How Any Agent Can Turn A “No” Into A Closed Deal

When you’re working leads it can feel like an uphill battle, with objections hurled at you left and right. Here are 4 tips for emerging unscathed and with a sale in hand.

1. Don’t get defensive.

It’s difficult not to respond defensively to a rejection. But if you get defensive, you’re really telling them, “You obviously aren’t smart enough to know what’s best for you.”

That’s not going to win anyone over. Try instead:

“I can see why that would be an issue for you. So I’m understanding it correctly, can you tell me more about why you feel that way?”

So why is this response better?

Because by asking questions you are inviting the lead to discuss their concerns, to elaborate on the reasons behind their objections. It’s a more effective approach than scare tactics that keep them feeling and responding negative.

2. Keep them talking to you.

You’ve got them started by responding to their objections with questions. They’re engaged. But don’t take this as an invitation to launch into plan benefits or a long script.

It’s your turn to listen.

Remember, there’s no commission on the line for your prospect, so there’s no real incentive for them to pay attention to what you’re saying. Don’t give them the opportunity to drift off and start planning dinner. Encourage them to do most of the talking.

Not only are they more likely to remain interested in the conversation, you’ll gain some time to hear their issues and come up with the most appropriate response.

And when you must run long to answer a question, make sure you pause frequently to ask, “Is that clear?” or “Do you know what I mean by that?”

3. Understand all their objections before you address one.

You’ve learned more about your lead’s objections just by asking questions and listening. But the concern that seems like their biggest might not be what’s really holding them back.

Your prospect cites the premium as their major concern, but maybe deep down they’re worried about an existing condition. If you just focus on premiums you will fail to successfully address all the obstacles to moving them forward.

How do you make sure they’ve told you everything? Well, you can ask them. Try saying to the client who doesn’t think he can afford the premiums: “If we took price out of the picture, would you apply for this plan today?” If the answer is no, there are other concerns you are going to have to address.

4. Don’t let them walk away empty handed.

The easiest way to get a stubborn lead to give you a chance is to provide them a no-risk, no obligation way to receive more information from you.

If someone doesn’t want to talk rates and plans on the first call, your goal is to walk away from the conversation knowing they have your proposal.

That doesn’t guarantee they’re going to respond to it, or even look at it. But suppose they do gain interest in a few hours or days; they are more likely to pull up your online proposal first than pick up the phone to call you back.

Above all, your lead doesn’t want to be confused, and discussing rates over the phone can make the buying decision feel overwhelming or impossible. The benefit of an online proposal is that it can be created in seconds, emailed immediately, and is formatted to make comparing plans easy for your prospect.

When you use a quote engine like QuoteBuilder, you can work up a multi-carrier proposal while the prospect’s on the phone, giving you the opportunity to meet their objection with:

“I understand you (don’t have the time, the money, the interest) right now, but with your permission I’d like to email you a proposal that lets you compare some of the plans I think would work best for you based on our conversation today. I can email that to you in a minute, just so you can get an idea of what type of coverage and rates are available to you right now. We could go over it if you want, or you can just keep it for your information. How does that sound?”

Why not?

Remember, a “no” or “not interested” is always better than a dial tone.

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