The document discusses qualifying business insurance prospects by aligning an agent's strengths with a prospect's needs. It recommends asking open-ended questions to determine a prospect's needs, looking for keywords about their motivations. An agent should correlate a prospect's needs to their own strengths, such as claims management. Teleprospecting allows a two-way discussion to listen and understand prospects. An agent should focus, confirm understanding, clarify and show care. Qualification involves pre-call list selection, gathering intelligence from gatekeepers, and determining buying attitudes. This helps reduce a large pool of suspects to a small group of qualified prospects.

1. Stepping Stones for Qualifying
Business Insurance Prospects
Qualifying is discerning WHO to sell to
&
How to align YOUR strengths with
THEIR needs

2. Ask Open Ended Questions to
Determine Their Needs
YOUR
STRENGTHS
THEIR
NEEDS

3. Keystone Words Like These
Get At Prospects’ Motivations
• WHAT do you like best about your current
agent’s services?
• WHEN do you usually review your insurance and
risk options?
• HOW did the last review go?
• WHY did you decide to change agents last time?

4. Correlate Their Needs
With Your Strengths
The More Overlap > The Better the Match
NEEDS STRENGTHS
Manage claims better In-house Claims Manager
Improve Safety Profile
Out of Work Comp Pool
Difficult Coverage Lots of Markets
Loss Control Manager
Ex Mod audit

5. Teleprospecting is an Ideal
Communication Medium
Two-Way Exchange:
• Inquisitive
• Open-Minded
• Curious
• Engaged
• Friendly
• Sincere
• Genuine
• Synchronous

6. Real communication is about listening to
understand – Rather than listening to reply
Focus
Confirm
Understand
Clarify
Be confident
Show you care

7. Teleprospecting is a Reductive Process
It Reduces a Large Universe of Suspects
To a Small Group of Qualified Prospects

8. Eliminate Targets That Don’t
Match Your Prospect Profile
BAD RISKS
WILD GOOSE
CHASES
NOT ENOUGH
REVENUE
HARD TO
PLACE
COVERAGE
TIRE KICKERS

9. 3 Stages of Qualification
Pre-call list selection
Gatekeeper intel gathering
Determining buying
attitudes

10. Pre-Call List Selection
There are myriad ways to select target lists
Size: employees, sales, beds, rooms, etc.
Work comp x-dates & carriers
Minority-owned
Years in business
Business
class
More…

11. Intel From Gatekeepers
CONFIRM size, industry, etc.
Identify decision makers
When to reach decision
makers
Would DM take my call?
Do they “shop”
insurance?
Renewal
dates
More…

12. Seeing what companies and people have
done in the past gives you great clues to
what they’re likely to do now
Even with complex and large sales there’s
always an emotional component that
drives the process
Buying Patterns &
Psychological Motives

13. Have you compared insurance in the last few years?
What motivated you to investigate?
What did you find out?
Have you changed agents?
How often do you
review?
What do you LIKE most
about your current
service?
Patterns & Motives

14. Qualification is hugely important.
It’s the short path to increasing sales revenue.
From choosing target lists, to dealing with
gatekeepers, each step helps you zero in on your
most promising prospects