Insurance Phone Sales: 11 Rapport Building Tips

Phone Sales Tips

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing screen-sharing expert Gilsi Sigvaldason, co-founder of CrankWheel, to get his insights on how insurance phone sales agents can build better rapport and trust with prospects over the phone.

CrankWheel provides visual insurance phone sales software that enables agents to screen share with prospects on any device during calls instantly. This helps build rapport by adding a personal, face-to-face element to phone conversations.

Grow your insurance sales business even further by reading our CRM tips and strategies article on maximizing sales growth with the best B2B CRM software.

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Gilsi emphasized the importance of visuals for building trust during insurance phone sales calls. According to Gilsi, visuals are crucial for establishing trust and credibility – especially when selling complex products like insurance:

“To explain something complicated, for example, a policy over the phone and hoping that the end user will understand it, I think it's just impossible. You have to show it.”

It all starts with smiling while talking on the phone.
Active listening and empathy help agents build rapport on insurance phone sales calls.

With open enrollment seasons coming up, making meaningful connections over the phone will be more critical than ever.

Here are 11 tips for insurance agents to build rapport during sales calls:

1. Smile and Use a Warm, Friendly Tone

Even if prospects can't see you, smiling makes your voice sound warmer, more energetic, and more inviting. Match your tone to your smile to come across as friendly and approachable. Focus on your customer experience, and the results will follow.

As Gilsi explained, human interactions are still crucial in sales:

“Humans want the bio of humans. So they'd say, you know, and like I say, I think also the… the, what matters really is like to build that trust.”

According to PWC, companies that are customer experience leaders have more than a 16% advantage over competitors.

2. Listen Intently Without Interrupting

Let prospects speak and fully explain their needs before jumping in. Avoid interrupting them while they're talking.

“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.”

Conversation about how taking notes during phone call is important.
Taking notes and repeating key points helps agents build rapport with prospects over the phone.

3. Repeat Key Details Back

Show you're listening by paraphrasing critical details like “So you need a policy that covers pre-existing conditions?”

This reassures prospects you understand their needs.

See Your Sales Skyrocket With CrankWheel

Crankwheel is proven to boost sales performance. Agents using Crankwheel close 60-80% more deals by visually engaging prospects on any device.

Experience the power of visual selling for yourself. Start your free Crankwheel trial today and watch your sales take off!

No Credit Card Required

4. Use Their Name

Address prospects by name, not just “you.” People love hearing their names.

5. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Get prospects talking about themselves by asking open-ended questions about their needs. Don't just stick to your script.

Handshake between insurance agent and client helps build rapport
By building rapport and trust, insurance agents can turn prospects into clients.

A recent Harvard University study showed that people tended to like individuals who asked them more questions than those who did not.

6. Find Common Ground

Build rapport by identifying shared interests, backgrounds, or experiences.

As Gilsi said:

“We are very similar. It doesn't matter where you are.”

7. Be Authentic and Relatable

Share a bit about yourself when appropriate to seem approachable. Don't be afraid to be human.

8. Watch Your Speaking Pace

Match your pace to the prospect. Slow down if they speak slowly to avoid overwhelming them.

9. Avoid Jargon and Acronyms

Explain policies in simple terms anyone can understand. Skip insurance lingo.

Discussion of how Leveraging visuals to build phone insurance is key
Solutions like CrankWheel help agents build visual rapport over the phone.

10. Personalize Your insurance phone sales Approach

Adapt your style to each unique prospect's communication preferences.

11. Follow Up Promptly

Rapidly follow up on action items discussed to show reliability.

Visual sales tools like CrankWheel make building rapport on calls even easier by enabling agents to connect face-to-face.

The bottom line is prospects want to buy from real people, not robots. Insurance phone sales agents can boost sales and retain more customers by focusing on building trust and likability on every call.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is essential for managing sales pipelines and boosting revenue growth. Be sure to check out our article, which highlights the top 6 benefits of CRM systems.

Conclusion

As Gilsi emphasized in our interview, “Humans want the bio of humans.” While technology will continue advancing, real human connections remain crucial for sales success, especially for complex products like insurance.

Discussion of developing insurance phone sales rapport
Laughing and using first names builds rapport between agents and prospects.

Agents can dramatically boost insurance phone sales conversion rates and customer retention by building trust and rapport during calls. The 11 tips in this article provide proven ways to connect with prospects through verbal and nonverbal communication.

Gilsi said, “What matters is to build that trust, to go as far as you can, and use relevant technology for the prospect.” Solutions like CrankWheel that enable frictionless visual selling help agents adapt to each prospect's needs and preferences.

The key is to sell insurance in a personalized, authentic, and human way. Apply these rapport-building techniques to turn more prospects into delighted customers who refer others.

See Your Sales Skyrocket With CrankWheel

Crankwheel is proven to boost sales performance. Agents using Crankwheel close 60-80% more deals by visually engaging prospects on any device.

Experience the power of visual selling for yourself. Start your free Crankwheel trial today and watch your sales take off!

No Credit Card Required

See first-hand how instantly showing visuals can dramatically boost trust, understanding, and insurance phone sales conversion rates. Don't lose another lead due to technology barriers – CrankWheel's frictionless screen sharing works on any device in seconds.

Start your free trial today at CrankWheel's website and transform how you sell insurance over the phone.

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.

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