Love The One You’re With
5 Ways Insurance Agents Can Foster Repeat Business from Current Clients
Who’s your best client? The one you’re speaking to or connecting with right now. In fact, research shows that almost 80% of your future profits are likely to come from 20% of your repeat clients. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to nurture your relationships and lay the groundwork for returning customers. Not sure where to begin? Want to optimize the process? We’ve got 5 ways to encourage repeat sales from the same client:
1. Educate. This is a task that’s not unfamiliar to insurance agencies. Because products and regulations are always changing — as are the needs of your clients, it’s important to consistently provide your clients with information that helps them to understand the products that they’ve purchased or are considering and how you’re the right person to guide them through the process and assist them when they need help. Use your social media channels, chats, video calls, website, newsletters, and direct mail materials to help your clients understand their products, how to get more value from their insurance plans, and how to best utilize your services when they have questions or need a helping hand. Help your clients get to know you and understand your level of expertise.
2. Ask. It’s astonishing how often we hesitate to simply ask for referrals and testimonials from our clients. Take the time to interview your clients and feature their feedback on your website, social media posts, and your other outreach and marketing campaigns. Consider doing a feature or spotlight on a client and allow them to tell their story in their own words. This creates relatability and adds to the effectiveness of your content marketing. Similarly, be sure to ask for referrals. You needn’t be pushy or relentless about it. Just get in the habit of closing your conversations with a simple reminder that you appreciate referred business. You could say something like “Thank you for speaking with me today. It’s always a pleasure to work with you. Could you introduce me to anyone else that you believe I could help?” If your client doesn’t have anyone in mind at that moment, don’t force it. Just remember to keep asking each time you connect.
3. Survey. Great feedback from your clients can really speak to the value that you bring. It provides real-world scenarios that demonstrate how you provide excellent service. And while we all want great feedback, learning about any potential ways in which you can improve your service is also invaluable. Consider deploying a quick, easy-to-complete survey to your clients that ask about what they like about your service and the ways in which you handle their account; and ask about any areas that might be worth improving. Ask clients to share their thoughts and ask clear questions about anything that you can do to improve your service. This process lets your clients know that you value their opinions and that you’re always looking for ways to get better. Within the survey, be sure to ask for a list of referrals, too.
4. Prioritize. So much of what insurance agents put into practice revolves around the tried-and-true basics of customer service. In all that you do, prioritize service. Establish your internal systems to focus on customer service. Encourage repeat customers to post reviews on social media and promptly respond when they make a post. Be careful of allowing too much time to slip between a question and when you respond. These days, questions can be posted publicly, and your response time is also public. Be sure to send the message that you are quick to respond to your client’s questions and concerns. You can also work to avoid client frustration by offering chatbots on your website, automated replies that provide alternative contact information or emergency/carrier phone numbers, so that there’s an outlet for support even when you’re unavailable.
5. Share. Your clients may have a good understanding of what you’ve done for them; but they may not be immediately aware of other insurance products that you can service for them. Be sure to regularly share information about all that you do and all that you can provide. Pass along helpful insights and proactively seek ways to share valuable content with your clients. Each time that you present more ways that you can help your clients, you’re reinforcing customer loyalty and retention.
Repeat sales and long-term clients can become the lifeblood for an insurance agent’s continued growth. For more ways to retain your clients, improve their likelihood of retention, and foster more referrals, get to know the resources available to you at gsnational.com.
Sources:
· https://www.paychex.com/articles/marketing/how-to-get-customers-to-return
· https://www.revechat.com/blog/repeat-customers
· https://avengedigital.com/why-your-insurance-agency-needs-a-customer-loyalty-program
· https://www.insurancerevenue.com/Blog/Insurance-Industry-Should-Get-Ready
GS National Insurance is an independently owned insurance marketing organization. We specialize in helping independent advisors increase their Health, Life, and Annuity Business. Our primary focus is the senior health insurance marketplace. We combine technology and experience to deliver high-quality service and support. Learn more at gsnational.com
