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"What's happened to the kitchen table?" I wondered as I reviewed the renewals of my homeowners and auto policies. Accompanying the policies was, of course, a cover page containing the name of my assigned agent whose job it is to ensure that my personal assets are properly protected and that I have adequate coverage to provide the "peace of mind" that I'm looking for.
I don't know this agent and this agent doesn't know me. I remember that when I first purchased these policies, my wife and I sat down with an agent (not this one) to review our current needs and craft an insurance plan to meet those needs. I remember that he referred to it as our "insurance program" and, after attaining the peace of mind that I was looking for, I remember feeling safe and protected.
Since that day, much has changed in our life and to our lifestyle. Unfortunately, after signing the premium check, we never saw that agent or any other agent again; and we have only a vague understanding of the effect that these changes may have on our "program." Additionally, over the years we've been notified of revisions to our policies and I'm unsure of the impact that these changes may have. Sure--I can read through the pages of the policies and try to figure it out. And I do. Read that is, never feeling confident that I figured anything out. Gone, long ago, is the "peace of mind" that I once had bought.
Regretfully, I'll end up doing what I do every year. I'll renew the existing policy with the invisible agent, cross my fingers, say a prayer, and hope for the best. Never quite sure of what I bought, who I bought it from, or if it's right.
If I am your client, and if there are others like me in your book of business, then I urge you to get busy. Somebody, someday, is going to come along and pluck my homeowners, auto, life, and disability programs out of thin air and make me their client. They'll do so not because they're better than you are, not because they're smarter than you are, not because they have access to cheaper products and better markets. They'll do so simply because they showed up. They are where you should be.
But let's suppose that retention of your existing book is a priority, and you'd like to be back in the business of creating new business. Conditions have never been better for you to get up, step out, and do what we in the industry are truly here to do—proactively provide our clients with enough information to make educated decisions about the design and cost of their insurance programs.
Here are seven strategies for putting the "personal" back into personal lines.
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