The "DOs" and "DON'Ts" of Customer Insurance Reviews

Regularly meeting with existing customers is one of the best ways to grow and elevate your insurance agency.

These meetings strengthen your relationship with customers, thus improving their retention and likelihood of giving you referrals.

They also provide you with upsell opportunities.

To help make these meetings more effective, we’ve compiled a list of customer insurance review DOs and DON’Ts.

Adhering to these tips will help these appointments be productive, rewarding, and a good experience for you AND your clients.

Customer Insurance Review DOs

DO focus on educating your clients.

You want your clients to feel like this meeting is valuable for them.

If they learn more every time they meet with you, they will likely keep coming back.

They will also be more likely to buy more products if they understand them.

DO be personable and take an interest in your clients.

Nobody wants to feel like they’re just another sale.

Make sure your clients know you care about them by remembering details about them.

Some agents even go as far as sending birthday and Christmas cards.

DO keep your meetings short.

Around 30 minutes is the right amount of time.

If you go much longer than this, getting your clients to come back in for a review in the future will be tough.

DO conduct your meetings in your office (face-to-face) or on a video call whenever possible.

This keeps the feel of the meetings consistent.

It also keeps you in control, and you won’t ever misplace your files or resource materials.

DO review your client’s file the day before the meetings.

If you are unprepared and look like you are winging it, your client will feel unimportant and probably irritated.

Plus, you may overlook potential cross-sell opportunities.

DO offer a visual explanation.

If you have a whiteboard in your office, use it.

Explain what the numbers in your client’s policies mean.

Use charts and graphs where applicable.

DO follow an alphabetical approach to scheduling appointments.

We’ve found that the best way to ensure you meet with all your clients throughout the year is to work through your entire list of names alphabetically.

Read more about list strategy - Should I Have a Strategy Behind the Lists I Use?

DO tell clients you’re not going to sell to them.

NOBODY likes to be sold to.

The point of the meeting is to make sure your client has the coverage understanding they need with their policies.

If it so happens that their needs have changed and they need more coverage, let them make the decision.

Tell your clients that you will not try to sell to them.

DO remember to follow up.

What good is the meeting if you don’t take any action?

Ensure you have send-able information ready for your clients to help them know what coverage they need.

Remember to make any changes to the policies that are required.

Customer Insurance Review DON’Ts

DON’T sell during the policy review appointment.

Hard-selling during the meeting may offend your clients.

Make notes of coverages that need to be updated or changed.

If the customer wants more information on this, provide it to them.

Follow up a week or so after the meeting to discuss additional policies that might be relevant.

DON’T focus on price.

Focus on the coverage and service you are providing instead of the price.

Once the topic comes up, that will be your client’s primary concern.

DON’T allow any distractions.

Turn off alerts on your phone and computer to minimize any distractions.

If your client feels like you’re distracted, they’re much less likely to come back for a review in the future.

DON’T wing it.

Spend a day or two before the meetings reviewing your client’s needs assessment, policies, and past notes.

You’ll seem more professional and be better prepared to cover your clients' needs.

What other DOs and DON’Ts have you learned in your experience with customer insurance reviews? Let us know in the comments below!