How Visual Sales Tools are Transforming Insurance Phone Sales

Exploring Screen Sharing For Sales

I recently had the opportunity to interview Screen Sharing expert Gilsi Sigvaldason, co-founder of CrankWheel, to discuss how their visual sales software is transforming insurance phone sales. CrankWheel enables insurance agents to instantly share their screen with prospects on any device and walk them through policies, comparisons, and other visuals in real time over the phone.

According to Gilsi, the inspiration for CrankWheel came about 8-9 years ago when he and his childhood friend and co-founder were both at a crossroads in their careers. Gilsi had been selling insurance for about 15 years and was looking for ways to improve and modernize his sales process. His friend had just left Google, and together, they came up with the idea for CrankWheel:

“He saw when I was working how much time I spend on my phone trying to book meetings, trying to see people. So we came up with the idea to create a screen sharing solution where you can actually go as far as you can in the first call friction free without just spending that valuable time with the prospect or customer on the phone.”

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Since launching the software, CrankWheel has expanded globally with paying customers across five continents. However, Gilsi emphasized that the sales process and need for visual selling tools are essentially the same regardless of geography:

“I've seen the similarities with salespeople as Alenum, for example, insurance, doesn't matter if it's in Germany or the States or in the UK, you know, similar usage numbers, similar pattern. And it's really, it's, you know, we are very similar. It doesn't matter where you are.”

Key Features of CrankWheel for Insurance Sales

Gilsi gave me an overview demo of CrankWheel's key features that make it so effective for insurance phone sales:

• Instant screen sharing – Agents can instantly share their screen with a prospect by sending them a simple SMS text or URL link—no need to schedule meetings in advance.
• Mobile optimization – The screen-sharing experience works seamlessly on smartphones and tablets. No app download is required.
• Viewer tracking – CrankWheel provides real-time notifications when a prospect engages with or steps away from the screen share.
• Post-session redirects – Agents can send prospects to a contact form, educational materials, or other pages once screen sharing ends.
• Compliance – The software is HIPAA and PCI compliant with enterprise-grade security.
• CRM integrations – CrankWheel integrates with insurance CRMs like LARN for a unified sales platform.

If you are enjoying learning how visual sales tools are transforming insurance phone sales, be sure to check out this article on Tips to Make Insurance Less Confusing for Prospects. It provides valuable insights on how insurance agents can leverage visuals to simplify complex policies for consumers over the phone.

It was clear from the demo how quick and easy it is for both agents and prospects to begin screen sharing in real-time on any device.

“The key thing is just they try to get more out of the regular call. So like I say, that's actually how it is. It's used and we're used heavily in, I think we have paying customers in… five continents.”

Overcoming Insurance Sales Challenges During Open Enrollment

With open enrollment seasons coming up, I asked Gilsi about some of the biggest challenges health insurance agents are facing:

• Explaining complex policies – Phone calls alone make it incredibly difficult to explain policies thoroughly. Visuals are essential for prospects to understand coverage, comparisons, rates, etc.
• Building trust and rapport – Prospects need to build trust with an agent before purchasing. Screen sharing helps humanize the agent.
• Tech barriers – Many older prospects hesitate to download apps or software to begin screen sharing. CrankWheel's instant and mobile-friendly access overcomes these barriers.
• Losing leads – Valuable leads are lost when prospects don't want to schedule in-person meetings or deal with complicated screen-sharing setups. CrankWheel's frictionless experience prevents this.

“A lot of agents that come to us to explain actually what they like most about is how simple it is to get people connected. You have a lot of maybe elderly people that are not very technical and don't trust if you have to download something.”

CrankWheel empowers agents to overcome these challenges by enabling seamless real-time visual selling on any device or channel.

Success Stories and Results

Gilsi shared several examples of the results insurance agents see after adopting CrankWheel:

• Independent agents in the U.S. increased sales by 40-80% by showing visuals impossible to convey over the phone alone.
• Some agents now use CrankWheel for 60-80% of their calls rather than pre-booking meetings.
• SDRs use CrankWheel to give short policy presentations and build trust with prospects on cold calls.

“Especially regarding to the States, here is a case that we dealt with few independent agents in the States, how they increase sales. You know, this is a number that we see often, you know, 40, 60, 70, 80% increase in sales.”

The ability to instantly share visuals is what unlocks these dramatic improvements in sales conversion rates.

If you are finding this article on how visual sales tools are transforming insurance phone sales insightful, I encourage you to check out this piece on 9 Keys to Closing More Insurance Deals Over the Phone Visually. It provides actionable techniques to help insurance agents leverage visuals to more effectively qualify leads, nurture prospects, and ultimately close more sales.

Key Trends and Predictions

Looking ahead, Gilsi predicted that remote selling will continue increasing as people still strongly prefer buying from human agents, especially for complex products like insurance.

While AI and other technologies will become more prominent, the key is using tools like CrankWheel to help human agents sell better. The most successful agents will embrace solutions that allow them to connect with prospects faster and more conveniently.

“I think having things simple done by humans is still going to be huge because like I say, with AI and all of that stuff, you know, it will help a lot, but with some it's just more spam. So it's just… I think it's not going to change hugely.”

3 Takeaways for Insurance Agents

Here are three key takeaways from my discussion with Gilsi on how visual sales tools like CrankWheel are transforming insurance phone sales:

1. Go visual – Instantly sharing visuals on calls builds trust and understanding faster than verbal explanations alone. This dramatically improves conversion rates.
2. Reduce friction – Solutions that make the sales process extremely quick and easy for prospects to win. Friction kills deals.
3. Meet prospects where they are – Be ready to connect on the prospect's channel of choice, whether by phone, video or in person.

The bottom line is that visual sales tools like CrankWheel enable insurance agents to have more meaningful sales conversations on the first call rather than playing endless phone tag. With open enrollment seasons coming up, solutions that deliver fast and convenient screen-sharing experiences on any device will be game changers for agents looking to boost sales.

As noted by Invoica as an insurance marketer, it’s important to recognize that while most insurance leads research insurance online, only 25% follow through with buying online. For this reason it is important to add visuals to insurance sales calls can increase prospect engagement.

Seeing Results with CrankWheel

Insurance agents using CrankWheel have seen dramatic improvements in their sales conversion rates. Some examples include:

• Independent agents in the U.S. boosted sales by 40-80% by showing visuals impossible to convey over the phone alone.
• Agents now use CrankWheel for 60-80% of calls instead of pre-booking meetings.
• SDRs use CrankWheel for short policy presentations on cold calls to build trust.

The ability to instantly share screens and walk prospects through visuals unlocks these significant gains.

Why Visuals Are Key for Insurance Sales

It's tough to explain complex insurance policies thoroughly over the phone. Key visuals give prospects a clearer picture of coverage options, comparisons, rates, and other intricacies. Without visuals, miscommunication and confusion often occur, leading to lost sales.

Seeing custom quotes, benefits, and materials tailored to their specific situation builds trust and understanding for insurance buyers. CrankWheel makes sharing visuals instant and accessible on any device.

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Friction-Free Experience Wins

Solutions that remove friction from the insurance sales process will succeed. Traditional screen-sharing setups with downloads, logins, and scheduling meetings create barriers to visual selling.

CrankWheel's one-click access means agents never lose leads due to complicated technology hassles. The ability to visually sell policies on demand is a game changer.

Key Vertical Markets for CrankWheel's Visual Sales Platform

CrankWheel's instant screen-sharing platform powers visual sales and engagement across various vertical markets. The solution enables companies in various industries to improve results by leveraging visual explanations during calls. Key verticals that have benefited from CrankWheel's capabilities include insurance, financial services, software, healthcare, real estate, and more.

1. Digital Agencies

In my discussion with Gilsi, he explained that digital agencies use CrankWheel to walk clients through website designs and demo landing pages, review analytics, and showcase digital ad campaigns during calls. As Gilsi noted, screen sharing brings concepts to life and gets client buy-in faster than verbal descriptions alone. I've seen agencies accelerate project approvals and boost client satisfaction using CrankWheel to give interactive visual previews. The ability to visually demo digital strategies gets faster approval.

2. Education

Educators have leveraged CrankWheel to visually engage students by sharing screens to display lesson plans, assignments, interactive activities, and multimedia content. Gilsi pointed out that visual learning improves student focus and retention. In my view, CrankWheel's screen-sharing technology allows teachers to create more dynamic and collaborative online and in-class learning experiences. Visual lessons boost engagement.

3. Insurance

In my interview, Gilsi explained how CrankWheel was built for insurance agents to visually walk prospects through policies, comparisons, rates, and intricacies over the phone. He noted that it's impossible to thoroughly explain complex policies verbally. I've seen CrankWheel dramatically improve insurance agents' conversion rates by enabling them to build trust and understanding during calls visually. Visuals are essential for simplifying insurance sales.

“CrankWheel has been an absolute game changer. It allows our agents to share their screen and close the deal right there on the call.” – Juanjo Radiu, Chief Business Officer & Co-founder at Uanjo

4. Mortgage

Mortgage brokers use CrankWheel to visually review rates, terms, costs, and property details with homebuyers. As Gilsi mentioned, visuals streamline the mortgage process by simplifying complex information. In my experience, screen sharing builds trust and makes mortgages less intimidating for buyers by creating clarity. Virtual visual sharing is invaluable for remote mortgage sales.

5. Sales

In my discussion with Gilsi, he explained sales teams use CrankWheel to instantly share presentations, product demos, pricing, inventory, and proposals during calls. As Gilsi noted, visuals get prospects excited and drive faster deal closure. Screen sharing allows sales reps to have more impactful conversations tailored to each prospect. Visuals improve engagement and accelerate the sales cycle.

6. Financial Services

Financial advisors use CrankWheel to visually present investment performance, portfolio allocations, retirement plans, and financial data during client calls. As Gilsi mentioned, visuals simplify complex topics. I believe screen sharing improves client understanding of finances and drives faster decision-making. Visual explanations provide clarity.

7. Retail Energy

Energy retailers use CrankWheel to visually share rate plans, usage insights, and billing details with customers over the phone. Gilsi noted that visuals clarify complex rates and build trust. I've seen screen sharing allows retailers to simplify remote energy sales interactions. Visual explanations provide transparency.

8. Solar Sales

Solar companies use CrankWheel to visually demo system designs, project timelines, financing, incentives, and installation details during sales calls. As Gilsi explained, visuals excite buyers and simplify sales. In my experience, screen sharing allows solar sales reps to tailor presentations and accelerate deals. Visuals engage prospects.

As Lucidchart users appreciate, with visuals, agents can walk prospects step-by-step through policies, plans, and scenarios in a way voice alone cannot. This builds trust and clarity for customers.

9. Software/SaaS

Software companies use CrankWheel to showcase their platforms through instant product demos, walkthroughs, and trials during sales calls. Gilsi pointed out visual previews are incredibly effective for software sales, as seeing the tools in action provides clarity and excites prospects to use them. Visual demos give prospects a much clearer picture of how the software works compared to verbal feature descriptions alone. Visual demos speed up sales cycles.

“With CrankWheel, I'm able to have deeper, more meaningful conversations with my prospects. This has led directly to higher close rates and faster sales cycles across my entire book.” – Michael Redmond, Enterprise AE at Ambition

Key Takeaways

• Visual sales tools are essential for insurance agents to explain policies effectively.
• Real-time screen sharing dramatically boosts trust, understanding, and conversion rates.
• Removing friction with instant and easy access wins. Don't lose leads to technology problems.
• Sell visually on the first call instead of endless phone tags.

CrankWheel empowers insurance agents to sell faster and better through frictionless screen sharing on any device. To experience it yourself, start a free 14-day trial at CrankWheel's website (No Credit Card Required).

Listen to our Software Spotlight podcast episode featuring CrankWheel: Childhood friends Gilsi Sigvaldason and his co-founder created screen-sharing software CrankWheel to simplify sales calls and demos. Integrating email, calendar, and tools to capture interactions effortlessly, CrankWheel’s timeline visualizations help agents sell faster by sharing screens on any device without prospects downloading anything.