It’s generally agreed that to be successful in health insurance and employee benefits sales, you need to possess some, if not all, of the following qualities:
• Good sales abilities
• Focus on needs, not commissions
• Outstanding customer service skills
• Enthusiasm and energy (especially during “peak season”)
• Persistence
• Embrace of transparency and honesty
Certainly, all those characteristics and traits are important, but we think there are three other skills that are essential to a thriving career as an insurance or benefits agent. Here’s a look at each.
1: Focus on relationship-building: Developing strong relationships with your clients is essential. Ask, listen, and act. To best serve the interests of your clients, it’s important to get to know them, their needs, and goals. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Aim to establish trust with clients and prospects by listening to their concerns, understanding their needs, and offering up solutions.
2: Develop a deep understanding of available plans and programs: As a new insurance agent, it’s crucial that you gain a comprehensive understanding of the health insurance options available. Knowledge of the ins-and-outs of different policies will allow you to guide your clients confidently toward the solution that will best address their needs – and the needs of their employees.
3: Have an insatiable appetite for learning: Not only is Continuing Education a requirement of many state insurance regulators, but it is also in your best interests. Staying up to date on evolving trends helps you and your clients. Today’s insurance marketplace is dynamic, with changes in rules, regulations, products, services, and customer preferences occurring frequently. Don’t risk losing business to another insurance professional who is better informed. Commit to continuous learning and staying up on market trends to ensure you are able to offer the most relevant advice, products, and services to your clients.
These three things can help you attract and retain new customers – and distinguish you and your way of doing business from other insurance sales professionals.
Another Way to Differentiate Yourself
You can also set yourself apart from your competition by aligning yourself with a general agency (GA) partner. A good GA – like Word & Brown – can provide you with back-office support to speed up your quoting, underwriting, and business processing. A strong portfolio makes a difference, too. Word & Brown’s offers a broad range of Small Group and Large Group products and services. In California, we can also help you with Individual & Family Plan (IFP) sales. Best of all, our quoting, enrollment, service, and renewal support are available to you at no cost.
Just like your customers count on you and your agency, you can count on us. We’ve been partnering with brokers for nearly 40 years.
If you’re already working with us, talk with your Word & Brown representative about what we can do to help you quote, write, and renew more business. If we are not yet working together, fill out our online registration form or call us today at 800-869-6989 to get started.
