Trouble Building Rapport and Closing FE

KidsGotHeart

Guru
100+ Post Club
634
I seem to have two very big problems with F.E. at the moment. The first is building rapport and trust up front and closing at the end. I try to ask questions and engage the prospect, but I keep getting yes and no answers, no matter how open ended I tried to make the question. I believe 100% in Sandler so not being able to build rapport is making me mad.

The problem is just with my F.E. sales. I have had no problems closing term and D.I. sales over the last few weeks. When it comes to F.E., I have tried leads and going in cold and just can not close. Furthermore, as I try to work this out; should I try going 100% cold for awhile, or 100% with leads?

My wife makes good money so almost every dime I make can be reinvested back into the business. I have gotten feedback from more than one agent that I have to be more assertive with the F.E. Market. Everyone I have talked to on the phone on this forum has asked me to please stop calling them Sir.

Thanks

Billy
 
One thing you might work on is this. FE buyers for the most part are not that bright, but they do seem to have a certain amount of street smarts. They can kind of sense when they are being fed bullshit. I think they can also sense when the salesman is on edge. Relax, be smooth and for god sakes learn your product. Don't act as if you need the sale. Act as if your trying to help them out, be sincere.


Dwell on one thing and get good at it before you branch out to other topics. Term?, I have sold FE for 5 years and have sold 2 term policies to a husband and wife. While your spending time dabbling in 2 or three different lines just getting by, you could be making good money selling FE.
 
Billy:

Give me a call today.

Now's the time to do a ride-along, either with me or with you.

I seem to have two very big problems with F.E. at the moment. The first is building rapport and trust up front and closing at the end. I try to ask questions and engage the prospect, but I keep getting yes and no answers, no matter how open ended I tried to make the question. I believe 100% in Sandler so not being able to build rapport is making me mad.

The problem is just with my F.E. sales. I have had no problems closing term and D.I. sales over the last few weeks. When it comes to F.E., I have tried leads and going in cold and just can not close. Furthermore, as I try to work this out; should I try going 100% cold for awhile, or 100% with leads?

My wife makes good money so almost every dime I make can be reinvested back into the business. I have gotten feedback from more than one agent that I have to be more assertive with the F.E. Market. Everyone I have talked to on the phone on this forum has asked me to please stop calling them Sir.

Thanks

Billy
 
I seem to have two very big problems with F.E. at the moment. The first is building rapport and trust up front and closing at the end. I try to ask questions and engage the prospect, but I keep getting yes and no answers, no matter how open ended I tried to make the question. I believe 100% in Sandler so not being able to build rapport is making me mad.

The problem is just with my F.E. sales. I have had no problems closing term and D.I. sales over the last few weeks. When it comes to F.E., I have tried leads and going in cold and just can not close. Furthermore, as I try to work this out; should I try going 100% cold for awhile, or 100% with leads?

My wife makes good money so almost every dime I make can be reinvested back into the business. I have gotten feedback from more than one agent that I have to be more assertive with the F.E. Market. Everyone I have talked to on the phone on this forum has asked me to please stop calling them Sir.

Thanks

Billy

Billy.. using "Sir 'and " Ma'am" is not your problem. You would be amazed at how many times I hear folks my age complain about people immediately jumping to a first name basis with them.. Especially the nurses in the Dr.'s offices. I still answer people "Yes, sir" and "No, Ma'am' and I am certain I am a bit older than you. Do what is comfortable to you and quit majoring in the minor points.

As for rapport, you have to be truly interested in people. They will know when you are just going through the motions. I don't know your age but perhaps you are not comfortable relating to older folks. If that be the case, choose another market other than FE. NFL72 said, "While your spending time dabbling in 2 or three different lines just getting by, you could be making good money selling FE." but the opposite is true also.. You could be making big money selling term. (or any other product that you are truly comfortable with selling).. The FE business isn't for everyone. The so called "FE market" that agents talk about on the forum is certainly not for me. At least not the lower end of that market.

Do the ride along with Dave, learn how FE is done right and then make the decision if it is what you want to do.
 
One thing you might work on is this. FE buyers for the most part are not that bright, but they do seem to have a certain amount of street smarts. They can kind of sense when they are being fed bullshit. I think they can also sense when the salesman is on edge. Relax, be smooth and for god sakes learn your product. Don't act as if you need the sale. Act as if your trying to help them out, be sincere.


Dwell on one thing and get good at it before you branch out to other topics. Term?, I have sold FE for 5 years and have sold 2 term policies to a husband and wife. While your spending time dabbling in 2 or three different lines just getting by, you could be making good money selling FE.


Just getting by? Anyway, Term and D.I., are what I first learned and I know those products well. So when I'm in a small town I canvass the businesses. They have not seen an agent in years. I'm really relaxed when I'm giving my presentation, maybe too relaxed. I'm really just an easy going person. Someway I got to figure out how to be more assertive, it is just not it my nature to pistol whip these people.

----------

Billy.. using "Sir 'and " Ma'am" is not your problem. You would be amazed at how many times I hear folks my age complain about people immediately jumping to a first name basis with them.. Especially the nurses in the Dr.'s offices. I still answer people "Yes, sir" and "No, Ma'am' and I am certain I am a bit older than you. Do what is comfortable to you and quit majoring in the minor points.

As for rapport, you have to be truly interested in people. They will know when you are just going through the motions. I don't know your age but perhaps you are not comfortable relating to older folks. If that be the case, choose another market other than FE. NFL72 said, "While your spending time dabbling in 2 or three different lines just getting by, you could be making good money selling FE." but the opposite is true also.. You could be making big money selling term. (or any other product that you are truly comfortable with selling).. The FE business isn't for everyone. The so called "FE market" that agents talk about on the forum is certainly not for me. At least not the lower end of that market.

Do the ride along with Dave, learn how FE is done right and then make the decision if it is what you want to do.

I understand what you are saying, I'm just in a great area for F.E. I get solid returns on mailers and there is just rural area after rural area. I have found the city is not for me, but the country folks are my kind of folks; however, they also have that Alabama stubbornness about them. The competition around here is LH, and some Mutual Savings place that everyone says really good things about. I could have replaced a couple of LH policies, but it just was not in the person's best interest. I guess I could call that a phantom close. :1cool:
 
Just getting by? Anyway, Term and D.I., are what I first learned and I know those products well. So when I'm in a small town I canvass the businesses. They have not seen an agent in years. I'm really relaxed when I'm giving my presentation, maybe too relaxed. I'm really just an easy going person. Someway I got to figure out how to be more assertive, it is just not it my nature to pistol whip these people.


I can't imagine that being assertive and trying to "pistol whip" people is going to help.

Where would that stuff work?

If you are trying to sell to uninterested people it won't matter if you are the debil or the pope. They ain't interested.

When people are interested they will listen to what you have to say. Unless you are trying to pistol whip them.
 
Just getting by? Anyway, Term and D.I., are what I first learned and I know those products well. So when I'm in a small town I canvass the businesses. They have not seen an agent in years. I'm really relaxed when I'm giving my presentation, maybe too relaxed. I'm really just an easy going person. Someway I got to figure out how to be more assertive, it is just not it my nature to pistol whip these people. ---------- I understand what you are saying, I'm just in a great area for F.E. I get solid returns on mailers and there is just rural area after rural area. I have found the city is not for me, but the country folks are my kind of folks; however, they also have that Alabama stubbornness about them. The competition around here is LH, and some Mutual Savings place that everyone says really good things about. I could have replaced a couple of LH policies, but it just was not in the person's best interest. I guess I could call that a phantom close. :1cool:

If you are surrounded by LH policies you are in a GOLD mine. Get the training you need. Take Reardon up on his offer.
 
I can't imagine that being assertive and trying to "pistol whip" people is going to help.

Where would that stuff work?

If you are trying to sell to uninterested people it won't matter if you are the debil or the pope. They ain't interested.

When people are interested they will listen to what you have to say. Unless you are trying to pistol whip them.

I did not mean that literally, JD. I meant I just got to take more control over the situation. Ten miles outside the city I'm golden, anywhere inside that I'm getting chewed up.
 
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