Fear of difficult conversations. What is more difficult than having a conversation about mortality? We have to get teams comfortable with understanding that the importance of their role in life insurance prospecting lies in protecting clients. Teams become so focused on tasks that they forget that, as licensed insurance professionals, their true value is being a consultative partner to our clients and identifying needs in their insurance portfolios.
In this blog, we’ll dive into some ways to help gain your team’s buy-in, understanding, and—dare I say—excitement, to develop true, trusting relationships with your clients. This will enable them not only to feel comfortable identifying holes and gaps but also to share them, even when the conversation might be difficult or uncomfortable.
Here are a few key strategies to consider:
- Understanding the importance of their role and experience
- Having the heart of an educator
- Being assertive in their communication, but allowing the client space to make the decision that is best for them, their families, and businesses
It’s important that you help your team overcome these hesitations on having difficult conversations to empower them to provide the protection your clients need.
They have to truly embrace and understand the value they bring to the table and become confident in their communication. This not only provides protection for our clients but also protection for your agency. It additionally creates additional streams of revenue, and as your agency grows, everyone has more opportunities!
See our blog on Getting Your Team To Cross Sell Life Insurance
What’s Stopping Your Team from Life Insurance Prospecting?
Here are some of the top reasons teams hesitate on having these conversations:
- Lack of Knowledge or Confidence: Provide your team training on life insurance products to build the confidence they need to be able to have the conversation. This course is a great place to start! (New life course)
- Fear of Rejection or Being Pushy: This is where we have to have the heart of an educator. If we see it we need to say it, NOW! What if something were to happen to that client after they hang up the phone and we don’t get another opportunity. Would we feel good that we truly did the right thing by the client?
- Misconceptions That Clients Don’t Want It/Can’t Afford It: This is not our decision to make. Our role is to present the options, the importance of what we have identified as a potential need, and then allow the client the ability to make their own decision. When we make the decision to withhold information, we strip our clients of their power to make the decision that is best for them.
- Discomfort Having Uncomfortable Conversations: Life insurance is definitely a source of discomfort for most because mortality is not the most enjoyable topic. I believe it’s important for our team to truly understand that, at some point, a difficult conversation will need to happen. We can have that difficult conversation today, or we can wait until it’s too late to do anything about it. Which is the more difficult conversation?
Overcoming the Hesitation
Now that we understand some of the reasons why our teams don’t dive into these conversations, how can we empower them to embrace them?:
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Give Them the Training They Need To Build Their Confidence:
When teams are knowledgeable on a topic they become more comfortable talking about that topic. Consider doing some workshops with your team to work through more complex life insurance topics. What is whole life, term life, universal life? You may want to consider using your carrier resources and marketing representatives to assist you with delivering this content.
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Customize Your Agency Tool Kit:
Providing your team with resources that will help make their jobs easier while prospecting life insurance will allow them to feel more confident. Provide scripts, quick access to resources, and knowledge, and ensure they know how to access and use this information. It’s important not only to provide the information but also to ensure that your team knows where to find it, can access it easily, and understands how to apply it.
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I Object!:
Empower your team with the skills to handle objections. Role-play exercises help your team practice overcoming objections like “I already have life insurance through work” or “It’s too expensive,” building their confidence to respond effectively. See our how to sell and explain the Top Insurance Coverages Course
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Create a Safe Space for Sensitive Conversations:
Coaching your team on how to discuss life insurance in a compassionate and thoughtful way is important. Helping agents understand that it is not about selling a policy, but protecting our clients’ loved ones and securing their financial future. Example: “We understand that life insurance can be a difficult topic, but it’s an important step in ensuring your family is taken care of.”
Build a Team of “Life” Guards
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Get in the Gym!:
Keep your team’s skills honed by providing regular training. Just like athletes, our team needs continuous education to stay confident and updated on industry products and trends.
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Provide Sales Tools and Resources:
Just like this course!
Arming your team with resources like FAQs, case studies, and calculators can really boost their confidence in life insurance discussions.
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Foster a Culture of Encouragement and Celebration: Encourage team collaboration and peer feedback to improve comfort with prospecting for life insurance. Remember to always celebrate the wins to keep the team motivated. Setting milestones, goals, and giving positive feedback when teams achieve them fosters a positive and fun agency culture.
Empowering your team in life insurance prospecting goes beyond sales—it’s about offering essential support to clients and their families. Equip your team with knowledge, foster empathy, and create a supportive environment to help them overcome the fear of difficult conversations.
These discussions highlight your team’s role as trusted advisors. When approached with confidence and compassion, they transform client relationships and drive agency growth.
Remember, the most difficult conversation isn’t the one you have today; it’s the one you didn’t have when it mattered most. Let’s empower our teams to be the proactive, consultative professionals they were meant to be. Together, we can ensure every client is prepared, protected, and supported—no matter how difficult the conversation may seem.
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