"Strictly Sales" is written by the faculty of the Dynamics of Selling Program. This month's column is from Joan Sansing, CIC, ARM, AAI.
DO YOU have your "game book" ready? At Dynamics of Selling, we stress the importance of your game book (some refer to it as your "toolbox") to preparing for appointments. Having a nice brochure to show prospects is useful, but producers need more to succeed on sales calls. At our National Alliance School for Producer Development, we even supply a "shell" that producers can develop into a game book when they return to the office.
In my experience as a sales manager and trainer, however, I've learned that many people return to work from training programs ready to implement new ideas, only to quickly put them aside for more pressing day-to-day issues. Other producers, new to the industry, don't know where to begin building a game book. For either group, let's review the items essential for a winning producer's game book.
1. Diagnostic appointment questionnaire (DAQ): You need this series of rapport-building questions to assess a prospect's values and needs, and to test the strength of the incumbent agent. You should rewrite any pre-printed DAQ to match your style, so you will be comfortable asking the questions. You should have a DAQ for each buying style. When you quickly identify a prospect's buying style, using the appropriate DAQ enhances your effectiveness.
2. Data-gathering questionnaire: Using SIC-code specific questionnaires (AMS PS/4, etc.) helps you demonstrate to a prospect that you have expertise in insuring his or her industry. Using industry-unique terminology to ask questions is especially critical for inexperienced producers or for experienced producers working on a new class of business.
3. List of satisfied clients: If you want to deliver a strong statement about your program, give prospects a list of satisfied clients they can call.
4. List of prospects: Take your prospect list with you to appointments in the coming weeks. Regardless of how well you qualify prospects, sometimes circumstances necessitate your walking away from an account following your first meeting, even if you have gotten along well with the prospect. But why walk away empty-handed? Before you go, show the prospect your prospecting list of similar businesses in the area. The prospect may be able to provide important information, such as whom to ask for when you call on a given account. You never know who will open a door for you that has been closed until now.
5. Letter templates:
-Broker/agent-of-record letters are needed for a variety of situations. If during the DAQ you discover that a prospect is with the right carrier but is unhappy with the current agent, it doesn't hurt to ask, "Would you consider letting me go to the carrier on your behalf to start resolving some of the issues we uncovered during our meeting today?"
Also, we all know how frustrating it is to find that an incumbent agent has blocked the markets by sending submissions to all the carriers, with no intention of showing the clients the quotes they receive. You'll need to convince these prospects to assign you a viable market, where you have a chance for a competitive quote, or you'll have to walk away from such accounts.
-Attaining a prospect's current loss runs is one of the greatest obstacles producers face. The insurance contract is between the client and the carrier, but an incumbent agent often will do whatever he or she can to hold up the release of loss runs. You need a letter template in your game book that instructs the carrier(s) to release the loss runs to the client, not to the agent. In addition to the loss-run letter template, your game book should include a document listing carriers and their addresses, so prospects can issue the letters without delay. Your list should include all carriers, even those you don't represent.
-Your template collection should include a letter to request release of a prospect's workers compensation experience modification worksheets from NCCI, or the appropriate workers comp rating bureau.
6. Confidentiality agreements: Prospects are often reluctant to share their current insurance contracts, financial statements or other confidential information with a producer they have only just met. Propose the use of signed confidentiality agreements to overcome this resistance. Such an agreement should stipulate that you will not use a prospect's confidential information for any reason other than to assess the prospect's insurance and risk management needs.
7. Applications: Use detailed applications primarily for professional coverages, including D&O, EPL and fiduciary coverages. Clients must complete these applications themselves, so carry a supply with you. Don't let a lack of proper applications delay your submission to a carrier.
8. Business cards: This may sound simple, but have you ever arrived at a call to discover you don't have any cards with you?
Successful producers carry the right tools. Create a game book that contains them. They'll help you find qualified prospects and come up with creative solutions for their insurance needs.
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