The Power Of Effective Listening

There are a few skills that nearly all top producers possess. These often include confidence, organization, persuasion and listening. Although it may feel more reactive than active, listening is a skill all sales agents should strive to master. Listening is one of the most effective soft skills an insurance sales agent can possess. To master the power of listening an agent must understand the principles of listening. They must also understand why listening is a key driver of relationships and an actionable way to become a better listener. Listening in sales can positively impact client conversion and retention.

The Three Principles Of Listening

According to the TedX Talk, “The Power of Listening,” there are three key principles to effective and active listening. These principles are understanding, connecting and reciprocity. An agent should remember that listening will help them to better understand their clients’ and prospects’ needs, challenges and objections. In order to form stronger relationships with current and prospective customers, agents should always be listening. Listening to connect helps agents establish rapport and trust. The principle of listening for reciprocity represents the importance of expressing shared interests and conveying empathy.

The three principles can help agents create goals for their sales conversations: do I understand my client’s needs, concerns and wants, do I feel connected to my client and did that conversation help my client feel confident that I interested in helping them?

Why Insurance Agents Should Master The Art Of Listening

One of the most vital sales skills is listening. Becoming a better listener can help insurance agents have more impactful conversations. It may also help them better understand their clients’ problems and establish lasting relationships built on trust. If you are still unsure about the impact strong listening skills can have on your sales performance, check out these statistics from saleshacker.com:

• The longer a customer can talk without interruption, the better the close rate. During an initial exploratory conversation, sales agents who speak during only 43% of the conversation show stronger conversion rates.
• If a client speaks for an average of 4 minutes without interruption, the closing rate probability increases by 11%.
• When a client or prospect answers a timeline question with the phrase, “probably,” there is a 74% chance they are interested in closing a deal.

Test Effective Sales Techniques Alongside Effective Lead Generation Strategies

While honing your hard and soft sales skills, you should not have to worry about the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Even with the best skill set, top producers cannot convert sales if they do not have enough qualified prospects in their funnel. While you develop your sales techniques and listening skills, ZipQuote is focused on providing you with high-quality insurance leads. ZipQuote can help you increase your funnel and connect you with high-intent leads and calls. Click here to learn more about how ZipQuote can help you grow your business.