Mail an annual “Call Me” postcard to your existing client base. You want to keep the card very simple and to the point. I suggest saying: “Call Me” We need to discuss the insurance coverage you have with our agency. Call between: put your hours of operation here, and ask for: hand written name of agency contact. Mail these to all your clients. I would emphasize that you use a postcard over a letter for two big reasons. A. Postcards are hard to ignore. They do have a better chance of being read before getting tossed. B. If you use the right size, they are cheaper to mail.
Our experience is that about 10% to 20% of your clients will call you. The rest will require a call from your agency. So what do you say when they speak to you about the postcard? Keep in mind many will believe there is something wrong with their policy, so you need to be ready.
Give your staff a script or at least a list of bullet points for addressing your client’s concerns. Here are some suggestions:
- First thank them for their call, and assure them that their policy is still in force.
- Remind them that at least a year has go by since they’ve reviewed ALL of their coverage with you and many things may have changed in their lives that could possibly cause their current policy to be inadequate or unnecessary. Here in Florida we always have the annual hurricane season as a reason for us to contact our clients. Perhaps in your community you have a similar problem such as wild fire season, tornado season, or even seasonal floods or freeze conditions that your clients need to be prepared for annually. Even if you don’t have annual seasons of peril, you can still remind them that life itself is constantly changing and so do our needs for insurance. Be sure to educate your clients on the fundamental fact of P&C insurance. Insurability must be proven at the time of loss, not just during the underwriting process, in order for a claim to be paid, so by reviewing their policies on a regular basis, they won’t have any UN pleasant surprises when they do have a loss.
- Once you have reviewed the policies they have with your agency, be sure to ask them about the other lines of insurance they have elsewhere. Here’s an example: “I noticed that we don’t carry your car insurance, why is that?” Make sure they give you some kind of answer before you say another word! Whatever the reason, chances are that will be the objection to the sale and it must be addressed. The good news is that there are only three common objections that you need to be prepared to handle. A. Your policies are too expensive. B. You don’t offer coverage through a company I trust. C. I didn’t know you offered that type of insurance. Please note that C. could be translated into: “I don’t believe you have the expertise to handle this type of insurance.” The bottom line is that everyone in your agency that is expected to field these calls must be prepared to both review your client’s current coverage and to cross sell additional policies.
Finally, make sure that this whole process is documented. Be sure to document any client conversations, as well as voice mails you left for your clients, in your client management system and to keep dated copies of all mailing labels used in the process along with any agency scripts used. Why? The number one reason for an E&O claim is failure to offer coverage. By using this annual “Call Me” card program and keeping good documentation you will be able to show that you’ve done your best in keeping your clients policies current and appropriate for their needs. The burden of proof otherwise will be shifted back to the accusing party.
