The ideal journey for your insurance agency sees your brand growing steadily over months and years. Even if you start small, you want to build a loyal client base and a strong reputation for excellent products and service. This growth, however, won't happen without a...
People looking for insurance value a quick and easy online experience, and having the right tools can play a critical role in streamlining that process. Designed specifically for insurance agents, these advanced rater tools enable our agents to efficiently compare and...
Now more than ever, your insurance agency should work hard to improve its online visibility and increase lead conversions. These are two main ways to ensure that your agency stays successful and continues to beat the competition. Most consumers today, especially those...
We may live in a time of AI and rapidly advancing technology, but this does not mean that your agency should become impersonal and focused only on transactions. Customers who experience this type of interaction with an agency are not likely to sign up for insurance....
In a competitive market, customer service is what's going to set your insurance agency apart from the next. If a potential customer does not receive the service they demand from an insurance provider, they may move on to yours. This gives you the chance to provide...
The insurance industry has long since ceased to be filled with stacks of paperwork and face-to-face meetings. Your sales agents probably have wide-open diaries but still, not enough time to finish all their tasks. This is because even though they are no longer meeting...
If you still rely on outdated manual quoting systems, you are seriously slowing down your insurance agency’s productivity and lead generation process. In 2024 and beyond, your quoting system should be automated and streamlined. This will reduce customer wait times and...
Insurance agencies are just like any other business. They must be visible to grow, and to be visible, they must have an online presence and sufficient marketing strategies. If you own an agency, you will know how important brand awareness is. Potential clients must...
What exactly is "customer experience?" Does it refer to the effect a business' sales process has on a customer? Does customer experience relate to how a customer feels about interacting with a specific brand? Customer experience (CX) is about all of that and more. It...
Getting a new insurance management system for your agency is more than buying a new software tool. An insurance management system typically comes with a short onboarding period and training. This is necessary to ensure all departments know how to use the software to...
When you think of text messaging, you probably picture texts between friends and family. But text messages don’t only play a role in communication between loved ones; it is one of the main communication channels between businesses and customers. The insurance industry...
The insurance industry is like a living organism. It is constantly growing, evolving, and adapting to different circumstances. When insurance agencies do not keep up with these changes, they ‘die’ because their growth stalls. Agencies that go with the flow, so to...
Running a business requires a lot of blood, sweat, and even tears. It requires money for practical things like furniture, electronics, and staff. It needs a proper recruitment process and marketing strategy. And most importantly, running a business depends on...
The days of loopy, handwritten signatures are long gone. With people conducting business with customers worldwide, a better solution was needed. And so, back in the late 80s, the concept of a digital signature scheme saw the light. By the 20th century, electronic...
Insurance sales cycles are seasonal, just like in many other business sectors. Seasonality means business will fluctuate in your insurance agency throughout the year, and it may become what you refer to as a ‘bad couple of months. However, if you understand...
It is not easy being an independent insurance sales agent and being present with your family after hours and on weekends. This is because work often goes home with agents who have to catch up on admin and correspondence. Sales agents get discouraged because they lose...
Rejection is part of the deal when you decide to become an insurance agent. Not everyone is going to buy what you’re selling. And not every potential customer is going to be nice when turning down your insurance policies. Getting a "no" when they expected a "yes" is...
A strong and expanded online presence is something every modern insurance agency needs. We live in an age where customers want products and services at the tap of a screen. It is no different with insurance clients. They want to be able to buy insurance coverage from...
Client retention is crucial in any business but critical in the insurance sector. Without long-standing client accounts, an insurance agency would have little to no chance of survival. This is mainly because a high client turnover is harsh on an agency’s cash flow....
Data lies at the core of every successful insurance agency. Agencies use several forms of data to perform daily tasks. This information includes personal information, claims history, and paper attachments. All types of data that agencies use form part of each...
As technology advances, data remains the most valuable asset of businesses worldwide. Companies rely on data to operate, and if something happens that makes them lose some or all their data, it can have devastating consequences. For this reason, many businesses,...
Insurance is a must-have product in the modern times we find ourselves in. It is risky to drive an uninsured car and live in an uninsured house. It is borderline irresponsible to run a business that is not insured. As an insurance agency owner, you must convince...
The insurance industry once stockpiled stacks of paperwork and red tape. Then, technology abruptly entered the scene. Since the introduction of AI and other digital solutions, this business sector has been on the cusp of an overpowering digital shift. Technology...
It is almost the end of another year, which means you and your sales agents are probably working towards closing out 2023 on a positive note. It is the best time to start planning for the year ahead, too. Before the festivities really ramp up, you should invest some...
The insurance industry has undergone several transformations over the past few years, and it’s not over yet. As digital technology and customer expectations evolve, more insurance agencies realize the need to invest in the right talent to stay competitive. In 2023,...
Running an insurance agency means building an undeniably strong book of business. The total of your underwritten insurance accounts is directly related to the success of your agency. And, at some point, you may want to consider integrating a new book of business. As...
The insurance industry is highly regulated, as it should be, and it plays a vital role in providing financial security to businesses and individuals. However, despite the regulations and laws, it is not uncommon for an insurance carrier to pull out of certain states...
The festive season distracts just about everyone. You will find it no different in your insurance agency. Your employees may become more stressed while struggling to focus on work-related tasks. However, all is not lost. With the following out-of-the-box approaches,...
The agency-carrier relationship is as important as the agency-customer relationship. They are mutually beneficial and must be improved and maintained to ensure your insurance agency's success. Aside from getting the technical aspects in order (licenses, contracts, and...
The ongoing evolution of the insurance industry means that the old way of doing things no longer works. Products have changed along with client preferences and expectations. You may also have noticed that your current customer base starkly contrasts with what it was...
The process of annual insurance policy renewals starts with a simple but essential renewal reminder. If you run an insurance agency, you will know how important it is to balance reminding clients to renew their policies and not overwhelming them with reminders. It is,...
Customer retention lies at the core of any successful agency. Think about it this way: if you had to continuously gain new customers and convince them to buy your insurance products, your bottom line would soon suffer. On the other hand, existing customers who renew...
The business landscape, including insurance, no longer views communication the way it always has. With the help of the internet, most businesses and insurance agencies can now access versatile and affordable communication systems. One of the best technologies to come...
After the unexpected obstacle that was the COVID-19 pandemic, there is another threat on the horizon in the insurance industry. The growing talent shortage makes it difficult for insurance agency owners to grow their brands. Even though the industry has fared...
Setting and achieving realistic goals is one of the key measures of success. Whether your agency wants to improve its daily operations or earn more revenue, the SMART concept can help you revolutionize your goals. SMART goals are ones that are Specific, Measurable,...
The most identifiable challenge in the insurance industry is its continuous evolution. This makes it hard to stay ahead of the curve and keep customers and carriers happy. From managing client data to ensuring compliance, the demands on your agency will only keep...
It’s not always easy for insurance agencies to stay compliant with industry regulations. Not only is there a barrage of rules to follow, but insurance regulations seem to evolve continuously. However, you won’t be able to plead ignorance if you don't stick to the...
A seamless claims experience with your agency is no longer a “nice to have” but a necessity. Your clients expect efficiency from your business, especially when they need to file a claim. The best way to cater to a client’s expectations is to help your agents embrace a...
If you’re not effectively monitoring your sales team’s performance, it’s time to start doing so. The better your agents perform, the more successful your agency will become. As such, tracking and enhancing your agents’ progress is critical to the future of your...
The art of listening is essential to a healthy relationship between an insurance agent and a client. The agents must listen to a client’s concerns and queries, as the client listens to the information provided by the agent. The agent-client relationship forms the...
A fundamental shift is taking place in the insurance sector. Agencies steadily continue to phase out the traditional way of communicating with clients. In its place is transformative communication driven by technology and changing consumer expectations. In plain...
Have you thought about who might take over your insurance agency when you decide to retire? Or maybe you want to start another business venture but don’t want to close your agency. If you’re starting to think in this direction, it’s time to implement succession...
Just because "everyone needs insurance" doesn’t mean you should sit back and wait for customers to come to you. While you’re waiting, your competitors have social media, TV, and radio campaigns running on different advertising channels, which means their business...
We’re past the halfway mark of 2023, and with the advent of AI and other incredible technologies, customer expectations in all industries continue to evolve rapidly. As an insurance agency, you may have noticed that your customers no longer want to engage with stacks...
Consultative, or needs-based, selling focuses on building positive customer relationships by providing a product that solves their problems. This sales approach relies on four simple principles based on psychology: Ask questions Listen to the answers Provide a...
The insurance world can't work if agencies and brokers do not have a trusted and collaborative relationship with insurance carriers and underwriters. You may have encountered issues in your agency with carriers or underwriters due to a lack of communication or simply...
Let’s face it, selling insurance is not easy. An insurance policy is not a tangible, instantly gratifying product. For instance, it takes many years for a retirement annuity to pay out. Or a customer may pay for vehicle insurance and never (hopefully) need to claim....
As an insurance agency, you can only sell a product to someone when you know their insurance requirements. The same goes for your community. You can only serve the members of your community if you know what they need. If you’re not already doing it, you should start...
As technology revolutionizes most business sectors, some insurance agencies prefer to rely on offline marketing strategies. Not evolving with technology is a disadvantage because online audiences and their insurance requirements keep growing exponentially. If your...
For insurance agency owners, the concept of insurance policies is easy to understand. They know their products like the back of their hands and can recommend insurance solutions without much effort. It’s not so easy for customers with insurance needs but no real...
Finding success with your insurance agency relies on more than just initial client interactions. While securing a customer’s interest is vital, the follow-up often makes all the difference. Keep reading to discover how something as simple as a follow-up call can help...
Trust matters in any relationship and is a deciding factor for clients when choosing an insurance provider. To build a lasting relationship with your clients, you must establish an unwavering foundation of trust in your insurance agency. Doing this will give you a...
Growing an insurance agency in a positive economic climate is a challenge. Doing so in a tough economy is can seem like an impossible task unless you have foolproof strategies to rely on. These strategies include faultless planning, adaptability, and effective...
Agents must master the art of persuasion if they want to reach and exceed their targets and excel in the insurance industry. Psychological selling isn’t about tricking customers into buying products they don’t need. It is about understanding the reason behind consumer...
The insurance industry will always need new and innovative ideas and processes to keep up with its competitors. Creating a culture of collaboration in your agency will allow your sales agents to drive creative brainstorming sessions and find solutions to ongoing...
Sales are essential to the success of your insurance agency. Whether you have a small startup or a well-established agency, having realistic sales goals helps your agents stay focused, motivated, and on track to meet their objectives. The following step-by-step...
For many insurance sales agents, speaking to customers is a breeze. Most sales agents get into a sales career because they love meeting new people and helping them solve their problems. But there comes a time when insurance agents must have uncomfortable or downright...
Technology in insurance agencies is no longer a luxury but a business necessity. When you look at the speed at which AI transforms several industries, your agency cannot afford to stay behind. Are your agents tracking quotes and storing customer information using an...
The insurance market is more competitive than ever. In 2023, insurance agencies are trying to outdo others by offering low prices and incentives. So, if you own an insurance agency, how do you differentiate your business in a highly competitive environment? The answer...
Detailed marketing and advertising strategies go a long way toward attracting clients. However, nothing beats good old-fashioned customer referrals. While most customers only make one referral, 34% make up to 10 referrals. If you know how to encourage your clients to...
Leadership forms the core of a successful business. Leaders are in charge of inspiring employees and maintaining morale. They solve problems and get results. Without effective leadership, a company would be directionless and without vision. Poor leadership leads to a...
Making more money with renewals depends on your customer relationships. If you build long-lasting relationships, you will discover that renewals are an invaluable source of income. This is why it’s imperative that you don’t miss renewals as they come up. One of the...
While some insurance agencies still accept cash payments, yours shouldn’t. Not only do cash payments pose a risk to your business, but you can lose money by continuing to receive cash. Here are some of the most important reasons your insurance agency should stop...
Every insurance agency wants to make more sales, generate more profit, and eventually expand operations. But the responsibilities grow as you get more clients. It is not just about selling insurance anymore. There are many other essential roles to fill, such as...
A high retention rate correlates with high profits. If your policyholders stay loyal to your agency, you can generate revenue through renewals and referrals. Unfortunately, there is a lot of competition in the insurance industry. Customers are constantly bombarded...
Sending text messages can be one of the most effective ways to acquire more clients in the insurance industry. If your insurance agency hasn't considered an SMS (Short Message Service) marketing strategy, now is the time to do so. Why Should Your Insurance Agency Use...
Building a relationship with the customer is vital in an industry or business that offers intangible services, like insurance. How you treat your customers and how they feel towards working with you impacts retention rate, lead generation, and profit in the long run....
Job burnout is a real issue that has a huge impact on individuals and companies. In highly competitive environments like the insurance industry, it is particularly important for agency owners and managers to know the signs. Preventing burnout is key to maintaining a...
As technology advances, it’s common to wonder whether AI will replace independent insurance agents. Maybe you are worried about the future of your career or maybe your clients want to know if you will always be around to help them. AI Will NOT Replace Independent...
Choosing the right insurance agency management system is an important decision. You want something that will help your team work efficiently, let you track your profits and commissions, and improve the client experience. But what specific features should you be...
Savvy insurance agencies use tools and technology to work more efficiently. With the right customer portal, you can empower your customers, reduce your workload, and focus your efforts on more important tasks. What Are Agent and Client Portals? Understanding how...
Automating aspects of your insurance agency can be an excellent strategy to save time and improve efficiency. Your agents and other team members won’t have to spend as much time on repetitive tasks, freeing up agents to deliver better client service, whether that...
It makes sense for insurance agencies to embrace technology, as you can use it to enhance your productivity, customer satisfaction, and nearly every other aspect of your agency. But you must use digital tools carefully. You don’t want to lose that consultative,...
No one likes it when insurance rates increase. Your clients are worried about how the higher rates will fit into their budgets. Meanwhile, you are concerned that they will look for another insurance agency that offers lower rates. But with the right strategies, you...
With the rise of InsurTech (insurance technology) companies, many people have started to wonder if insurance agents will become obsolete. We don’t think this is a concern, as insurance agents have plenty to offer that you can’t get from direct carriers or InsurTech....
When hiring insurance agents for your agency, you will have to decide whether to set them up as employees or independent contractors. Whatever setup you choose will affect how you pay them, the tax forms to fill out, and the benefits and other resources you must...
Every insurance agency should have an employee handbook, which will clarify matters for both you and your employees. Take a closer look at some of the most important reasons to create a handbook for your insurance agency. It Outlines Responsibilities and Expectations...
Managing insurance agents is just one of many challenges you face when running an insurance agency, but it is crucial. After all, your insurance agents are responsible for selling your policies and are the people your clients most closely interact with. As such, you...
With the new year approaching, now is the time to make sure your insurance agency is organized and ready to handle what 2023 throws your way. With the right preparation, you can start the new year off right and set yourself up for success. You don’t have to follow all...
Renewals are a crucial part of running an insurance agency. After all, retaining an existing client is more cost-effective than attracting a new one. You likely already have some ideas of how to boost renewals, but there is always room for improvement. Keep the...
Any company is always in search of ways to improve productivity. While it’s easy to find general advice for boosting productivity, not every method you find online will apply to an insurance agency. While some general tips will be helpful, you will get the best...
Some industries change more quickly than others, and insurance is one of them. This means that successful insurance agencies are those that embrace change. Take a closer look at some of the ways that you can embrace change and help your agency continue to adapt to the...
Running an insurance agency is complicated, and you should track crucial metrics to ensure that you meet your goals. The only issue is that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of metrics you could theoretically track. So, which ones are the most important? We’ve...
Creating a winning insurance agency culture puts you well on your path to success. Successful leadership will inspire your team, helping them deliver excellent service and make sales. That’s not the only way that your agency culture affects clients. Your insurance...
There are two main leadership approaches for any insurance agency - micromanaging and empowering. As a rule of thumb, it is almost always better to empower your team members instead of micromanaging them. But what does empowerment mean, and how do you implement this...
When running an insurance agency, you are always in search of ways to save time and money without sacrificing the quality of service you offer clients. One excellent tool for doing this is the client portal from Jenesis. What Is the Client Portal? The Jenesis client...
Customer loyalty is a crucial part of any insurance agency, and part of that loyalty will come from engagement. But it can be overwhelming to figure out how to keep your customers engaged. Understanding How to Boost Client Loyalty Before getting into how you can keep...
Most insurance agencies hope to expand their operations, but this will come with some growing pains. While there will be struggles as you grow, each of those will also present an opportunity to improve your agency and your revenue streams. Learn some of the most...
To build client loyalty in your insurance agency, you want to have a customer-first approach and prioritize the needs of your clients. But how do you do this? Take a closer look at what a customer-first strategy is and how to create one by anticipating your clients’...
For your insurance agency to grow, you must constantly look toward the future. One of the ways to do so is by thinking about what types of insurance products to offer. A perfect example of something that is essentially non-existent but will be incredibly widespread is...
Every insurance agency should always look for ways to deliver a better client experience and boost sales. You can do both by offering cyber liability insurance on top of what you currently offer your business clients. This is one of the newer types of insurance, but...
As you market your insurance agency, don’t forget to include reputation management strategies. Reputation management is crucial for any company, but it is especially important for insurance agencies, as your clients need to trust you. Discover more about reputation...
As an insurance agency, you almost certainly have a book of business. Even if you haven’t heard the term book of business, you most likely have one. This is simply the list of clients that you maintain. You probably have your insurance agency management software...
Before getting into the details of how you can thrive despite inflation, make sure you understand why it is such a concern. Overall inflation across all sectors means that the items for which you offer insurance will cost more. With autos and homes having higher...
To maximize your insurance agency’s sales, you need to ensure that your team has sufficient training. One of the best ways to prepare your agents for various scenarios is to engage in role playing. This will let them practice some of the most common scenarios. It will...
One of your key roles as an insurance agency is managing claims. You need to do so efficiently and effectively. Not only does this ensure client satisfaction, but it is also essential to running your agency smoothly. The following tips should help you manage claims...
You know your insurance agency should always be in search of new clients, but you may be overlooking a crucial segment. If you sell any type of business insurance or insurance that could be applicable to businesses, you should be targeting seasonal businesses....
If your insurance agency offers flood insurance, this is the perfect time of the year to work to sell more of it. Doing so will help your bottom line and protect your clients from the financial impact of flood damage. We’ve gathered some of the best ways to sell more...
Just because you went through the hard work of starting an independent insurance agency, that doesn’t mean you want to keep it forever. At some point, you may want to sell it. Maybe you want to move on to another phase of your life or you have another reason. Every...
To provide the best service to your clients, your insurance agency needs to have a solid team with the right employees. The process of finding the right people for your insurance agency’s team starts with your job posting. Job descriptions are an especially important...