Are looking for insurance presentation strategies to maximize your efforts selling insurance?

Are you all out of insurance presentation ideas and looking for a fresh look?

If so, you’ve found the right article!

Today, I discuss insurance presentations and life insurance presentation ideas that can help new and experienced agents revitalize their sales efforts.

Also, I examine the 3 main insurance sales pitch examples to identify which strategy best suites your personality. 

Then we’ll have a look at how to tailor your insurance presentation to match your prospect’s needs.

You’ll also learn about the craft of asking “disturbing questions.” 

My goal is for you to find an insurance presentation strategy that helps you close more business, regardless if you’re an experienced pro or thinking about getting your insurance license!

Let’s begin!

NOTE: Are you an aspiring or new insurance agent looking for more insight on how the insurance sales industry works? Check out my free New Insurance Agent Resource Guide to help answer many of your questions (as well as ones you didn’t know you had!).

Overview

• Insurance Presentation Styles
• Top 3 Methods
• Best For You?

Insurance Presentation Styles

In case you don’t know, I own and operate a national insurance agency where I teach agents to become top producers.

In my group training and 1-on-1 coaching calls, I spend ample time teaching sales strategies to improve their insurance presentation closing percentage.

However, a lot of the success in insurance sales comes in how you connect with your prospects.

Sure, it’s important to say (and not say) certain words and phrases in your insurance sales presentation.

But, the longer I’m in this business, the more I realize it’s selling YOURSELF that most influences clients to buy.

I say all this because your ability to sell yourself is a bit different than rehearsing the right phrase or word.

Old Vs. New Presentation Strategy

One of the biggest issues I had coming into sales was my mindset.

You may well have had this mental debate I had early on (or have it right now!):

Everything I’ve seen about sales is “pressure.” Therefore, I guess I’ll have to pressure prospects in my insurance presentation to buy, even if they don’t want it, right? But I’m not a jerk, and don’t want prospects despising me!

This messy mindset convolutes our abilities to sell effectively.

For some agents, they feel “selling” is bad. And Hollywood definitely exacerbates this negative mindset.

Is Selling Bad?

Hollywood projects an image of the worst type of salesperson as typical. Think Glen Gary, Glenn Ross, or The Boiler Room.

The sales reps portrayed in both movies were almost always snakes.

And, yes, there are insurance sales presentation training programs encouraging agents to conduct high-pressure sales.

But the truth?

You do NOT have to be a “snake in the grass” to successfully sell insurance.

In fact, most successful salespeople are quite the opposite!. They’re good and moral people. They care about their clients’ welfare.

Be A Problem Solver

Instead of a product pusher, these agents are problem solvers.

Thinking long-term, they work to build relationships and connection with clients, even if that means no sale is made today.

Many top insurance agents do not follow the typical cheese ball sales strategies taught to new producers. They understand there’s a better way!

And that’s to craft an insurance presentation based around your personal disposition. One that matches you, that you feel comfortable giving.

In insurance sales presentations, your sales process should reflect who you are as a person.

It should reflect your style, your beliefs, your ‘you-ness’, and the more sincere, the better.

Exuding sincerity and being yourself dramatically increases your insurance presentation results.

You’ll attract more good prospects and repel away the bad ones. You’ll sell many more policies.

Top 3 Insurance Sales Methods

Hopefully, you understand why sincerity trumps high-pressure sales.

With that said, I will share with you 3 insurance presentation examples that exhibit both high- and low-pressure pitches.

The Pump And Dump

I remember hearing about a guy in Alabama who sold insurance.

He’d start his insurance presentation by with a little small talk.

Then, he immediately transitioned to showing prices and coverage amounts, asking them to buy.

To clarify, he did this insurance presentation WITHOUT educating his clients. No attempt to differentiate the product was made.

Why was this agent successful with this strategy?

He had an authoritative mindset, much like a doctor small talks very little, instead focusing on giving you orders.

On its surface, it seems like he has no insurance presentation strategy. The agent pitches and moves on.

Pros

This insurance presentation style is your traditional high-pressure strategy.

You use lots of assumptive language. The agent does most of the talking.

There’s less education, more aggression, and more rebuttaling.

And yes, it DOES work for some.

However, my experience is that this hard sell insurance presentation style works with less sophisticated buyers, but not for higher-income prospects.

Cons

These days, the pump and dump insurance presentation doesn’t work as well as it used to.

Why? People know they have options. They have access to information.

They know there’s always another insurance man around the corner.

All this contributes to a lesser inclination to buy from the hard-sell agent.

Charge Back Risks

There’s another problem with selling insurance that way.

Because you pressure many into buying, the risk of lapses and buyer’s remorse is MUCH higher.

I can tell you. Nothing is worse than a charge back on insurance sales you’ve made.

While all agents will have charge backs, excessive amounts can prematurely end the agent’s career.

This risk is why I don’t like this approach. Most of us take an advance on commission.

And if Mrs. Jones changes her mind at any time over the next 9 months, I now have a partial or full charge back to deal with.

No reason to put yourself in that risky position! Insurance presentation success is all about what business you KEEP, not what you sell.

The Multi-Call Presentation

I recently read John Savage’s book, “It’s Getting Easier.”

It’s a short book on his experience in selling insurance. John also authored “The Easy Sale,” another book I recommend finding and reading.

His insurance presentation strategy is to NEVER sell on the first call.

John’s first insurance presentation was not even about insurance. He’d focus on getting to know the client more, building rapport, asking a few questions.

Typically, John’s insurance presentation was over breakfast or lunch. Then, if all made sense, he schedule a second appointment at his office and present his findings to his prospect.

Why Not Sell Immediately?

Perhaps you’re asking…

“What’s the point of meeting with a person if you’re not going to try to sell them on insurance?”

On a surface it DOES seem silly. Why break up an insurance sales presentation?

The way John explained it was that he was looking to create long-term relationships over selling a one-and-done policy.

His theory proven in reality was that long-term relationships with clients meant long-term, multiple sales opportunities.

Pros

Overall, this strategy works well.

Multi-call closing works better for some markets than others.

As your buyers get more sophisticated, you will have to do multiple insurance presentations. Same when you sell more sophisticated products.

John sold a lot of business continuity plans, buy-sell deals, estate planning, etc.

Since there are a lot of moving parts, it’s typically unfeasible to close on the first insurance presentation.

Cons

For simple products like selling Medicare Advantage, selling final expense insurance, and selling mortgage protection insurance, a multi-step insurance presentation isn’t necessary.

With those products, I believe the best thing to do is to make the prospect a  client ASAP. Meaning sell your client something on the first presentation.

It can be as simple as a grandchild policy. Or a $5 or $10 accidental plan.

Making prospects clients makes it easier to sell MORE insurance to them over the long haul.

John Savage’s point is correct.

The long-term goal of this business is to create clientele. You’ll continually sell more insurance to these people if you do a good job on the first deal.

However, it’s important to get that first deal, too!

A multi-step insurance presentation process does not make sense with a mass market product. Instead, your goal is to sell them ASAP.

The Value-Added Presentation

There is a different way to present insurance opportunities to prospects that is low-key and value-driven.

Let me tell you my annuity partner Stephen Burgess does.

It’s pretty simple. He’s created a product that helps seniors in his county get information on different types of programs available to them.

And this isn’t some fluff piece. This is a well-designed document.

For example, it shows seniors how they can save on medical care and get unbiased advocacy for Medicare-related expenses.

Stephen’s “Senior Brochure” shows how they can qualify for no-cost legal aid. If they need help and don’t know where to go, this brochure shows them how to do it.

Why This Strategy Works

On the surface, Stephen helps a lot of people with this value-added approach, even if he doesn’t make a sale.

But through this process of showing what’s in this book, he gains trust. He builds his authority. Stephen learns about their retirement, Medicare, and life insurance.

From this process, Stephen generates annuity sales, Medicare policies, and life insurance opportunities.

Pros

Here’s the reason why this strategy works so well.

Educating your client with this strategy simultaneously establishes your expertise while uncovering information for insurance sales opportunity.

Also, most people are reciprocal in nature. If one gives, the other feels obligated to give.

That’s why Stephen uncovers insurance opportunities he wouldn’t relying on another insurance lead generation strategy.

Stephen completes these insurance presentations with a fact finder. And through this process of giving so much value, he gets a shot at otherwise unreachable insurance opportunities.

Duford Style

My insurance sales presentation process is a bit different than Stephen’s.

When I conduct an insurance presentation, a use a product-focused strategy, focusing on selling one insurance product exclusively.

When I sell, I ask a lot of questions. I naturally inquisitive. Why do people think the way they do?

I’m interested in people and I want to help, but generally stay on topic.

Time is something I hate wasting. I want to know if this person is a high-quality prospect or not.

Pros

With my open-ended insurance presentation strategy, I do a deep psychological dig into my prospect.

I understand what makes them tick. Further, I really connect with their emotions.

Asking open-ended questions allows me to discover why they requested the information they did.

Cons

With my product-specific insurance presentation, I reduce cross-selling opportunity.

For example, you’re so laser-focused on one particular product that you miss out on other opportunities.

I know I’ve missed out on numerous annuity sales opportunities, and probably 1,000+ Medicare Advantage sales opportunities.

But I’m OK (sort of =) with that as I also wrote enough final expense to make a good living.

Best For You?

Bottom line, stay away from the pump and ump strategy.

While it does work, there’s more stress involved to make it work.

Regarding the remaining options, analyze your personality. How do you naturally like to sell? Are you direct and to the point, or do you like a more fact-finding type of presentation based on providing free information?

Also, the type of product you sell will dictate the sales cycle. Final expense, Medicare, and mortgage protection are all one-call closes. Annuities and more advanced life insurance planning are multi-step call closes.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed this article on how to craft a great insurance presentation.

Whether your looking to develop your life insurance presentation or any insurance sales pitch, hopefully you’ve learned a few things.

If you’re interested in learning more about my national agency that helps agents like you become top producers, please visit my overview page here for more information.

Make sure to check out my best-selling insurance sales books, as well as review my Agent Success stories, too.

Thanks for reading!