Insurance Agents: Separate yourselves from the crowd
In today's world of direct writers, internet quotes and discount insurance companies, it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of being an insurance agent. We insurance agents, while not quite threatened by extinction, are becoming nothing more than glorified order takers.Warren Buffet says that insurance is a commodity and price is the main factor in the market place. It seems that nowadays, lowest price wins, regardless of the other factors. More and more people are turning to direct writers because they believe that 15 minutes and a catchy commercial with a dancing lizard can save them some money. Forget the relationship, forget being able to actually see your insurance agent and forget you if you are $0.01 higher than the "other" guy.So how do we as insurance agents take a stand and be able take back some of our customers? How do we improve our close ratio? How do we change our customers' attitudes about price to the point that leaving you for a few dollars will never cross their mind? I can answer that question with one word: rapport.
Rapport is a funny thing, it makes you memorable, it makes you likable and most importantly it makes you human. So how do we build rapport with potential or existing clients? In this article we will discuss how to hit the ground running with rapport, how to build it from the word go. I will show you how to make more sales, improve your close ratio, learn more about your clients and have fun while doing it.Next time you get the chance call around to some of the competition in your area and ask for a quote. Listen and learn to how they interact with you. Do you like the person you talk to? Would you buy from them? What made them good or bad at making a connection with you? Take notes about what you liked and what you didn't.
Incorporate these ideas into your sales strategy and watch your sales increase.Below I have three examples of how I have heard insurance agents talk to potential customers on their initial phone call. Keep in mind that I have not written any responses from the client since, in this example, only what the agents say is important. I will use the following scenario for an example:Jill, a single mother of two, believes she is paying too much for her insurance and goes online to HometownQuotes.com and requests a free quote. She gets a call from three agents that are near her home.Agent 1: Hi Jill. This is Tom from Big Insurance Company calling about your request for insurance.
I wanted to follow up with you to verify some of this information with you and ask you a few additional questions. I will get this worked up and give you a call back.Tom has done a nice job of being polite if he has the best price in town he might be the agent that Jill ends up using.Agent 2: Hi, Jill, This is Nancy with Gigantic Insurance Company. I saw where you wanted a home insurance quote. Do you have a second? What is going on with you current insurance company? What are some things you like about your current company? What are some things that you don't like? Alright, thanks for your time, I will call you back shortly.Nancy was also polite but she took the time to ask some important questions about her current insurance company that she will be able to use to her advantage when comparing companies. If Nancy has the exact same price as Tom she would most likely have the advantage.Agent 3: Hi Jill.
This is Joe from Huge Insurance Company. Is this a good time for you? How is life treating you? Jill, I see that you live on Vine St. Do you know Bo Neighbor? He is one of my clients. It says on the paperwork from HometownQuotes.com that you are a writer? What type of writer are you? You know my wife was trying to break into that business, what sort of tips could you give to help her out? Anyway, sorry about my rambling there, I just find it important to get to know each of my clients on a more personal level than what kind of car they drive. It is also important for me to know that you feel the same way.
I know you could call 1-800-555-Quote and get a price but I want you to know me and my family the same way I want to know yours. So, what is going on over at your current company? Oh yea? Well tell me Jill, what are some of the things you really like about your current company? I think we will be able to offer you some solutions that will be comparable to your current company in some ways and exceed them in others. I will take some time to prepare a proposal for you, when is a good time for us to get together so I can present that to you? Great I will talk to you then.What has Joe done? He was polite, learned about what was going on with her current company and most importantly in the short amount of time he had with her he became her friend. He knows personal stuff about Jill and Jill knows the same about Joe. Sure he may or may not have the best price in town but as long as he is in the ball park he has a chance at the business.
This is a chance that he probably would not have had if he had been even $5 more than the first two agents.I can promise you this: There is no better felling than closing the deal on a new client than when you cost them more money that what they were currently paying and they came to your company because of you. Take a chance on this one and try to be way different that your competition for one week. All you have to lose is some time. If you are selling on price alone now you will still have the same price, you will just deliver it in a different manner. After all, my Dad tells me all the time that "if you put it in one end of the pipe, it will fall out the other." In other words if you quote enough people you will eventually write business.
I guess I just want more of my "it" to get to the other end of the pipe..
NoneAustralian First: New Website Compares up to 10 Car Insurance Quotes for Free
(ContentDesk) April 4, 2006 -- If shopping around for the best car insurance quote excites you as much as visiting the dentist, new Australian financial services company, ARTOG.com.au, have launched an Australian first service that will be music to your ears.
The company allows you to easily compare car insurance quotes from up to ten major insurers.
Not only will this service save you tedious hours on the phone and internet, it could potentially save you thousands of dollars each time you insure by identifying affordable insurance for your circumstances.
Everyone knows if you shop around and compare quotes, you will always get a better price, states ARTOG General Manager, Kevin Sherman.
Understandably, people are time poor and would rather spend their free time doing pretty much anything else other than shopping around...
Insurance > Australian First: New Website Compares up to 10 Car Insurance Quotes for Free
Navigating Insurance for Students and Searching Out the Right Financial Solution for UK Parents
Students are often portrayed as being lazy, indolent, or, perhaps most damningly of all: scruffy. But today's students are often more active and involved than their parents, and they demand the rewards that come with this behaviour. Valuable pieces of equipment are de rigueur in many of the UK's student halls; parents having lavished attention upon their offspring in the form of gifts, money and, increasingly, credit cards ? cards immediately used to go out and purchase more shiny offerings.
In fact the operation involved in conveying a freshly minted student to the halls of their choosing can take on a military bearing as their hi-fi, decks, television, and computer are loaded into and on top of the car chosen to risk the soon-to-be-familiar route to the student halls. This, of course, is not to mention the miniaturised electronics that go hand in hand with their larger brothers: the mp3 player and omnipresent mobile phone (fortunately these are, now, becoming...
Insurance > Navigating Insurance for Students and Searching Out the Right Financial Solution for UK Parents
Pay as You Drive Car Insurance- a Win-Win Proposition
You can pay as you talk with a cell phone plan, so why not pay as you drive auto insurance? It sounds like a good idea; but would pay as you drive auto insurance work for you?The idea behind pay as you drive auto insurance is simple. Basically its this- if you do not drive very much, you will not pay high insurance premiums. Advocates for this type of insurance policy think that there are many merits to this type of program.What if you car pool to work, or take public transit? You are not using your car very much so why are you paying high premiums. With a pay as you drive auto insurance premiums you would be able to quite literally pay as you go. Another situation where this plan would be of benefit is that of many retirees who have winter homes in temperate climates, the 'snowbirds' living in Florida or Arizona six months of the year and six months in New York or Toronto for example.
Essentially the insurance companies would set an average driving amount for each car type. It...
Pay as You Drive Car Insurance- a Win-Win Proposition
Insurance > Pay as You Drive Car Insurance- a Win-Win Proposition
Meadowbrook Insurance Group selects Adeptia to deploy automated integration with business partners
Chicago, IL
September 29th, 2004 ? Adeptia Inc., an innovative provider of business process integration technologies, today announced successful deployment of its business process management (BPM) product at Meadowbrook Insurance Group, a leader of Alternative Risk Solutions.Meadowbrook has selected Adeptia as the technology for its enterprise-wide integration strategy.
Deployment of Adeptia business process integration server allows Meadowbrook to easily and quickly setup automated data exchange with its business partners - without the need to develop and deploy custom data integration interfaces that often require extensive manual data entry."We are impressed by Adeptia's ability to implement complex integrations with external partners in an easy and effective manner.
We are happy about our decision to deploy Adeptia, which is a perfect solution to address our needs.
Adeptia's solution enables reuse of existing interfaces in future integrations and...
Insurance > Meadowbrook Insurance Group selects Adeptia to deploy automated integration with business partners
Seven Steps to Filing Your Car Insurance Claim
Having even a teeny-tiny car accident can be one of life's least enjoyable moments. However, accidents happen, and sooner or later, we all have the experience of meeting one of our fellow road travelers up close and personal. Using the following seven steps to filing your claim will help you get over this speed bump as smoothly as possible. Step 1: Understand your policy Before a loss, sit down and carefully read your insurance policy. Call your agent or company if you have any questions about what is or is not covered.
Step 2: Exchange information If you are involved in an accident, get the other driver's name, address, phone number, insurance carrier, and insurer's phone number. Be prepared to give the same information about yourself to the other driver. You can find insurers' telephone numbers on the proof-of-insurance cards that should be carried on your person when operating a motor vehicle. Step 3: Identify witnesses Ask witnesses to the accident for their names and phone...
Seven Steps to Filing Your Car Insurance Claim
Insurance > Seven Steps to Filing Your Car Insurance Claim
Insurance Agents: Separate yourselves from the crowd
In today's world of direct writers, internet quotes and discount insurance companies, it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of being an insurance agent. We insurance agents, while not quite threatened by extinction, are becoming nothing more than glorified order takers.Warren Buffet says that insurance is a commodity and price is the main factor in the market place. It seems that nowadays, lowest price wins, regardless of the other factors. More and more people are turning to direct writers because they believe that 15 minutes and a catchy commercial with a dancing lizard can save them some money. Forget the relationship, forget being able to actually see your insurance agent and forget you if you are $0.01 higher than the "other" guy.So how do we as insurance agents take a stand and be able take back some of our customers? How do we improve our close ratio? How do we change our customers' attitudes about price to the point that leaving you for a few dollars will never cross...
Insurance Agents: Separate yourselves from the crowd
Insurance > Insurance Agents: Separate yourselves from the crowd
Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?
Why does health insurance cost so much? Year after year, many of the articles that appear in print detail the specific factors driving the cost of healthcare.These factors include: general inflation, advances in drugs and other medical devices, rising hospital and doctor expenses, government mandates, increased consumer demand, litigation, fraud, and cost shifting.The basic answer is that a magic bullet to solve the cost of insurance does not exist because the real difficulty is controlling the cost of healthcare. A simple way to dramatically decrease the dollars spent on healthcare is to reduce the demand for healthcare.I have seen estimates that up to 40% of all healthcare related expenses result from preventable conditions. These preventable conditions are caused by lifestyle choices such as tobacco, obesity, stress, lack of exercise and poor diet.Most of us, myself included, make lifestyle choices everyday that eventually increase our demand for healthcare. We are never going to...
Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?
Insurance > Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?
Vision insurance: An ideal way to protect your eyes
Eyes are a gateway to the panorama of the world around us. Eyes constitute one of the most important senses of the human being. Though it is difficult to maintain a 20/20 vision, yet it is one of the most important sections of our very existence. Hence, it is essential to take utmost care to upkeep it in a healthy state. Vision insurance
can facilitate you in this endeavor.
?Vision insurance' is a comparatively new chapter in the world of insurance. Often, health insurance
does not encompass vision insurance as a part of coverage. Considering the expenses of glasses, laser surgeries, and contact lenses; vision insurance is definitely a good idea.
This form of insurance usually does not constitute as a part of a regular health insurance. With the rising expenditure involved in the upkeep of your eye, vision insurance plays an...
Insurance > Vision insurance: An ideal way to protect your eyes
Whether Paid or Not, We Are All Working Women
(ContentDesk) April 23, 2006 -- Whether paid or not, we are all working women, claims Nancy Jacobs, founder and Executive Director of Atlanta-based Society for the Advancement of Women. We are all dealing with wanting professional success, but also wanting to be the mother we promised ourselves we would be. This is a very strong undercurrent for working women and stay-at-home moms. Womens bodies cannot be in a boardroom and on the playground at the same time and whichever path they choose...
Insurance sample resume Whether Paid or Not, We Are All Working Women
Insurance > Whether Paid or Not, We Are All Working Women
Electric Scooter Parts
Electric scooters are mostly used for transportation in places where gas-powered scooters are prohibited. The main working parts of an electric scooter include a rechargeable lead-acid battery of suitable capacity measured in volt-amp-hours, and an electric drive motor of desired watts and RPM. The vehicle speed depends on the battery capacity (A/hrs), physical size and weight.
Generally positioned beneath the foot rest area, the charging time of a battery varies with the battery...
Insurance > Electric Scooter Parts
How to Make Restaurant Quality Coffee At Home
Have you ever wondered how restaurants get their coffee to taste so good?First of all, restaurants are in the business of pampering you so they devote much more time to the perfection of a good cup of coffee. Sometimes I'll remember a restaurant just because of their excellent coffee. So what are their secrets and how can you duplicate this recipe at home? It may surprise you to find out that the French Press brewing method could be the secret in achieving that restaurant quality taste. Most fine...
How to Make Restaurant Quality Coffee At Home
Insurance > How to Make Restaurant Quality Coffee At Home
Airfare for the Wayfarer
Have you checked the price of airfare lately? Are you like myself, and quite afraid to contemplate that you're going to spend that inheritance from Aunt Tilley on a flight to LA? For the general public, air travel is still an occasional event, and airfare is still comparable to a surprise attack of influenza.
We all will agree that air travel is much nicer than the open road (and faster), when you're in a hurry and in a compact car. Airfare, however, is not the pleasant experience...
Insurance > Airfare for the Wayfarer
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