It’s about the question, not the answer

One of the biggest mistakes we make when selling insurance is asking the right questions in the wrong way.

Case in point: watch your local TV news a few nights and observe how their reporters ask questions. Blab, blab, blab.

Sometimes they are so into themselves that they ask and answer the question in one breath. Then, watch 60 Minutes. When Scott Pelley starts a question with “I wonder” you can bet the person on the receiving end is in for a world of hurt.

Less is more when crafting great questions.

We have the same goals as reporters: asking questions in such a way that sets a hook that the person simply can’t spit out. For example, today’s question of the day: How well do you believe you have prepared for retirement? No matter the answer you still have an opportunity for a follow-on question. Not so if asked this way: Are you happy with you how well you have prepared for retirement? Asked this way you have a 50-50 chance of keeping the discussion alive. If they say “ýes” you are sunk.

This is a new feature for the Update that we will have on a regular basis. Click here to download the Redbird Fact Finder and read on.

Question of the day: How well do you believe you have prepared for retirement?

Possible follow-up questions and the close:

What will be your major expenses in retirement?
What will be your primary source of retirement income?
How secure do you feel about the stability of this source of income?
On a scale of 1-10 how would you describe your appetite for risk at this stage in your life (1 being low, 10 being high)
How well do your current sources of retirement income match with your appetite for risk?
What other sources of income do you have?
What other options have you considered to ensure you have steady income in retirement?
The close: I would be happy to do some research and bring back a couple of options if that’s ok with you?

Sometimes the right answer is “no”

The customer is mostly wrong

One of our favorite blogs is at it again. If you’ve kept up with the Redbird Update you’ve seen us pass along a lot of thoughtful insight from our friends at Help Scout. Help Scout is in the CRM business and they do it with an edge.

This week Help Scout has taken on a semi-controversial subject on whether customers actually are “always right.”

Best Buy became one of the first companies ever back in the late 90s to go public with a program to identify problem customers, such as customers who had a lot of returns or were chronic complainers with customer service. They were time and money suckers to be blunt and Best Buy finally said enough is enough. So, it made a list, checked it twice and pitched those customers over the side.

Good idea? Maybe.

The Help Scout blog is more focused on companies who sell products but the insight is dead on for what we do. As sales people we want “yes” to be the answer. In fact, for some of us the word “no” isn’t in our vocabulary. Help Scout is posing a different approach.

“Customers might help identify the destination, but you can’t usually listen to them on how to get there. Where the customer tends to be consistently “right” is in the ability to point out problems.”

– Help Scout, June 2014

We love the story about the customer who brought a set of tires back to Nordstrom. The very nice clerk tried to convince the customer that they had not bought the tires at that store. The customer persisted so the clerk finally accepted the tires and refunded what the customer said they had paid. Moral of the story: Nordstrom didn’t and never has sold tires.

It’s a great story, happening at a time several decades ago when “yes” was the only answer you gave customers, or at least the only answer good companies gave customers. Not so much today.

Dig into this story and ponder how it might impact how you approach and work with your clients and prospects.

Original Article: www.helpscout.net/blog/say-no-to-customer/

Redbird Chirps

Your body expresses emotion better than your face. This story from Entrepreneur magazine (www.entrepreneur.com) puts a new twist on “reading the room.” After you read this you may think twice before crossing your arms, crossing your legs or leaning back in a chair. Pretty cool stuff.

Saps in the stock market? The higher the market goes the louder the screamers of “fire” get. As you know, MarketWatch is one of our favorite sources for reality in the markets. And, while we aren’t the type to scream fire in a crowded room, we are firm believers that if it feels too good to be true then it probably is. It’s time to talk to clients. Full Article

Flash: Illinois Mutual serves benefit needs of Associations

If you’re interested in getting into the voluntary benefits space this could be a great avenue.

This is big news. Illinois Mutual is one of the few carriers that will support voluntary benefits for associations. Most carriers restrict voluntary benefits to only organizations with a payroll so the benefits can be deducted automatically from the employee’s check.

If you’re at all contemplating voluntary benefits this product and target audience could be a great place to start. And, Illinois Mutual offers online enrollment which makes this even easier!!

Take the time to dig into this. Call Drew Gurley at 866-547-8780, ext. 102.

Benefit opportunities: