Sales Lessons from Watching Scary Movies

It's that scary time of year again... Your heart is pounding... You're overwhelmed by feelings of terror about what's to come... You can't eat... You can't sleep...

It's 4th quarter in the Benefits world! ?? Oh, and Halloween! ??

Whether you live for the 30-day Haunted Halloween Movie Marathons, or spend most of October covering your eyes and ears – there’s no denying that scary movies hold a prominent place in the heart of entertainment. Jump scares and paranoia aside, the stream of life lessons brought forth by the genre are even applicable to the frightening world of insurance. So what have I learned after years of watching characters make the same mistakes in different settings?

1) Timing is everything. It’s always when our characters are focused on graduation, or the upcoming lake party, that disaster strikes. Celebrating is great, but don’t let tunnel vision narrow your sights to wrapping up the year while other opportunities escape your grasp. As clients turn their attention to renewing their health insurance plan, it’s the perfect time to introduce voluntary benefits. Being in the right place at the right time may save you from an ax-wielding killer in the woods, and it can provide new opportunities. Show your clients how to help their employees while still protecting their bottom line.

2) Always bring backup. When our protagonist finally comes face to face with their villain, the car won't start, the booby-trap catches on something, or – you get it – counting on Plan A shouldn’t be your only defense. So take a tip from every horror flick in history and make sure to have a backup plan. If a client isn’t ready to add voluntary at year-end, dont wait for next October... Restart the conversation early next year. Employers have a lot on their plates, no use scaring them away from future possibilities. While we treat our clients better than any poor sucker from a slasher movie, we have to keep the mindset. Do the bad guys ever let anything stop them? Winding hallways? Doors? Long chase scenes after terrified characters? No. They stay focused and check off their goals one by one.

I ask you to do the same, and if you find yourself running through a field of sprinklers at night, I hope you’ve come up with a well-timed Plan B.

Happy Q4 and Happy Halloween!