Understand their fear of the unknown.
While life insurance has been around for centuries, long-term care is only about 30 years old. So how do you calm consumers' fear of the unknown? By being honest, clear, dispassionate and empathetic.

Clear up any misconceptions.
Since many consumers don’t understand the difference between health insurance and long-term care insurance, they think that their private and/or public health insurance will cover the costs associated with long-term care. It’s important for you, then, to make sure they know that medical insurance won’t cover the costs associated with the activities of daily living (ADL).*

Maintain your integrity.
Scare tactics may be effective, but they come at a moral cost. LTC is a smart buy for some, but not others (the poor and the rich). Painting terrifying scenarios of losing retirement nest-eggs to nursing homes may help you sell a few more policies, but it’s not a long-term model to rely on. Nor is selling policies to people who are either poor enough to qualify for public assistance or to those who have enough retirement savings to pay for care out of pocket. You’ll lose sleep and tarnish your reputation (and that of the entire LTC industry) if you sell LTC to people who don’t need it.

Don’t sell. Educate.
Present yourself as an impartial expert, not a biased salesperson. Provide manageable bits of information to potential clients and, if necessary, help them see how LTC could be beneficial. The best way to do that? Ask questions, the most essential one being this: “Do you have a plan and/or funds in place in the event that you need help with the essential daily tasks of eating, bathing, moving around, etc.?” By asking open-ended questions, you’ll let them come to the decision themselves, winning their trust (and probably a referral or two) in the process.

* The original sentence erroneously referenced "IADL" instead of ADL, the correct acronym. Thanks to reader Scott A. Olson for catching the error.