By Todd Sorrel, co-founder of ePayPolicy
As we approach the holiday season, take the time to identify your key clients and reach out to them with a handwritten note, letting them know how much you value their business and relationship.
Taking 5 to 10 minutes and collecting your thoughts can pay significant dividends for your agency and adds another differentiator to your business.
Even if you don’t have the resources to fully apply The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, which states that, for many events, roughly 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes) to your client base, select your top 10 and go from there.
To make your gesture even more impactful, record your efforts in a CRM and start sending notes outside the regular holiday season.
This is effective because it’s unexpected and will catch the attention of your insureds and not get lost in the shuffle of all their other holiday cards.
If you want to track your ROI, it can be as easy or as complicated as you would like.
We recommend keeping it simple to start and using the activities in your CRM or agency management system to compare renewals between those that have and those that have not received any cards.
As you get more creative with your nurturing strategy, start recording and building up a strong baseline so you can tweak and optimize your efforts in 2020.
As you continue to invest in value-offering services such as chatbots, app portals, and digital payments, don’t forget to invest in your relationship with your clients.
Learn more about ePayPolicy
Todd Sorrel is the co-founder of ePayPolicy, a digital payment processor founded by insurance experts for the insurance industry. Being an entrepreneur at heart Todd is always improving processes and operations around the office and at home. When he's not speeding up receivables, securing payments, or working on his short game he loves spending time with his wife Meghan and their three awesome kids Paige, John, and Redford.
GAHANNA, OH - Nine independent agents’ associations, including Ohio Insurance Agents, launched a region-wide survey today to uncover carrier best practices. The goal of the Northeast Carrier Alliance Survey, a series of surveys, is to give valuable feedback to carriers, provide meaningful benchmarks to agencies and facilitate communication among carriers and independent agents.
The first survey will focus on personal lines carriers’ technology usage and standards. Several thousand independent agents and brokers are expected to take the initial survey over the next two weeks.
The multi-state reach allows for a larger survey sample, adding credibility to the results. Participating associations will release the results on a state-by-state and collective basis.
The Northeast Carrier Alliance Survey is a first-of-its-kind collaboration among associations in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. The next survey will be released later this year.
About the Collaboration
Nine independent agents’ associations are participating in the Northeast Carrier Alliance Survey, including the Delaware Association of Insurance Agents & Brokers, Maine Insurance Agents Association, Insurance Agents & Brokers of Maryland, New Hampshire Association of Insurance Agents, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New Jersey, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Ohio Insurance Agents, Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island and Insurance Agents & Brokers of Pennsylvania.
About Ohio Insurance Agents Association
Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA) is the collective voice of 1,400 independent agencies that employ nearly 10,000 Ohioans. We promote, progress and protect the professional advice and guidance only independent insurance agents provide. OIA members write 82 percent of the commercial insurance policies and 44 percent of personal insurance policies in Ohio. Our purpose is to help our member agencies protect consumers and employers by offering them access to the best resources, tools and professional development programs available. OIA serves our members in four key areas: advocacy, professional development, business solutions and industry thought leadership.