What Inbound Final Expense Callers Are Really Telling You (and How to Listen)

Ask your prequalifying questions first

The guide to the first minute of a final expense inbound call lists five opening questions, in order. The first three are prequalifying questions. Ask them first, inside the buffer time:

1. Confirm they are calling about final expense coverage, the insurance that pays for a funeral or burial.
2. Ask their age. Callers need to be between 50 and 85.
3. Ask if they have a checking or savings account. The monthly payment comes out of it.

The buffer is the time you get to qualify the caller. A call becomes billable once its connected time passes the buffer, and each campaign shows its buffer in your portal before you go online. These three answers tell you quickly whether the caller can buy, and they go on the recording in case you ever need to dispute a call.

Decide whether the caller is a fit after they answer, not in the first few seconds.

Then ask why they called

The last two tell you why they called:

1. Who is the coverage for?
2. What got you thinking about coverage?

Ask them in your own words, then stop and let the caller talk. Don't fill a pause with your next question.

The caller dialed the number on an ad, so they already have a reason for calling. Your part is to hear it and write it down, as close to their words as you can. What they tell you helps you set the coverage amount, choose who receives the money, and decide what to say when you quote.

Six common reasons fit under these two questions. Three answer who the coverage is for, and three answer what got them thinking about it.

Answers to "Who is the coverage for?"

These three reasons are about the family the caller will leave behind.

They don't want their family paying for the funeral

What you might hear:

• "My kids have enough bills of their own."
• "I don't want them passing a hat at church when I go."
• "My son would pay for it, but he'd have to borrow the money."
• "When I go, I want it paid for. All of it."

This caller has thought about the bill as well as the service. They want the cost covered so nobody else has to find the money. The coverage amount matters most to them, so build the quote around what they expect the funeral to cost and a monthly payment they can keep up with.

Ask next: "What kind of service would you want?" Let them describe it. The answer gives you a cost to quote against.

They want to leave money to someone

What you might hear:

• "My daughter has looked after me for years. I want her to have something."
• "My sister took me in when I needed it. I want to pay her back."
• "My wife never worked outside the home. I want her to be all right for a while."
• "I never had much to give my kids. I'd like to give them this."

This caller wants the policy to leave money to someone, on top of paying for the funeral. They may want more coverage than the funeral will cost. Write down the name they give, then ask who they want named as the beneficiary and check your carrier's rules. The beneficiary named on the policy receives the money.

Ask next: "What would you want that money to do for them?"

They worry about how the family will manage

What you might hear:

• "Nobody in my family knows where anything is."
• "My husband never touched the paperwork. I did all of that."
• "I'd like to get my affairs in order."
• "I don't want my kids arguing over money."

The worry is about the family managing without them: the decisions, the paperwork and the bill. A policy can help pay the bill. It can't settle the rest, and you shouldn't say it will.

Ask next: "What would you want your family to find already taken care of?"

Answers to "What got you thinking about coverage?"

These three reasons are about something that happened before the caller dialed.

Someone in the family died

What you might hear:

• "We buried my cousin in the spring, and his kids paid for all of it."
• "My mother had a small policy, and it covered her funeral."
• "My friend's husband had to sell his truck to pay for her service."
• "I just got back from a funeral."

The caller has seen what a funeral costs, recently and up close. Some saw a policy pay for it. Others watched a family pay out of pocket. They may know the local cost better than you do, so let them tell you.

The loss may be very recent. If it is, say you're sorry and give them a moment before you go on. Don't hurry past it to the quote.

Ask next: "Thinking about that service, what would you want for your own?"

Their health has changed

What you might hear:

• "I had a stent put in last year."
• "My doctor just started me on insulin."
• "I've had a couple of falls this year."
• "My blood pressure has been up and down."

A change in health can be what makes a caller stop waiting. It also affects the quote, because the price depends on their age, state and health. Give a price only after you've asked the health questions your carriers require, and don't promise approval. Write down what the caller tells you here. You will need it for those questions.

Ask next: "How has that changed the way you think about coverage?"

They kept putting it off

What you might hear:

• "I wrote the number down last week."
• "I've seen that ad a dozen times."
• "My daughter made me promise I'd call."
• "Every year I say I'll do it after the holidays."

The caller decided a while ago that they want coverage. Something finally got them to dial. Keep the call simple and clear.

Ask next: "What's different now from the last time you thought about it?"

When a caller gives more than one reason

Some callers give two or three. One caller might not want their son paying for the funeral and also want to leave something to a sister. Follow the reason they talk about longest, then come back to the other one before you quote, so the quote covers both.

Why these questions work on an inbound call

On a lead you dial, the conversation starts with you interrupting someone's day. They may not remember the form. "What got you thinking about coverage?" is harder to answer when they weren't planning to talk to an agent.

On a live transfer, a screener talked to the caller first and may have asked their age, their state or why they called. The caller may be tired of telling it again by the time they reach you.

On an inbound call, the caller picked up their own phone and dialed the number on the ad. You are the first one they explain themselves to, and the question is about a choice they made. There is more on the difference in final expense inbound calls and live transfers vs inbound calls.

Use their words when you quote

Keep a note of what the caller said, close to word for word. When you get to the quote, say it back before you give the numbers:

• "You said you don't want your son borrowing money for this. This amount is built around the service you described."
• "You mentioned your sister. Do you want her named as the beneficiary?"

Saying it back shows the caller you listened. It also lets them correct you before anything goes on the application. If they correct you, use their version.

Be careful with what you repeat. Mention a recent death once, gently, or not at all. Don't repeat a worry back to the caller to push them to decide today.

What not to do on the call

• Don't push, rush or use fear. Don't tell a caller what will happen to their family if they don't buy today.
• Never promise approval. The carrier decides. Give a price only after you've asked your carriers' health questions.
• Don't say the coverage is free or comes from a government program. It is life insurance for final expenses, with a monthly payment.
• Follow your carriers' rules and your state's rules for selling to seniors.

Every call is recorded on both sides, with a consent notice before the caller is connected. The compliance page lists what closes an agent's account. Claiming to be from a government program is on that list, and so is calling someone back on a different number without their consent on the recorded call. Check any callback you place against the national Do Not Call registry. This isn't legal advice; talk to your compliance team or attorney.

If the caller isn't ready, or isn't a fit after your questions, end the call kindly.

What listening does to your cost per sale

Once a call goes past the buffer, it is one set price however long it runs, so take the time the caller needs. What you can change is how many of your billed calls become policies.

Cost per sale is the number to judge any call source by: what you spent in a month, fees included, divided by the policies you wrote from it. On calls, the main things that move it are how many calls pass the buffer and how many of those you close. Hearing why the caller dialed is part of how you close.

InboundHQ doesn't publish a close rate, and this page doesn't promise one. A billed call can still end without a sale. Work out your own numbers over a full month, using the method in what final expense leads and calls cost. How the calls work is on final expense inbound calls, and current prices are on the pricing page.

More guides for final expense agents

Every guide is listed on final expense calls. Before your next call, read the first minute of a final expense inbound call and why answering final expense calls fast matters.

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