Making sincere connections with prospects and clients will always be timely. How those connections are made, though, inevitably changes with the times.

For Gustavo Adolfo Grech Vivas Sr., ACA, AAMS, the versatility and ubiquity of technology has helped expand his life insurance work with families across Latin America without needing to meet with everyone in person. The two-year MDRT member from Mexico City, Mexico, is a case study in the simplicity and effectiveness that can come from digital connections, especially in a world where people are interacting remotely more than ever. Grech’s reasons for embracing technology (from the direct interaction of WhatsApp to the less-direct relationships of Facebook and LinkedIn) are straightforward but resonant:

• It provides a direct channel to establish contact with the client.
• If the client has any concerns or needs, they can immediately find their advisor without waiting to make an appointment.
• In a fast-moving world, quick, effective communication is vital and a key component of instant messaging applications and other similar networks.
• Even in a relationship that originates from an in-person social setting, remote interaction can help advance the connection.

Grech’s ability to use technology to connect with new prospects enabled him to leverage one happy client into several new referrals — all during the pandemic — and qualify for Court of the Table for the first time. 

In late 2019, Grech received a phone call from a prospect who had just been fired from his job and needed new coverage for himself and his family.

Grech reviewed the prospect’s policy and explained the improved coverage that was necessary to care for his large family. Beyond merely putting together a solution, the prospect particularly liked how Grech explained the pros and cons of each proposal, helping the prospect make a decision that balanced price with various needs and benefits of the policies.

That new client’s satisfaction led to many referrals, with Grech providing 15 other policies to clients with ages ranging from 10 to 75 and living in Villahermosa, Guadalajara and Morelos — hours away from Mexico City. Grech has not met any of these new clients face to face but developed the relationships through WhatsApp.

Once Grech has connected with someone via WhatsApp, he lets the prospect choose if the next meeting will be via WhatsApp, Zoom, Webex, phone call or in person.

WhatsApp also has a mailing list feature that Grech uses to distinguish recipients for messages about different holidays and different coverages or information he learns by following the Mexican Association of Insurance Companies on social media.

How did Grech motivate the aforementioned client and others to provide referrals? This approach works best for him:

“There are families who would like to enjoy the same tranquility that yours enjoys,” he said. “Could you give me the names of five close people that you want to help?”

3 things to avoid when prospecting via social networks

Grech says advisors should make sure not to do the following:

Prospecting at the wrong time. Grech says he finds people are unavailable between 7:30 and 10 a.m. due to Zoom meetings or helping kids with remote learning. Instead, he reaches out from 12 to 1 p.m. or 2 to 4 p.m.

Using personal accounts. Instead, WhatsApp Business and other applications are dedicated to business and common use. For Grech’s WhatsApp business account, an automatic response informs people of all the services he provides (including retirement planning, estate planning and investments), directs them to his website (lead-proteccion.com) and closes with an inspiring motto: “We help the world be ready for the future.”

Sending information in images. Many users have accounts that don’t automatically download them, Grech says, resulting in that information going unseen. He sends two to three lines of text to ensure that prospects see everything he shares.

Working through issues with WhatsApp

Connecting with prospects through WhatsApp isn’t always flawless. Grech has created workarounds for these specific situations:

• The prospect has read but not replied to his messages, signaled by two blue checkmarks — He calls them using the WhatsApp voice call feature.
• The prospect doesn’t like connecting via WhatsApp — He arranges for an in-person meeting to continue the conversation.
• The prospect is hesitant to provide bank details via WhatsApp — He creates a bank token so they can provide their details securely.

Adrián Charansonnet and Carina Madrid write for Roma Company, an agency assisting MDRT with content development for Latin America. Contact carina@romacompany.mx.

Contact: Gustavo Grech gustavo.grech@hotmail.com