Disability insurance: 6 easy lessons on how to sell it to engineers

There’s a perception that individual disability income (DI) insurance can be a difficult product to sell.

Financial professionals often focus on selling the product to medical professionals, in part because medical professionals see for themselves, while working, why insuring the ability to earn a living is so important.

But, for professionals with the right strategy and tools, branching out and offering DI to other types of consumers can be very profitable, and very important to protecting the financial security of your clients.

See also: Income protection: The key to unlocking your sales potential

Some of the consumers who need to hear about disability insurance more often are engineers.

More and more Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and engineers are no exception. Most are hugely dependent on earning a steady income. In fact, over a lifetime, engineers on average earn more than $3.7 million. That means that, in most cases, their ability to stay healthy and earn an income throughout their lives is their greatest asset.

For insights on what the engineering industry is like, strategies for finding prospects in that sector, and ideas about how to approach conversations with prospects who happen to be engineers, read on.

1. Who are engineers?

Engineers design and produce across all industries. They’re responsible for creating everything from the latest iPhone to the rovers crawling around Mars. Computer science, a division of electrical engineering, is one of the fastest growing professions in the world. Other engineers are in specialties such as mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and civil engineering.

Over the next 10 years, the number of jobs in the aerospace, chemical, computer hardware, electrical and mechanical engineering sectors should grow an average of about 11 percent. Analysts are also expecting to see higher-than-average growth in the civil, environmental and industrial engineering sectors.

Engineers earn an average of over $100,000 in annual income. To prepare themselves to earn that income, they take out an average of $30,000 in college loans. They will face serious financial consequences if they cannot pay off that student loan debt.

Engineering is fiercely competitive. Should your clients need to leave work due to illness, they may find re-entry into the work force challenging.

Simply to prepare for a short, three-month disability, a typical engineer who is earning $100,000 per year may need to have $25,000 set aside for a rainy day.

2. Where are engineers?

One way to find prospects in the engineering sector is to use the advanced search tool on LinkedIn. Search users by occupation and location.

Another way is to filter a business database such as Hoovers, ZoomInfo, ReferenceUSA or the Better Business Bureau directory by geography and business type.

The more traditional approach is to get involved with groups that appeal to engineers, such as civic groups, or local chapters of the IEEE. In California, some of the major organizations for engineers include the California Society of Professional Engineers, The Engineering Society of UCLA and the Cal Civic Engineering Group on LinkedIn.

And don’t forget to go through your existing book of business.