If you're like most life insurance producers, you know one fact when it comes to putting food on the table: You have to hunt, kill, skin and cook before you can eat.
Graphic?
A little. But it gets the point across!
Closing life insurance cases isn't easy and you work very hard for your success.
You don't get paid until your case is placed.
Period.
That's why you want to minimize the time that it takes between taking an application and getting that direct deposit in your bank account.
Here’s some guidance to know how to close more life insurance cases.
Getting It Done
How can you help yourself? And those of us on the other side of the counter (who process your cases)?
One of the things you should strive for is to submit an application "in good order," or IGO.
So what is "in good order?"
IGO is a fully completed application – including other required forms.
There's one thing that inevitably slows down the process.
It’s the proverbial tennis match between you, the case manager and the carrier's underwriter trying to obtain "outstanding information" that was omitted from the application in the first place, in order to get an underwriting offer.
Incomplete applications guarantee one thing: Everyone will become frustrated, especially the applicant.
And that’s one way to guarantee you WON’T close more life insurance cases.
Here’s What You DON’T Want – NIGO
Cases that are not IGO are NIGO: not in good order.
Here’s what you can do to avoid NIGO cases:
- Look over the application questions BEFORE you visit a prospect.
- Call your life insurance General Agent to clarify questions you don't understand and ensure you have the right application and forms. Most GA's have easily-accessible forms that can be packaged as an application kit to include most – if not all – of what you'll need.
- Avoid feeling rushed to complete an application when you're with the prospect. Explain that the few extra minutes it takes to accurately complete the application may save hours and hours of frustration along the way.
- Review the completed application before you submit it. (Seems obvious, but you'd be surprised at the number of incomplete applications we receive.)
- Use electronic applications or "drop tickets" to simplify the application process and ensure that you won’t miss any information.
More Life Insurance Cases – Closed
Regardless of the carrier you select for the prospect, most applications and required forms ask essentially the same questions (of course some are formatted better than others!).
Pay close attention to the way you submit your new applications and close more life insurance cases.
The more IGO your application is, the happier your client will be and the sooner you will get paid.
After all, it's always hunting season!
Originally published 5/16; updated 3/21
