Finding yourself in a sales slump is depressing as well as discouraging. You’re doing everything you know to do; calling leads, following up, and seeing prospects. Nothing seems to come out of it draining your financial cushion.
The first thing to realize is that this is perfectly normal. Sales slumps are part of the dynamic of being a salesperson especially when selling life insurance; the opposite is also true of peak periods. Slumps are bound to happen right after a good steady run. Here are a few ways to push through.
- Focus on what worked
Every time you successfully close a client ask yourself several questions. What did I say and how did I say it? What was I thinking about before I knocked on the door? What was I wearing? Questions like these are what I continue to ask myself after each and every appointment regardless of the outcome.
If I sold a policy, I need to duplicate what I did. If I did not, what did I do different that caused me to lose the sale.
Review your scripted presentation and compare it to the answers of your questions. Did you miss something or gloss over a bullet point? Did you control the environment or did the prospect? Remember the old adage…in a selling situation between a salesperson and prospect someone is going to buy something. Either your prospect buys what you are offering or you bought their excuse.
Focusing on what works while learning from what did not is how more prospects will buy what you are offering.
- Define and Redefine your Goals
Sales results are a direct reflection of the goals you’ve set for yourself. The more motivating the goal the better. Goals should inspire you every day; when they do you’ll do more, you’ll sell more, you’ll reach higher.
Remember your first goal when you ordered that first batch of life insurance leads… “if I sell two apps I’ll breakeven; if I sell four apps I’ll make money.” Unfortunately, that goal was yesterday what about tomorrow. When you’ve reached a goal its human nature to just let things coast along. I’ve listened to agents say my goal for the month was selling $10,000 in life insurance premium, since I reached that with a week-and-half left in the month I’m taking the next 10 days off.
Why, wouldn’t it be better to redefine the goal to say $15,000. Remember sales slumps do happen and it could be that next month. As you grow reaching the goals you’ve set, reach higher and keep yourself motivated.
- Stay in the Game
Once we’ve accepted the reality that sales slumps are normal and will happen, albeit more than we would like, you need to buckle down and push through. Put one foot in front of the other and stay in the game. It’s time to revisit those old leads you never got a hold of, work policy lapses, look at annual reviews. Do anything you can to talk with clients. That simple exercise alone can get you back in. One sale will start driving you to do another and then another and another.
If you have always worked one type of lead, which will dry-up or under preform from time-to-time, switch it up. Not every lead program works 100% of the time all the time. There will always be a period of time when that program falls short of your expectations. When that happens, and it will, change it up. Try something new to get you moving again. The most important thing you can do is stay in the game. That’s what will keep you profitable selling life insurance.
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