Q: Can you suggest how to modify my client presentation to increase my closing rate?
A: Effective face-to-face client presentations are the basic building block to successfully sell LTCI. Preferably, it should be a one-call close. Joe Celano, president of INTRX HealthCare in New Orleans, has a method that works well, even for direct mail leads.
The first call
With the initial phone call to set the appointment, he views the prospect as a semi-client, focusing on how to help him plan for LTC. He sometimes uses birthdays as a pressure point, explaining that each birthday financially impacts a plan and that waiting to buy means paying much more in premium over one's lifetime. He reviews their birthdays and asks if they're retired or still working; if working, do they have a planned retirement date, and have they looked into LTC planning before?
He explains that LTC plans are rather complex. "We highly recommend LTC planning; it should make financial sense for you to look into something like this."
He then financially qualifies them, providing this guideline: "In your age bracket, if you're both retired and have at least $200,000 in assets (this reference varies depending on the clients' age and profile), not including your home, you should seriously consider this product while you're young and healthy."
