Congratulations – you’ve got an annuity insurance lead.  You’re one step closer to a great commission.  But what do you do next?  If you’re a new insurance sales person, you’ll probably find that it’s very easy to become confused with what you have to do to convert that annuity lead into a sale.  Too many new agents let this excitement get the best of them and practically spend the money before they close the deal.  Little do they know, they’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg in terms of the work that needs to be done.

When you receive an annuity insurance lead, you should immediately look over the lead in detail to be sure you know what your lead is looking for.  You have to pay special attention to the lead’s story and any other qualifying information that can teach you something about this lead.  Keep this in mind–people who buy annuities also buy mutual funds, long term care and almost any conservative investment option so you have multiple opportunities for business with the prospect.  If there was a spot where the prospect could explain the reason why they’re looking for new or supplemental insurance, you should read and reread this part carefully.  This information is what will dramatically increase your chances of getting the annuity sale (or any sale).

This is the secret to closing sales.  Whether you know it or not, every one of those annuity insurance leads has a story.  Whether they’re looking for a good investment vehicle or if they want to be sure they’re leaving a guaranteed payout for their spouse, you must know exactly what it is they want.  Then, making the sale is as simple as giving them what they want and convincing them that they can trust you to achieve their desired ends with their money.

After you’ve figured out exactly who your prospect is, you’ll need to look over how the prospect’s information was collected.  This will determine how you will contact the prospect and will help you formulate your plan for marketing to them.  For example, if the annuity insurance lead was generated on the Internet, you may load their information into your email marketing tool and send them email newsletters that discuss your products and other information that the prospect may find useful.  Don’t take advantage of the fact that you can send an email to them at any time, however, and bombard them with sales pitch emails at all hours of the day.  If you do, you’ll lose the trust of your prospect and any chance you ever had of closing the sale with them.

Finally, when you’re ready to talk to the annuity insurance lead, try to remember that the prospect has a choice between you and thousands of other agents.  You have to find a way to differentiate yourself from the faceless masses of insurance sales people that will be contacting your prospect as well.  You need to find one thing about yourself that sets you apart and make sure that this benefit is highlighted in everything you do.  This is called your unique selling point (or proposition) and it’s the number one way to rapidly increase your sales.

So if the process of following up with your annuity leads seems overwhelming, don’t worry.  If you follow these steps, you’ll find that you’re able to close your annuity insurance lead at a record pace, bringing you business for years to come.