How to Set Life Insurance Appointments Over the Phone
The goal of an appointment call is a time on the books, not a sale. Open, give one reason for the meeting, offer two specific times, lock in who will be there and how they'll join, then book the reminder call before you hang up. Here is the full call, word for word, followed by the objections that kill appointments and a tracker for your own show rate.
The word-for-word appointment script
Swap the brackets for your details. Read it out loud a few times until it sounds like you, not like a page.
1. Opener
Hi, is this [First Name]?
[First Name], this is [Your Name]. I'm a licensed agent with [Agency Name] here in [State]. You asked about [final expense / life insurance] coverage, and I'm calling to follow up on that. Do you have a quick minute?
2. Reason line
Great. The reason I'm calling is to set up a short appointment, about 20 to 30 minutes. I'll go over what you want this coverage to do, check what you qualify for, and show you the options side by side. Nobody has to decide anything today. Right now I just want to find a time that works.
3. Two-option close
I have tomorrow at 2 or Thursday at 6. Which works better for you?
If neither works:
No problem. Are daytimes or evenings usually better for you? ... Okay, how about [Day] at [Time] or [Day] at [Time]?
4. Lock-in
Is there anyone else who helps you make decisions like this? A spouse, or one of your kids?
Good. Let's make sure [Name] can be there at [Time] too.
Before we meet, have a list of any medications you take and any policy you already have close by. That way I can give you real numbers instead of guesses.
We can do this on video, where you can see the options on your screen, or by phone. Which would you like?
Video is easy. I'll email you a link. At [Time], you click it and I'm on your screen. Nothing to download, no account to set up.
5. Confirmation
Let me read that back. [Day], [Date], at [Time] your time. That's [Time Zone], right? It'll be you and [Name].
I'll email the link to [Email]. Can you spell that for me?
I'll also give you a quick call the day before, around [Time], and again about an hour before we meet, just to make sure everything still works. Is this the best number for that?
Perfect. Write that down somewhere you'll see it. Talk to you [Day].
Why each line works
| Line | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name, licensed agent, agency, state | Tells them who you are in the first ten seconds. People stay on the line when they know who's calling. |
| "You asked about..." | Ties the call to something they did, so it doesn't sound random. |
| "Do you have a quick minute?" | A small yes before a bigger one. If they say no, you ask when to call back instead of pushing. |
| 20 to 30 minutes, no decision today | Names the size of the ask. Takes the pressure off, which is what gets the yes. |
| Two specific times | They pick between your times instead of deciding whether to meet at all. |
| Spouse or decision maker | A held appointment often goes nowhere because the other decision maker wasn't there. Solve it now. |
| Medications and current policy | Gives them a job to do before the meeting. People who prepared are more likely to show up. |
| Read-back with time zone | Catches the wrong day, wrong time and wrong zone before they cost you the appointment. |
| Booking the reminder call | They agree to your follow-up now, so the reminder call is expected, not a surprise. |
If you want the full sales call that comes after the appointment, see the final expense phone script.
Phone or video: how to run the appointment itself
Both work. Pick based on what you need to show.
A phone appointment is enough when:
- The prospect knows what they want and the coverage is simple.
- They have told you they don't use a computer or smartphone.
- You are only finishing a conversation you already started.
Video helps when:
- You want to show two or three options side by side.
- A spouse or adult child is joining from a different place.
- The prospect is hesitant and seeing your face builds the trust a voice alone doesn't.
Explaining the link to an older prospect
Keep it to one sentence and say it twice: once when you book, once on the reminder call.
I'll email you a link, and when it's time you just click it and you'll see me, nothing to download.
If they hesitate, offer to stay on the phone while they open it at the start of the appointment. That one offer gets a lot of people past the worry about technology.
Where Nohl fits
In Nohl, prospects join a video meeting from a link, with no download or account. The dialer, CRM and video meetings sit in one place, with one contact record behind every call and meeting. There's one contact record behind every call and meeting, so what you logged on the booking call is on the same contact. You don't open the appointment asking questions you already asked.
Objections that kill appointments, with rebuttals
Each rebuttal agrees with the concern, gives one reason the appointment solves it, and goes straight back to two times. If they say no twice, note it on the contact and move on. Pushing a third time burns the lead.
"Just tell me the price over the phone."
I get it, you want a number. The honest answer is the price depends on your age, your health and how much coverage you want, and I don't want to give you a number that changes later. That's what the 20 minutes is for. I'll have real figures on the screen for you.
Is tomorrow at 2 or Thursday at 6 better?
"I need to talk to my spouse first."
That makes sense. This is a decision you should make together. That's exactly why I'd rather do the appointment with both of you on. Then nobody has to relay anything secondhand.
When are you both usually home, weekday evenings or weekends? ... How about Tuesday at 6:30 or Saturday at 10?
"Send me something in the mail."
I can do that, and I'll email you a summary after we talk. The trouble with a brochure is it shows every plan, and most of them won't fit you. Twenty minutes lets me show you only the ones that do. If you want to think it over after that, you'll have it in writing.
Does tomorrow afternoon or Thursday evening work better?
"I'm busy. Call me next week."
Totally fair. Rather than play phone tag, let's put a time down now for next week. If something comes up, you can move it.
Is Monday or Wednesday better? ... Morning or evening? ... Okay, Wednesday at [Time] or Wednesday at [Time]?
"I already have coverage."
Good, that's the right place to start. A lot of what I do is look at what people already have and check that it still fits: the amount, who it goes to, and how long it lasts. If it fits, I'll tell you that.
Have the policy nearby and we'll go through it together. Tomorrow at 2 or Thursday at 6?
Cutting no-shows
No-shows usually come down to one of three things: the appointment slipped their mind, the time stopped working, or they got nervous and didn't want to say so. The reminder calls handle all three. Make them by phone and back them with one email.
Reminder call: the day before
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name], the licensed agent you're meeting with tomorrow at [Time]. I'm calling to make sure that time still works for you and [Name].
Great. Did the email with the link come through? ... Perfect. Keep your medication list and your current policy handy. See you tomorrow at [Time].
If you get voicemail:
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name]. Just confirming our appointment tomorrow, [Day], at [Time] your time. The link is in your email from me. If anything changed, call me back at [Number] and we'll find a new time.
Reminder call: the hour before
Hi [First Name], [Your Name] here. We're on for [Time], about an hour from now. I'll be on the link a couple of minutes early. If you have any trouble opening it, call me at this number and I'll walk you through it.
Email reminder template
Send it right after the booking call, and again the morning of the appointment.
Subject: Your appointment with [Your Name], [Day] at [Time]
Hi [First Name],
Thanks for making time to talk about your [final expense / life insurance] coverage. Here are the details:
- When: [Day], [Date] at [Time] [Time Zone]
- Who: You and [Name], with me
- How to join: [Video link]. Click it at the time above. Nothing to download.
- Have ready: Your medication list and any policy you already have
If the time stops working, call me at [Number] and we'll move it.
[Your Name] Licensed agent, [Agency Name] [Number]
When they answer the reminder and try to cancel
I understand. Can I ask what came up?
If it's timing:
No problem, let's move it instead of canceling. Would later today or tomorrow at the same time be easier?
If they sound like they've cooled off:
Fair enough. Is it the timing, or did something change about wanting coverage?
If something changed, let them tell you. Sometimes the answer is a real no, and you note it and move on. Often it's a worry you can answer in one sentence, then offer two times again.
Reschedule script for a no-show
Call within a few minutes of the missed start time, while they're still near the phone.
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name]. We had [Time] down today and I didn't see you on the link, so I wanted to make sure everything's okay.
Things come up. Let's get you back on. Is tomorrow at [Time] or [Day] at [Time] better?
No answer? Leave a short voicemail with the same two times, then send the email template with a new time offered. Note every attempt on the contact so you know where they stand next time you call.
Track your own booking and show rate
You can't fix what you don't count. Fill this in every week with your own numbers. There are no benchmarks here on purpose: your leads, your hours and your product line are different from anyone else's, so the only useful comparison is you against last week.
| Week | Dials | Contacts | Appts set | Appts held | Policies written | Avg days out | Set rate | Show rate | Close rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Week 1] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| [Week 2] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| [Week 3] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| [Week 4] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
Formulas:
- Contact rate = Contacts / Dials
- Set rate = Appointments set / Contacts
- Show rate = Appointments held / Appointments set
- Close rate = Policies written / Appointments held
- Avg days out = total days between booking and appointment / Appointments set
To work backward from what you want to write each week, see how to set a daily dial target from your income goal.
Which number to fix first
Fix the earliest stage where your numbers drop compared with your own past weeks. A problem upstream starves everything below it.
| Where it drops | What it usually means | What to work on |
|---|---|---|
| Contact rate | Not enough live conversations | When you dial, how many times you work each lead, list quality |
| Set rate | People talk to you but don't book | Opener, reason line, two-option close, the five rebuttals above |
| Show rate | People book but don't show | Read-back, spouse lock-in, both reminder calls, the email, how far out you book |
| Close rate | People show but don't buy | The appointment itself, not the booking call |
Watch the days-out column next to show rate. If your appointments booked further out show up less often than the ones booked for tomorrow, offer sooner times first.
Getting coached while you book
The hardest part of an appointment call is the second after an objection. You know the rebuttal. You just can't find it fast enough.
Nohl's Sales AI suggests the next line or an objection answer to you during the live call. You see it, the prospect never hears it, and you decide what to say. You stay in the conversation and in control. More on how that works: how an AI sales coach works on live calls, and the live AI sales coach for individual producers.
After the call, review. Nohl keeps searchable call recordings and transcripts, so you can run a weekly review from them:
- Pull five calls that booked and five that didn't.
- Compare the first 30 seconds. Did you say who you are and why you're calling, every time?
- Search the transcripts for an objection, like "spouse" or "price," and read how you answered it on every call that came up.
- Keep the lines that booked. Rewrite the ones that didn't. Update your script.
- Check your tracker next week to see if set rate moved.
Recording laws vary by state. Some states require everyone on the call to consent before it's recorded. You are responsible for recording notices and consent.
If you're running your own book and want the dialer, CRM, video meetings and live coaching working from one contact record, See Rainmaker.
Frequently asked questions
What do you say to set an insurance appointment over the phone?
Say who you are and why you're calling, give one reason for the appointment and how long it takes, then offer two specific times, like tomorrow at 2 or Thursday at 6. Before you hang up, confirm who will be on the call, read back the date, time and time zone, and book a reminder call.
How do I get more life insurance appointments to show up?
Get the spouse or decision maker booked at the same time, give the prospect something to have ready, read the details back, and make two reminder calls: one the day before and one an hour before. Back them with an email that has the time, the link and what to have ready. Track your own show rate weekly to see which step helps.
Should life insurance appointments be in person, by phone or on video?
For producers selling by phone, phone and video both work. Phone is enough for simple coverage or prospects who don't use a computer. Video helps when you want to show options side by side or a family member is joining from somewhere else. A link the prospect clicks with nothing to download keeps it easy for older prospects.
How far out should I book an appointment?
Offer the soonest times you have first. Add an average days-out column to your tracker and compare it with your show rate over a few weeks. Your own numbers will tell you how far out is too far for your leads.
What do I do when the prospect wants a quote on the first call?
Explain that price depends on age, health and the amount of coverage, and you don't want to give a number that changes later. Tell them the appointment is where you'll show real figures, then offer two times. If they push twice, note it on the contact and move on.