We're halfway into 2021 and most agents have burst out of the gate in hopes of making up for any leftover lost time from the crazy year we called 2020. And while an eagerness to catch up and make things whole after a year of so much uncertainty is a good thing, sometimes we can lose important elements of our sales, marketing and customer service strategies along the way.
Below is a short list of common things that agents do to turn customers and prospects off without even knowing they're doing it.
Confidence is always key when it comes to selling but there's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and we all know that cockiness is a killer. You probably aren't even aware that your selling tactics are a little on the aggressive side and you're coming on too strong in your quest to hear YES. Remember the basics of selling and ask the right questions so that you can let the client accurately tell you what they need instead of you taking the lead and bulldozing them into something they've got no motivation to buy.
In your desire to close as much as you can, you're not taking the time to go back to clients you've already met with to follow up. You might be so busy reaching out to new prospects and stepping out to network or take meetings with new clients, you're forgetting to circle back on the hard work you've already put in. Your customers and potential clients want to know that their agent is present and will be accessible in every stage of the agent-client relationship, making this a crucial step that will lose you business if not done consistently as a rule.
Once agents have received all of the necessary licenses and jumped through all of the required hoops that make them eligible to sell in their state, their focus, naturally, becomes selling. Something that commonly goes overlooked is the agent's continuing education. This industry is one that's always changing and there is always more to learn. Going to a client as anything other than an expert on everything that you sell AND BEYOND will hurt you in the long run. Staying on top of your products and the products available to clients that you do not offer could be disastrous to your agency.
When a client has to file a claim, it becomes showtime for the agent. You've sold a policy as a safety umbrella and now the client needs you to come through and take care of them in their time of need. Beyond being present for your client throughout the entire claims process, you've got to do your best for them on the carrier side as well. If a client has a poor experience with you this will be indirect opposition to what you've promised them and could be a big problem for your agency in terms of potential public reviews and referrals going forward.
No one is perfect and if you're being authentic with clients, you should have no problem admitting when you've made a mistake and doing all that you can to make it right. Some mistakes aren't as obvious as others, but if you do all that you can to stay true to your word and always do your best to service your clients as you'd be serviced, you should find yourself staying ahead of the game.