How To Approach Sales During A Pandemic

About this episode

May 22, 2020

Selling insurance can be tricky during a time when everyone has many more important things to worry about, and with good reason. However, now is the perfect time to build trust and establish rapport with prospects, especially since insurance is designed to provide peace of mind. In this episode of the GEEK FREAKS PODCAST, we put Precious Norman-Walton, President of the Dallas Chapter of the CPCU Society, on the Insurance Hot Seat to explain how empathy and building relationships will grow your agency during a global pandemic.

Precious Norman-Walton

Insurance Enthusiast | CPCU Champion | Sales Coach | Diversity & Inclusion Advocate

Website: web.theinstitutes.org/designations/cpcu

THIS WEEK ON THE HOT SEAT

RON HARRIS

VICE PRESIDENT AT OMEGA COMPUTER SERVICES

15 years in the industry.
Enjoys spending time with his family, riding his Harley, and finding time to sleep.
Fun fact: Ron broke both of his arms.
He's a simple person, enjoys work, but also enjoys being alone reading a book or learning something new. Loves candy DOTs!

Precious Norman-Walton

President of the Dallas Chapter of the CPCU Society

Driven by a passion to help businesses and organizations succeed and prepare, I have served as an insurance professional for the past fifteen years. Starting off as a Sales and Marketing specialist in the agency environment, I fully understand what is involved with having the difficult conversations and making the appropriate recommendations. I have also experienced the tremendous gratification that comes with delivering the promise as a Claims Professional. My formal training as a Commercial Lines Underwriter has provided me with the industry acumen necessary to negotiate and place coverage for my clients, as well as train and lead teams of Insurance Professionals.

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Ron: (00:00) Our special guest today is Precious Norman-Walton, uh, president of the Dallas Chapter of the CPCU Society. How are you today Precious?

Precious: (00:22) I'm fantastic. How about yourself?

Ron: (00:24) I'm good. Thank you very much. Uh, we're we're looking at some snow here towards the end of the week, so that's not good, but, uh, other than that I'm enjoying the sunshine. How's Texas?

Precious: (00:34) Dallas, Texas is, is sunny and warm. Uh, Texas is starting the process of reopening, uh, slowly but surely. So everyone's just trying to be cautious, but still optimistic.

Ron: (00:45) Yeah, that's where we're, we're kind of starting to get there ourselves. We still have a lot of, um, regulation that are, you know, that businesses are under right now, but I think it's for the, uh, for the most part, I think it's the best, um, thing that we can do is just do it slowly, you know, and make sure everybody's safe and doing the right things.

Precious: (01:04) Agreed.

Ron: (01:05) So I guess let's talk about that. Uh, you know, we're in an unprecedented time, um, what are you seeing as trends to, to deal with the pandemic and how we're going to come out of this pandemic on the other side with insurance sales or sales in general?

Precious: (01:20) I think that this is, um, as you mentioned, you know, it, it's definitely an unprecedented time for, for everyone involved for the industry, uh, for the customers that we service for the businesses that we we engage with. And, and I think that the biggest takeaway that I've seen so far is really reemphasizing the importance of relationships. Um, I think prior to all of these changes here in the last couple of months, um, but the insurance community, some of the views have been leaning towards creating insurance, like a commodity to something that you buy off the shelf, kind of self service, a lot of quote and bind activity that just happens without any sort of assistance or engagement online. Um, but now in these uncertain times, there are more questions than answers and, and that's when it's really an opportunity for those of us who are well versed and experienced in these different lines of business to really shine, especially on the commercial side, you know, there's a lot of questions about business interruption. Um, how does my workforce, you know, one of the things that I need to consider and change now that we're working from home. So just like anything else in history, something happens and there's the proactive and then the reactive phases. And so, you know, we're trying to deal with what's already happened and also be better prepared for, for things to come. So, um, we've got a captive audience, for sure.

Ron: (02:41) Yes. I think, you know, as you touched on everything is a little bit different, so everybody's kind of looking at, I mean, we've had conversations with our agent already, and it's more about, you know, what's going on with payroll, what's going on with your staffing so we can make adjustments to your, your payroll, this, that, and the other thing. And I was like, well, I don't know how any of the insurance stuff works for us, but it sounds like there's a lot of good things that are gonna happen. Um, as far as company companies go, you know, reaching out and taking care of some things for, you know, the, I guess, consumers or clients.

Precious: (03:17) Absolutely. You know, and I think this whole concept of, you know, what, what industries have been deemed essential, you know, during the shutdown I know down here in Texas, and I think that holds for, uh, several other states as well, that insurance agency, um, are still considered to be essential. Um, especially on the personal line side, there's still a lot of agencies that do a lot of face to face interactions. They have to have applications signed, they collect premiums and things like that. And so, you know, the larger organizations who have been able to transition remotely, uh, this has brought up a lot of other considerations for them. Um, one of the things that's come up here is the, the workers' compensation obligation when you have employees that work remotely. Um, so making sure that they still have support with ergonomics, um, because workplace injuries can happen in the home just as easily as they happen in the office. So, so many more things to consider, which is why it's really important to have some of these really in depth conversations and really help clients do a risk analysis and figure out what are the exposures, what are the changes to some other exposures and how do they better prepare themselves for the unexpected?

Ron: (04:30) And I think as, as a tech provider, what we did is kind of took the slant of, if you have it at your desk now, and you need it to work appropriately and health, you know, be healthy while you're working, we just let everybody take everything home. So if they had an ergo keyboard or a special chair or anything like that, it was kind of fair game to enter the home office while we were going through this while we go through this, uh, pandemic. So I think it's, there's a lot of things we can do is, um, owners and, uh, I guess leaders in businesses to, you know, have grace at this time and say, Hey, this is what we need to do. And this is how we need to do it. I think it's been a huge, there's a lot of companies that were saying, Hey, we don't have a work from home. We don't work from home and no, well, we're all working from home.

Precious: (05:17) We're all, we're all here. You know, and, and I remember, you know, just a few years ago where, you know, those of us who are fortunate enough to work remotely and work from home, we were still held to the same standards of, of someone in office. You know, you tried to have a, a silent and sterile work environment, you know, oftentimes you had to prove ahead of time that you had, uh, sufficient bandwidth and that you've been hardwired to your, your internet connection and, you know, all of these things. And to be honest with you, when this first kind of came to pass, I don't think that any of us anticipated that we would be at home this long, you know, and so oftentimes employees, they may have found a spot in their living room or their dining room, just kind of a temporary area where they could work. But as one week turns to four turned to six, um, you know, some of those longer term, um, you know, arrangements that are necessary, especially as children are home from schools. And, um, it's just, you know, every time I get someone on the phone, the assumption is they're, they're at home.

Ron: (06:20) Yeah. That's...

Precious: (06:21) Very different from what it was before, where you still had to present, you know, as if you were in the office. I think people are more understanding right now.

Ron: (06:28) Oh, no, I think there's been a lot of empathy when it comes to situations. Uh, I have two small children that are at home with my wife who is working. Um, and, you know, she just told me a story the other night that, uh, our son walked in on the middle of a Zoom meeting with the leaders of the company crying and screaming. And they were just like, Hey, it happens, you know, take care of your child, which I think is a very big turn in how, like you said, we kind of had to act like we, weren't not like we were not at home when we were at home working.

Precious: (07:02) Absolutely. And what we're doing now, to be clear, you know, this, isn't the typical work from home environment, you know, we're under quarantine. You know, I remember when I worked from home years ago, I was still able to meet a colleague for lunch or run an errand, or, you know, just kind of, you know, have some of the same flexibilities as those that were in the office. But right now, you know, this is, this is very different than what working from home was prior to now. So even those of us who've been working at home for a while, you know, these changes are, um, you know, things that we've never had to consider, you know, especially now when not only are we home, but with the family being home, when you're competing for, you know, internet connection with, you know, two televisions streaming Netflix and the kid on the PS4.

Ron: (07:51) Yeah. Yeah.

Precious: (07:52) We've never had to do that before. Um, companies have come to the realization and all of this that, you know, if they're not using a secured VPN, um, you know, then that opens up another again, exposure in terms to their data being at risk. What do we do when it comes to the proper disposal and like shredding, for example of paperwork, you know, when you're in an office, you may have a secure bin or a clean desk policy, you know, are we able to truly honor some of those standards when you don't have eyes on your workforce? So lots of things that have to be considered, but the opportunity for those of us who are advising clients, everyone from, you know, the personal lines to the business owners is just, you know, again, applying logic, applying just, you know, some extra precautions to make sure that we're not, again, increasing the possibility of things going wrong as we're in this transitional period.

Ron: (08:53) And it's always that fine balance. Uh, we didn't, we didn't really get a chance to, you know, make sure what we're doing is going out in the best fashion when this hit, right. So we had to just make sure that we could get them out of the office. They could be away from each other and they could work. Um, and as that went on, my team really concentrated on the finer things of, you know, security. How are we managing people working from home? What are we allowing them to get access to? It was just a big rush. And when that happened, it was very interesting to see how people expected it to work. They just thought they were going to sit down and everything was going to be the same. And it's very different when you're working away from the network. So it posed a lot of issues. And I think we got through them very quickly, but we had to do it to mitigate a lot of risk as well. So it's been interesting.

Precious: (09:40) Absolutely. I mean, everyone is just trying to, you know, for business owners, it's really, this is putting some pressure on rethinking what that business continuity plan looks like. You know, is it possible to work from home? Is it the expectation? Um, I know that again, you know, for employees who accepted a position to work in an office now that they're working from home, there was no guarantee ahead of time that they were going to have a dedicated workplace, that they were going to have the necessary, uh, high speed internet connection. Um, especially with, you know, some of this may be generational. If you have someone who perhaps lives alone, they may solely depend on their data plan from their cell service and may not have home wifi. You know, so the expectation, it was a little presumptuous, to be honest with you for some business owners, to assume that our employees would be ready, willing, and able, you know, to just step in and be able to, to carve out a place to work from home. But I think really with the appreciation for the ability to, you know, work from home, but everyone was willing to take those, um, sacrifices and do what's necessary. Um, but also, you know, interesting with the time factor. Um, I think that this whole quarantine has really allowed people to slow down a little bit. And so you may have been trying to get someone on the phone for a week and now their schedules are a little bit more open than they used to because, you know, travel is down. And so, you know, taking that time right now to really connect and reach out and just before we jump into sales or whatever it is, ask people how they're doing. You know, I really think that the mental health impact to all of this as well, you know, people are isolated, people are afraid. And so, you know, this is again, another opportunity to deeply connect and really service needs and have conversations that may be time, you know, didn't allow for previously.

Ron: (11:36) That's perfect. That's the best way to put it. Now is the time to build the relationship, the trust, the rapport with someone, with a prospect, with somebody you may have been working on a deal with for, you know, six, seven, nine months before this it's time to ask how they are before you go right into your pitch. I'm sure you got it. I got a lot as soon as COVID hit and they, they forced this out, um, you know, to, to self quarantine is I was getting a lot of emails from vendors saying, you know, COVID this COVID that COVID this. And never asked how my family was doing, how the people in my office were doing. I was just kind of off putting. And I think to go back to what you said, you know, seven minutes ago, eight minutes ago, it was about, it's about building a relationship. It's about putting the person in the situation and their needs and their wants ahead of the sale right now.

Precious: (12:23) You know, this is this really bringing to the forefront, how quickly situations can change, um, that we never anticipated being in, you know? And so that's really kind of the, the door opener for a lot of the conversations that we're having in the industry is, you know, did you ever imagine in a million years, that would be here now? So now let's have a conversation about all those other things that are totally possible that we never imagined, you know, we would be in a position to deal with, and that's what insurance is all about. You know? So when we go into these conversations genuinely with care and concern and help business owners understand, or, or a family's household understand that, um, there's so many different variables and have you even mentally walked through these scenarios and how are you utilizing insurance to transfer that risk because that's what insurance is designed to do. And so I'm finding that in the past, you know, most companies or households or individuals would tell you, Oh, well, we're, we're well prepared. And if that were to happen, no big deal. And what is the likelihood, you know, of that 100 year flood, or what is the likelihood of that one in a million chance? Um, but I think 2020 has shown us that anything is possible and so people are, are ready to have these conversations.

Ron: (13:45) Yeah. 2020 can go back to wherever it came from. It's been a horrible year. I know that hopefully it's going to get better, but it's been, it's been something. And I, and I, and I know that I've, I've talked to a lot of, I have a lot of friends that are in sales and a lot of them are looking for gigs and trying to figure out what the next step is, because unfortunately with this, there's been a lot of people losing jobs. So I think we're, we're kind of looking at a lot of salespeople that will have that aha moment where they're, they get back into the workforce and they can say, okay, I just went through this and I know that it's time to put people first and it's going to be crazy when we get back, like when businesses start standing back up and getting on their feet.

Precious: (14:24) So my recommendation to professionals who are taking this opportunity to kind of reevaluate where they stand is that during the time that they have, rather than, than binge watching a television show or, or doing some online challenge of some sort, it's time to double down and invest in yourself and to really hone your craft. So I was really excited this past weekend, I just completed another professional certification. Um, I know that some of the, you know, colleges are offering certificates and courses and things online. And so I'm just trying to make sure that my tools are sharp so that I can, um, again, just spend this time that I normally wouldn't have and invest in myself because that investment is going to pay in dividends as the, um, the public is, is needing more than just general advice. They're really looking for, for people who are experts in their fields. And there's so many opportunities and so many organizations that are, are providing those sorts of things. So now's the time to, to join a professional association, to go back and finish that certification, um, to really set yourself aside and apart as an expert in whatever industry it is that you're involved in.

Ron: (15:40) And I think that can really speak volumes for a, a lot of people, not just the people that have recently lost their job, maybe because their companies at closures or layoffs it's for anybody that's looking for a change that maybe hasn't had a job in a while that's been down on their luck. I think now's the time where the playing field is pretty, even for everybody. And like you said, if you're willing to put in the work and get in the effort and do the things, it can change a lot of things for you.

Precious: (16:07) Absolutely. And just having that, that extra is, is really, what's going to make you more effective in whatever endeavor you're involved in because customers appreciate it. You know, especially in this space, I always compare insurance to medicine. You know, if I had a sniffle, I may be okay, you know, making an appointment with my general practitioner, but if I have a heart issue, I want to work with a cardiologist. And so as an insurance professional, when you're able to, um, gain that expertise and really do a deeper dive in a specific area, then your customers will reciprocate that with increased trust, which hopefully translates to increased revenue.

Ron: (16:49) Yeah. Oh yeah. Getting into the cyber world, trying to figure out what that, those cyber risk and, you know, maybe it's watercraft or whatever it is. Yeah. Now's the time. And it's, it's exciting to see a lot of these our smaller agencies are still working through a lot of things, but they're also having, like you said, those aha moments of what they can do next to hopefully drive in revenue. And I think it is going to be a different world. And I think we are, instead of, you know, maybe putting price and everything ahead of it, we're going to be putting people in the value, in what we're doing ahead of everything,

Precious: (17:23) You know, for smaller companies and for individual households that may not have the ability to have a full time risk manager on hand. You know, those of us who are in the field, you know, in insurance, that's pretty much our function is we serve as their risk advisor, you know? And so the more that you can help show them, um, you know, all the things that lurk behind the shadows and then have a solution for, you know, if that unexpected thing were to occur, you have peace of mind because you have something in place. And to your point, there's so many emerging risks. The cyber thing right now, business interruption is kind of the hot topic, understanding the ins and outs of the, um, the threats that as an employer that, you know, exists in terms of human capital. Um, so many different ways. So many different areas to plug into and, and knowledge is kind of a no regret move. I mean, there's never a scenario I can think of where you're going to, um, regret, you know, learning more in an area, especially if this is your, your industry.

Ron: (18:28) Yeah, no, and I think that's the best way to, uh, invest in yourself too, is with knowledge. And before I get you off the phone here, again, I appreciate your time. Is there anything, any way we can connect, uh, anybody listening can connect with you or any projects you're working on, um, that you want to share?

Precious: (18:45) Absolutely. So I am very excited for, um, you know, my involvement this year as the president of the CPCU society and the chapter here in Dallas. So CPCU we are the Charter Property Casualty Underwriters. So our organization is, are, is a, is a society of those who've completed this particular designation. Um, but however, you know, this is something that's very, you know, property and casualty specific, but our doors are open. We invite, you know, individuals, whether you work for an agent or broker or a carrier, a claims organization, you know, we're, we're open to all, um, you can find me on LinkedIn again, Precious Norman-Walton. I accept invitations, always looking to expand my, my reach and my circle that way. And, um, yeah, that's pretty much it, you know, I'm a champion of all things, insurance. Um, I love the industry. I love all of the professionals that are involved in this type of work and, and encourage you to reach out and let's connect.

Ron: (19:44) Well Precious. I appreciate it. Thank you so much for your time and your knowledge. It's been a very refreshing right in these, these sad times to hear somebody that's so upbeat about everything that's going on and everybody that's affected. I think it's, it's very exciting to see what the next chapter is for a lot of things. And I appreciate you bringing a lot of it to the forefront, um, putting some attention to it cause you're right. It's always about the people and it's always about expanding what we know and how we're going to serve those people. So I appreciate it. And yeah, thanks for your time today. And you have a good one. Stay safe.

Precious: (20:16) My pleasure. Likewise.

Ron: (20:17) Thanks. Precious. Bye bye.

Precious: (20:19) Alright, take care. Bye bye.

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