One young agent’s tricks of the trade to master cold calling

By Greg Wassberg | March 6, 2006

  • August 5, 2010 at 3:37 am
    Ricardo Velo says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    Great ides and congrats on your continued success!

  • March 3, 2011 at 12:16 pm
    Elayne Nusbaum says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    Fantastic ideas. Very creative and I am certainly going to try using them in my calls.

    Thanks

  • August 24, 2012 at 9:21 am
    jaimehall says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    its really nice congratzz

  • April 1, 2013 at 5:01 pm
    Bernard Pang says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 4
    Thumb down 0

    Super article. need more like that. I am just starting selling insurance with Nationwide in Atlanta GA. Finding it hard to get clients and sometimes wondering why i joined this industry.

    • January 20, 2014 at 12:05 pm
      Libby says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 3
      Thumb down 0

      Join the club, Bernie. We all feel the same way! LOL!

      • September 1, 2015 at 12:55 pm
        Nebraskan says:
        Like or Dislike:
        Thumb up 0
        Thumb down 0

        Libby….come back to us.

  • January 20, 2014 at 2:12 pm
    youngman says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 4
    Thumb down 1

    Cold calling works. Starting from scratch is hard, and if you are not willing to pick up the phone or go talk to new people then you are destined to fail. If cold calling was easy then every new agent would do well and we all know thats not the case.

    People who tell you that referrals is the only way to go has never started from scratch. Getting handed a book of business is far different from doing it on your own.

    Be persistant, don’t get down on being told no and continue to contact new prospects on a regular basis and you will eventually have success.

  • August 31, 2015 at 5:42 am
    Kenny says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    Glad to hear of your success with these methods. I thought the article was about cold calling telephone style… This doesn’t work at all… not for long term clients.(although maybe in American market, without the legislation of UK and SA)… however, some lovely ideas for interactions… thanks for sharing

  • August 31, 2015 at 7:16 am
    Marna Roets says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    Thank you this is really helpful. Having started my business 3 years ago, I am still learning every single day.

  • August 31, 2015 at 12:20 pm
    Wally says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 2
    Thumb down 0

    It’s been a while since I was in the retail end of the business, but I always liked to call on neighboring businesses to my clients. If I delivered a policy, or stopped by for any reason, I would call on another business in the neighborhood. Something like, “Hi, I’m Wally and I was out in your neighborhood to see XXX, Inc. Would you have any objections to allowing me to compete for your insurance business?”

    I personally found it easier in person than on the phone.

  • August 31, 2015 at 2:09 pm
    knowall says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    do not call list makes it harder to cold call? started out with the local phone book myself but can’t do it that way nowadays

  • August 31, 2015 at 2:51 pm
    JJ says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 4
    Thumb down 3

    Title of article should be ” A couple stupid gimmicks that worked for me, once.” This is what has worked for me and will work for anyone in any financial business:

    1. Put in overtime. Come in early, skip lunches, stay late. Come in on weekends if you need to. Have you ever called someone on a Saturday? If not, slap yourself.
    2. Network. Church, neighborhood, sporting activities, children’s activities, everywhere you go there is an opportunity hiding.
    3. Donate your time to service organizations and I don’t mean once a year.
    4. Talk about your business at every opportunity you have no matter who it’s with. Who cares if people get sick of hearing about it? I will talk to people in line at the grocery store, blockbuster (back in the day), anywhere, any time. Don’t be afraid of people thinking you are weird, arrogant or desperate.
    5. Become active in your local Chamber!
    6. Be confident that your products and service are the best available and that you truly have no competition.

  • September 1, 2015 at 9:08 am
    John says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 2

    Sophomoric at best

  • September 1, 2015 at 10:43 am
    knowall says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 3
    Thumb down 0

    Saying price does not matter in the P and C industry is like saying you don’t need oxygen to survive.

    • September 1, 2015 at 1:11 pm
      jadefox says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 1
      Thumb down 0

      I’ve never had to “sell” to the general public. I think I figured out something when someone would ask me what I did for a living. I’d mention I was an insurance underwriter. That was it, end of conversation. Some would say “I have enought insurance” and walk off. Others would just stare and move away.

      Only few times did someone ask me what does an underwriter do. There was a time when someone asked my how does a company pay for a total loss on a house when the premium paid was miniscule in comparison. That was a surprise.

  • June 30, 2016 at 9:59 am
    Joe says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    *Please Note….I have yet to have success with this technique, but I feel like it still may have potential*

    I attended a producer school put on by National Alliance, and one technique the instructor told us she and few other agents had success with was writing letters. Write your script out (The usual…we have had great success with your field in the past blah blah blah) But the kicker…crumple the letter. Crumple it up 10 times over, and at the bottom, write PS: In order to save you time, we have taken the liberty of crumpling this letter for you. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

    Now I know if I received that letter, i’d be inclined to give them a shot at business just for the unique approach alone. Someone please try this and let us know if you have success with this.



Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*