Following Up Leads By Telephone – The First 10 Seconds Matter

The impression you make during the first ten seconds can make or break following-up a lead on the phone. Plan your approach by asking yourself these questions.

1. Did I introduce myself first?

By announcing yourself right away, you give yourself and your company an air of confidence and authenticity.

“My name is Paul Thordsen, with Your Agency. I'm calling you in response to a health insurance inquiry you made recently. In that inquiry you indicated you were interested in receiving health insurance benefits for yourself and your children. How many children do you have?”

2. Are you listening?

Does the prospect sound distracted, rushed or annoyed? Don't come across as inconsiderate; acknowledge the importance of their time: “You sound very busy.”

3. What do you know about the prospect?

What do you know about the prospect that you can use to start off the conversation? Only mention information that is relevant to what they're interested in. If you are purchasing leads, pay strict attention to the information you are provided with.

“Do your children have health insurance?” “What kind do they have?” “How old are they?” etc.

4. Why are you calling?

Mention an upcoming event such as age change, or something that gives you a substantial reason for calling.

“We have a new Health Plan that______________. (fill in the blanks) and we thought you'd like to be one of the first people to______________.” (fill in the blanks)

“We are currently scheduling times to help families apply for their health insurance. To see if your family can qualify, you can apply for yourself and all your children at the same time. These appointments will be scheduled ______________.” (fill in the blanks)

5. Is this a good time?

Is this prospect interested in talking a little? If you've made it to this point, it's a good indication that the prospect is interested in what you're saying. Still before you go on any further, it's important to ask: “This should only take a few minutes. Is this a good time?”

6. Script vs. Guidelines

Like everything is life, it's not always possible to follow things in an orderly fashion. Don't try to make your call conform to fit each aspect mentioned above; you'll only sound like you're reading from a cue card.

Instead, learn the difference between a script and a guideline. Make sure you have all of the information on hand and your general direction of conversation laid out, so when the situation arises, you won't be left out in the cold.

Paul Thordsen, CEO of Domino Marketing, has served the Insurance Industry since 1988 and is author of the #1 best-selling Telephone Sales Training Interactive E-book — used by the best telephone-training masters in the business. Learn more at his website, www.dominomarketing.com . Questions? You can email Paul at paul@dominomarketing.com