Sunday, March 30, 2008

Want More Annuity Sales Leads? Use a Pitch Book

A ?pitch book? is a short explanation about what you do as a salesperson and a brief insight into our industry and our products.

My pitch book changes constantly as situations in the financial marketplace change but it is always the same. It tells the prospect about me and our industry. I like to keep it fresh and always in movement as situations evolve. This business is very competitive and keeping a pitch book fresh will have an impact on your ability to build relationship quickly.

Here are some tips to building and managing a successful pitch book.

A historical perspective of the past is important. If you are an annuity salesperson then show how annuities have helped so many people in the past. Connect the past to the present with human evolution such as ?Did you know that Benjamin Franklin owned annuities??

A nice touch is to relate the American economy with the possibilities of the future. This allows for your prospect to relate to their present situation w by viewing a longer period of time such as 1950 to 2000. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S/P 500 can be very persuasive in making this point.

A good point is to show how world events can affect the financial markets and by showing the possibility of a downside will strengthen the overall presentation. This allows the prospect to understand that there can be times when investments may become more volatile and that a plan that stays the course is a plan that will work over a long period of time.

Third party information is essential. By referring to another source will show credibility to you. These can be newspapers and magazines that are relevant and allow their use.

Explain the process about how you work and the time frames and the steps to working towards a goal. Try and place the client into understanding how this process can be personalized to his situation.

Fully explain your services and what the prospect may expect from you. I always include a list of references in my pitch book and I always give my book to the client as a first meeting gift. If possible package the book in an upscale manner so that your prospect fully understands you are a professional and you expect to be treated that way. By setting the stage in this manner you will remove many obstacles that will appear during the final sales process.

1. Describe how any unique features of your approach that are aided.
2. Close by showing samples of what your thinking might look like if it were pulled together into a plan or specific portfolio for today.

A good pitch book helps point out what you have to offer, how it's different and what you hope to accomplish. Your pitch book will set you aside from other salespersons and by taking the extra step in content and packaging will take a huge step in making your prospect your client.

Bill Broich is a 30 year annuity salesman who helps agents generate annuity leads. Visit his website to learn more - Annuity.com

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