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Life Health > Annuities

Using good questions to get to your clients' needs

By Van Mueller

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Agents ask me the same questions again and again. How do I get more appointments? How do I inspire people to take action? Why aren’t people buying life insurance and annuities?

So let’s review previous columns. Why? The only way to train husbands, children and advisors is repetition, repetition, repetition. Incorporate and internalize these methods and you will dramatically improve your career in just 30 days.

First, be interesting. You must ask your prospects interesting questions. Don’t tell people information. Ask them great questions such as, “Do you want to be rich or do you absolutely, positively want to guarantee that you will never be poor?” If they say they want to be rich, congratulate them. “I have strategies that will help you achieve your goal faster.”

Ninety percent of the time they want to guarantee they will never be poor. If that is the case, then ask, “Would you like to know a strategy that guarantees that even if you run out of money you will never run out of income?” They always eagerly answer yes.

There are many questions that you can ask in that manner. You will get appointments because people want the answers to these questions. Remember, once you get the appointment the great questions must continue.

Second, be interested. Don’t give your opinions. Ask for theirs and listen to their answers. If you ask 10 people a question such as, “What do you think will happen to Medicare?” you could get 10 different answers. If you give your opinion and it differs with nine (or possibly all 10), you have immediately put yourself in an adversarial position.

Many salespeople struggle because of this. They think they have to show people how much they know. They must trust that if they ask great questions, people will infer that they have great knowledge. Author Michael Lovas has said, “People believe what they say, not what you say.” That is powerful, career-changing advice.

Finally, help people to understand the context of our products. Where do they fit? Why are they beneficial and how? Every sales presentation must have these questions as its foundation:

  • Will taxes be higher in the future?
  • Will benefits be lower in the future?
  • Will higher taxes and lower benefits solve the challenges our country faces? No.
  • Our government will have to print Money. What is that called? Inflation.
  • Will all this cause ever-increasing volatility? Do you have a strategy that protects you from bad volatility and helps you take advantage of good volatility?

Now your prospect or client has a context for our products. Practice these techniques and you are 30 days from success and significance.

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