13 posts found
03/09/2022 · 5 min read
Put Cialdini's persuasion principles into practice by treating them as communication improvements, not tricks. Lead with proactive value (reciprocity), use specific client stories (social proof), recommend with conviction (authority), and run a values-to-stakes-to-solution sequence so the close completes a commitment the prospect already made.
03/07/2022 · 5 min read
Persuasion science works in insurance sales because the product is risk and the transaction runs on trust. Cialdini-trained Brian Ahearn maps the six principles (reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, scarcity) to coverage conversations: lead with value, get small commitments early, cite peer outcomes, and demonstrate real expertise.
01/31/2022 · 6 min read
The phone is still the most powerful sales tool in insurance because trust builds faster in a real conversation than in any other medium. Open with a collaborative frame, ask more than you pitch, match the prospect's pace, and treat objections as information rather than rejection.
11/05/2021 · 5 min read
Unverified assumptions cost agencies clients, staff, and E&O exposure. Brief plainly on coverage before the claim, confirm team expectations before the standard is tested, and document the process before the handoff. Verify shared understanding instead of assuming it. The three-minute brief prevents the three-hour problem.
11/05/2021 · 5 min read
The lesson: verify understanding, don't just deliver information. Most E&O claims and retention failures trace to gaps between what the agent said and what the client heard. Ask clients to restate coverage in their own words at sale, renewal, policy change, and claim. Catch misalignment before a claim does.
11/01/2021 · 6 min read
Genuine client relationships retain better than scripted touchpoints. Hire for warmth, capture specific client details in your CMS, and use them in every call (the lake cabin, the new house, the kid's wedding). The data system supports the relationship, it doesn't replace it.
11/01/2021 · 6 min read
Likeability is built, not inherited. Four learnable behaviors drive it: genuine interest in the prospect, finding real similarity, pairing warmth with competence, and consistency across every interaction. Each one moves close rate, retention, and referrals.
10/11/2021 · 6 min read
Sales scripts work for insurance agencies because every top-producing agent already uses one. They have just internalized it. Build the framework from your best conversations, drill it to fluency in role-play, and deploy it on live calls. Close rate, training speed, and coaching precision all improve.
10/01/2021 · 5 min read
Get out of the sales dog house with rehearsed language built on the acknowledgment-redirect-offer structure. Three scripts to write today: the unanswered follow-up, the I-need-to-think-about-it stall, and the I'm-shopping-it-around deflection. Authenticity comes from preparation, not improvisation.
08/19/2021 · 5 min read
Apply ethical persuasion in insurance with three moves: swap "but" for "and" in objections, pre-suade the conversation by establishing yourself as advisor before any pitch, and treat objections as information requests (ask what would help, don't push). Small language shifts compound across hundreds of client conversations.
08/18/2021 · 5 min read
Cialdini-certified influence expert Brian Ahearn says ethical persuasion helps clients see their own interests clearly. Manipulation exploits bias and produces compliance plus churn. Use the six principles (reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity) honestly and clients stay, refer, and tolerate rate changes without shopping.
08/13/2021 · 6 min read
When a client says the price is too high, they usually mean one of three things: the rate change feels jarring, they found a lower number online, or they need to feel the value. Each version has a different response. Folding on coverage or delivering a defensive monologue are wrong.
04/05/2021 · 6 min read
Larry King taught us that great communication is skill, not talent. Prepare deeply, then put the notes aside. Ask short questions. Listen all the way through the answer. Stay genuinely curious across 50,000 conversations. Every one of those moves is learnable, and they close insurance business.