Fact-finding is where sales are discovered. In effect, you're asking people:

• What do you have now?


• Where do you want to go?


• What could get in your way?

If you ask the right questions the right way, your on-profile businessowner prospects will practically design their own plans. Then, all you have to do is show them the solutions that fit their budget!

Selling yourself

In any selling situation, you must couple the prospect's decision to buy with the decision to buy from you. As an Ohio National sales associate, you represent a recognized industry leader that offers a very competitive array of financial products and services. But don't make the mistake of believing your products and services will sell themselves. They won't. Successful seasoned producers believe that prospects don't buy products; they buy people. People care about how much you care about them. There are other fine insurance companies that offer similar products. Their sales associates will call on your prospects.

The second meeting/fact-finding

• Review what was covered in the initial meeting.
• Get organized. With a fact-finding form, you control the process, focusing on the prospect's situation in an orderly manner.
• Ask closed-ended, direct questions that elicit the information you need. Expect direct answers
• Ask probing, open-ended questions to understand the feelings behind the facts. Ask probing follow-up questions based on what you've heard, such as, "What more can you tell me about that?"
• Use active listening skills. Wait for your prospect to finish. Record every answer in his or her words. Maintain eye contact. Ask confirming questions. Smile. Frown. Lean forward. Nod your head. Express sincere interest by saying, for example, "That's interesting, Larry. When did you last review your business succession plan?"
• Accurately record the information you receive on a fact-finding form.
• Review the list of business concepts you can address with your products and services, and ask "Trigger Questions" to elicit buying signals.
• Make notes about additional needs and wants to address with the prospect in the future.
• Observe the prospect's non-verbal signals.
• Obtain the prospect's agreement to continue the process.

  Approximate time needed: one hour.

The Ohio National tools you may use for this meeting are:

• Business Data Taker (Form 2417)


• businessowner Matrix (Form 8650)


• Buy-Sell Questionnaire (Form 8660)

After a few minutes of casual conversation, begin by briefly reviewing what was discussed in the Initial Meeting. This refocuses your prospect's attention on the topic and reconfirms the primary concern.

Pivot to Ohio National's Business Data Taker (Form 2417). Complete the appropriate sections based on the prospect's primary concerns.

• Company data (p. 1-2) — all prospects.
• Buy-sell planning (p. 2-3). Also complete a Buy-Sell Questionnaire (Form 8660).
• Key person insurance (p. 3)
• Executive benefits (p. 4)
• Split-dollar insurance (p. 4)
• Disability salary continuation plan (p. 5). Also complete a Financial Supplement (Form 6497), if monthly benefits needed will exceed $5,000.
• Qualified retirement plans (p. 5)
• Group term life insurance (p. 5). Also get an Employee Census, a copy of the present employee benefits booklet and latest bill.
• Business overhead expense plan. See DI Proposal System software.

To learn more about information gathering for these business planning solutions, see the appropriate Advanced Sales Adviser Guides, ON-Trac Advanced Series Modules, or ON-Trac II online, Unit IV.