I think this works great, Its not patronizing at all I think we, the insurance professionals, need to paint these pictures and bring these scenarios up, to get the client thinking about what insurance is really all about. I know a guy who sells life insurance and was in Time magazine for his experience in selling Life coverage to a Doctor whos wife wouldnt hear about it. She asked him to leave their house on two separate occasions. the doctor finally called a secret meeting paid the premium with the understanding the bills go to his office and his wife never knew. Two months later he died the agent showed up to the wifes door and handed her a check, she was obviously grateful for her husbands good sense and of course the agents persistence. This type of real life story brings forth the emotion that is necessary in a life insurance sale, hypothetical ones work just as good.

Sorry bout the long comment might i suggest a follow up article on "Convincing Sales Prospects with Hypnotic Suggestion"

Aaron, good thoughts here. (Chuckled at the 'hypnotic suggestion' bit as well.)

I guess my problem with a lot of these tactics is that as prospects, we know they're tactics. It feels like trickery—like the information we reveal will later be used against us. When I feel this happening, I get mighty unhappy, and your chances of selling me something have rapidly decreased.

What's wrong with just being honest and asking open-ended questions to gauge a person's needs—instead of creating hypotheticals to light the fear fire?

Example:

"Think about what would happen to your kids if you died tomorrow? What would happen to them? Would they be able to afford school? Stay in their childhood home?"

Versus,

"Do you have extra funds set aside to pay for your kids' schooling and lifestyle should something unexpected happen to you?"

Personally, option number two sounds a lot more appealing and reasonable.

That is an interesting example. I guess what sets Life insurance apart from other types of insurance is that emotional trigger. Death is something we all think about probably once a day. Death and Taxes etc. Theres a couple reasons a prospect pursues Life insurance.

1. The bank wants them to get it.
2. They are thinking about what would happen if they died and are concerned how the people they leave behind would handle things in that event.

So the whole conversation starts usually because of an emotional trigger. Sadly more than 70% of the time I speak with someone in these situations the process gets strung out so long that they never buy the insurance. The examples above are meant for people that are going out on a cold call I rarely have to use either one but Example one would have me sign an app alot faster than example two. I would never sell a policy to someone who is sobbing uncontrollably while writing their check out but I "sell" insurance.. I dont just "provide" it. Another key here is the fact that I truly believe everyone needs life insurance, if only enough to pay for their final expenses. If I myself didnt own life insurance I would have trouble using either one of the above examples.

"I sell insurance. I don't just provide it."

Well said, and true. And, honestly, I think agents like you—who believe in the products they sell—can employ the hypothetical question tactic much more effectively than someone who's just out to make a buck.

At this point, I'm also wondering if this can be chalked up to a generational difference. Maybe Boomers are more accustomed to these maneuvers than Gen Xers. Because this tactic still doesn't work on me (just ask my last two car insurance agents.)

Or maybe it just comes down to personality, which is one variable to consider when you're selling someone.

Thoughts?