Words, Greetings & Phrases

The Professional Greeting

SMILE while answering! Your posture and expression affect your tone, even over the phone.

"Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for calling State Farm, this is ____, how may I help YOU?!"

Key Details:

• Fully pronounce "YOU" — it's not "Ya." Say "I am checking in on YOU guys" and "How have YOU guys been?"
• Say "MOMENT" not "one second" — "Please hold one MOMENT and I will find the correct answer for YOU."
• When they give their name, WRITE IT DOWN immediately
• Use their name right away: "Hi Brian! What are we working on today?"

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Never Apologize — Thank Instead

We do not apologize for everything! Saying "sorry" implies we did something wrong. If we didn't do something majorly wrong, we THANK them instead.

More Professional Phrases:

• "We appreciate you letting us know. This is not how we want you to feel about this."
• "Unfortunately you currently do not have that coverage on your vehicle insurance. We can add it on for you right now however."
• "I'd be happy to help you!"

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Names, Names, Names

A customer's favorite word is their NAME!

1. When they say their name — WRITE IT DOWN (visual memory)
2. Ask for the spelling of their name (builds association)
3. Use their name in sentences right after you hear it
4. Associate them with something memorable — "Nick the Golf Pro"

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Positive & Assuring Words

Use these words throughout every conversation:

Definitely · Surely · Absolutely · Gladly · Certainly · Fantastic · Great · Good · Terrific · Will · Assure · Understand · Oh For Sure!

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Swinging a "No" Into a Positive

Never just say "no." Always pivot to what you CAN do:

• "While we cannot backdate that far for you, what we can do is go back 30 days from today, and just by glancing at your policy now we can..."
• "I would love to lower your rates! I just cannot without sacrificing coverage... What I can do is..."

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Handling Upset Customers

Upset customers come in HOT sometimes! They don't care about how much you know until they know you actually care.

The Mirror Technique

Show you are real first before they want your feedback. Mirror their emotions:

• "If I were in your position, I would feel the same way."
• "That would frustrate me, too."
• "I would be asking the same questions as you are."
• "I would come to the same conclusion."

Offering Help

After you've acknowledged their feelings:

• "Personally, I would recommend..."
• "You seem like you may find ______ as a benefit."
• "I think you will find it much easier if you..."
• "It sounds like you are looking for something that will do ______."

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Quick Reference Card