How does any real relationship work? We know this much, relationships do take work, they don’t happen overnight and in order for them to be meaningful, there needs to be genuine interest and trust and positive feelings associated with the relationship. These types of qualities and characteristics are going to need to be present in relationships between agents and their clients. Insurance Agents should take a genuine interest in their customers; they need to listen to their concerns. The first step is to stop seeing their customers as a dollar sign. They need to see them as a person with needs and make them feel valued as an individual.
Making your customers feel valued is more than just being helpful and efficient when dealing with them. Customers need to feel special by having personalized interactions. They want their agent to go the extra mile for them. Reach out to your customer if you notice some news worthy event that might interest or affect them. Make contact with them on special occasions, such as birthdays or major holidays. Let them know that you are thinking of them more than the once a year when their policy renews.
Another way to help build the Agent and Customer relationship is making sure that the experiences they have regarding your agency are positive ones. When your customer is directed to your website, what is the impression they are going to have about your agency? This can sometimes be where the first impression between customer and agency happens. Spend time on your agency’s website, go through the links and information as if you were the customer and make sure there aren’t any frustrations that your customers could encounter.
What is the best way to create positive experiences for your customers? How can you ensure that your customers will want to stick around? Social media is a huge online presence for agencies now. What perception do you want people to have of your agency? If they were scrolling along looking for insurance agencies, would your online presence make them stop to see what your business was about? Make your agency stand out from others. Decide what can set you apart and market that in a positive manner.
Remember that providing your customers with exceptional service isn’t going to be a one time deal. If you just focus on landing a customer and then moving onto the next prospect, you are letting the relationship aspect fail between agent and insured. Agents should focus on their customers at all times, from prospecting customers, to current customers to ensuring that the customers will be ongoing customers. Putting in the work and effort in building and maintaining relationships is what will make your agency a successful agency. You will stand out from the rest. Your customers will feel your genuine commitment and know they are getting the best quality care that they can. When your customers are happy, they will let their friends and family know that they are happy, and that is the best form of marketing for your agency. Remember that relationships aren’t built overnight; they need to be tended to and not forgotten.
