The secret to growing your business is taking care of your customers. You have to build customer confidence and trust in order to build a strong, dependable consumer base. At the end of the day, people buy from people that they trust, but it’s not always easy to get people to trust you when you’re selling insurance. The fact of the matter is, many people simply don’t trust sales people. Don’t let that discourage you! There are some easy ways that you can gain the confidence of insurance shoppers.
The saying “show, don’t tell” holds true in most situations, including in the world of customer service. People want to see great reviews of a product or business before pulling the trigger on a purchase, so don’t only show your customers the work that you’ve done or have them simply read reviews from your clients; show them video testimonials of customers you’ve helped. People want to know that they are dealing with someone who truly cares about and helps people, and what better way to highlight your personal relationships with your customers than by sharing how they feel about you in their own words?
Talk About Yourself/Build A Connection
Build a connection with your customers by letting them get to know you. Don’t try to rush into a sales pitch; instead, start by talking about yourself, your children, and your pets. If your children are in sports or any after school activities, talk about them and your involvement with the school or community. When you share these aspects of yourself, customers will feel a connection with you and will be more likely to look at you as more than just an insurance agent. They will feel more comfortable opening up to you, and in the end they will feel like they have spoken to a real person, not just a salesperson.
Be there for your customers when they need you and make them top priority.
Customer service means always being ready, willing, and able to help. When a customer contacts you, be sure to contact them back as soon as possible. Always keep them informed about any changes to their policies, and serve as a resource center for them. Find any solutions to their problems if you can, and take on their problems as your own.
But great customer service is not just about the practical side of things. It’s also about showing a genuine interest in your clients and in protecting them. Customers get tired of hearing sales pitches and feeling like they are being strong-armed into a sale. They want to know that you truly care about them, so take your time with them, and ask questions so you can better understand their needs. Over-explain and be empathetic while going over their insurance options, and be honest about what plan will best work for them and why. Be genuine, and your customers will pick up on that and appreciate it.
Build A Strong Reputation
Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Reputation is everything when it comes to gaining customer confidence, so you need to build a worthy reputation for doing the right thing, which means taking the time to genuinely help customers as much as you can without being pushy. If you don’t focus on customer service, you could end up with a bad reputation, and then you can forget about trying to convince a potential customer that you are the right insurance agent for the job. Never stop working on your reputation; if you do end up with any unhappy customers, always take the time to try and make things right if you can.
Make your customers your top priority at all times. Period. There are no shortcuts when it comes to gaining confidence from your customers and potential customers. Provide them with the best service you can, be honest and transparent, and don’t cut corners. In return, you will have loyal customers and boost your sales. It’s as simple as that.
