Do any of you have any phobias or fears? For instance, in my case, I am terrified of sharks. And it’s normal to be afraid of something that can harm you.

But are any of you afraid of phone calls? Sounds silly, right? How could a simple phone call be scary? Well, let me tell you that most young people suffer from telephobia, which is the fear of phone calls. 

A telecommunications company surveyed thousands of young people and found that 81 percent of young people feel anxious about making or receiving a phone call. Why?

• They consider it a waste of time.
• They do not like to do favors, and, many times, when someone calls, it is to ask you for something.
• If some stranger calls them, they feel it is an intrusion on their privacy — almost an offense!

Why am I telling you this? Because many of these young people are your prospects, and every time you call them, you create a negative experience for them.

As insurance agents, we are programmed precisely to do that every day. We have been taught to prospect using our lists of 100 contacts or referrals from people who do not know us. We make call after call, and doing this with new generations is like using a weapon of mass destruction because millennials and centennials do not trust strangers and don’t like to be sold, much less over the phone.

This is from the prospect’s point of view. But, like many of you, I am an insurance agent. I am a millennial, and I have telephobia. I’ve been told many times over: “If you don’t like calling prospects, you should find yourself another job because in this profession no calls means no sales.” And I believed it for a long time.

It took me eight years to understand that phone calls were not the only way, or the best way, to prospect. One day I decided to seek out a way in which I could present my ideas, strengthen my credibility, make people want to listen to me and eventually buy from me. 

Then I learned about “social selling,” which is basically a sales model that uses digital tools, such as social media, to broadcast useful content that will allow you to establish conversations with prospects.

Social selling saved my business. It helped me attract many prospects interested in insurance, who already had the intention of buying, and this sped up my sales process and improved my results dramatically.

That’s why I’m here. I’m going to share my three Keys to Success in social selling with you.

1. Focus on your credibility.

If you struggle to sell via social media, it is probably because you are not focusing enough on your credibility. Your main objective will be to be recognized as the best insurance agent because if you are here, you are, and social media is the most effective channel to publicize your work and your achievements. This first step will help you grow your network, and you’ll be able to help people in a massive way, and not only one-on-one.

2. Create content that positions you as an expert.

Don’t forget to create content that shows you really know what you are talking about, that positions you as the authority on the subject. If people learn from you with a one-minute video or a post, you will earn their trust as well as their money.

The key to selling on social media is the connection you create with your followers, so share information that helps them make better decisions, solve their most frequent questions, and do it through content that is appealing and light.

3. Be a traffic attracter.

It’s important to reach out to more people to position ourselves better. Here are a few ways to attract new traffic to your social media networks:

• Earn it. Share useful content and gain followers organically.
• Buy it. Pay for advertisements to expand your outreach and to reach market niches by segmenting the ads.
• Borrow it. Look for collaborations with other accounts. You can make shared posts or live videos so that you make yourself known among the audiences of other accounts.

Remember this very well: With social selling, the prospects fall in love with your brand first, give you their trust, look you up for advice and are the ones who decide to buy from you.

I don’t know about you, but I love it when someone buys from me out of conviction and not out of insistence.

Now think about this: Do you want to continue looking for prospects to sell to? Or do you prefer that they seek you out to buy from you?