Gaining Trust; Use the Principle of Authority

 I admit that I have zero expertise in regards to automotive entertainment systems (It’s why I write an insurance blog, not one called “Bling My Ride”). 

In spite of this, I would like to share my recent journey to replace my car stereo and how flawless service combined with expert knowledge, in an unconventional package, taught me a valuable lesson about the principle of authority. 

Initially my issue was deciding if I should I buy online or stand in front of a wall sized display and gawk.  I immersed myself in an unrewarding day of Bing searches, and wasted several hours reading user reviews on Amazon.  By the end I was out of Mt. Dew and optimism, I resolved to head to a local shop.

Disheartened and staring amateurishly at the monolith of stereo units, I was about to call it quits.  “Do you want volume or crisp sound?” a voice from behind me asked.  I turned to find a well spoken young man with large hoops in his ears, piercings in his nose, and more ink on his arm than Motley Crue.  His coolness factor was off the charts.  However, I was about to be even more impressed.  After a few probing questions, he began to explain to me the differences of treble to bass and volts to amps.  While I watched and listened, he pushed buttons going through settings and changing screens on video displays. He did all of this while asking important desires and needs questions (something I’ll cover in my next post), like what kind of vehicle I owned.  Immediately I knew that when it came to car stereos, he possessed authority.  I ended up spending more money than I initially intended, but with the knowledge I garnered and improved acoustics, I feel like I got a steal.

While I don’t recommend the appearance of my car stereo salesman, his technique was textbook.  And like him, if you have large objections to overcome (i.e. Price), your clients need to know that you are their insurance authority.  Why?  According to Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence, Science and Practice, we have an inherent trust in authority figures.  We accept, or buy-in to, their advice and counsel because our brains make assumptions that typically they’ve obtained their positions through superior knowledge and judgment. 

The good news is, if you’ve been in the industry for 2 months or for 20 years, it’s never too late to utilize the principal of authority.  Here’s 3 easy ways to get going:

1. The best advice I can give you is to never stop reading.  One publication that I recommend is American Agent & Broker.  Every month they usually focus on three or four topics of interest with well written and easy to read articles.  If you need some help with your sales technique, try Jeffrey Gitomer’s “Little Red Book of Selling.”

2. Next, obtain an industry designation.  Those include the following:  Associate in Personal Insurance (API); Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI); Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU); and the list goes on. 

3. Pick a niche and become the best in it.  If you really like writing boat insurance, devote yourself to studying everything there is to know about it and become known as the best boat insurance producer in your city.  Get your name out by going to local trade shows and making contacts with local boat dealers.

In conclusion, if you want to stand out from the 1-800 direct and online competitors, or even the agency down the street, you better be doing something to set yourself apart.  Your survival and success hinges upon your ability to transform the mentality of customers who view insurance as a one-size-fits-all commodity.  Utilize the principle of authority, overcome objections by gaining trust and you're on your way to becoming a Next Generation Agent. 

Introduction

I like to shop.  It’s a trait I take after my mother, whom I’m sure would go to Kohls with an IV in her arm, lying on a gurney if she had to.  But I digress, more importantly I love to sell.  I’ve sold sandwiches, groceries, clothes, bicycles, books, cars, lumber, lotions, (don’t ask) and insurance.  I haven’t liked everything I’ve sold, but I’ve sold just about everything. 

With 17 years under my belt selling I’ve seen the good and I’ve seen the bad, but mostly the bad.  That’s sad, because we live in a consumer based economy where nearly all of our day to day activities involve making some sort of a purchase and most “salespeople” fail to make simple connections.

When people ask me what I do for a living now I cringe.  I don’t cringe from embarrassment, but because most wouldn’t understand. You see, as an insurance sales rep I work with agency owners, producers, and CSRs to help them grow their business profitably. That entails helping them develop commitments, monitor loss results, and conducting product training.  Normally I reduce it to the most common denominator, I tell people I sell insurance.  To be fair, it’s what I do.

Although, if you work in an insurance agency, you probably refer to me and your other company reps as the “donut people.”   My position can be a very valuable asset for both the company and the agency! Unfortunately, all too often I see how the daily grind can weigh heavy as agents get lost in the monotony of taking phone calls, doing quotes, adding vehicles and collecting pay checks.  It can be a vicious cycle.

I want to change that.  I want to change the way agents think and act.  If we don’t make changes, the insurance industry won’t have much need for brick and mortar locations and a personal touch.  I say that because online and 1-800 competitors do well because they’re able to cut out what agents do!  If day to day monotony is all we offer then why not possibly save 15% by going direct?

My goal with this blog is to show you fundamental concepts and sound selling principles to transform your thought process and ultimately your sales.  I want to help you become  the next generation agent (NGA).  An NGA that will offer more than just a personal touch, but who will use those principles, create their personal selling process and present their customers a unique buying experience.  Agent 2.0 is the agent of the future!

I invite you to take this trip with me.  Subscribe to this blog and receive my new material every Wednesday.  Also, please feel free to leave comments and ask questions.  I welcome both.  Hopefully we can have some open dialogue where additional ideas could spawn future posts.