The Sales Framework
Three tools for guiding a client to a decision — not convincing them to buy. Use your EARS to understand them, CHAT to hear where they are, and RESPONSES to support them through.
EARS
Use your EARS to guide clients to share how 'ready', 'willing' and 'able' they are to make a decision.
- E-xplore the Gap
- A-sk don't tell
- R-each a decision
- S-trengthen
E — Explore the GapE-XPLORE THE GAP
E-xplore the gap between their risk management strategy and their values/goals.
Find out their goals and core values.
See where their risk management strategy doesn't with their values/goals.
The more they feel this gap the more 'willing' they are to buy.
Values: I'm a protector - I protect my family from harm.
Life Insurance Gap: I can't protect my family if I'm dead.
Values: I'm a provider - I provide for my family.
Income insurance Gap: I can't provide for them if I get sick.
Values: I'm independent - I hate feeling like a burden to others.
Trauma Insurance Gap: If I get cancer I'll be a financial burden to my family.
Values: I'm a healthy person- Being healthy and active is important to me.
Health Insurance Gap: I'll be in pain for years before I qualify for a knee replacement.
A — Ask Don't TellASK Don't Tell
Like a mother trying to lecture a kid into cleaning their room.
If you tell someone to do something they resist.
So ask open ended questions to guide them into sharing how 'willing', 'able' and 'ready' they are to buy.
You're an expert in insurance but they're an expert on themselves.
So use your RESPONSES to show you're listening and your questions to show you care.
And they'll tell you exactly how they want to buy and how.
Stage 1 — Exploring the gap (Willing)
A) Ask about their Values and Goals
- What is your long term goal for your business or life?
- How do you hope your business or life will be different a few years from now?
- What would you say are the rules you live by? What do you try to live up to?
- If I were to ask your closest friends to tell me what you live for, what matters most to you, what do you think they would say?"
B) Ask if there is gap between their risk management strategy and their values/goals
- Would you say your [risk management strategy] helps you to achieve [value], has no effect, or interferes with living that value?
- Suppose you didn't change your {insert risk management strategy example}. What are the worst things that could happen?
- What concerns you most about your {insert risk management strategy example}?
- How would you like your {insert risk management strategy example} to be different?
Stage Two — Strengthen their confidence (Able)
- What obstacles do you foresee in paying the premiums during months when business is quiet, and how could you deal with them?
- What would give you the confidence that this will work the way you want it too?
Stage Three — Tiny First Step (Ready)
- With all the different cover options we've looked at, what are you considering at this point?
- Would you like me to create a free financial plan on how you might achieve that?
- What is important for me to include in your financial plan?
- When would be a good time to go through that with you be {This Day} or {This Day}?
R — Reach a DecisionR-each a decision
R-each a decision on whether they keep or change their risk management strategy.
We are not convincing them to buy, we are guiding them towards making a decision.
First by accepting where they are in the process: willing, able or ready.
Then progressing them through each of those stages.
Until they feel first willing, then able and finally to make a decision.
S — StrengthenS-TRENGTHEN
S-trengthen their confidence by complimenting their good traits and what they do well.
Ask them to share their strengths or recognize their strengths for them.
Afford-ability is about resourcefulness not price. If they feel confident in themselves, their decision, and their 'ability' to get/keep the cover, they will.
CHAT
This is what progressing towards a decision sounds like.
The more the prospect CHATs like this, the more likely they are to make a decision.
Use your EARS, RESPONSES and questions to encourage more decision making CHAT.
The opposite of decision making CHAT is decision avoidance CHAT.
For example if you 'tell' a smoker that they should quit smoking.
It starts their decision avoidance CHAT:
..I can quit whenever I want.
..I only do it when I drink.
Notice how telling someone to do something causes avoidance CHAT?
- C-ons
- H-ighlights
- Afford-ability
- T-iny first step
C — ConsC-ONS
C-ons of their current risk management strategy
The problem with their risk management strategy.
H — HighlightsH-IGHLIGHTS
H-ighlights of changing their risk management strategy
How the new strategy is better and more aligned with their values.
A — Afford-abilityAfford-ability
Afford-ability to change their risk management strategy.
This is the S-trengthen part of EARS.
Encourage them to share how capable and resourceful they are and why the new strategy will work for them.
If they talk about how they're 'able' to make the change or have made a change like this it gives them the confidence to do it.
T — Tiny First StepT-INY FIRST STEP
T-iny first step towards buying.
We want them to share out loud what next step they are comfortable with taking.
Meet them where they're at in the decision making process.
That could be agreeing to a next appointment , a financial plan, an application etc..
RESPONSES
RESPONSES are the things you say to show you're listening.
Your RESPONSES should encourage more decision making CHAT and discourage decision avoidance CHAT.
Supporting them through the challenges of making a decision.
Growing their 'willingness', supporting their 'ability', and making sure they're 'ready'.
- R-eframe
- E-xaggerate
- S-pot the emotion
- P-air their opposing views
- O-ffer a story
- N-ame their freedom
- S-ide with a twist
- E-xtend their point
- S-ummarise
R — ReframeR-EFRAME
R-eframe their resistance into words that support changing their risk management strategy.
E — ExaggerateE-XAGGERATE
E-xaggerate their reasons for not buying so they argue for buying.
S — Spot the emotionS-POT
S-pot the emotions behind their words so they dig deeper.
Say how they might be a feeling, as a statement.
It helps them reflect if the excuse is genuine or not.
P — Pair their opposing viewsP-AIR
P-air their opposing views together using "and" instead of "but."
People naturally use "but" to talk themselves out of things:
"I want this but excuse."
"I want this however excuse."
"But" is an eraser — it wipes out everything before it and puts all the weight on the excuse.
Flip the sentence around then trade 'but' for 'and'.
"Excuse and I want this."
This makes the contradiction clear and emphasises the 'want' more.
O — Offer a storyO-FFER
O-ffer a story or example to help them explore things deeper.
If you mirror how they might be feeling with a story, it helps them see things more clearly.
N — Name their freedomN-ame their freedom.
N-ame their freedom — tell them the choice is completely theirs.
When people feel pushed, they push back. It's human nature. The moment someone feels controlled, they resist — even if the idea was good.
Tell them they are in control. When they hear that, they relax. They stop fighting and start listening.
S — Side with a twistS-IDE
S-ide with a twist. Agree they don't need it — so they argue that they do.
The trick is to agree with a twist. You agree with what they said, then reflect back what that actually looks like in real life.
Most of the time, people haven't fully thought through what they're saying. When you play it back with the full picture, they hear it differently.
They realise what they said doesn't match what they actually want.
E — Extend their pointE-xtend their point
E-xtend their point in the direction you want to take things.
Finish their sentence for them.
S — SummariseS-ummarise
S-ummarise or reflect back what you hear in your own words.
You can group what they said in a summary or change what they said into your own words.
Focus on the parts that support changing their risk management strategy
The more they feel understood the less they resist.