Insurance Advisors Are Sages, Not Salespeople

Insurance Advisors Are Sages, Not Salespeople

By Ken Shapiro, President

The insurance industry can be misunderstood. There’s an assumption people make that advisors are just salespeople trying to make a buck, and they can’t be trusted. In truth, anyone who has worked with a great advisor knows that advisors are far more sages than salespeople.

As an advisor, you play an important role in the lives of your clients. You’re a sounding board for some significant financial decisions that may affect not only your client, but also their children and grandchildren. You are playing an integral part in your client’s legacy planning.

As the needs and goals of your clients evolve, providing ongoing support and navigation is essential. It is in this process that trust is established. What an incredible honor and huge responsibility.

If you were just a salesperson in those moments, you wouldn’t be invited into their lives–at least not for long. Salespeople show up for a transaction and then disappear.  A sage is a bringer of wisdom, someone who earns trust over the long haul by listening and by caring about their wellbeing, and in doing so, recommends the right solution for their needs.

In these uncertain times, you may feel pressure to switch into salesperson mode so that you can hit some home runs with your clients.  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that every interaction with a client needs to result in a home run.  Instead, go back to the basics and focus on getting some solid base hits. If you just get your foot in the door and make someone a client with a basic term insurance policy–that’s reason to celebrate. If you get a referral from them, that’s another one. With clients or prospects, offer to conduct an insurance review.

By the time you’ve made a few base hits like this, you’ll have earned enough trust that you can build bigger solutions for them. It doesn’t have to happen all at once.

Remember–you’re a sage, not a salesperson.