I’m sure you have heard the parable of the blind men who encounter an elephant. Let’s explore the story and how it relates to you selling LTC Insurance.
The Blind Men and the Elephant
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a WALL!”
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a SPEAR!”
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a SNAKE!”
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he:
“‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a TREE!”
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a FAN!”
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a ROPE!”
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
So, all of us, as blind men in some ways, will be wrong.
We’re limited by our own perspective of the elephant and struggle to step back and see the whole elephant.
Elephants, of course, have no such problem.
Six blind elephants were discussing what men were like.
After arguing they decided to find one and determine what it was like by direct experience.
The first blind elephant felt the man and declared, ‘Men are flat.’
After the other blind elephants felt the man, they agreed.
Now why have I wasted so much of your valuable time on blind men and elephants?
How Do We See LTC Insurance Prospects?
Quite simply, because in selling LTC insurance, we far too often see the world as if we were elephants and all of our prospects were flat.
The reality, of course, is that our prospects, like blind men, all perceive the world – and our sales presentations – differently.
You look like a wall to one, a spear to another, a snake to a third (ouch!), a tree, a fan or a rope to others. Specifically …
- One prospect is concerned with the burden they may be on their family if and when they need long-term services and supports
- Another prospect is concerned with depleting their assets and becoming dependent on Medicaid
- A third prospect rejects any suggestion that they will need LTC and prefers to live in a state of denial, despite their family history
- Another prospect is confident they can cover the costs of LTC and believes their best choice is to self insure
- Still another prospect is confused by the many benefit choices and prefers to “think about it,” even though you’ve cautioned them that their good health buys LTC insurance, even though their money pays the premium
- One well informed prospect has read about the many rate increases and expects you to provide assurances of rate stability
If we act as elephants and only see our prospects as flat men, we easily lose more times than we win.
What’s the moral of the story?
Recognize that your prospects all see you, your company and your products from their point of view, not yours.
If you can adapt your messaging to speak to their view, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of winning their business.
