OPTIMIZING YOUR WOW FACTOR OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH CLIENT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

OPTIMIZING YOUR WOW FACTOR OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH CLIENT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Optimizing Your WOW Factor Opportunities through Client Relationship Building Created & Presented by: Christine M. Sullivan, CIC

From the Moment the Client Visits All clients waiting should be greeted by anyone who walks by with a smile and a hello. Waiting is awkward.. Create a comfort level for them. Your goal is to make them feel comfortable and taken care of from the moment they enter.. until the moment they leave.

Establishing the Lasting First Impression What you see is what you get Goes a long way! Treat EVERY client interaction as a sales opportunity, and NOT an interruption Appearance: Neat Organized Professional Confident Research their account BEFORE meeting with them! Begin paperwork preparation Respect their privacy What do they expect?

Building Client Relationships Build a program.. And deliver on your promises Why? Price is so apparent in advertising and with conversation between consumers Recent surveys support that this is what the client wants Relationships improve: Loyalty Trust Wow Factors Referrals Minimizes: Need to shop Reason for doubt in your abilities and reasoning

Client Relationship Program Attributes: Take care of the clients you have PERFORM REVIEWS! Allows you the opportunity to GET THE TOTAL ACCOUNT through cross sell efforts. Communicates exceptional customer service Promotes Proactive vs. Reactive Customer Service Communicates agency value-added proposition. Controls/Minimizes E&O exposure Builds trust, credibility and loyalty Ensures long tenured clients Increases agency revenue Educates and enforces sales skills in CSR Account Managers Copyright Innovative Management Solutions, LLC

Agency s Value-Added Propositions Align them with the agency s vision and mission. Know them Rehearse them Communicate what they mean to the client. Be prepared to elaborate on them important value added propositions promote open conversation. When you need an alternative to price, this is your golden egg. Set a time frame to begin moving away from procedural changes such as processes, course of action and methods to more of behavioral changes which include our performance, activities, how we interact with our clients/prospects and how we conduct business as an agency. Copyright Innovative Management Solutions, LLC

Personal Value-Added Propositions Develop an effective 2 to 3 line elevator speech Include your personal value added propositions What make you so good at what you do? Why do your clients love YOU? Be prepared to use clear examples to support this.. Imagine your client saying.. prove it Practice it; this will allow for a success

Earning the trust and credibility.. the feeling that you have their back.. Create a comfort and relaxing experience for them. Goal is to ask, listen and provide assistance to THEIR needs. Set clear expectations for follow-up if needed They should not leave without feeling that you have addressed AT LEAST what they came in for.. Make it easy for THEM! Leave a lasting impression.. one they will talk about.. Ex: Black Friday experience

DO Not Get Lost In The Process We have become so process based that if we aren t careful, our behaviors will become more about processes than about the client. Are we making it easier for them or for us? Do we pay attention to body language.. or observe when other team members are working with clients? Do we strive to create and identify wow factors? Share some.

Walking your talk.. Credibility and Trust Communicate and stand by your service standards Strive to return calls/emails within the same day Set and clearly define expectations..yours and theirs.. Stand by your promises strive to meet them

Service Standard Importance Promotes professionalism, awareness and communication between clients, carriers and co-workers. Key factors: What can their clients expect from your team and services? Communication services Products and Services Risk Management Services Claim Services Agency Contacts Customer Feedback Procedures Copyright Innovative Management Solutions, LLC

Empathic Listening Defined Empathic listening: a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding and trust. Copyright Innovative Management Solutions, LLC

Empathic Listening Listening and responding to another person in a way that creates a mutual understanding and trust What will it do for you? Build credibility Establish trust Reduce tension Resolve conflict

Listening is Important! If you ask a question, listen to the answer! Let them open up to you. Choose wisely what is filed into your memory. Let them get a word in, do not stonewall the conversation. Empathic Listening is a major key to earning TRUST and CREDIBILITY both personally AND professionally! Ex: Mushroom experience

Listening is Important! (cont.) Can I communicate what they said to me, back to them? While speaking with the customer/client, did you: Use real life examples that will hit them personally? Answer their top three questions that brought them here to begin with? Create any WOW factors? If not, DO NOT LET THEM LEAVE!

Importance of Communication Communication is key to any successful agency, service, sales, and management team. Communication builds the foundation of relationships. How well do you communicate with your team, carriers, clients, and prospects?

Talking THEIR Talk Are you using words THEY understand? What are the words that are not client friendly? What are the alternatives? Share some Underwriter Upload a policy Upload a payment Covered Perils Covered loss 2A/LPR/BOR Supplemental App..

Telephone Communication Before you take the next call.. Take a minute to release the last call Refocus and remember that the next person has no idea what you just handled before their call. Tone of voice What will their first impression be? Do not sound rushed like you don t have time to speak to the person on the other end Demonstrate empathy I understand why you feel this way Once I understand your concerns /expectations I will work with you to find answers/solutions.

Telephone Communication (cont.) Avoid Distractions If you need to type during the call, please be sure to let the client know why sighs/snickers background noise! Banging on desk talking to other people, etc. Ending the call effectively Think.. have I answered all their questions or given the next steps toward solutions? Avoid ASAP.clearly define the timeframe Write it on the upper right corner as the due date Stand by your promises strive to meet them

Email/Texting Communication Be VERY careful when texting clients.. PROOF READ! OK for quick questions.. Not discussions DO NOT Address the EMAIL Until attachments are attached Does this e-mail message make sense? Are the actions clear and do they have owners? Does the e-mail message meet the P.A.S.S test? What is the purpose of this communication? What action is involved and does it have a due date? What supporting information does the recipient need? Has the communication been effectively summarized in the subject line?

Before You Press Send..Cont Is the message well-written? Is it concise while providing enough data for action to be taken or decisions made? Do the links in the message work? Are the attachments included? Address the email and confirm if the e-mail message is being sent to the correct recipients (not too many and not too few)? Has the email been re-checked for grammar and spelling?

Lack of Knowledge If you don t know the answer, DON T PANIC! This will diminish trust and credibility Always speak with confidence Gain a full understanding of the questions/concerns Record all questions yours and theirs.. Call them back when you are able to provide a solution, next steps or an update.

Leadership Development 1. Lead by Example Never expect your team to do something you would not do yourself. 2. Have Passion for what you do you can inspire so much in others through your own passion and enthusiasm. 3. Be Organized When you re organized you will be much more productive and so will everyone else. 4. Delegate You can t do everything. A great Leader needs to delegate effectively. 5. Take Ownership & Responsibility Your team needs to know that you will be there for them through good and bad times. Copyright Innovative Management Solutions, LLC 23

Leadership Development Continued 6. Communicate Effectively It s critical that you communicate to employees how their work matters in the bigger picture 7. Be Honest and Demonstrate Integrity You must learn how to present things to your team in an honest but balanced manner. 8. Be a Great Listener Motivating means listening to them, asking them questions, understanding their issues. 9. Know your Team The more you know and understand your team, the more you will be able to identify their strengths and attributes. 10. Be a Follower Being a leader-follower means finding value in your team, getting inspired by your team, encouraging your team to communicate, brainstorm and be open. Copyright Innovative Management Solutions, LLC 24