Which to you is more powerful an introduction?

I was asked to present my approach to workers/employers today for a luncheon. We use two basically, and I thought I'd run them by you all here to get your HONEST feedback.... I mean if it sucks.... "Thomas... that sucks...." I don't mind the "Thomas that really sucks, but here try this for this reason..." either... thmbp2;

If it's good, would you please tell me why IN PLAIN ENGLISH why it's good. I say this humbly, because some of the language here is ABOVE ME and I've not had the benefit of that study.

But here we go... meeting with usually a group of individuals but could be one on one...

"Mybesthopetobecustomerfriend(s) What is your most important asset? (Write down on a whiteboard answers... Family (big), home, car, cellphone....??, sometimes we get health.) Circle the most common and say... Ok.. This is the most typical for our group.. Let me take this one step further...

If you had a piece of equipment that by its use made you (approximate their annual income...) $30,000 a year, would you insure this for Mechanical Breakdown? Answer usually, except sometimes when presenting a bunch of mechanics, is yes. Aren't you just like that machine?

AFLAC/ASSURITY/TRANSAMERICA (our three worksite companies) is just like that. Instead of being mechanical breakdown coverage for your equipment, we're like mechanical breakdown coverage for you... Does that make sense? We have coverage pieces that insure anything from Accident to Vision... and on and on etc....

Version two. Same intro with the asset question.... In place of the tractor (my equipment illustration) I write the word INCOME on the board.

Who is it that provides the income for you and your family? (Answers could be me, me and the wife, to everybody works). What would worry you the most about losing your income? Write down the answers (lose my house, no more rent, lose my car... ).

If you get hurt on the job, you lose over 30% of your income, and if you get sick or hurt off the job, you'll lose more than half. Where will that money come from? (write down the answers and you can't believe some of them... :) ) Well that's why we're here... AFLAC/ASSURITY/TRANSAMERICA has financial options for you explore that might keep you in your house and help preserve your credit.

These are the two approaches we use right now.. please pick them apart for us.

Thank you...

Much Aloha... Tom :cool: shds; -rattus58

Tom, that is a very interesting question. I'll give you my answer (opinion), but first let me give you the basis for my opinion.

First, many here have heard the term Unique Selling Proposition, often called USP. It refers to an Indentifiable Difference in your product or service. In theory, we are supposed to have something that makes us pleasingly different.

Some salespeople take it a step further. They use an Emotional Selling Proposition, or ESP. The idea of course is to have a benefit to offer that appeals to a strong emotion. Love of family would be an example, and it could certainly be found in your second presentation above.

But there is still one more proposition that is rarely discussed, and yet it decides many sales. It is the Obvious Selling Proposition, or OSP.

I believe your first presentation triggers the OSP. The analogy of the piece of equipment drives home the point that you must protect what you value, and if you can protect a piece of machinery, it's obvious that you should protect your family. -Ace Coldiron

Thanks Ace... this is the first time I've heard the terms Unique Selling Proposition, Emotional Selling Proposition, and or Obvious Selling Proposition and the description of each. What's even more remarkable is that you made this very clear to me... Thank you. You have NO IDEA how important simple is to me.

Much Aloha,

Tom :cool: shds; -rattus58

Thank You, Tom,

I was important to me to provide that information because I truly think it can be helpful. For those who were already familiar with USPs, I wanted to point out that it need not stop there. -Ace Coldiron

Ace, I agree with Tom. Your post is sales training at it's best and what this forum is all about in my opinion. -MPrince

I think I would try to incorporate an emotional selling position then hit a benefit then drive it home with a killer hook.

I don't know the benefits of your product so well to offer much structure..........but the "Helping Hands", pitch kinda hits a chord in my mind.

j.p.o -DIAMONDSTAR

Hi DiamondStar... :)

Thank you... I'm all ears... eyes... thmbp2;

Just to clarify to me... what did you mean by "helping hands"?

Aloha. Tom :cool: shds; -rattus58

Sometimes "picking something apart" reveals what's RIGHT about it.

It is my opinion that your first example is an effective approach, and as I stated, preferable to the second example.

When making a presentation where you want to appeal to emotions, we cannot do the emotional thinking FOR the prospect. What we CAN do is present our thoughts well enough so that the right thing to do becomes OBVIOUS, and the prospect ACTS upon the obvious. -Ace Coldiron

This is very good stuff Ace. Great training and said in a way anyone can understand. -MPrince

Hi Ace,

The "tractor" has been my mainstay for the last 5 years. The Income, was something suggested as an alternative to give something "new" to folks that had heard the tractor for the last 5 years.

Much Aloha,

Tom ;bg shds; -rattus58

I would ask it like.....

I have a question for you. What is your biggest asset?

Most popular answer I hear is: My home.

What is the market value of your home? Write down their answer.

A: $200k

Let me ask you this, how many more years do you plan to work, assuming you don't hit the lottery? (They will laugh).

A: 30 years.

Now, assume for a minute you continued to earn what you do now. When you multiply that number out by 30, is it more or less than $200k (the value of their biggest asset).

Just imagine for a minute you lost your ability to earn that income, what would happen to your house (biggest asset)?

A: I would probably lose it.

Q: If you can afford it, would it make sense to protect your house (biggest asset) by protecting your ability to earn a paycheck? -jdedwa11

jd...I like this...good stuff! -MPrince

Nah... just kidding.... I'm going to be seeing a business owner this morning who is 45, has a $60,000 income, a $300,000 home, divorced, and a 10 year old daughter May 1st who is the absolute treasure of his eye. They do have other real estate that dropped $150,000 in just the last 2 years and this approach, especially because of his daughter, might be just the trigger needed to get him to recognize the need to protect it.

Thank you for bringing this up and to my attention. I'm with Martha on this too... Mahalo...

Much Aloha,

Tom :cool: shds; -rattus58

Would you be opposed to something like, "Mr. Prospect, if your income was suddenly cut off tomorrow, would your present insurance supply your family with enough income to take care of their needs, say, at least five years into the future? Would it pay for your children's education through college? Could your wife and children continue to live in this lovely home?" -Johnny Fairplay

The most successful people I know in the life/health/financial planning field, those with annual earnings topping 500k, do not build their presentation around protecting the status quo as in the above examples. Rather, they take the process into the realm of the prospects' future, and specifically their GOALS. They then acknowledge those goals, and support the attainment of the goals by applying assurance against loss that would destroy those goals.

Insurance selling is truly about finding the LOSS. The better place to look for the loss is in the prospect's hopes, dreams, and aspirations. THAT is where you strike the EMOTIONAL chord and motivator. -Ace Coldiron