Final expense insurance has been around a long time and will continue to be sold for a long time in the future. Although the product itself is simplistic and easy to learn and get your arms around, there is definitely an art when it comes to selling final expense insurance.
Selling burial insurance is a process that requires and agent to build a need, want and desire for the product. Like any life insurance, everyone needs it but no one truly wants to buy and pay for it. As with other things in life we should have, if it was free, everyone would most definitely have it. Problem is... it's not free so we need to create that need they can't live without. So how do you do that?
First off, the client needs to see the value of having a policy and protecting the people they care about. Any life insurance I have I look at as an asset and not as a monthly expense each time I make a premium payment. It's important you talk in terms that the client is creating an instant asset for their family and not an expense.
The second thing that is very vital to helping your client is don't tell them they need final expense insurance but have them tell you. This is one of the biggest mistakes agents make selling absolutely everything. A successful agent does not tell a client they need the product, a successful agent has the client tell them why they need it and want it.
It is very important to ask probing questions to get the client to tell you. This is where most agents fail. Agents usually tend to do the telling in the selling process and by telling the client instead of having them tell you, in the end the client doesn't take ownership to the sale and the sale is lost.
"Mrs. Jones, do you see planning for your final expenses your responsibility, or do you see it as your children's responsibility?" The follow up question after Mrs. Jones answers it is her responsibility would be "Why? Why do you think it's your responsibility and why wouldn't you want to put this on your kids?" Sit back and listen to her tell you why she needs to buy your final expense product. These types of questions make the client take ownership and make the sale for you.
To be successful selling final expense, you need to create a need for your product since not many clients really want to purchase what you have. How you create that need is by asking questions that get your client to sell themselves and take ownership. Don't make the mistake that 99% of all agents do and that is tell your client why they need final expense insurance.