How to Build a Good Relationship with your Client
More than selling, being an insurance agent is about helping people find the best product to help them manage their risks. Boosting sales and earning a commission, though important, should only come second to your client’s interest.
Before you even begin performing your duties as an insurance agent, you need to establish a good relationship with your client. Here’s how you can do so.
Knowing your Market
With the advent of the internet, consumers today have gained access to a wealth of information that made them more intelligent in making purchases and financial decisions. Before they get in touch with you, it is very likely that they have looked you up in Google or asked about you in their social media networks.
Since a client already knows your basic information, you need to be able to connect with them in a deeper way on you first meeting and offer them something that they don’t know yet. If you fail to do this, there’s a huge chance that a second meeting will not take place.
In order to get through to your client on the first meeting, you need to be relevant. You can do this by learning more about what they want and how they behave as consumers, and you can use the very same tool they used when they tried to know more about you—the internet.
Agents used to get to know their markets by spending time with them through lunches or other recreational activities like golf, but given how our society is today, most clients don’t have time for this anymore. That’s why you need to stay ahead of the game when it comes to learning what your market cares about, and that is through online research.
By using the information you found on the web, you will gain insight into what’s relevant to them. When you identify what they want or need, you will likely get their attention and leave a mark.
Adding a Human Touch
Pricing and rates play an important role on how a potential client decides who to buy from, but at the end of the day, they will choose someone who was able to relate to them personally and understand their needs. If you’re able to show that you’re this kind of agent, clients will be more inclined to stay and buy from you.
Educating your Clients
People tend to turn away from something that they don’t know, and that’s the reason why most people end up with no long-term care insurance.
As an agent, it’s important that you educate your clients about what your product is. Lay the basic foundation in order for them to understand your offers and make an informed decision eventually. Remember that educating your clients is different from making a sales pitch.
When you offer them this essential information, you are showing genuine concern and further reiterating the point that you are after their interest and not just earning commission.
Building Trust
Good relationships are anchored on trust. As an agent, it is something that you need to gain from your clients. There are several ways on how you can do so.
- Be sincere at all times. We can’t reiterate this enough. People are more inclined to open up to someone who’s sincere and willing to help them.
- Be available when they need you. There will be times when your client needs to get in touch with you to ask questions or clarify some details about your product. Make sure that you’re available when they do so. If you missed a call, make sure that you get back to them as soon as you can.
- Offer something free. It doesn’t have to be costly. In fact, it can be a sort of service that your clients can benefit from. For instance, you can give them helpful resources on topics such as insurance, retirement, wills, and trust. It can be in the form of brochures or through a website. Another way is to offer your assistance in reviewing their policy or in making a claim.
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