Presented David Corwin
Anyone who has been in the life insurance business for any length of time will tell you that if there is a single reason why they would look for a new profession, it would most likely be the rejection they receive in an effort to sell life insurance. When we let our client sell us on the reasons why they don’t need coverage, we give in. That is the primary reason I feel that insurance agents fail, they give up way too easily. We must persist, we must be stronger! I am constantly reminded of how crucial it is to have the proper amount of insurance to protect one’s family.
It March of 1998 I was still considered a rookie. I was in an appointment that was a little difficult. I had dealings with this family in the past as they were current clients; with only an auto insurance policy. Really nice family; Rick, Debbie and there 14 year old son Rick Jr., they always liked to hear what I had to say. They were the kind of family that after your appointment is made you realize why we do this day after day. Throughout the interview and presentation of the information that I gathered, it became glaringly obvious that I needed to make a strong case as to why they both needed life insurance. Rick would always try to get me off the subject, but Debbie seemed to be genuinely interested. There were many objections I had to overcome to gain their confidence and trust. They couldn’t afford much, so I ended up writing a term insurance policy on both of them. Rick also had a small group policy which I included in the analysis that I ran so they only took out enough insurance to cover the mortgage. I wrote the policy on March 18th, 1998, and I remember thinking on the way home, I just touched another family in a way I hope they never realize.
Unfortunately, that realization came all too soon. Rick worked nights at a bakery and would get off of work around 4 a.m. On March 27th, just a week and a half after writing the policy, Rick was driving home from work around 4:30 a.m. and fell asleep at the wheel. He was killed when his pickup went off the road and collided with a light pole. Around 7:00 a.m., I received a frantic phone call from Debbie who didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t believe that less than 2 weeks earlier I had written a life insurance policy to prepare for just this kind of an event. I told her that I would call in the claim and we would talk later. After the insurance company did their investigating and found no wrong doing, I was able to deliver a check to her. Rick also had the group policy, which Debbie had no idea how to submit a claim on. After making a simple phone call to his human resource department, I found that he had an accidental death policy through work that enabled Debbie to receive a portion of his income.
I then assisted her with putting away part of the money and using a portion of it to pay down the mortgage to a payment amount she could handle on her income alone. She had never dealt with this kind of money before, so she was really counting on me to help. As with most people, she went a little overboard with some of the money. I can’t say that I could blame her for that, and if it helps with the grieving process, that’s all the better. With some of the money, Ricky Jr. was able to get a car on his 16th birthday. I must say that was a rough year for her family, not only with dealing with the death of her husband, but then Ricky had an accident that summer. He was driving on a country road, lost control of his new car and drove off the road. She called me at my office and I was shocked. Fortunately, he just suffered a bump on the head and a sprained ankle. I visited him in the hospital to help comfort the family and felt great to do so. I will never forget the look in her eye or the way she thanked me a million times. But what really made all the rejections bearable was to be able to see the positive effect that I had made on her family by countering the objections with sound advice. It was priceless and will never be forgotten.
I am sure that all of you have heard stories similar or maybe you have some of your own. It is paramount to our business that we strive to make our clients realize the importance of not just having life insurance but having the proper amount of insurance. But what’s more important is remembering why you chose this industry as your profession, recognizing the value you have to offer, and never let rejection get you down. Answer objections with facts, convey information confidently, and show your determination with persistence.