4 Insurance Coaching Tips For More Sales
For those who oversee the sales team of an insurance agency, you know that coaching is essential to each agent’s success. Without effective coaching, revenues remain flat. You must inflate your team with confidence so that they’re rolling towards more sales each and every day. Here are 4 insurance coaching tips you need to know to get more sales:
1. One-on-One Meetings
How often do you sit down with each agent individually? Many times, salespeople are hesitant to share what their current struggles are when surrounded by the rest of the team. That’s why you need to sit down with each agent alone from time to time. To have the most effective meetings, have each sales representative come prepared with their sales-related questions and concerns. Listen carefully to what they’re telling you and, together, formulate and record a goal of theirs to achieve. Be sure to revisit the progress of the goal for accountability purposes at the next meeting. One-on-one meetings are also a great opportunity for you to share praises and offer suggestions on how to improve. When conducted properly, these meetings will build a bond of trust, boost positive morale, and provide motivation to achieve sales goals!
2. Coaching Intelligence
Without comprehensive sales reports, how do you know what you need to work on with your sales staff? That’s where sales software like Blitz can help. With full sales reports, you can ensure your sales team consistently achieves its goals. For example, if you want to see how much home insurance one of your agents has sold this quarter, you can pull that report in the sales software. If the amount sold is lower than the goal you had in place, turn this into an opportunity to offer coaching tips to your agent so that they can hit their goal the next quarter. Intelligence like reporting will allow you to pinpoint the areas where your staff is struggling and make adjustments.
3. Phone Coaching
In insurance, sales conversations which take place over the phone are common. Whether in inbound or outbound calls, agents will be selling your services and providing quotes. Over-the-phone sales can be difficult for many agents. This can lead to a decrease in sales performance. Fortunately for you, there are tools to help your agents succeed! With modern technology enhancements, most phone systems and auto dialers offer the ability to record calls. Then, you can listen to your agent’s calls when you need. Another insurance coaching suggestion you can use to your advantage is whisper coaching. Whisper coaching is the ability to be on the call with your agents without the prospect hearing you. It’s like the head coach talking to the quarterback through a headset, but the defense can’t hear him. With stellar coaching tools, you’ll become the Bill Belichick of your agency with a staff full of Tom Brady-caliber agents.
4. Handle Those Objections!
As long as there are people in sales, there will be objections that need to be handled. Objection handling is one of the most difficult parts of the sales conversation your agents will face. For those agents who handle objections effectively, they will rise to stardom in your agency and boost revenue. To help every agent do so, you must first practice with them because practice makes perfect! Have a weekly sales meeting with your staff and go over current objections your staff is facing. Give a scenario and practice. When your employees struggle, walk them through the scenario with coaching tips. One way you can assist your agents in objection handling is to develop an internal guide. A guide is helpful and also prevents agents from interrupting your work with questions.
Rose Wilson 