Imagine your top sales person calling on a cherry-picked account. He develops rapport, asks all the right questions, paints a compelling picture of your value-added offering and ends by saying, "Thanks for your time. Have a nice day," as he walks out the door. "Wait! He forgot to close," you might say. Yes, he did. And no sale was ever won without a close. Yet, many marketers forget to close every day by omitting the "call to action" in their marketing materials.
You've seen close-less brochures. The contact information is buried in small type on the back page. In close-less Web sites, nothing instructs the reader about what to do next. So what does he do next? Nothing.
Here are some call to action examples:
- Good: Call us today. You'll be glad you did.
- Better: Don't wait another day to start saving money. Call, click or e-mail.
- Best: Reply before noon on Friday and receive an extra $10,000 of coverage - absolutely free!
Calls to action are strongest when there is an offer to sweeten the deal. In insurance sales, we tend to rush right into the big stuff - When is your x-date and how soon can you get me your loss runs? Popping these questions too early hurts your chances. It's smarter to begin with compelling, low-risk offers that ease the prospect into your sales cycle.
What is an offer?
As consumers, we are bombarded with offers every day.
- Buy one, get one free
- Save up to 65%
- Enjoy a free iTunes download with your latte
Whether we like or not, these offers influence our decisions. Time and again, offers have been proven to lift response rates. Yet, in business, we often forget to make offers. Sure - we offer a free quote or a complimentary consultation. But so does everyone else. So what are you doing to motivate prospects to step into your sales cycle? If you're not doing anything special, you're wasting lead generation opportunities.
Here are a few small offers that lead to an easy first YES:
- A subscription to your educational newsletter or tip of the month
- A Loss Experience Analysis so that your prospect can see how his loss experience compares to others in the same risk classification
- A FREE report containing valuable information to help your prospects improve profits
- An educational seminar or Web conference
- White papers
- Case studies
- Sales scripts
- Selling tools
- Industry calculators
A small offer makes it easier for your prospect to say YES, and is more likely to move an account through the sales cycle. And, since the insurance sales cycle is typically a year long, small offers provide a means for staying in front of accounts year-round, without expensive in-person visits. Business people are information-hungry. They are constantly searching for ways to do their jobs faster, smarter and better. They will respond to a small offer for valuable information much faster than they'll volunteer x-dates.
Should you offer price discounts?
Maybe. If low-price is one of your key value propositions and if you seek price-consious shoppers, then price discounts are effective offers. Just make sure that your offer reflects your key value proposition and that it attracts the customers you want.
When and how should you make offers?
Seize every opportunity! You should include offers in your e-mails, on your Web site and in your direct mail. Test different types of offers to see what works best.
How can you get started?
- Think about your customers' pain points. What information or tools will solve their problems? For example, do they lose sales due to price objections? If so, give them a sales script that overcomes price objections.
- Think about your success stories. Can we tell a story (case study) about how one of your customers overcame an industry headache with your assistance?
- Think about your expertise. What do you know that no one else does? Can it be packaged it into a compelling offer?
Don't forget to sell it!
Many insurance marketers create a small offer but don't bother to market it. Make sure you're selling your small offers with all the same tactics you use to sell insurance. It's critical to get your prospect to the first YES. Your small offer is the key, so sell it strategically. Make your audience feel like it can't live without your newsletter, seminar or free report. After all, you can't make the sale until you get the prospect into your sales cycle.
By Heather Sloan. Heather Sloan is the President of InsuranceCopywriting.com. Heather has been helping insurance professionals grow their businesses for more than 15 years. To learn more, visit http://InsuranceCopywriting.com/ - make sure to request your free report, "Ten Marketing Mistakes That Are Costing You Sales Right Now!" And for more tips and advice, sign up for Heather's free newsletter, "Insurance Marketing News."
No comments:
Post a Comment