MRL #135- How To Win Deals Even When You're NOT The Cheapest

I closed a deal yesterday I probably shouldn’t have won.

I don’t say that out of false humility. I say it because the other agent came in $30,000 cheaper than I did. Not $3,000…

Thirty-thousand.

And the client still chose me.

But the most interesting part isn’t that I won. It’s why I won, and what the story reveals about how buyers think, how we sell as producers, and why “price” is almost never the real problem we think it is.

Let me take you inside the deal.

This deal started like a lot of my deals have lately:

With A Copy Of My Book

The office manager had already shut me down the week before.

Twas’ the classic “We’ve been with our guy for eight years, we’re happy, thank you, goodbye.”

I decided to persist and send the boss a copy of my book, anyways.

He liked it so much, that after he finished reading it he handed it to her and said, “Read this too.”

Yet another reminder that most “No’s” aren’t really a no.

Especially when they’re coming from someone who isn’t the real decision maker.

Fast forward a bit…

Before Our First Meeting, I Asked For All The Policies

This is where some gurus might tell you:

“You don’t need policies. Just get the AOR by telling them how great you are at your job.”

That advice works fine when the account is peanuts in premium. But, when you're dealing with real mid-market business, it’s a stupid idea.

Case in point:

When I got the policies, I realized quickly I couldn’t AOR two of their major lines. One carrier didn’t allow AORs. The other had a workers comp situation that made a takeover impossible.

So instead of walking into the first meeting with a magic trick, I walked in armed with intel from doing my due diligence.

I used that intel to ask smart questions based off the info in their policies. Which led to me walking them through how their program was structured, what was working, what wasn’t, and how the whole thing could be improved.

By the end, I was confident I was in the driver’s seat.

But, much to my suprise…

Things Took An Unexpected Turn

I had the markets I wanted, the intel I needed, and trust built with the insured.

So I went out to market.

But then the numbers started coming in…

High. Higher. And even higher.

I was screwed.

To buy myself some time I had to push the proposal meeting back four business days because I didn’t even have a viable option on the table yet.

“There’s no way I’m going to win this thing.”

But I prepared anyways.

“Because crazier things have happened,” I told myself.

My Presentation Was Nails

That means “good” if youre a boomer.

I finally recieved a quote that was useable.

So, I plugged it into a five-page deck with a detailed coverage summary, pricing comparison, underwriter feedback, a custom 3-year strategic plan to get them to a strandard carrier, and a detailed service calendar.

Zero fluff.

Actual recommendations, tied to their actual issues.

When I finally presented it, they seemed impressed. But I knew their guy was coming in Monday.

So I crossed my fingers and waited.

The Moment of Truth

Monday came.

Silence.

Tuesday came.

The office manager emailed me the competitor’s numbers.

They were $30,000 lower than me.

My stomach dropped. I actually muttered out loud:

Well… I’m screwed.

Because here’s the thing, I don’t care how good you are, very few buyers will happily pay $30,000 more unless something is deeply broken.

Wednesday morning, my phone buzzed, “Owner wants to talk.”

I braced for the polite rejection. Instead, he said:

“Price is price… but service is service. And we’re going with you.”

My jaw actually dropped. I thought he was joking. He went on:

“I liked the book. I liked the way you educated us. I liked how prepared you were. We want someone we can grow with.”

They chose me before I even told them I had a late-arriving option that brought the pricing closer. They committed when they still thought I was the expensive guy.

Then I rode in at the eleventh hour with a better number.

Ah… sweet victory!

Why I Think I Won

There were three forces working in my favor:

1. Service Was Demonstrated, Not Just Promised

Every producer says they have great service. But the sales process is the audition. Your responsiveness, organization, professionalism. Your prospects are watching all of it from the beginning.

2. Education Built Trust

The book opened the door. Due diligence deepened it. The proposal cemented it. Inureds buy based on who makes them feel informed and understood, not overwhelmed.

3. Pain Trumps Price (Sometimes)

This client wasn’t leaving because of premium. They were leaving because of frustration. Coverage problems were minor. But the service problems were major.

If You Only Take One Thing Away From This Story

Let it be this:

Insureds don’t always choose the lowest price. Many choose the advisor who makes them feel safest.

Safety comes from competence, responsiveness, and a sense that “this person actually gives a damn”.

When you project that to insureds via your Due Diligence, price becomes just one variable, not the variable.

And in a world full of lowballs and a race-to-the-bottom…

Being the advisor who brings certainty is the biggest competitive advantage you can have.

If You’re Reading This And Thinking:

“I need a system for this. I need to prospect like this. Present like this. Educate like this. Build trust like this.”

Then you should look at what we built inside the Producer Playbook.

It’s the exact framework behind:

• how I run my Due Diligence process

• how I identify pain

• how I structure first meetings

• how I present to prospects

• how I generate mid-market pipeline

• how I keep deals moving without freezing

• and how I win accounts even when I’m not the cheapest

We’re revamping the Playbook soon—new videos, new training, new materials—and the price is gonna go up.

If you want it at the current price, now is the time.

And anyone who buys now will get access to the upgraded version at no charge.

Grab the Producer Playbook here.

See you next week.

Kick ass take names,

Micah

P.S. Producer Games Coming Jan 1!

Producer Games is our new app for Producers that gamifies prospecting.

Track your calls, emails, or drop-in numbers while seeing how you stack up against producers across the country on the national leaderbard.

Competition, accountability, gamification all in one.

Launching Jan 1st!