Presenting LTCI

Make prospects comfortable and answer all their questions before they ask them.

By Margie Barrie

Because long-term care insurance is as much an emotional purchase as it is a logical one, sales are won and lost at the client presentation. I still prefer to go to a client’s home for a presentation because I believe he is more comfortable in his own surroundings, which helps the sales process.

Once you’re inside the home, ask to sit at a higher table, such as a kitchen or dining room table. Coffee tables don’t work because posture and comfort come into play and your clients will lose interest every time they sit back. Be sure to position the presentation with the clients facing you. Ideally, put one spouse at the head of the table and you and the other spouse on either side of that person. That gives you the opportunity to speak to both directly and monitor body language without losing sight of either person.

Make them feel comfortable by inquiring about their family. Talking about family will become an ice breaker if you sense some tension, and asking about the children can help when discussing home-health care, a viable benefit on most LTCI policies. If the children live nearby and are committed to helping their parents, it could reduce the costs involved.

Before you launch a generic presentation, make sure you have established trust with the prospects. Hopefully, you’ve done that over the phone and with your upbeat demeanor and willingness to come to the house. If you’ve successfully made your prospects feel comfortable, they will actually pay attention to your presentation.

Here’s a secret that will score points with most clients. When someone goes shopping for LTCI, there’s a good chance that you won’t be the first producer in his living room. For such a costly product, most people want to get as many opinions as possible. So when you get your chance, simply ask the prospects if they’d like to get an overview of LTCI and what it’s used for. You’d be amazed at how many producers don’t provide this basic education. Your prospects may decline your offer, which will give you more time for your presentation.

Finally, if you want to make your presentations go smoothly, work out of a three-ring binder where the pages turn nicely. And learn to read upside down. Your clients will be absorbing all of the information you’re presenting; don’t break their concentration by turning things around so you can read them. Memorize your presentation or read upside down.