Tech Checklist for A More Successful Sales Process

Technology has assisted us to do many thing these days (such as ordering more dishwasher tabs by voice from my Alexa). So as an insurance agency have you researched and implemented a strategy to infuse technology into your sales process?

Now, this doesn’t mean that artificially intelligent bots are binding coverage (although that will probably happen someday). What it does mean is you’re stacking the deck in your favor by using modern tools. When everyone has to buy your product, finding the cool factor is critical. I will stand by this, people value convenience over price and infusing technology into your process can do just that!

We have created this technology checklist that you can use in your agency to identify where technology can help you attract more opportunities, improve your closing ratio and generate additional referrals with the assistance of technology.

1. Building and Maintaining a Modern Website
Your website is on your sales team today. This means you need to be in tune with best practices and the overall health of your website. A few notable items you should consider: Contact forms on the home page, phone number at the top right, mobile friendly and speed to load.

A great website encourages submissions and a terrible one, well the leads have to burn too many calories to want to do business with you. Also, consider chat bots on your site for those who would rather “chat” than speak to someone (Remember, a great deal of people still shop for insurance at work).

2. Headset
Now you may think “What does a headset have to do with sales?” Everything. If you can be more mobile you can complete application information even faster and with greater accuracy. Better yet you can get rid of the outdated hand written quote sheet and become far more efficient.

3. Templated Emails
It’s always better to automate them whenever possible, however for the ones you can’t templetes are a great way to save time. The fewer emails you have to write the better your life will be. You can call more people, or follow up with more leads when you aren’t spending all that time typing routine emails. More importantly the quality will greatly improve.

4. Integrated Proposals
This is tricky, but it can be done. Your agency should absolutely have its own customized proposal. No doubt.
You can look into some automated proposal features such as Pandadocs or Proposify. This will help make you stand out from the crowd and upsell.

5. General Branding Emails
During the sales process people are generally getting several quotes. If someone is getting 3 quotes what’s the likelihood that they remember your name. Not high but sending out general branding emails during the process helps stack the deck in your favor.

6. Video Proposals
You should look into Loom, eventhough I might suggest trying to push your agency to deliver pilimnary quote information on the first phone call. Getting that price in their hads on the phone helps get you closer to a yes.
But if you can’t (not don’t want to) then to set a time to deliver the quote to the person over the phone and ask for the business. If you get an objection you should then use a video proposal to review what you already discussed. Nothing will ever beat asking for the business from a real live voice.

7. Building Your Database
When you build a database you can then start working contacts through your pipeline. Many of your contacts are not in active buying or consideration mode today. This means you need to nurture them and keep your brand front and center. If you use the right tools (we recommend Hubspot) you can literally see leads being warmed up through the system. We can predict with pretty good accuracy when someone is going to become an opportunity!

8. Follow Up and Pipeline Management
We all get busy right? For many, follow up or prospecting can fall short. The way to safeguard your leads is to automate reminders for follow up. You can have checks and balances on how leads are being handled. Also, many management systems fall short in the area of visualizing the pipeline. When you can’t see your pipeline many leads can fall through the cracks. Hubspot sales has a free tool anyone can use that is great!
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Why have more people when you can have better systems? Technology that assists your sales people will help you grow with less effort!