--- title: Why This 1 Communication Method Hinders Life Insurance Sales description: You need to stop using these outdated sales methods today. Learn why you should ditch voicemail, and why doing so will get you better results. image: https://blog.lwtagency.com/hubfs/WhyThis1CommunicationMethod.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.lwtagency.com/communication-hinders-life-insurance-sales#main-content) [![LWT Agency](https://blog.lwtagency.com/hubfs/lwt-logo-1.png)](https://lwtagency.com) # LWT Agency Since 1927 - [About](https://lwtagency.com/team) - [Services](https://lwtagency.com/services) - [Resources](https://lwtagency.com/resources) - [Get A Quote](https://lwtagency.com/get-a-quote) - [Contact](https://lwtagency.com/contact) - [Producer Insights](https://blog.lwtagency.com) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Why This 1 Communication Method Hinders Life Insurance Sales [LWT Agency](https://blog.lwtagency.com/author/lwt-agency) Sep 20, 2016, 9:31:00 AM No quod sanctus instructior ius, et intellegam interesset duo. Vix cu nibh gubergren dissentias. His velit veniam habemus ne. No doctus neglegentur vituperatoribus est, qui ad ipsum oratio. Ei duo dicant facilisi, qui at harum democritum consetetur. ![hands dialing a phone](https://blog.lwtagency.com/hubfs/WhyThis1CommunicationMethod.png) There’s no sense bemoaning dying sales methods. *Cold calling.* *Blind targeting.* *Scripted sales.* If they don’t work, it’s time to get rid of them. But it’s not because you aren’t good at these methods. It could be what helped you get to where you are. **The reason you need to ditch them is because consumers no longer respond to them.** Now brace yourself. There’s another sales method that could be in permanent jeopardy: voicemail. Bear with me as I explain. ### In the beginning... When the phone was first invented, it solved a huge problem. People could finally communicate without having to be face-to-face or writing a letter. The phone solved this “lag time” problem; however, a lingering issue prevailed. If people weren’t around to answer the call, the person making the call couldn’t deliver the message. Fast-forward several decades, and the phone answering system and voicemail lands on the scene. This show-stopper solved the huge problem of being able to relay a message, without the recipient being present. It also gave many insurance businesses the ability to cut costs. Now, you didn’t need a receptionist to answer phones. **Your phone system did it all.** **[![best life insurance agent](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/1853399/8b9295b8-30ee-4f0e-8562-52cf5349dff3.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/1853399/8b9295b8-30ee-4f0e-8562-52cf5349dff3)** ### Getting real Shift ahead again a few decades, and messaging has changed once again. [Putting your customers on hold](https://www.jacada.com/blog/waiting-on-hold-a-minute-too-long) has dangerous consequences. According to studies, about a third of consumers will hang up after one minute on hold. **But customers become frustrated after holding for only 20 seconds.** Our culture is becoming more fast-paced by the second, and customers are not willing to wait. So what do you do with your phone system? Your receptionist savings? Many successful corporations are getting rid of voicemail entirely, including Coca Cola and JP Morgan Chase. Because voicemail isn’t timely, many people hang up and search for other methods to use  –  like sending a text or using website chat feature. It doesn’t even occur to millennials to leave a voicemail message; it’s just not in their nature to do so. Not surprisingly, this group doesn’t like to receive voicemails either. It’s time consuming to listen to the messages and then respond with a return phone call. ### Solutions to use Our agency staffed a receptionist position for the first 70 years we were in business. We finally adopted voicemail about 20 years ago. Although we still offer both services (using a receptionist and voicemail), we find that our customers would rather email us first *before* they leave a voice message. And we've even seen a greater utilization of text messaging as a way to communicate. The bottom line is there are far more effective ways to communicate today than in years past. So I’m not saying you have to get rid of your phone system or voicemail. **But you do need to consider additional avenues through which customers can get a hold of you, such as:** - Text messages. - Forwarding your voicemail to your smartphone. - Email messages. - Website chat. - Or social media. **Do you need to expand your communication methods beyond your phone system?** **[![Download the ebook](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/1853399/1365df35-8ff2-43c2-b388-cfc02b2f8876.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/1853399/1365df35-8ff2-43c2-b388-cfc02b2f8876)** ## Related Posts ### [Aug 13, 2019, 10:00:00 AM Why Life Insurance Spreadsheets Don’t Tell the Whole Story](https://blog.lwtagency.com/life-insurance-spreadsheets-dont-tell-story) ### [Aug 15, 2017, 10:00:00 AM Understand Your Life Insurance Prospects to Close the Deal ](https://blog.lwtagency.com/understand-prospects-close-deal) ### [Jan 19, 2021, 12:00:00 AM Life Insurance Sales: Don't Ignore a Key Ally](https://blog.lwtagency.com/are-you-ignoring-a-key-ally-in-your-sale) ![LWT Agency](https://blog.lwtagency.com/hs-fs/hubfs/tellus-campaigns/LWT-Color-Print-new2.jpg?width=215&height=112&name=LWT-Color-Print-new2.jpg) Securities offered through Simplicity Group, Inc. 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