MANAGE & LEAD about me or my agency , but I ’ d like you to entrust to me your biggest assets , and I promise I can save you a little money .” Ridiculous , right ? And yet , isn ’ t that what people try to do every day in our business ?
So , how can you quickly establish a trusting relationship with a prospect so they might be motivated to engage your professional services ? There are three primary ways this can be accomplished .
1 . Do what you say you ’ re going to do . Lots of people promise to do things but lack the followthrough to make those things happen . Have you ever returned someone ’ s phone call to have them say , “ Thanks for calling me back .” No thanks are necessary , because it ’ s only polite that you should do so , but many people don ’ t . When you begin the sales process and attempt to establish trust with the buyer , it ’ s critically important that you keep your word . If you leave a message and say you ’ re going to call back at a specific time , do it . If you send a pre-approach letter and say you ’ ll follow up with a call the next week , do it . If you know it ’ s not the right time to write the account and say you ’ ll stay in touch with the prospect over the next year or so , do it . If you ’ re lucky enough to write the account and say you ’ ll reach out several times during the year , do it . It may not seem like a lot , but you will be establishing a pattern of trustworthiness that can only serve to benefit you in the future . Let your word be your bond .
2 . Say what you mean and mean what you say . Insurance buyers are naturally skeptical . To gain their business , you need to overcome their fear of the unknown . After all , nearly everyone promises them they can save money on their insurance with little effort . Think how disarming it could be for you to say , “ Frankly , I ’ m not sure if I can save you money or not . But I ’ d welcome the opportunity to get to know you better , gain an understanding of your financial objectives , and see whether we might be able to put together a program that
will help you achieve a better financial outcome should a loss take place in the future .” It ’ s not about selling insurance . It ’ s about getting it right . So , don ’ t go into a new relationship promising something you may not be able to deliver . There ’ s no right price for the wrong insurance . In the words of the immortal Dr . Seuss in Horton Hatches the Egg , “ I meant what I said , and I said what I meant . An elephant ’ s faithful one-hundred percent !” Be faithful to your word .
3 . Become an expert and a resource . One of the biggest hurdles for an insurance salesperson to overcome is the buyer ’ s natural tendency toward the status quo . The easiest decision for them to make is no decision at all – to remain with their incumbent agent . To get them past this inertia , you must promise them things will be significantly better should they decide to retain your services . Of course , you will then have to deliver on that promise . It starts by having a real understanding of their industry , their business , and their issues . How can you do that if you try to be a generalist and treat everyone the same , assuming the only thing that matters to them is saving some money on their insurance premiums ? Be a dedicated insurance professional , not a “ peddler ” of insurance policies , and you will go a long way toward building the trust necessary to gain the account .
We live in a world where the bonds of trust have been continually strained or broken by businesses and individuals . It ’ s possible to reclaim the public trust one relationship at a time . Let it begin with you .
Cheryl L . Koch , MBA , CPCU , CIC , ARM , AAI , AAM , AIM , ARP , AIS , API , ACSR , AINS , AFIS is an agency management consultant , educator and speaker at a variety of industry events . She is the CEO of Agency Management Resource Group located in Lincoln , California .
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