RPOA

In this month's episodes...

How NOT to do an apples to apples quote

One of the most important parts of our job as insurance advisors is to tailor and to offer coverage recommendations that are specific to your prospect’s individual needs.  Often times we fall into the trap of just quoting our prospects with exactly what they have now, which does two things - First, it turns it into a price conversation, and second, more than likely has them leaving without the right coverage.  In this episode we will focus on setting up the conversation from the beginning so we do NOT have to quote apples to apples!!

In this month's episodes...

The Power of Asking Open Ended Questions

We all know that there is a lot of power in using open ended questions when talking to our prospects and customers. It’s when and where to ask them that is the trick!  This week we will explore open ended questions that work in different parts of the sales process as well as the “why” behind how to use this technique to really listen and engage with our prospects and customers!

Leading Prospects to the Close

This week we will focus on how to get your prospect to follow your lead as we guide them to pick the best coverage for their needs. Dan Kitajima, the top P & C producing Farmer’s agent in the country, and Troy Korsgaden, a very well known consultant and author in the insurance space, will be leading by example and role playing this topic!

I Just Want A Quote For The Cheapest Policy You Have

We hear this so often when prospects initially call in for a quote. In this role play we will take a deep dive into why they say this, and really focus on uncovering what their true motives are. Join us on Tuesday to learn a great way to handle what can often be seen as a roadblock!

The Active Listening Game

Being better at listening helps us to do 3 things: Understand, Connect, and get to a YES! When we listen to our prospects or customers, they are a lot more likely to listen to us.  We are going to work on listening for not only what is being said, but also what’s not being said, and respond to what you hear versus what you think you “should” say!

In this month's episodes...

"I’m Sorry I Didn’t Ask You About Life Insurance" - The Redemption Call

We’ve all been there… We get off the phone and we realize we forgot to ask about life insurance! Is it a lost opportunity? Of course not! Making a simple “Redemption Call” is just the cure for this ailment. This gives us a polite way of letting them know that we value their family and that we have a genuine interest in helping them. Tune in to learn how to make these calls your secret to success in asking for life!

Umbrellas Made SIMPLE!

One of the most important policies you can offer a customer, we often overcomplicate the umbrella “presentation.” Join us this week to learn a very simple yet effective way to make sure you are offering this to your prospects and customers every time!

Power Phrases that Make an Impact

We all have those certain phrases that help us win business! This week we will give you some “Power Phrases” that we’ve heard over the years, phrases that will help you make the prospect/customer feel more confident in you and in making a decision on their coverage.

A Panel of Success

This week we interview 4 rockstar producers who sit in your exact same seat every day and deliver incredible results month in and month out. You will hear from a brand new producer getting great results, a seasoned producer, a “customer save” specialist, as well as a team member who refers over $100,000 in life insurance production credit every year.

In this month's episodes...

"Thanks for the quote, I took your advice and had my current agent match everything"

We’ve all had those sales presentations we thought for sure were “in the bag!” We were just sure that the prospect was ready to go with us and it was just a matter of them calling back with the green light.  Well, to our surprise, we then get that dreaded phone call that they decided to take all of the advice that we gave them and go back to their current agent and have them match it. This week we will focus on some things we can do in our sales presentations to prevent this, as well as a way to respond to this very personal objection!

"Close More Sales by Qualifying your Prospects"

As insurance salespeople, our goal is to quote and close as much business as we can during the time that we are at work.  Qualifying your prospects so that you know you are talking to the “right” people is crucial to this and a way to be much more efficient and effective with your time. Join us this week to learn how to better focus your energy on those potential clients who are going to give you the best return on your investment!

"Just waiting on one more quote, then I'll get back to you..."

Because this does seem like such a reasonable response, our sales people often have a tough time with this one!  In this episode we will focus on a blend of listening to our prospect,  yet also pushing to show them a sense of urgency to bind the policy now! It’s all in the words we use and the delivery!

"Vision Planning and Goal Setting"

This week we are going to work on planning out our vision for the upcoming year. The more specific we are with where we want to go, the more likely we are to get there. We will be doing this classroom-style, so come ready to work on your own vision and ask questions along the way if you desire! If not, sit back and watch as you normally do!

"The First 90 Seconds"

When working leads, there is nothing more important than the first part of the conversation.  Before you even get to objections or closing techniques we’ve got to differentiate ourselves from the competition and give the prospect a reason to WANT to talk to us.  This week we will have 3 of my team members share specific tactics that have made them super successful at this initial part of the call.  Join us to learn how to get in the mindset that “Every lead is an opportunity.”

In this month's episodes...

"Assuming the ‘bundle’ to increase sales!"

This week we will focus on the importance of writing complete households and not just selling one line at a time.  We will have a guest coach on who has operated one of the best agencies in the country for over 30 years, racking up an incredible 82% multi-line rate and over 93% retention.  He will share specific tips on how he got to these numbers and how they are actually tied together, then we will role play a great talk path!

Taking the uncomfortable out of the “asset conversation”

We know we need to ask, but for some reason we just don’t!  Figuring out what your prospect’s assets are worth is crucial so that we can properly design a policy with the right limits to be able to protect them in the case of a claim.  This week we will be discussing how to ask “How much are your assets worth” by building trust and confidence.

"What does credit have to do with my insurance premium?"

We’ve all heard this before, people just not understanding the correlation between their credit and what they pay for their insurance.  How we explain this makes the difference between having a customer feeling upset, maybe even like you are prying into their personal information, and having someone understand and ready to move on to the quote without hesitation.  It’s all in the words we use, which we will focus on in this episode!

"Call me after the Holidays - Coach the coach"

This week we are going to be doing the normal “coach the coach” as we always do on the final Tuesday of the month, but we will also be reviewing the popular objection so many of us get this time of year - “Call me back after the holidays!”  Learn how to open the door and continue the conversation when presented with this pushback!

In this month's episodes...

"If you can't lower my rates, I'm going to have to shop around..."

This week we will work on what to say when a customer calls and instantly puts you on the defensive - threatening to shop if you don’t do something for them and lower their rates immediately!  We’ll be working on a way to first of all move away from the elevated conversation that normally follows, but then in the end figuring out a way to get the customer to see that perhaps there is more to insurance than just price. 

"Let me talk to my current agent first to see if they can match your quote..."

You’ve just given a great presentation to a prospect, uncovering gaps in their coverage, perhaps even saving them some money, yet you are met with “Let me talk to my current agent first to see if they can match your quote…”  In this show we will give you a great way to turn this into an opportunity and to increase your batting average in closing this business!!

"With everything going on in the world, I need to trim some coverage to save money..."

As things in the world continue to seem uncertain, our customers and prospects have become increasingly aware of their budgets, so this is a call we are taking much more frequently.  Leading with how to put our customers minds at ease, we will work on a way to leave the caller feeling heard, but ultimately leaving still having the right insurance protection. 

"Coach the coach"

Review and coaching on "If you can't lower my rates..." and "Let me talk to my current agent..."

In this month's episodes...

"A different spin on selling LIFE insurance"

So many of us shy away from asking for life insurance because we think that it’s just “one more thing” we have to mention.  This week we will be taking a different approach to asking for life insurance by peppering it in throughout the conversation so we can circle back around to it at the end.  You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn how to get more out of your life conversation in order to help protect families!

"The FLOW of an auto quote (part 1)"

There is nothing more important than the way we present a quote,  or “the flow” of the conversation.  We will break this role play down into two episodes.  This week, we will focus on the front end of the conversation.  This "flow" can be a game changer in our close rates, efficiency, and bottom line results!

"I might not be able to beat your price..."

This week on RPOA, we are going to approach the conversation about price in a way that you might not expect. At the beginning, we are going to come right out and say “I might not be able to beat your price…” in order to open up the coverage conversation, and in some ways, just get them thinking.  This is a super fun exercise on being bold and confident, and is something that has proven very effective in our agency. You won’t want to miss it!

"The FLOW of an auto quote (part 2)"

OK, so we’ve built rapport, we have qualified the prospect, we’ve asked “other than price,” shared our personal brand with them, and finally asked them what type of policy they feel would make sense for them. Now, on to the actual quote!  We will go through a very simple way to go over discounts and coverage, and then end with asking for the sale! 

In this month's episodes...

"I need to talk to my spouse first…"

This week you will learn a proven way to handle this very popular objection. A lot of people feel like this is one that is almost insurmountable and often times stop trying when they hear the spouse word. You will leave this episode armed with a clear path to help you continue the conversation and in many cases, close the business right then!

"Presenting PRICE with the right TONE to close more!!"

Tone of voice is everything in how people perceive you. When we are presenting price at the end of the conversation, a lot of times our tone of voice diminishes the value proposition and we lose the sale. In this week’s episode, we are going to work on an awareness of how we present price specifically with our tone of voice. You won’t want to miss “hearing” the difference.

"Leaving Voicemails that get called back!"

There are so many different schools of thought on voicemails.  To leave them, not to leave them, keep it short, leave all the details, so many thoughts on this topic!  We have a philosophy that has worked great for our agency and can’t wait to share it with you!

"Coach the Coach!"

This the newest addition to the RPOA lineup! If you are looking to become a more effective coach when facilitating role play sessions, then this is for YOU! We will bring an agency owner on the show with two of THEIR team members and have them run a role play session. Then we will coach them on different techniques that drive lasting change. This is facilitated by our coach who is a CERTIFIED trainer from the largest sales training company in the world. You won't want to miss it!  

In this month's episodes...

"The art of ‘Making it about THEM’ to close more business!"

What do most sales people love to do? Talk! Sometimes so much so that we forget to make it “about them.” In next week’s episode, we will show you ways of talking to the prospect or customer where they have the best experience ever and feel that you had their best interest in mind throughout!

"It’s not a big enough difference to make the switch…"

You’ve just spent 30 minutes advising a prospect on their insurance, and the best part - you are actually saving them money!  You’re getting ready to wrap things up, but then… You are met with the objection that you are just not saving them enough to make it worth it.  Tune in this week to learn a very specific talk path to get the prospect to see things in a little different way.

"You’re too late - I just signed up with XYZ Company last week…"

Many would say this is one of the most difficult objections to overcome, the dreaded “I’ve already signed up with another company…” Rather than looking at this as a hard STOP, tune in to this episode to learn how to make this a fun opportunity to really show your prospect what you got!

"Kevin Mlynarek: "5-Step Process To Winning With Features & Benefits"

This week we are excited to have Kevin Mlynarek on as a guest speaker!  Kevin has been a very successful agency owner in Michigan for years, and one of the things he focuses on is leading with the features and benefits that our policies offer.  Kevin is an amazing presenter and will make this a very engaging “classroom style” meeting, so be prepared to participate, and as always, to walk away with some very specific tactics you can implement immediately!

In this month's episodes...

"Using Assumptive Closing"

Assumptive Selling is not just about closing; it’s about leading. It’s about guiding your prospect down a path that is going to lead to them wanting YOU to be their insurance advisor.  It’s about believing that everyone is better off by having you in their corner as their agent. Join us this week and learn some very specific assumptive closing techniques that will help you write more business!

Learn how to set an appointment that will hold. See how you can avoid wasting time chasing down prospects by getting a commitment from them to talk at a specific time!

"I Want to Shop Around..."

We've walked a prospect through what we thought was a great presentation, we've presented amazing coverage options, we've given them all of the discounts and benefits, yet we are met with "I want to shop around..." Join us on Tuesday to learn how to be more effective at preventing this hesitation in the first place, and also some great tips on moving past it if it does happen to you!

"Handling Irate Customers"

Handling irate customers is something that a lot of people shy away from, and something that most dread. Over my 25 years, I have learned to embrace these, as they are such a great opportunity to show your customer how much you appreciate them.  If handled correctly, these calls will generally lead to you having a client for LIFE!! Join us on Tuesday to learn some great tips on taking the stress out of these calls!

"Cold Calls Made Simple!"

Something that everyone wants to know the secret to is “How to make cold calls SIMPLE.” We avoid them. We have call reluctance. We make excuses. We lose our lists. We do everything but make these calls consistently.  In this role play we will teach you some simple and fun ways to stay consistent with making cold calls!

In this month's episodes...

"Networking with loan officers!"

Over 20 years ago when Jeremy started my agency with 0 customers, he decided to focus on a niche that would yield results not only then, but for years to come. To Jeremy, there is no better way to grow your business, whether you are a team member or an agency owner, than surrounding yourself with a core group of loan officers, but not just any loan officer.  We want to focus on working with those who appreciate our service and truly look at us as an extension of their business - as a value add to their customer. In this episode we are going to bring on a guest coach, and literally the very first loan officer he ever connected with 22 years ago when he was a one man show and someone he met while delivering a $6 tub of licorice - all he could afford then. What worked then continues to work today, building a relationship!

"Setting appointments that hold!!"

As professionals, follow-up and efficiency are crucial to our success, which will be the focus of this week’s webinar.  

Have you ever been sure someone would answer your call and then you end up playing phone tag, or maybe worse - you can never get a hold of them again?!

Learn how to set an appointment that will hold. See how you can avoid wasting time chasing down prospects by getting a commitment from them to talk at a specific time!

"How to follow up with a referral"

YOU are in control of what you learn! Make sure you to cast your vote LIVE on the show!!

"Troy Korsgaden "State of the Industry"

Troy is a best selling author and mentor, here to talk to YOU about the state of our industry and how to authentically connect with 100% of YOUR customers! You will walk away with some great tips on how to run your day to day business in the most effective way!

In this month's episodes...

"A Different way of looking at Objections!"

At RPOA, we are firm believers that there is never only one way to do things. Whether we are talking about closing techniques, saving customers who want to cancel, or perhaps just building proper rapport with our clients, we know that there are always different ways to get there, and in fact even different ways of thinking about them in general. Overcoming objections is a big part of what we do every day in sales, and we are going to really try to open your mind to a completely different way of thinking about this practice so that you can improve when met with any type of pushback… 

"Closing the Sale!"

You voted and the results are in! Next week on RPOA we will teach a specific process to transition to the close and close the sale. 

"Winning with Winbacks!"

In this episode we are going to focus on Winbacks, and a unique way of attracting clients back who have left your agency for one reason or another.  Working with these clients who have already experienced the level of service that your agency provides is a great way to grow your business, both from a cost and close rate standpoint. Join us on Tuesday to walk through how to “win with winbacks!”

"RPOA Live Classroom!"

YOU are in control of what you learn! Make sure you to cast your vote LIVE on the show!!

In this month's episodes...

"Why did my rates go up?"

How we handle this call from our clients is crucial.  The way we respond is literally going to determine if they leave the call happy or if they leave the call and immediately jump on the phone to call around to other companies. It's all in the words we use and how we make our clients feel that is going to be the deciding factor in which route they take. 

"I Need to think About it"

"Building your personal brand"

So excited for next week’s episode on building your Personal Brand.  Letting your prospect or customer know who you are and what makes you unique is crucial to our success. Being armed with a statement that defines YOU will help make you memorable, will help build trust and credibility,  and will make people more likely to want to work with you as their insurance advisor.  You will walk away with a clear path on how to create your own personal branding statement on this one

"I had a bad experience with your company in the past"

Ever had a prospect tell you they don’t want to do business with you because they had a bad experience with your company in the past?  This week we are going to focus on this very difficult objection and help show you a path to move past it.  How in depth do you go with them on what caused them to say this? How much research do you do on it? 

In this month's episodes...

"Overcoming 3 No's to get a Yes!"

We will focus on a closing technique that will help you to continue in your sales process even after hearing an initial "NO." It's all about increasing your batting average, and during this show, you will learn how to get up to bat more often and close more business! 

"Asking for referrals"

Did you know that, when asked, 91% of our customers say that they would be happy to give us a referral? However, only 11% of sales people actually ask for them!

On Tuesday’s show, we are going to share a great way to incorporate asking for referrals into your everyday conversations. This is truly one of the most underutilized ways of generating business, and it can absolutely be a game-changer for anyone in our industry!

"I just renewed my policy... Call me in 6 months."

Airing this Tuesday! 

February Live Classroom!

In this month's episodes...

"The 3 Yes Close"

Our goal with this specific talk path is to get our prospects to give us that 4th and final “yes,” which means they are now our customer and have decided to buy from us. 

"Telemarketing Made Simple"

Join us as we are talk about telemarketing and role play a very successful process we have implemented in Jeremy’s agency. Very excited to have two of his own team members on as our participants. Trey & Tyrell bring so much energy to the team and between the two of them are responsible for driving about 600 live transfers to my sales team every month. We will talk specifics on how they do this, including the process and the talk paths they follow.

"10 Service Calls= 3 Sales"

There is so much opportunity in our everyday inbound service calls! For over 20 years Jeremy has been a very "in the trenches" agency owner, he love talking to customers! We have tracked his results from the beginning, and can safely say that if this process is followed, you will start turning these calls into opportunities to better protect your customers immediately. Payments, add cars, change cars, address changes, many agencies think of those as time-consuming, but Jeremy's team turns these all into sales every day!

RPOA LIVE CLASSROOM-

This week we are going to see all of you “classroom style,” where we will recap all of the prior episodes in January, including the 3 Yes Close, Telemarketing Made Simple, and Turning 10 Service Calls Into 3 Sales.

We will role play each of these topics again to make sure it stays fresh, so come ready to interact and have some fun! 

In this month's episodes...

"Taking the Fear out of Life Insurance"

The topic that we are asked about more than any other, and the one that is arguably the most important if talking about truly protecting our customers.  During this webinar, we will give you a very simple talk path that gets out in front of the most common objection, and is really designed to take the fear out of asking.  Join us on Tuesday and learn how to increase your success with asking for life insurance!

"How to Follow up on Your Pipeline"

We like to think of managing the pipeline as "managing my future opportunities." In other words, my ability to effectively manage and work my pipeline is the single biggest predictors of my success, period. In this episode we will touch on this, and will teach a great talk path designed to help you reach out and to follow-up with those in YOUR pipeline.

"Send it to me in an email"

We've all done it... We just got finished giving an amazing presentation, went through all of their discounts, gave great coverage recommendations, the whole nine yards!  Just as you are expecting to take payment and close out the business, you are met with the dreaded "Yeah, just send it to me in an email" line.  In this episode you will learn a great way to overcome this and move forward to getting your prospect better protected right then!

"RPOA- LIVE CLASSROOM- "Vision Planning"

Join us as we teach a strategy to help you plan for 2020!

In this month's episodes...

"Formula to Stay Ahead of Price"

Join us as we teach a proven formula to stay ahead of price, giving you the tools to lead with coverage, value and YOU!

"Hmmm... I never asked for a quote!"

"I want to cancel my policies with your agency!"

We will share with you a talk path that works great in our agency, and we think it is just a bit different, in that it actually starts with agreeing to process their request.  We have found that this is a key part of getting them to open up to us and really have a conversation so that by the end we are able to show them the value in remaining a loyal customer!

"Call me after the holidays."

How awesome would it be if your whole team was equipped with the skills needed to encourage and provide feedback to their fellow team members throughout the day? This will be our focus on our next episode, showing you how to get your teams to do just this!

We will have our prior participants back on to role-play how to overcome the "Call me after the holidays" objection, but then they will be the ones providing the feedback this week.