Service Mistakes That Kill the Sale

In our last article, we discussed some ways for you to boost marine insurance business in 2018. Going hand in hand with those strategies, we’re going to shed some light on the wrong ways to approach a sale, many of which turn off prospective customers before you even have the change to close the deal. Tailoring your sales approach is something that can always be improved, so read on to discover what not to do in a sales pitch for Recreational Marine Insurance programs.

You feign connection.

Not every customer is the same. This means that your small talk chumminess might work on someone, but another person might find it forced and unnecessary. Read the customer and do your best to tailor your sales pitch to meet their needs.

You only care about making a sale.

As a salesperson, that is your job. However, your role extends farther than that. In fact, in order to be a successful salesperson, you have to listen to your clients, understand and meet their needs, and stay on top of trends and potential exposures in the future. Listen to your client; don’t just force them to sign off on a policy.

You rush the customer.

You and your customer aren’t on the same page when it comes to urgency. You prepare the proposal quickly, make the presentation and seem to get a positive response. You make constant attempts to motivate them to make the final purchase decision, but nothing works. The customer procrastinates. Later, you find out the order went to someone else. Moral of the story: pushing customers doesn’t work, says Insight + Analysis Magazine.

You make them feel defensive.

As an expert in the marine insurance field, it’s your duty to know new developments and trends for the industry. However, your customers likely won’t have the same level of knowledge and expertise. Present information to them in an objective way rather than challenge what they do and don’t know.

You don’t follow through.

Following through on requests is so critical to making the sale. Your customers want to know you value them and their business, not just giving them a line. If you said you’re going to follow up with them after their policy kicks in or at least quarterly, follow through.

You only aim to impress.

Salespeople often make themselves the star of the show, selling themselves to a customer by peppering the conversation with success stories and name dropping. All the while, customers are just looking for help, and you miss the opportunity to make a sale.

About Merrimac Marine Insurance

At Merrimac Marine, we are dedicated to providing insurance for the marine industry to protect your clients’ business and assets. For more information about our products and programs, contact our specialists today at (407) 551-0174.