4. PRESENTING
After dialing, presenting is the most profitable activity you do as a life insurance agent. Like anything, you'll want to practice and get good at it. Start out practicing a few times on friends and family to work out the bugs and then jump in and start presenting to prospects. use the tools below to help:
4a. In-Home Presentation
In it's simplest form, an appointment is simply a heart-to-heart conversation about potentially a person's worst day of their life and solutions you can offer to help safeguard against that kind of tragedy. First and foremost, you need to see if there's a need. If there is, your next job is to figure out which plan would work best. And finally, find a size that fits their budget.
People don't care that you don't have all the answers. Or even that you're brand new. Instead, get good at asking questions. They care that you care about them and that you can get the answers. If you build rapport, uncover their pain and present a solution that solves their pain, the rest are just details.
Also, here's the presentation from the Equis website. Some agents prefer to go old school and just have a conversation with a pen and paper. Pick the direction that suits your style the best.
4b. Overcoming Objections

When it comes to handling objections, the same principles apply in the home as they do on the phone. If you don't let the objection rattle your cage, it will often times dissipate on its own.
Often, the most common answer is that your prospect will want to think about it. Typically this is an indication that you couldn't find a pain or you didn't spend enough time on their pain. Get good at asking questions to find out the WHY behind their objection. That said, the best way to handle objections is by addressing them during the presentation. Get ahead of it by handling it before it comes up.
Study some answers and use the principles behind them, using your own wording. The most common objections are in the dialing script download and inside the training section.
4c. Underwriting

Underwriting is something that can take months or years to master. Lean on your manager until you get the hang of it. In the meantime, here are a few tips:
1. Manage expectations- don’t promise, even if they’re “healthy.” Walk your prospect through their backup plan in case of decline.
2. Use your guides- Keep all underwriting guides in a separate folder and learn how to *find* the answers rather than memorize them. Term, Final Expense and Applications. Also, here's an awesome Cheat Sheet to help you get familiar with all the products.
3. Run risk assessments- call an underwriter, they're a wealth of knowledge; Foresters by phone, other carriers by email.
4. Be skeptical and assume they’re hiding something (everyone thinks they’re healthier than they are).
5. Link up each medication with a condition, complete the entire form, and text a photo to your manager before calling them from the home.
Key phrases to use when possible in an application:
- Under control
- No work missed
- No complications
- Not hospitalized
4d. Quoting
Each carrier has their own quoting calculator. Make sure you're familiar with it before using it for the first time in front of a prospect. Most calculators are hosted on a web page. Mutual of Omaha and CFG are examples of two who have a specific App you need to download from the app store.
Click here to access links and contact information for all of them.
4e. Taking an Application
If you've done a good job managing their expectations, building rapport, identifying their pain, and walking through underwriting (with help from your upline manager), transitioning to an application will be a seamless and natural next step.
Before your appointment, make sure you've logged into your accounts and have familiarized yourself with where and how to start an application. A brief strategy call with your manager before your first several appointments is highly recommended and will help you immensely.
4f. Virtual Appointments
If you're running all virtual, it's a different business model. Start by joining the Facebook Equis Community Page. It's CRITICAL that you join the regular coaching calls! They're always announced and promoted on our Telegram Chat room.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Invest in some good lighting, camera equipment, audio, a clean, professional background, and a Zoom account. Make your environment and background look like someone you'd want to do business with.
2. Call and book same-day appointments as much as possible. Your schedule is dialing in the morning, running appointments in the afternoon.
3. Book out appointments every 45 minutes to an hour. If you're full-time, you need at least 6 appointments a day from 2-3 hours of dialing or texting. Overbook yourself to build confidence and posture.
4. Lead with your credentials. The virtual training teaches you more about how to do this and why it's important.
5. Follow the presentation tips in the Training Center for establishing rapport, finding the pain, and presenting the solutions.