How Alert and Agile are You to Industry Changes?
The buzz in the insurance and financial industry is focused on the changes all around us. As a national insurance and financial industry keynote speaker audiences are constantly asking me questions about changes in regard to the financial bearing of COVID-19 on the industry, the hybrid workspace model, payment processing, legal challenges following the pandemic and similar issues. While each factor is important, to my mind the most important issue is YOU.
YOU is Not an Acronym!
Insurance expert Patricia Moore recently (May 3, 2021) stated that the industry is shifting to more customization, personalized communication and a strong desire for you to be there when they need you.
Aren’t those self-evident concepts? Unfortunately, not. As an insurance and financial industry keynote speaker and a member of the Million-Dollar roundtable, I believe that many agents were caught flat-footed when the pandemic hit because they failed to be alert and agile. It was business as usual prior to the pandemic and many agencies have not fully recovered as we enter the second-half of 2021.
The one question everyone needs to be asking themselves is “Do I have the vision, mindset and grit to be successful?” The question requires investigation on our part.
In terms of customization, no matter how much YOU feel that the customer can find online, it still comes down to your delivering solutions that match the customer’s needs in this unpredictable climate. Do you have the mindset it takes to provide real answers to your customer’s needs and not cookie-cutter fixes? Will you visualize what changes lie for your customers in the year ahead and the grit to deliver on your promises?
When we refer to “personalized communication,” we are not talking about a snail-mail letter with fancy penmanship! Now, more than ever, insured individuals, organizations and corporations want to know that you are there more them. While we live in digital times, with digital payments and digitized insurance options, it doesn’t mean that customers don’t want to hear from you. In fact, we are seeing that the opposite is true.
One of the chief complaints I hear in meetings and seminars (virtual or in-person) is that they never hear from their agents. In some cases, they don’t even know their names! Do YOU have the mindset to be there for your clients? Do you have the vision to service their needs, day-in and day out? Are you willing to have the grit to update them, offer them your expertise and care about them as people? We are, after all, in the people business, not the premium business.
Finally, are you willing to really be there when you are needed? Being there is more than a cute slogan and catch-phrase. Your clients need you as never before. Are you willing to stand-up for them in times of trouble and challenge as never before?
Will you be there for them should times get tough again? Do you have the grit to tell them that you appreciate their business and that you have their backs no matter what the future brings?
To be successful YOU must be alert and agile. 2021 can be your best year if that lesson is remembered.
For more information on booking Scott Burrows, Insurance & Financial Speaker for your next event, contact him through this website or his office at: (520) 548-1169
