No matter what industry you’re in, you need to learn how to deal with an angry lead and turn it into a positive experience.

When asked about how to deal with an angry lead, Bill Gates responded, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” 

In most cases, an angry prospect means there is something about your product, service, or interaction that’s triggering psychological stimuli. Whether you like it or not, it’s going to happen at some point in your career. 

However, there are ways to address these circumstances without losing your temper. 

deal with an angry lead

Discover 5 strategies to help deal with an angry lead and save the relationship

1. Stay calm. 

The best way to deal with an angry lead is to treat them how you would any client — by being pleasant and using the ideal tone. If you’re meeting in person, look the lead in the eye and smile. If you’re speaking on the phone, keep smiling anyway. 

No matter what they say, keep your composure and don’t take anything personally. Instead, show such clients that you welcome their concerns and that you’re there to help them. 

Don’t raise your voice or show any aggressive signals. A calm demeanor will help relax the mood, but an unfriendly stance can make any situation much worse than it has to be. 

2. Listen actively.

One of the top mistakes insurance salespeople make is talking too much instead of listening. It’s bad enough to talk over leads on a regular day, but imagine its impact on a potential client who’s having a bad day. 

Naturally, as a salesperson, you will have to do a lot of talking when you sell. However, it’s crucial to learn when listening yields better results, and engaging with a frustrated prospect is one of those times. 

Also, don’t just hear your potential clients. Actively listen to them. This means concentrating on what they say, understanding the reason behind the frustration, and offering a sound solution. 

3. Apologize. 

Whether you made a sales mistake or not, apologizing is still an effective way to deal with an angry lead. If you made an error, acknowledge it in a thorough apology. For example, say, “I’m sorry I haven’t sent the quote I promised. I understand how frustrated you are. I need to clarify one more thing with the provider, and I will get back to you within the day.”

If you didn’t make a mistake, say sorry for any inconvenience anyway. For instance, say, “I’m sorry the rates from last year are different from what they are now. The quotes I send are time-based. However, let me recheck the details.”

An apology will prove your sincerity to help. However, don’t drag it out too much. Keep it as short as possible. 

4. Offer a solution.

Sometimes, leads just want to express their anger. If you can’t offer a solution, try to appease them to boost your chances of improving your pipeline

However, some potential clients want to hear concrete plans, like the earlier examples. For the first prospect, send the quote as soon as possible. For the second one, double-check if you can still apply old rates. 

Remember to offer a solution only for the concern at hand. Don’t try to push your offer onto an angry prospect. Most likely, such individuals are not ready to buy anything from you just yet. 

Offering a solution is the next ideal step to still closing deals. 

5. Follow up. 

If your call ends well, it’s best to follow up with a lead after a few days to ensure your solution is satisfactory. Then, depending on your agreement, you can meet in person, send an email, or call.

Hopefully, after this final step, you can establish your rapport with the prospect again. Even if you don’t close a sale during the follow-up phase, you can improve your chances of building a business relationship with the lead. 

Also, update your agency about the situation. As an agent, you need to avoid frustrated leads as much as possible. Do everything in your power to improve internal processes. 

Don’t want to deal with an angry lead?

Having to deal with an angry lead is never easy. However, in most cases, staying calm, respectful, and empathetic can do wonders for such interactions. 


If you want to minimize your number of frustrating prospect encounters, partner with HBW Leads today. You can’t go wrong with the team’s exclusive double-verified quality leads.


 

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