09 Feb Show You Care
It would certainly seem realistic that the way an agency brands itself is going to play a significant role in the agency’s future business success. In the words of entrepreneur William Arruda, “What makes you unique makes you successful.” There are many ideas around this topic, and I am definitely not qualified to lead that discussion, but I would like to throw an idea out there for consideration.
Put yourself in your client’s shoes and ask: what does my agency do that makes it unique? Does my agency truly convey how much it cares about me as a client? Does my agency communicate how much it cares for my community?
Teddy Roosevelt, American statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, writer, and 26th President of the United States (1901 to 1909), stated: “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” There are a variety of ways to do this.
Educating your clients is a great way to show them how much you care. Helping them understand what exposures they have and to what degree those exposures are currently insured. Clients will eventually be educated on their insurance. Unfortunately, that education may come after they have had a claim and are now being told the loss is not covered. There’s not much you can do about it at that point.
Do you want them to have a loss that is not covered? Of course not. You care about them and want them to be properly insured. To do that, a pro-active educational campaign is the best approach.
There are a variety of approaches to accomplish this, including the use of various social media platforms. When I see a message that addresses certain insurance issues, I see an agency that wants to help a client better understand the world of insurance. Obviously, the hope is that the client will secure those coverages. We all understand insurance because it is the world we have chosen to live in (yes, we are all crazy), but your clients don’t have that same level of knowledge. They are counting on you.
There are many times during the year when events provide opportunities to educate clients and prospects such as: holidays (any new gifts that need to be insured?), Valentine’s Day (how many of your clients have a new jewelry exposure?), and the fall when kids are going off to college (and now potentially have a new exposure).
While teaching E&O classes, I have heard many stories about how education has positively impacted the insurance business. In one agency, each of the staff had to do a blog post at least once a quarter. The subject of the blog could be on a variety of topics including how to cook a fried turkey, managing a little league team, or an insurance topic. The agency owner commented that he does not need to market for new business – the new business is pouring in the door. The agency showed their communities that they are good-hearted people that care about people and the communities they serve.
I see (primarily through LinkedIn) many great stories about E&O Plus agencies giving back to their communities through a wide range of events and causes. These all show how much you care for the people in the communities you serve.
By showing how much you care, it truly makes you unique.