I tried to make it easier for myself on that wet Sunday last November. Cooking a Sunday Roast that is. After all, it was hectic – rugby coaching in the morning, filthy kit to go into the machine, children to bath and shower, dog to walk, beds to make…and I had to cook dinner as well.
You see, Claire was away at her Mums that weekend, and I had to do what she normally does seamlessly and I was struggling.
The Toad in the Hole came out the oven; the children looked at it and exclaimed “what on earth is that Dad?” I have to say it didn’t look like Toad in the Hole. More like rust in the mud, all gooey, sloppy, and burnt. At least the potatoes looked OK and the vegetables in the microwave were bubbling nicely.
But even they failed. The dinner was an unmitigated disaster.
It’s funny isn’t it, that you don’t appreciate what you have until you haven’t got it. And wow did I miss Claire that Sunday doing all the things she normally does without fuss.
If you’re into selling life or health insurance, then you know full well that customers won’t miss something until it’s taken away from them. And that could be the bread winner dying or a full time income stopping if you’re too ill to work.
Maybe you sell repair insurance for a £500 HD TV. Does your customer truly know what it feels like not have the set months after enjoying its high definition loveliness?
My complete kitchen disaster reminded me of what I missed that cold Sunday afternoon, and I won’t forget it in a while.
If you sell insurance, do you paint enough of a picture with your customers to ensure they fully value what it’s like to not have something? This is how you sell insurance not saying “would you like credit card insurance?” Yuk, it just makes me scream when I hear these questions. No, asking questions to get them to think it through is a classic strategy, but the second best way is to carefully craft a personal story that engages them and helps them see the parallel in their own lives. My Sunday Roast is just one example.
Think of something, not necessarily linked, that has the same problem built in, like my Toad in the Hole. Tell the tale illustrating the problem being encountered and ask the question at the end such as “And what would it be like for you in a similar situation?” Let your customer revel in their imagination as they connect it to their lives and bingo, they can see what it is like. Practice a story or two first and tell it, don’t be afraid to big up the story with characters and scenes.
And luck would have it on that Sunday afternoon, Claire arrived home early to see the Toad in the Hole tragedy unfold and she hasn’t let me forget it since. Typical.
