There are certain things no one likes to talk about.
No one likes to speak about that cute little red hair girl in 9th grade… and the cute little way you followed her around all the time – and how one day she called it stalking, called the police and got that restraining order. Or was that just me? Or, or what about what happened at the office party in ‘98 when we all thought it would be funny to take off our clothes and wait for the elevator in the nude to come up to where we were staying on the top floor. Or, hummm… was that just me, again? Hey, it seemed like a funny idea after 6 Margaritas.
But since this is about insurance, I’ll cut right to the boring part: no one likes to speak about their own demise. I think for the most part, everyone feels the same as I: it just ain’t gonna happen to me.
Putting the nonsensical aside for a few moments, if approached correctly you can get baby boomers to 1. open your mailing piece and 2. call you. Then 3. they’ll sit still enough to listen to you – and 4. they’ll buy, if 5. you approach the whole process of marketing specifically to them correctly.
Step one: Getting your mailing piece opened. Forget fancy. Seniors have seen everything, they just can’t remember it. So overblown graphics aren’t necessary. But color is important to increase your credibility. And credibility is what marketing to the silver population is all about. Credibility and trust.
Credibility can be as simple as showing them how many people in their own neighborhood have trusted you with their insurance needs. Neighborhood Trust.
Credibility can mean the trust that your largest provider has worked hard to build. Product Brand Recognition Trust.
Credibility can be the trust you build up over the years by providing excellence in customer service with other products you sell them. Personal Brand Recognition Trust.
See the common threads? Credibility. Trust. Over Time. And if you’re good, you can create trust in a mailing with a single sheet of paper, called a letter.
And this is a powerful persuasive letter that asks your clients to buy NOTHING. But: it builds trust. And it does make one small, tiny weeny, simple request – that they call you for your valuable FREE BOOKLET. You do have a free booklet don’t you? We’ll take about this in a minute.
Can you put a fancy four color brochure in your mailing package? You can but you have to recognize that it’s just for show and credibility. Your senior citizen will only look at the pictures, and perhaps read some of the headlines. But he’ll read your letter. That’s where you build real credibility and trust. In your letter.
But suppose you don’t have any of the above? You’re a new company with small providers. No fancy 4-color brochure. No big images or brand recognition. No built up trust. No neighborhood trust. Now what?
There are a couple of ways to get your mailing piece opened. My favorite is to make the envelope look like a personal letter. So – first class stamp. Hand written address. Your name – with or without company name in the left hand corner. Yes, everyone opens a personal letter. There, now your mailing piece will get opened — that was easy.
But for those who want more, or if you haven’t got the time, personnel or equipment to hand address your mailing, you can add some envelope teaser copy – a few lines on the envelope to entice the reader to open the mailing piece right now. Sample teasers can be found in the box to the right of this article.
Among the small group of opening devises I like, my favorite (and I think the best) is giving away a FREE booklet. A FREE giveaway makes the phone ring, and a booklet is cheap to produce and with a great title – even if it’s on a mediocre subject – will still get people to call and request it.
Specifically, it’s the title that drives people to the phone, compels them to pick it up and request your booklet. While the compelling booklet offer is touted throughout the interior of the package, if the title is a sure 100% winner, you may consider showing it on the envelope. In this instance, the booklet title gets the package opened. In either case, make it a great one. No, not a good title – a good title just won’t do. It’s gotta be great.
To get the reader to call you, we’ll create a title so important, so compelling, your reader will be motivated to go to the phone and call you right now. Successful titles make readers wake up in the middle of the night and go downstairs, pull your letter out of the trash, and leave it on the table to call you first thing tomorrow morning. Now that’s the kind of title we’re talking about.
A few of the best titles are… no wait. I’ll show you a few samples in next month’s column. Right now, let’s give the simple formula on how to come up with your own best titles. OK, ready for the formula? Here it is: Write 100 titles, go back and pick out your best one. Hey, I didn’t say you’d like it, I just said the formula would work. It works. Period. You got a problem with that? Any questions? Let’s move on to Number 3. Remember, Number one, your target audience must your mailing piece, and number 2, call you. Number 3 – now they need to sit still and listen to your pitch.
So they’ve opened your envelope, fell head over heels for your compelling booklet title, the booklet they just had to get, and called. To be honest – always am – the mailpiece has done all it can do. It has accomplished its goal, fulfilled its objective, done everything you’ve asked it to, completed its task, finished its missi… ok you get the idea. Which is: it simply made the reader call. No small feat. It was in indeed successful, it generated a phone call.
Notice it didn’t matter what we were selling? It wasn’t important – at least not to the success of the mailing. What ever you’re selling is secondary. What‘s important is that now the old geezer excuse me senior citizen or his wife is on the phone. Success. And they are clamoring for their new FREE booklet.
A booklet is easy to make. Take a sheet of paper and fold it in thirds. Ta da! You have a brochure. Don’t get too excited, it’s worthless. You can get free brochures anywhere. Even your local dry cleaner offers you a free brochure. But, take that same sheet of paper and fold it in half and… whoa – you now have a valuable 4 page booklet. Nest another sheet inside and you have a very valuable 8 page booklet. It’s all in the presentation.
So they’re calling for their free booklet. And they’re friendly and open for questions and ready to talk. The booklet offer quelled their fears that someone was going to sell them something – like if you said in your mailing package, “Call for information.” Lots of seniors shut down when they see this. Now, they have a “Reason to Call.” And it’s to get something for FREE. No, no salespeople are involved, they are simply calling for their FREE booklet. And FREE is good. Notice it’s always in capital letters? Makes it stand out, doesn’t it. Your “FREE” booklet offer should have the work “FREE” in all caps, too.
The probing call
So on the phone and friendly, ask their name – after all, you’re going to send them something valuable for FREE! Now you have their name. Now use their name in the conversation you start. Start by being a person. Ask about anything – seniors are usually happy to talk to you – heck their kids moved out years ago and they’re tired of talking to their spouse after 50 years, or at least that’s the way to bet. Anyhow, you’re going to give them something free, and seniors like free, and they ar in a receptive mood.
And in this conversation is the questioning period you need to see if they are a prospect for what you are selling. Subtle questions that feel them out to see if there is a need.
You must be willing to talk to folks on the phone for whatever length it takes to see if they are a candidate for your products and services. This is your real job. Do this right, and you can set up an appointment to see them in person simply to close the sale. And that’s what you do here. This is your objective: set up an appointment to close the sale.
Sure, ask their street address. Comment about their home, their neighborhood. Slip in a question or two about their insurance or financial needs. Ask about their kids. Repeat their address to let them know you’ve written in down correctly. Ask more probing questions. Get their city and state. Ask more questions. Get their zip code and, “Oh yea, can I have your phone number so I have all your records in one place. Thanks.”
This third step is actually where you spend the time to get them to sit still and listen. Because what a waste of time if you only took enough information to send them the booklet, so you could call them later, Heck, you’re on the phone with them now!
And why would you set an appointment and they they aren’t qualified, or aren’t ready to buy. So the phone call is really the qualifier. Spend under 1 minute asking specific qualifying questions. It’s fair to say, “Do you mind if I ask you just two questions about your insurance – I promise I’ll be brief. Thanks.” See? That didn’t hurt you or them, did it? If the results are positive, set up the appointment time.
By the end of this call a few things have happened. They trust you because you didn’t sell them anything. You have their name and address, phone. You know if they are a likely candidate for your products. And if all went really well, you set up an appointment for a personal call. If all went perfectly, you know pretty much 100% if they are ready and willing to buy, and the in-person appointment is just the formality for them to sign the papers. In just five easy steps. Nice.
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Bio. Jeff Dobkin is a fun speaker who has written 5 books, mostly on direct marketing. He also writes letters and marketing material for clients. Call him directly at 610-642-1000.