| Online life insurance sales may be a new game, | | | | take their order. People love to buy and hate to |
| still, to long-experienced agents who may be still | | | | be sold. The Internet makes it possible for people |
| young and yet still vividly remember the advent | | | | to feel like they are buying while you are selling |
| of the Internet and the launch of Windows 95. | | | | without leaving any footprint! |
| Online life insurance sales add a new dimension to | | | | Now, what this means for you as a life insurance |
| an age-old game that was already familiar with | | | | sales agent is that you need to be more |
| educating the public, one-meeting closing, following | | | | knowledgeable than the average agent ever was |
| up, keeping your name and company in front of | | | | before. Great agents who made buckets of |
| people, doing thorough fact finding and analysis, | | | | money were always among the most |
| and social networking. | | | | knowledgeable, to be sure. But the bar has been |
| The real significant differences between selling life | | | | raised. Many of those agents were highly |
| insurance "the old fashioned way" and making the | | | | knowledgeable, but only about their company's |
| most of this miraculous new tool we call the | | | | products. Then their winning personalities kicked in |
| Internet are that the Internet allows people to put | | | | to finish off the deal and close the sale. That's not |
| up a buffer between you and their "personal | | | | usually going to be so these days. Whatever you |
| space", and the Internet makes it possible for life | | | | tell a prospect online, be certain that they are |
| insurance salesmen to do everything agents | | | | going to compare what you say against several |
| always did before with greater speed and less | | | | other agents. They want the best price on the |
| expense (both financially and physically). | | | | best product--and they absolutely demand the |
| Nevertheless, these simple differences have | | | | best service. No, you need to be among the very |
| profound complications at times for the life | | | | smartest of all life insurance agents, period. With |
| insurance agent's way of doing business and | | | | the advent of the Internet, life insurance sales is |
| making money. | | | | more of a technical brain game and less of a |
| For one thing, it used to be that life insurance | | | | personality game than ever before (although, you |
| agents were far and away more worried about | | | | still need to be extremely personable--personality |
| getting their foot in someone's door and then | | | | does still come through; coy computer geeks |
| getting to their kitchen table than they were | | | | need not apply). This all applies to you whether |
| about sitting down to do the selling and closing. | | | | you are a captured agent or an insurance broker. |
| Ironically, the Internet has made it far easier for | | | | Now, at this point you should already have figured |
| them to get into someone's home and "sit at" | | | | out that you had better have a hot website. |
| their kitchen table "with them"...while making it | | | | Investigate, find, use the best ISPs, the best |
| significantly more difficult to actively engage in the | | | | website templates or designers, the best |
| art and science of selling to win that prospect's | | | | professional e-mail service providers with the best |
| mind and trust, and close that sale's door in the | | | | stationary and fonts and features, the best VoIP |
| face of all those ghosts of doubtful fears that | | | | or all-in-one broadband cable/telephone service, |
| prospects invariably come up with. | | | | and by all means invest in an auto-responder and |
| What does this mean for the life insurance sales | | | | publish articles and record podcasts for free online. |
| agent? It means that if you're going to sell life | | | | If need be, go to a multimedia marketing |
| insurance online, you need to be long on customer | | | | company to help you design the hottest print |
| service, short (although by no means lacking!) on | | | | materials to send out via snail mail if your |
| selling. The Internet world makes exceptionally | | | | prospects demand them through your |
| prompt service and the providing of quality | | | | website--and always have that option for them, |
| information paramount for those who want to | | | | too. |
| succeed in sales. Life insurance agents now need | | | | And, one final note: keep yourself a "Joe Cool". |
| to do what those who have been selling | | | | Know your Internet communications protocols and |
| top-quality products in other industries (and of a | | | | lingo. The Internet makes possible a world that |
| different nature) have long been trained to do: | | | | changes more rapidly than ever before, and life |
| allow the prospects to sell themselves on the | | | | insurance sales are all about communications. Stay |
| products, while you more or less sit back and | | | | on top of things, be prepared, and have fun! |