Cold Calling for Life Insurance Brokers
Cold calling may be not the most time effective way to generate new leads, but it’s still a skill that any professional insurance broker should master. Apply the tips below and watch your clientele grow!
Define the Purpose of the Call Clearly - Even before you reach for the phone, think about what are you exactly trying to achieve. Most people from a sales background tend to think that the goal is merely closing the sale, it’s not. You should be aiming to establish a some kind of first contact and ensure future appointments. You’re hoping to turn your prospects to clients and to get referrals from them many years from now.
Define your Prospects - You’ll find that researching and grouping prospects into groups will make your efforts more effective. People from a specific industry or alike positions will usually have alike habits, especially when it comes to time management and conversation style. It it easier to call similar people at one time.
Have an Opening Framework - You don’t want a specific and detailed script for calling, but you should definitely develop a solid opening framework. Be sure to include a warm greeting, an introduction, and a time frame statement. Make sure you cite a reference point, and sketch out the benefits of working with you. Be short, punctual and clear - that way you’ll have a professional image.
Be Personal - Some people are getting a lot of phone calls every day and chances are that you’re not going to be remembered if you sound just like every other person talking. Learn to make an impact and communicate your identity in a friendly, personal way.
Smile While Calling - Do it. Research shows that people sound more pleasant and tend to feel better when they smile, and this translates over the phone as well. You will be surprised how big a difference can a small detail like this make.
Ask for Help When Dealing With Gatekeepers - In cases when you’ll be calling business owners or people in higher positions, you’re likely to encounter gatekeepers that are instructed not to let cold calls through unless for a specific reason. In t hese situations, a magical sentence to ask is: “Is there any way you could help me?” If you let the person have the impression of helping you instead of defending his/her turf, you’re much more likely to get through.
Turn Negative into Positive - In every cold calling scenario, you will be encountering rejections of various nature and plenty of “no”s. Don’t take these personally. A good way to keep a cheerful attitude is to play a little game and count these instead of the positive outcomes.
Call at The Right Times - The best way to call is arguably early in the morning, when you can reach the person directly and he/she’s full of energy. This is especially true if you call business owners - the best time is either before 9 AM or after 5 PM, when the gatekeepers aren’t there and you’re talking directly to the decision makers.
Insurance And The Benefits Of A Broker
From cars to caravans and pets to plane travel, there’s an insurance policy for almost everything. Consumers are faced with a huge choice of companies offering insurance, so it’s little wonder that some people don’t know where to start when it comes to buying a policy.
But it’s not just insurance companies who are selling insurance these days - banks, building societies and even supermarkets have all got in on the act. So where do you go to get the best deals on the most comprehensive polices?
One important resource which is sometimes overlooked is an insurance broker. Independent insurance brokers work on your behalf to find the best possible deals to suit you. They’ll be able to search though the market to locate the most competitive prices available, meaning that you don’t have to spend hours on the phone or online looking for quotes yourself. This can save a considerable amount of time, as insurance companies require a large amount of information in order to create a quote.
Also remember that insurance brokers are experts in their field and can therefore quickly find and compare insurance quotes. And because they are obliged to search the whole market, you can be sure that their recommendation will be the one that best suits your needs, and not biased or skewed due to other business considerations.
Another advantage of using an insurance broker is that you get to deal with a real human being. Many larger insurers have implemented automated response units to deal with requests from potential customers. Whilst this saves them money, it can be frustrating when you just want to speak to a person.
Another cost cutting measure that some insurers have been implementing is the outsourcing of their call centres to countries like India, where labour is much cheaper. However, this can cause problems with bad phone lines. Moreover, staff are not always fully fluent in English or may have a strong accent, which can make communication more difficult.
The standard advice for buying insurance and indeed buying almost anything is to shop around for the best deal. However with an independent insurance broker, you are effectively getting someone else to do all the shopping around for you; and due to the time consuming nature of obtaining insurance quotes, it can actually be more cost effective to go through a broker than to do it yourself - especially since insurance brokers have access to special rates than aren’t available to the general public and can do a much better job at negotiating for discounts.
And finally, an insurance broker will fight your corner with an underwriter, should you need to make a claim - so not only can they get you the best deals, they also come with added peace of mind.
Insurance Carrier Broker Agents
Uncertainties surround all of us. No one knows when disaster or illness will strike. For some professionals and companies, there is no telling when a client will lodge a complaint. Surprises like these can easily deplete anyone’s financial resources, as suits can amount to thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees and claims. For things that are unexpected, there are insurance policies that can help you. And the right kind of insurance carrier broker agent can assist you in making sure you are properly covered against such claims.
But choosing the right kind of insurance carrier is imperative for having a worry-free business. Insurance carriers are companies that assume the risk on behalf of a client. And they offer several insurance products that cater to specific client needs, whether it is renters insurance, life insurance, automobile insurance, accident insurance, malpractice and liability insurance, real property insurance, among many others. They also offer free consultative advice for clients who would want a thorough coverage of their businesses and individual needs. Some insurance brokers do not work for just one insurance carrier. They carry the portfolio of different carriers. This kind of broker agent gives their clients a wide range of choices when it comes to coverage and prices.
There are different kinds of insurance carriers: They are stock, mutual, or reciprocal companies. The difference lies in the kind of ownership that constitutes each kind. A carrier must seek approval and accreditation from the government to legitimately be able to provide insurance services and products.
Insurance carriers have brokers to sell their policies and cultivate relationships with clients. Insurance carrier broker agents talk with potential customers and prepare products that best suit their needs.
An insurance carrier broker agent is the client’s partner when it comes to choosing the right kind of insurance policy and the person that personally takes care of insurance processing and payments should the need arise.
Health Insurance And Insurance Brokers
If you are in the market to purchase your own health insurance coverage you can save yourself precious time and money by shopping and comparing policies right online. Sites dedicated to giving you quotes on various types of insurance make it very easy for you to get an idea of what your coverage and costs will be. However, please be forewarned that there are some pitfalls in using an insurance broker as I discovered within the past year.
As a self employed person, I carry my own health and life insurance for my family. When making the move from New Jersey to North Carolina in 2004 I knew two things about our health insurance:
1. I would have to shop for a health insurance provider covering North Carolina.
2. Rates would be cheaper than in New Jersey, with costs being about half of what I had been paying and with slight better coverage.
Several weeks before we moved I contacted a well known internet insurance broker and received quotes. We selected one company and received the paperwork from the broker about ten days before our move. Quite frankly, I wish I had started the process a little earlier as all of our free time was dedicated toward preparing and making the move. So, I ended up packing the paperwork with my personal stuff and was only able to fill it out and submit it one week after our arrival in North Carolina.
Dealing with the online insurance broker was a simple task, but I soon discovered that they were an extra step in the application process, one that only slowed down our approval.
Once the paperwork was received by the broker, they acknowledged the same via email and mentioned that they would review our package before forwarding it to the health insurance company.
Over the next couple of weeks we received messages from the insurance broker stating the following:
1. We are in the process of reviewing your application.
2. We have sent your application off to the insurance company.
3. The insurance company has your application and will be reviewing it in about one week.
4. The insurance company expects a delay in reviewing your application due to the high volume of applications received.
5. Please do not contact the insurance company directly; we will keep you posted as to the status of your application. Yeah, right.
Originally, we were assured by the insurance broker that the health insurance company would review and approve our application within two weeks. Follow up phone calls by us to the broker along with several exchanges of emails revealed that this was not going to happen. In addition, when we contacted the health insurance company directly – at the encouragement of the broker – the health insurance company had difficulty finding our application. Within a few days the application was found sitting in another department; our contact at the health insurance company blamed the broker for sending the information to the wrong address.
As it turned out, the original insurance quote we received online was off by just over 20%. Once the health insurance company determined that certain pre existing conditions needed to be factored in our rates rose accordingly. Of course, when working with the internet broker we knew that the rate quoted wasn’t ‘absolute’ but the big jump was still a bitter pill to swallow.
Among our thoughts at that point in the process were:
1. Had we known ahead of time that our “final rate” would be so high, we would have shopped around some more.
2. Because of the delays and the passage of time, we needed to complete the application process as our coverage with the NJ health provider would need to be canceled, preferably by the end of the year.
By the middle of December, a full ten weeks after we submitted our paperwork, we received official notification that our application was approved and that we were covered. During the last couple of weeks of the lengthy application process we contacted the health insurance company directly several times to learn what the status of our application was. At no time during the process were we assured that we would receive approval; essentially we were told that coverage would begin pending approval.
In conclusion, I offer the following recommendations for shopping for health insurance:
1. Comparison shop online. Get quotes through the online brokers to get a general idea of what your costs will be. If you have pre-existing conditions, the prices quoted will not be reflected in your quote.
2. Narrow down the list of companies quoted to three and then contact them directly. Bypass the broker as they are an unnecessary additional step in what certainly is not a quick approval process.
3. If you need insurance by a particular date, apply well in advance to allow for delays, for misplaced paperwork, changes in your application, etc. Our insurance coverage was approved effective a specific date, but we were able to move it to another date to coincide with the dropping of our NJ health care provider.
In all, the experience was wearisome at times and a real eye opener. I know you see ads all the time for online insurance quotes. I am not saying to avoid the sites, but please consider what we went through before using an online broker exclusively.
Health Insurance Brokers
Nowadays, risking your own health because of work has become a common trend for the working class. Getting health insurance has become a practical choice, but finding the health insurance plan that is best for you is a tedious task if handled alone.
A health insurance broker knows the market. This insurance broker will not just help you shop for a plan that suits your budget; he or she will also guide you in choosing an insurance company that handles and caters to the line of work you are in.
Finding an insurance broker is a task in itself because most car and life insurance brokers do not handle health plans because the commissions are low and the rules are a little complicated. But some insurance brokers will refer you to some groups and specialist in health insurance when needed.
Health insurance brokers, unlike insurance agents, act independently and work entirely for the consumer. They are not tied down to just one insurance company: They know all the information about the other insurance companies as well. They have the freedom and opportunity to deal with other insurance company rather than being limited to just one.
Aside from having fewer worries when you apply for a health insurance, you will also pay the same price for your premiums even if you have transacted through a health insurance broker. Commissions are already included in the “package” offered by health insurance companies to the brokers.
A health insurance broker should be able to assist you in getting the best plan for your needs. The broker should be able to cover all possibilities that will arise from your line of work, especially in these times when all insurance companies cannot reject anyone or adjust rates based on risk. This action had resulted in a rise in premium prices because insurance companies now cannot charge an old man who just had by-pass surgery higher rate than a young triathlete. Your health insurance broker should be able to explain this complication to you effectively and properly.
Insurance And The Benefits Of A Broker
From cars to caravans and pets to plane travel, there’s an insurance policy for almost everything. Consumers are faced with a huge choice of companies offering insurance, so it’s little wonder that some people don’t know where to start when it comes to buying a policy.
But it’s not just insurance companies who are selling insurance these days - banks, building societies and even supermarkets have all got in on the act. So where do you go to get the best deals on the most comprehensive polices?
One important resource which is sometimes overlooked is an insurance broker. Independent insurance brokers work on your behalf to find the best possible deals to suit you. They’ll be able to search though the market to locate the most competitive prices available, meaning that you don’t have to spend hours on the phone or online looking for quotes yourself. This can save a considerable amount of time, as insurance companies require a large amount of information in order to create a quote.
Also remember that insurance brokers are experts in their field and can therefore quickly find and compare insurance quotes. And because they are obliged to search the whole market, you can be sure that their recommendation will be the one that best suits your needs, and not biased or skewed due to other business considerations.
Another advantage of using an insurance broker is that you get to deal with a real human being. Many larger insurers have implemented automated response units to deal with requests from potential customers. Whilst this saves them money, it can be frustrating when you just want to speak to a person.
Another cost cutting measure that some insurers have been implementing is the outsourcing of their call centres to countries like India, where labour is much cheaper. However, this can cause problems with bad phone lines. Moreover, staff are not always fully fluent in English or may have a strong accent, which can make communication more difficult.
The standard advice for buying insurance and indeed buying almost anything is to shop around for the best deal. However with an independent insurance broker, you are effectively getting someone else to do all the shopping around for you; and due to the time consuming nature of obtaining insurance quotes, it can actually be more cost effective to go through a broker than to do it yourself - especially since insurance brokers have access to special rates than aren’t available to the general public and can do a much better job at negotiating for discounts.
Where To Find Second Property Insurance
When it comes to taking out second property insurance the first thing you have to remember is that it varies a great deal from the type of insurance that you will have taken out to cover your home. It will also depend on what you intend to do with the property you are buying. For example if you are going to turn the property into a holiday home let then you will need more extensive cover than had you bought the property for the intentions of it just being your own holiday home.
Second property insurance includes many different components, some of which you will already know about while others are more complex. The standards of any insurance policy should be included and the most obvious of these are of course the contents and buildings, however if you have such as a swimming pool then this will have to be taken into consideration and should be covered. If you need second property insurance for a holiday let then this is even more extensive, along with the usual components of the insurance you will also need to think about taking insurance that covers you for such as liability to tenants and any staff that you hire to run the holiday home.
One big problem for those who know very little about insurance is the fact that within policies there can be many exclusions, which means if you haven’t noticed them due to not reading the small print then when you come to make a claim it could mean you are turned down. Very often insurers will state in the small print that you have to meet certain requirements when the property is left empty, most holiday homes will be empty for periods during the winter months and this is when factors have to be taken into consideration, which include such things as the risk of flood due to burst pipes.
In order to get the best second property insurance deal then it is essential that you go with a specialist broker, you will be putting a lot of money into the venture and of course want the best possible chance of success. A broker can provide you with the essential information that is needed when it comes to your needs and can also save you a lot of time and money by shopping around for you to make sure you get the best possible deal for your second property insurance. Along with this you will be able to ask any questions regarding anything you are not sure about concerning your second property insurance.
4 Tips For Buying Dental Insurance
Taking care of your teeth will, of course, involve some expenses such as dentist fees, paying for dental care products, and so on and so forth. However, you should take note that once your teeth get damaged, you are bound to spend even higher amounts.
So preventing teeth from decay and other problems is still the best way to go. Along with prevention, you must also have a back up plan in case your dental health does fail. And that is by finding some good options for dental insurance.
Dental Insurance - The Advantages
Regularly paying for a dental insurance plan does have plenty of advantages. The most obvious is that when your dental health fails, you will have the assurance that there is something that would cover your expenses for rectifying your dental issues.
Dental insurance exists so that when preventative measures for the care of your teeth does not work, or is too late, you will still have a funding solution. Also, decay is not the only teeth problem and accidents may happen that could bring about broken teeth.
With good dental insurance, you will not be burdened down by repair or replacement costs - or, depending on the type of plan you choose, your costs will be contained.
Good Value Dental Plans Are Out There
Another advantage is that there are actually plenty of affordable dental insurance plans out there. Paying inexpensively, even though monthly, for the insurance still beats paying excessively for when the time comes that your dental health suffers.
If you are really challenged by the whole process, finding a good dental insurance broker is the key here. As with any other insurance plans, dental insurance brokers play an important role in the whole process.
To choose properly, you must be inquisitive and clearly understand the terms offered. Start by going through the offered dental insurance quotes and try to determine which ones are fit for your needs.
Types of Dental Insurance
Speaking of which are fit for you needs, you should also know what kinds of dental insurance plans are available out there.
An individual dental insurance plan is, naturally, for each individual. This is perfect for you if you have only yourself to worry about.
But if you have a family, then it is best to take the dental health of your whole family into consideration as well. If so then the option for you is a good quality and inexpensive family dental insurance, which will usually reduce the per person costs overall.
The terms offered of course would vary depending on several factors such as the brokers and insurance costs, as well as the level of benefits you choose.
Buy The Best Dental Insurance You Can Afford
But no matter the variety, you should opt for as complete a dental insurance as you can afford. Making sure all the possibilities you can think of are covered.
Then you could start browsing the internet for dental insurance for individuals and for families as well. There are a lot of online brokers to be found. But of course, as mentioned, you should gather information first so as to make the right choice.
So whether it is personal dental insurance or a family one, make sure it counts when needed.
The Difference Between Life Insurance Brokers And Agents
Perhaps you’re now at the point in your life where it’s time to buy life insurance to protect your family. There are several options you can take in getting started.
The internet has made buying life insurance a pretty easy choice. You can quickly get a premium term life insurance quote online in minutes.
Another option is what has been done for many years, that are buying life insurance from a broker or an agent. For most people this is the path they take.
When trying to buy low cost life insurance for you and your family, you’ll want to have a choice from several different companies. This is where a life insurance broker comes into play.
Whereas an agent is captive to only one company, a broker can literally represent a hundred different life insurance companies.
While it may be convenient to have all of your insurance with one agent and one company, many times you’ll pay higher premiums on your life insurance than you need to.
A broker will take your specific situation and needs and search out the best life insurance quote possible. They will be there to answer your questions and discuss all of your options. This allows you to make the best decision for your needs, not the agents.
Finding a premium term life insurance quote online, or a whole life policy, etc, may be a good choice for some, but it can become confusing if you’re not careful. With so many companies offering coverage’s and so many different types of policies available, you have to know what you’re doing.
Do you know how to get the best term life insurance rate? Do you need whole life insurance or universal life insurance? What about variable life insurance? These are all questions that a broker can sit down with you and explain, then go out and find the perfect solution to fit your needs.
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How Businesses Can Save Time and Money With Traders Combined Insurance
As a business owner or manager, you more than most will know that customers nowadays are demanding more, for less. And if your business also demands this from your suppliers and service providers, here are some ways you can get it from your Insurance Broker. Depending on which industry you work in you will no doubt have your own individual needs, concerns and worries.
For manufacturers these could be falling sales, competition from abroad or Government policy changes over CO2 emissions. For retailers it could be increased competition from supermarkets or the internet. And for someone with an out of town factory it could be trying to increase sales at the same rate taxes or interest rates appear to be rising.
The bottom line is whatever type of industry or trade your business is in you have numerous issues to deal with on a daily basis before you even start to think about your customers and suppliers. And yet despite this apparent need for people in business to make their lives easier it is surprising to see many traders still choosing to have their numerous Insurance policies with many different insurance brokers and companies rather than under a single Traders Combined Insurance policy.
The result of this is that many Traders and business owners pay too much for their insurance and they spend time (that they simply cannot afford to waste) on looking after them.
Here a just a couple of reasons why business owners should seriously consider a Traders Combined Insurance policy when their insurance is next due for renewal:
1. All your risks together. By opting for a combined policy your vehicles, your staff, your premises and your profits can all be protected under one policy. No longer do you need your buildings insured with one Broker, your Business Interruption and Liabilities with another and your Fleet with yet another. Just all your risks under a Commercial Combined Insurance policy.
2. Time Savings. Gone are the days of many different types of cover with different renewal dates and provided by different companies. Just your Combined Insurance policy with a single renewal date. If you need to make a change you just need to ring one broker rather than hunt around your paperwork to find out who it is insured with. And if you chose the right broker they should ring around all the main Insurance companies to find you the best deal.
3. Money Savings. By putting all your risks under a Traders Combined Insurance policy you can very often benefit from savings on your premiums as many providers offer discounts. At a time when getting value for money from your service providers then making savings by getting a policy that is easier to administer could be just what you need.
Traders Combined Insurance can save you time and save you money and that is why it works.
This article was written by Mark Burdett, Marketing Manager of Northern Counties Insurance Brokers. Mark has over 17 years Marketing experience in the Financial Services industry and has worked on campaigns for companies including Norwich Union, Kia and Zurich.