Selling to Your Natural Market

It’s absolutely impossible to say no to those Little Leaguers, cheerleaders, soccer players, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other children’s organizations fixated in front of the supermarket selling their candy, cookies, or raffles. Ever try to say “no”? I mean, have a heart! Although I’m not a big candy or cookie fan, I’m a sucker for a little kid trying to raise money. It’s free enterprise at its best!

These kids are the best sales folks on the planet for a number of reasons. They’ve got the cuteness factor going, often their fund-raising is for an excellent cause, and there’s plenty of peer pressure. Many times, you feel obligated to buy because one day, your kid will be selling stuff – and what goes around comes around.

Now, think back when you were a kid and needed to sell candy, cookies, or whatever. Who were the first prospects you peddled to? Yup – family and friends. And you did so without hesitation. Mom and Dad were always good for a few boxes of Samoa Girl Scout cookies, as were Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie Mae, and Uncle Louie. Same thing with the kiddies today.

(Incidentally, Samoas /Caramel deLites represent 19 percent of total Girl Scout cookie sales – probably due to a lot of mom and dad sales.)

So kids are great – and always have been – at selling to their natural market (family and friends). Heck, if insurance companies could recruit kids to sell life insurance, long term care insurance, disability, and annuities, they would.

It’s safe to say that pretty much everyone has a natural market. New sales producers, especially in the insurance industry, are encouraged to educate their family and friends about the great firm they work for and the great products they sell. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. All is fine in the world provided there’s not a sales pitch at the end of the lesson.

C’mon, nobody likes to be sold. Do you? How about your family and friends and the family and friends of your family and friends? Still with me? After all, you’re not in the Girl Scouts. And selling a term life policy with adjustable premiums to mom and dad is a bit different than selling a box of Samoas. Or so I’m told.

Now, as Bill Maher might say, I kid the insurance industry. But it’s actually very smart to train and encourage producers to sell to family and friends, and I’m sure production numbers prove it. It’s just not all that easy to do, and sometimes not all that nice. That’s why there’s so much hesitance to do so. And probably why one of the most common questions I hear in seminars from sales producers and managers is, “How can I be more successful selling to my natural market?” Here are some suggestions.

Don’t sell them

Yes, worth repeating! Your mission is not to sell your natural market. Selling to your friends and family (especially something that involves personal finances and other private matters) is awkward. It’s tough to put those close to you in that position. Or at least, it should be. Remember, to Aunt Mae you will always be her little pookie. It might be tough to convince her that you’re a trusted authority on long term care insurance.

Differentiate yourself