Learn how simple conversation starters for insurance agents can help turn prospects into sales through relationship building and information gathering.

Whether meeting in person or talking over the phone, an insurance agent’s first goal is to get to know their prospect. Yes, you want to introduce yourself and your agency and talk a little bit about your background, but to mine real gold in these early conversations, you need to get your prospect to talk. You may be wondering what are some conversation starters for insurance agents to get prospects talking. And the answer is, it’s a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s talking shop and learning about what their current insurance coverage looks like. Other times it’s asking them questions about their hobbies and other non-insurance-related topics. Here’s a list of five conversation starters for insurance agents that will help get the ball rolling and the words flowing. 

1. Ask Topical/Seasonal Questions

This is a great softball conversation starter because the stakes are low. Is a major holiday coming up or just passed? Ask your prospect what they did or are doing for the holiday. Did a big storm just pass through their area? Ask your prospect how they made out. Sure, it may seem like small talk but once your prospect starts talking they may share important information that will impact future sales strategies. 

2. Ask Prospects to Tell You About Their Family (this includes pets!)

An easy way to find out about a prospect’s family life is to volunteer a little bit about yours. Offer something about your life (i.e. “My youngest is just getting braces and neither one of us is looking forward to it.” or “We just adopted a Goldendoodle and boy they have a lot of energy.”) Follow up with a question like “Do you have any children” or “Do you have any pets?” Getting prospects to talk about family and pets makes for great conversation starters for insurance agents because it give you context. If you’re selling auto insurance, learning that a prospect has children can help you focus your talking track on things like safety and extensive coverage. 

3. Ask Opinion Questions 

When it comes to conversation starters for insurance agents, stick with open-ended questions. Some of the best open-ended questions are opinion questions. The goal with these questions is to get your prospect talking about anything. Ask your prospect for their opinion on something either of you has brought up into conversation. Maybe you learned that your prospect drives an SUV. Ask them their opinion on their particular model. Perhaps the substance of what they’re saying isn’t going to directly lead to an insurance sale, but you are starting to build a relationship and trust with your prospect. It’s a good idea to avoid politics and religion in these opinion questions since these can be hot-button topics for some people and could derail the overall conversation. 

4. Ask Prospect for Advice

Even better than an opinion question is asking a prospect for advice. People love being able to offer recommendations and advice. One of the great conversation starters for insurance agents is asking your prospect for advice on something. This doesn’t have to be insurance-related! In fact, it’s better if it’s not. Maybe you learn that your prospect works in the construction field. You can mention that you’re planning on renovating your kitchen and ask them for advice on what common mistakes they see people make these days. By deferring to your prospect’s wisdom, you build a mutually respectful relationship that will allow them to see your expertise when it comes to the insurance field. 

5. Ask Prospects About Previous Insurance Buying Experiences 

If you’re talking with a prospect and get the sense that they want to get right down to business, you can still get them to talk more by asking them about previous insurance buying experiences. By learning what your prospect liked or didn’t like about the insurance buying process, you can tailor the experience to their preferences. This will put you in a better position to make the sale.

With all of these conversation starters for insurance agents, your prospects will open up and share information. You can then begin to put together a picture of what type of customer they could be, and what insurance needs they might have. Even if they’re not talking specifically about insurance, what your prospect has to say can prove useful as a way of building rapport with your potential customer. 

Good prospect conversations take time and energy, but they’re only as good as the lead itself. Make sure you don’t waste time on bogus leads and work with HBW Leads to get double-verified insurance leads just for you and your agency. The insurance and technology experts at HBW Leads can do the heavy lifting of lead generation giving you time to focus on what matters most.

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