Quick quotes are a staple of our industry. Virtually every jumbo personal lines marketer offers them via the Web and by phone. Local agencies interested in competing for this class of business must similarly offer speed quotes. Still, there are ways to slow down impatient shoppers, including taking a few moments to recap the person’s PC-generated rate printout on a manually completed summary page. Or, you can use an I’ll Switch My Policy If… form. They require prospects to buy on-the-spot, if you meet a list of their pre-agreed quote conditions.

Full-service personal lines prospects function under a different set of requirements. These individuals appreciate the difference between price and value. A tailored, well thought out personal lines proposal, delivered face-to-face (or discussed voice-to-voice), is the way to go. To help, we have designed 10 personal lines proposal elements you can use... Read More...

Agencies need to make specific inquiries to learn more about their potential new clients. Insisting that swamped reps ask ancillary questions to everyone who requests a personal lines quote is one way to gather this extra information, but it is impractical.

A better method is to employ a short but inquisitive agency questionnaire and require the applicant, not the CSR, to complete it as part of the quote process. This client-completed approach is not new. Virtually every physician’s office requires such forms before they’ll grant you an appointment. Many attorneys, accountants, and other professionals employ them as well. P&C insurance agents are wise to follow this simple pathway to supplemental facts. The information that you collect aids you in understanding the factors that drove the prospect to your door, what he values (or doesn’t value) about insurance, plus the person’s commission potential and servicing demands. Read More...

Buyer’s remorse is a common concern immediately following a major purchase, such as an auto or homeowners policy. This is particularly the case when an individual buys from an agency for the first time. There is uncertainty about price, of course, as well as other matters. Address these “other” items to help assure new personal lines clients that they made the right buying decision. Follow-up with a web-based form or a paper checklist of selected agency services to ask what else you can do for them. Sometimes, it’s all that’s needed to make them comfortable. Read More...

In today’s weak economy, people need to save money. They expect discounts on virtually everything, including their personal lines insurance. Here’s one way to respond to this marketing need...

Although many insurance discounts are automatically applied when a policy is issued, they still have potent marketing value. For instance, Allstate proudly proclaimed its famous “compact car” discount throughout much of the 1960’s. You however, don’t need to select a specific credit to tout. Instead, boost them all, while getting a prospect actively involved in the discount-finding process. That’s the intended purpose of the checklists we created. Use them to motivate auto and home insurance buyers to come to you. Read More...

Custom "transcripts" of imaginary conversations get people to listen to your insurance ideas.

The device for this exercise in imagination is an attractive document, containing the transcript of a make-believe conversation between an insured or prospect and your office. The subject of the communication can be any topic that you select, since the discussion is entirely fictional.

To get you started, we have created three one-page transcripts that discuss the importance of saving on auto and homeowners premiums, umbrella policies, and flood insurance. Read More...

Too many drivers and homeowners have forgotten how their personal insurance contracts actually work. It is understandable as it has likely been years since they originally bought their policies. Besides, there are just enough personal lines coverages, deductibles, liability limits, and other options to make everything a bit confusing. So, when these individuals decide to shop for a better deal, they often need some assistance.

To assist you, we have developed two Insurance Coverage Tip Sheets one each for auto and home. They efficiently incorporate attractive headers, bold attention-getting tag lines, plus brief coverage explanations, with examples, all on a single page. Read More...

The basics... Cross-selling (also known as account rounding) is one of the most profitable actions that an agent can take. It’s usually far easier to sell additional policies or coverages to existing clients than it is to write brand new ones. Plus, the more policies that a person has with you, the less likely it is that they will leave.

What do you want to cross-sell? Homeowners to auto insureds, auto to homeowners, umbrellas, floaters, flood, or more. Use our creative emails and cross-sell letters to help close additional sales. Here’s a sample action list.
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Make it the goal of your agency to ask insureds to complete either renewal questionnaires each year as a method of performing “quality control” for your personal lines insureds. Many of your clients fail to realize that they need to keep your office informed of important changes in their life and property. That’s why an annual information update schedule is ideal. It permits your agency to stay as knowledgeable about an insured’s exposures to loss as it was on the day the policy was first written.

Still, this level of knowledge depends on the type of renewal information that you seek and whether the client is cooperative in revealing the corresponding facts. The renewal questionnaires that we designed -- one each for personal auto and homeowners -- are both two pages in length. They help to review facts and give insureds the opportunity to inquire about needed extra protection. Plus, they are editable Word files that you can easily modify. Read More...

There is more to converting a prospect into a client than just running some numbers. A curt take it or leave it price may result in a personal lines sale, but if the person buys, it’s doubtful they’ll buy for long. The quoting process is far too costly to turn your office into a revolving door. Instead, CSRs need to take extra time with each desirable prospect. Manual quote sheets assist in this regard. They help to create a friendly selling environment where the rep and buyer sit down together for a few moments to recap the core components of your proposal. Read More...