Is Coffee Still Just for Closers?

His motivational techniques were a little… intense; but Alec Baldwin’s character, Blake, was on to something when he barked the iconic phrase, “Coffee is for Closers”.

Now, I am not going to follow you around your office, home, or neighborhood and stop you from drinking your black coffee with three Splendas and a liberal splash of creamer. However, if you want to continue to afford your caffeine addiction, you may want to close more sales.

 

What activity makes you money?

 

I love the fact that we are in a service based industry. I love that I get to educate beneficiaries about their coverage options. I love that I get to network with experts in my area to grow my clientele and my footprint.  I love that I get to use social media to reach out to the booming demographic and make my message heard. I love that both professionals and my clients refer their loved ones to me to help. But, these are means to and end-getting in front of qualified beneficiaries. How do you turn this busy work into production?

 

What activity makes you money?

 

These efforts will not amount to a hill of ground coffee beans if you cannot manage to sell insurance policies. Now, you may look at your numbers and feel pretty confident about your closing ratio. Not to hit your ego in the gut, but if your closing ratio currently revolves around your core product, then you may want to re-evaluate your definition of “insurance advisor”.

Products like Medicare Supplement Plans and Medicare Advantage plans have become calamity items. People are going to purchase one or the other, so they might as well buy them through you. What is your closing ratio for products that require the art of selling?

You have have to close THAT sale; and trust me, your prospects will thank you for it.

The person across the table/desk/phone line/etc. is there, because they are under the impression they need an expert (that’s you) to help them make a decision concerning their financial-health risks. After your presentation, they now feel like they are better educated and they at this point know how to alleviate the risk, but they are relying on you to complete the entire process. Close the sale. Your client should not leave that appointment confused, uncertain, nervous, and looking for answers.

Close. The. Sale.

When you transition into asking for the sale, I recommend keeping the final question easy. They already made a lot of decisions that day, so just give them two options: yes, or no. Below are some sample phrases:

1. We can have this home health care policy go into effect at the same time as your Medicare Supplement Plan. Does that work for you?
2. Most of my clients are choosing to add a  hospital hospital benefit with the Medicare Advantage plan. Do you want to go ahead and try the same benefit package?

Close. The. Sale.

 

Olivia Richardson

Director of Training and Education