I added a new question to my discovery calls last year.

And its been absolutely killing it for me since.

Now, before I tell you what it is, promise me you’ll read the whole letter. I want to show it to you in action on a $70k deal I just won so you can see why it’s so good.

Also, I’ve got a little golden nuggie for you at the end you won’t want to miss.

So, do yourself a favor. Stop doomscrolling and actually read this one end to end.

Deal?

Deal.

Ok, here it is:

"On a scale of 1 to 10—one being the worst, 10 being you love it and it's perfect—how would you rate your overall insurance experience?"

Then I shut up and let them answer.

The goal being to actually have them confront any pain.

This question does that for you.

But, hold on. It gets better.

The 3 Things This Question Does All At Once

First, it gives you something tangible to anchor the entire conversation around.

You're not guessing at their pain, because they're literally giving you a number that quantifies their current state.

Second, the follow ups will literally show you how to win.

For example, let's say they say it’s an 8, you follow with:

"What would actually make it a 10? Why isn't it a 10 right now?"

Now they have to get specific. They have to tell you exactly where the pain is coming from. And this is where you learn what actually matters to them.

Maybe they say: "Well, our premium is just really, really high."

Okay, cool. But you don't stop there, keep digging.

"When you say it's high, relative to what? Are you comparing it to past years? To competitors? What are you seeing?"

"We just feel like the last couple renewals have really gone up a lot."

"Got it. When you had your pre-renewal strategy meeting, did they at least give you some indication beforehand so you weren't surprised?"

"We never have a pre-renewal strategy meeting."

Boom.

Now you know (and they learn) the real issue isn't just premium. It's lack of communication, and an agent who's asleep at the wheel.

"Interesting. Well, what other options have you seen? When they bring alternatives to the table, has no one been able to compete?"

See what's happening here?

You're not selling anything. You're not flexing your knowledge, or your markets, or your super amazing agency.

You're just asking questions.

And with every answer, you're building a clearer picture of what's broken and how to fix it.

Third, it moves happy prospects to unhappy prospects.

Remember the guy above said 8! I’d consider that a happy insured. Wouldn’t you? And you moved them to unhappy!

If that doesn’t prove it to you, maybe this real story from last week will.

The $70K Account I Just Won Thanks To This Question

I got in the door a few weeks ago on a big construction account.

In our first meeting I asked the question.

His answer: "You know, it used to be a 10. I wouldn't even be talking to you a couple years ago. But now it's an 8. The agency I've been working with got acquired. Service has drastically dropped off."

I asked all my normal follow-up questions, listened, and documented everything.

Fast forward to the final presentation:

"You told me that the service dropped off. Your experience went from a 10 to an 8. That's a big decline. But here's what's interesting, the commissions your current agent is making went from $50,000 to $75,000. That's a 50% increase. So their compensation went up by half while your experience dropped."

I just let it sit there for a second.

The guy looked at the numbers and said, "Yeah, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

Winner-winner-chicken-dinner.

My Golden Nuggie, If You Really Want To Get Jiggy With It

Turn this into a simple chart.

I’m a sucker for simple visuals.

• On the Y-axis on the left put “Insurance Experience” on a scale of 1-10

• On the Y-axis on the right put “Agent Commission'“ zero to whatever

• On the X-axis put “Time” from whenever to whenever

One line shows their experience dropping from 10 to 8. The other line shows commission climbing from $50K to $75K. The lines literally move in opposite directions.

It grabs them by the short hairs and makes them confront the reality.

I didn't create that chart in this case, but I wish I had. Because seeing it visually would have made the point even more powerful.

And you better believe I'm doing it next time.

Why This Works Better Than Flexing “rEsOuRcEs”

Most producers walk into meetings armed with their fancy deck.

They talk about their agency's history, their super tight carrier relationships, their service team, their tech platform, and on and on and on.

And all of that might be true. It might even be impressive.

But none of it matters if you haven't diagnosed the actual problem first!

This question, the follow-ups that come after it, and then the big reveal at presentation time force the prospect to articulate their problem, think about it, AND then confront it. Many times frustration they didnt even know they had.

Now when you get to the end of your process and you can tie your solution directly back to the specific pain they described weeks earlier using their own words and their own numbers, it's not “selling” anymore.

It's just the obvious next step.

Don’t Knock It Til’ You Try It (This Week)

If you've got first meetings coming up, give this a shot.

Ask the question. Let them answer. Then dig deeper with the follow-ups.

And whatever you do, resist the urge to deliver the “gotchas” at the meeting. Save them until the final presentation.

Like a lawyer building his case, ask all the questions, collect all the evidence, then and only then deliver your closing argument.

Quick Update on Producer Playbook 2.0

We just launched Producer Playbook 2.0.

We initially hung a fat price tag on it. But after about a week, it just didn't sit right with us.

We started Max Revenue to help as many producers as possible. And after some thinking we felt the price didnt reflect that. So we dropped it to $250 and that's where it's staying.

If you've been thinking about hopping onboard, now's the time.

—> Link to Producer Playbook 

See you Friday.

Kick ass take names,

Micah