NAILBA Perspectives Perspectives Fall 2018 | Page 11

“There is a delicate balance to strike in using technology to
improve and scale your business while still maintaining an emphasis on
personal relationships. With all of its benefits, technology is far from
eliminating the need for personal interaction in this industry, if that’s
possible at all.”
KATIE ELLIOTT
Katie Elliott is the Client Success
Manager for OneHQ, a combined
CRM and AMS platform for life,
annuity, and senior brokerages.
Katie and her team are passion-
ate about being a true partner to
their clients, guiding them in utiliz-
ing HQ’s capabilities to meet each
group’s unique business needs.
For more information on how the
OneHQ team can help you accel-
erate your business, please visit
www.onehq.com.
brain will actually interpret and
weigh new information differently
in agreement with your existing be-
liefs 2 . This phenomenon, known as
confirmation bias, leads people to
focus more heavily on information
that confirms their initial impression
of you and quickly dismiss any infor-
mation that opposes it. If a potential
client has seen and was impressed by
your ad, they will already have a pos-
itive impression of you, and they will
pay more attention to your compa-
ny’s advantages than your shortcom-
ings once you do get in contact.
3. Admit it when you’ve made a
mistake or when you don’t know.
None of us like to admit being wrong,
but unfortunately it happens to ev-
eryone occasionally. When you have
limited interactions with your cli-
ents, it’s important to make every
touchpoint count, and it can be
tempting to make excuses and de-
fer blame when something has gone
wrong. However, assuming you’ve
completed suggestions 1 and 2 cor-
rectly, it may actually benefit you to
be honest about your mistakes!
In a 1966 study, psychologist El-
liot Aronson found that people who
are already viewed as competent
were rated as even more likeable
after committing a small blunder 3 .
The idea here is that a stranger who
seems intelligent and put-together
becomes more relatable and “real”
after making a mistake. Acknowledg-
ing and handling a small error well in
front of your clients has the potential
to make you more personable, while
proving that you’re honest and trust-
worthy. (Keep in mind that this does
require first establishing a positive
image in the client’s mind!)
4. Remember: Content is King.
You may be familiar with the market-
ing adage “content is king,” meaning
that the information you’re commu-
nicating should always be the focal
point of your marketing strategy. This
holds true for recruiting new clients
and catering to your current agents –
oftentimes, providing quality service
simply means providing the informa-
tion your clients need. Prospective
clients want to know the services
your brokerage provides, which can
easily be displayed on a website.
Current clients want to stay updated
on their business and commissions,
which can be emailed out automat-
ically from your AMS. Even without
the element of personal interaction,
you can build a personal bond with
your agents by showing them that
you know what information is im-
portant to them. If you provide your
agents with a personal snapshot of
their business every week, or email
updates as their cases are processed,
even if they’re clearly templated dis-
cussions, your agents will appreciate
your organization and understanding
of their needs.
5. Know technology’s place in your
business.
There is a delicate balance to strike
in using technology to improve and
scale your business while still main-
taining an emphasis on personal re-
lationships. With all of its benefits,
technology is far from eliminating
the need for personal interaction in
this industry, if that’s possible at
all. With hundreds of us preparing
to gather at NAILBA 37, no one can
argue that there’s no longer a place
for in-person relationship building.
However, making the most of the
technology available and keeping
these tips in mind, you can eliminate
busywork to make more time for the
most meaningful interactions.
FOOTNOTES
1 The Economist. (2009, Oct. 14). “The halo effect”. https://www.economist.com/news/2009/10/14/the-halo-effect
2 Cassad, Bettina J. (2016, Aug. 1). “Confirmation bias”. https://www.britannica.com/science/confirmation-bias
3  ernstein, Rebecca. (2017, June 26). “Interesting Psychological Phenomena: The Pratfall Effect”. https://online.brescia.edu/psychology-news/pratfall-
B
effect/
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