Not long ago, I asked you to share your Sales Success Story with me. This contest yielded many amazing entries and was I blown away by the response. Allan was chosen as the winner and won a one-on-one coaching session with me.
I'd like to share Allan's story with you today.
My Sales Success Story by Allan
I was prompted by our home office to contact half a dozen current clients who have substantial amounts of under-utilized cash. In reviewing the list, I noted one couple that I know well, but had not contacted recently. I prepared for the call by asking our advanced sales team for feedback on my approach to the case. Ron from the advanced team recommended that I bring up not only Long Term Care Insurance and Estate Planning, but also the potential for tax savings by means of a Profit Sharing Plan for their business.
When I telephoned the member, they were very receptive to meeting with me,[…] I brought information on the group health insurance, LTCI [Long Term Care Insurance], and the profit sharing plan; and explained that estate planning would have to wait. They accepted all the information with interest, and indicated they were ready to apply […] and wrote checks totaling $90,000 for this paid-up product.
Afterwards I continued to work closely with Ron from the advanced sales team on the proposal for the profit sharing plan. They [the clients] were initially not persuaded that this would benefit them, but I knew that it would, and asked for another appointment while emphasizing that there was no obligation on their part.
We met again, and I was able to get their attention with an Excel spread sheet prepared by a top […] accounting firm, showing the tangible benefit to their business […] We met again on Dec. 28 and I assisted them to complete the paperwork to set up the profit sharing plan, and collected checks totaling $109,500 which I overnighted to our home office.
The contracts were issued on Dec. 30; the sale helped me to qualify for a new member bonus, and also an end-of-the- year goal.
My own learnings from this include these:
1) Look again at names you may have overlooked;
2) Work closely with the experts in your home office—they are on your team;
3) gentle persistence pays, especially when you show the customer that it is in their best interest;
4) going the extra mile also pays (this client lives two hours from me, and I did not hesitate to make the three trips to meet with them).