Get to Know Your Product Lines Obsessively

What trait do most great insurance agent have in common? They know their product lines backwards and forwards. They can tell you nearly anything you want to know about a specific product on the spot, without consulting their documentation. What’s so important about understanding what you are selling? Everything.

The More You Know the More Your Sell

When a customer shops around for insurance they are primarily looking for two things of critical importance: value and how well the insurance product matches their needs. By understanding what you are selling in detail you will be able to confidently answer questions from your prospects. An insurance shopper is making a difficult and important decision to protect themselves and loved ones. They need an agent who can answer any question they come up with in a confident and expert fashion.

The more you know about what you are selling the easier it becomes to:

• Talk passionately about your products: Yes, I used the word passionate here on purpose. You need to honestly believe what you are selling is a great value and great for the customer. You can’t do this unless you fully understand the implications, functions, and long term value of your products.
• You will talk more fluently and come across much more natural. By not having to check notes and being able to answer detailed questions on the fly, you will come across as the personable expert agent your clients are looking for.
• Change the product to match your customer needs: The more you know about how your products work, the more you will be able to adjust certain aspects of it to match each customer you approach.

Confidence is key in the sales environment. At the core of confidence is knowledge. Master your product line and you will sell more.

Continue to Study as Time Passes

Don’t think that because you can spout off the benefits of every product line your carry, that you no longer need to continue your product education. Most states require insurance agents to take further course work in order to maintain their licenses, but this should not be the only time you refresh yourself on product changes.

Staying proactive on new trends, information, and product changes is critical to selling good policies and selling more. To help facilitate this process I recommend: taking refresher courses, adding additional licenses or accreditations to your resume, and consulting industry publications for up to date news on your products. There are trade journals published every month for nearly every single insurance industry sector. You should certainly consider subscribing to one and keeping up with the latest trends in your service line.

Knowledge Separates a Good Agent from a Great Agent

Going the extra step to learn about your products and to keep up with industry changes will pay off. Not only will it result in more sales, but you will provide a better service for your clients and keep them coming back for years.

Also, keep in mind that if you are a captive agent or even an independent agent, there is a good chance the companies you sell for will pay for you education expenses. At worst, they will likely subsidize a small portion of courses and supplies. Regardless, make sure you contact your representative companies for more information about education programs they have.

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