit the local court house and view books or databases of people who just got married or divorced, or just bought a house. We can show you how to get many of these prospect names from the Internet and public records. 40 to 60 names and addresses are your goal, and the more you can gather from the top of the listed twelve categories, then the better the list will work for you. I suggest you keep a pocket prospect book too, so as you encounter people daily, you can pull it out in front of them and with your ink pen in hand, ask them “Who do you know that just buried a loved one? Had a baby? Got married? Divorced? Bought a house?” etc, etc and add to your lists.
After you have a good 40 to 50 names, it is time to send your “pre-approach” letters. This helps circumvent the DO NOT CALL LIST. You can phone anyone if you mail them a letter first, telling them that you are going to phone them. Let’s look at my pre-approach letter.
Dear Mr. Williams,
I am writing to you today, to introduce myself. I am Greg Rosenthal, a Life Insurance Agent. My services have proven to be very valuable to many people in different situations and circumstances and I want to introduce myself to see if my services could prove to be valuable to you too.
I will be phoning you next week to see if you would be interested in talking to me at a time that is convenient to you.
Sincerely,
Greg Rosenthal
You want to mail 40 to 60 letters the first mailing, to help determine how many letters you need to mail every week. You need to mail them to arrive on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Then, let Saturday and Monday be PHONE DAY. Spend all day Monday and Monday night until 8:30 pm phoning them, and asking for an appointment. If any of them cannot be reached, then save them for phoning on Saturday.
You will phone them and ask for an appointment. Simply say “Mr. Williams, this is Greg Rosenthal, the insurance agent that mailed you the introduction letter. Would you have time to talk to me later this week, and let me ask you a few questions to determine if my services would be valuable to you or your family?”
He might say “Yes, sure” and easily give you an appointment. If they were on your “survivor” list, they might respond, “You won’t believe it, but me and my wife were just discussing whether we had enough life insurance.” Or he might say “This must be the hand of God, we were just wondering who would wind up paying for Uncle Harry’s funeral when he dies.” Or he might respond, “What a coincidence, we just had a new baby and we need to talk to a Life Insurance Agent.”
If he says “No, I am not interested” then very fast ask him “Do you know anyone who might be interested and just had a baby or bought a house or just got married that might need to talk to me? Do you have a poor family member that you might someday be responsible for their funeral?”
I tried to keep this guide to prospecting short so it would not be too lengthy to read. If you have any questions, just email me at [email protected]
Leads? I don’t need any stinking leads, I know how to prospect!
And I want to share with you how to do it. I want to teach you how to have many valuable prospects that you can turn into clients. I want to show you how successful, professional agents make $50,000 to $150,000 a year in annualized commissions. This process is called DIRECT Marketing. It is also called NEED SELLING. But first, let’s CONSIDER WHO BUYS LIFE INSURANCE? Who is our TARGET MARKET? It is very important that you memorize this list:
Who just attended a funeral?
Who just had a new baby?
Who just adopted a child?
Who just got married?
Who just got divorced?
Who just had a new grandchild?
Who just bought a house?
Who just bought or started a new business?
Who just got a raise or promotion on their job?
Who just lost a job?
Who just took on a partner?
Who has an employee or partner that would bring about a financial lost if he died?
I listed 12 categories, and I want to concentrate more on the first seven. I listed them in order of importance or in ease to find and sell. I think most of us know WHY they buy Life Insurance. Notice I listed “attended a funeral” first. A year ago, an old friend that I do not hear from very often phoned me and said “Greg, I need to buy some life insurance.” I responded, “WHY? Who do you know that just died?” He laughed and said “My wife’s cousin, how’d you know?” Plain and simple, people attend funerals and discuss life insurance. It should be number one on your list to target.
When I was a Sales Trainer back in the 80s, the best and easiest prospect to sell was the NEW DADDY. He was easy to find, we simply went to the Maternity Ward at the local hospital. The new agent that I was training and I sat in our business suits with our brief cases and waited for the new daddy to approach that big glass window and look at his new born son or daughter. I would jump up there beside him as he admired his new child and ask him “which one is yours?” After some small talk and flattery and compliments, I’d ask him “Reckon he will go to college?” He’d look at me with a strange look and say something like “Man, he was just born yesterday?” I would come back with “Let me ask you something, is he worth a dollar a day to you? He would always answer “Man, he’s worth a million dollars to me.” I would proceed to tell him for about one dollar a day (or $30 a month) he could start preparing the baby’s financial future, and convince him to let me write up an app right there and get his $30. Together we would go upstairs and he would proudly tell the new mama what we had just done.
What we want to do, what our goal is, is to build a list, a new mailing list, weekly, every week, week after week. We need a list compiled of suspects or prospects from the listed 12 NEEDS above. Every week, we need to add at least 50 or 60 names, up to 100 names to our mailing list, and then mail them every week.
How do we find these people? Well, it is much easier today with the Internet and computer than it was back in the 80s for me back then. Back then, I had to use the phone book and a typewriter. Today, the best source of prospects is still the local newspaper. We want to first go to the Obituaries in the local small town newspaper. It will list the deceased and many survivors. It will say something like “survived by his son, William Jones of Mableton, Georgia.” We write down those survivor’s names and look up their mailing addresses in the phone book, or easier, on the Internet. If there are two William Jones, that is OK, we simply get both addresses. In my small home town of Griffin, Georgia, there are 5 to 8 deaths listed daily. For each death, they will list 2 to 20 survivors, so the Obituaries are good for 20 to 100 or more names daily. That is an easy 20 to 100 prospects to mail my “pre-approach letter” to, every weekend. Let me tell you here, NEVER tell them where or how you got their names. Tell them you got them from the phone book, that you work the phone book every week. When they get your “pre-approach letter” you want it to appear to be a timely coincidence. They will interpret it as DIVINE INTERVENTION, or karma, or fate, or the hand of God, or an inspiration. You want them to think it is their idea to allow you to visit them, after they receive your letter.
In the same small local newspaper, you can possibly find in the Legal Section, people who just bought a house and people who just got divorced. Some papers offer wedding announcements and birth announcements. The smaller the town, the smaller the newspaper, and the more information you can find and gather for your mailings. You can also visit JC Penny, Belks, and stores that keep “gift wedding lists” and “baby shower lists” too. You have to play “detective” in gathering your names. You can also visit the local court house and view books or databases of people who just got married or divorced, or just bought a house. We can show you how to get many of these prospect names from the Internet and public records. 40 to 60 names and addresses are your goal, and the more you can gather from the top of the listed twelve categories, then the better the list will work for you. I suggest you keep a pocket prospect book too, so as you encounter people daily, you can pull it out in front of them and with your ink pen in hand, ask them “Who do you know that just buried a loved one? Had a baby? Got married? Divorced? Bought a house?” etc, etc and add to your lists.
After you have a good 40 to 50 names, it is time to send your “pre-approach” letters. This helps circumvent the DO NOT CALL LIST. You can phone anyone if you mail them a letter first, telling them that you are going to phone them. Let’s look at my pre-approach letter.
Rosenthal Insurance and Financial Service
7179 Jonesboro Road #202
Morrow, Georgia 30206
Phone 770-968-5757
7179 Jonesboro Road #202
Morrow, Georgia 30206
Phone 770-968-5757
Dear Mr. Williams,
I am writing to you today, to introduce myself. I am Greg Rosenthal, a Life Insurance Agent. My services have proven to be very valuable to many people in different situations and circumstances and I want to introduce myself to see if my services could prove to be valuable to you too.
I will be phoning you next week to see if you would be interested in talking to me at a time that is convenient to you.
Sincerely,
Greg Rosenthal
You want to mail 40 to 60 letters the first mailing, to help determine how many letters you need to mail every week. You need to mail them to arrive on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Then, let Saturday and Monday be PHONE DAY. Spend all day Monday and Monday night until 8:30 pm phoning them, and asking for an appointment. If any of them cannot be reached, then save them for phoning on Saturday.
You will phone them and ask for an appointment. Simply say “Mr. Williams, this is Greg Rosenthal, the insurance agent that mailed you the introduction letter. Would you have time to talk to me later this week, and let me ask you a few questions to determine if my services would be valuable to you or your family?”
He might say “Yes, sure” and easily give you an appointment. If they were on your “survivor” list, they might respond, “You won’t believe it, but me and my wife were just discussing whether we had enough life insurance.” Or he might say “This must be the hand of God, we were just wondering who would wind up paying for Uncle Harry’s funeral when he dies.” Or he might respond, “What a coincidence, we just had a new baby and we need to talk to a Life Insurance Agent.”
If he says “No, I am not interested” then very fast ask him “Do you know anyone who might be interested and just had a baby or bought a house or just got married that might need to talk to me? Do you have a poor family member that you might someday be responsible for their funeral?”
I tried to keep this guide to prospecting short so it would not be too lengthy to read. If you have any questions, just email me at [email protected]
