“Strictly Sales” is written by the faculty of the Dynamics of Selling program. This month's column is from David Connolly, ARM.

YOU'VE just landed a new client. The check has cleared the bank. The battle is over, and victory is yours. Now you can settle in to the routine of delivering great service to your new client according to your agency's schedule.

Not so fast! Don't count your chickens even after the eggs have hatched. The first 30 days after a new sale is a vulnerable time for a new agent. Many newly won clients have been recaptured by former agents who never give up and are willing to say or do anything to keep a client. We call this period “shark time.” The gloves come off, and most of the gentlemanly rules of engagement go out the window. After all, the incumbent/former agent has nothing to lose.

Even after losing a client, the former agent is in a powerful position. To your new client, the former agent is a known quantity. He or she may be a friend, colleague or business associate. We, the new agents, are still virtual strangers. We have yet to deliver any services that distinguish us from the former agent, so we are not yet in a position of strength; at best we are neutral. Once clients fire the former agent, their guard drops and their mentality shifts. They are only human and are likely to feel remorse and other emotions that may make them vulnerable to an incumbent “comeback.”

We all experience self-doubting buyer's remorse within a few days of a large or time-consuming purchase. We revisit the sale in our mind to be sure we made the right choice. Often we become suspicious of the person or organization we purchased from and focus on evidence that seems to discredit our choice. This emotion is so prevalent that most states have laws allowing buyers to cancel major purchases for up to 30 days after a sale. The insurance industry allows a 30-day window for clients to change their minds without penalty. This can allow the former agent back in, especially if the first 30 days don't go well.

You helped your new client recognize his pain to get him to switch, and the former agent might use pain to get the client back. People will do almost anything to avoid pain, including the pain associated with guilt. A sharp agent will use guilt, fear, doubt and anything else in his arsenal to create pain and make the client change his mind. Remember, you are cutting into the incumbent's pocketbook. When he uses all the emotions at his disposal, it's pretty easy for a new client to cave in and go back to the incumbent.

“Shark-proofing” a new client involves three steps that protect the client from the incumbent-and from himself.

Insulation: You can insulate new clients from the shark by helping them mentally prepare for the immediate onslaught of accusations from their former agent. You should do this right after they agree to give you their business.

Compliment new clients on their choice and reinforce the idea that they have made the right decision.
Explain that good service costs good money, which is why you earn a full commission on their account, and that it only averages 10% to 12%, which is why you need every penny to deliver everything you promised. This prevents the former agent from accusing you of cutting commission to get the account and forecasting terrible service because you can't afford to service the account.
Explain that your agency has been around a long time, is financially stable and fiscally conservative and will be around for a long time to come. Discuss the carrier's financial rating, history and stability, as well as the tenure of any carrier personnel you know.
If you have placed new clients in a special program or niche marketing plan, make sure they understand that it's a successful program and has been around for several years.

Investment: The more that people invest in a relationship, the more difficult it is for them to leave. Get your new clients fully invested in their new relationship immediately after the sale.

Once the deal is done, ask clients to show you around the establishment and introduce you as “our new agent” to all staff members you will be working with. Once clients say, “This is our new agent,” the relationship becomes real-and once they have announced the relationship to fellow employees, it becomes embarrassing to change their minds.
All financial transactions and logistical tasks-such as signing electronic-fund-transfer forms and collecting checks-must take place at the time of the sale. Money must change hands, and contracts must be signed. Every signature from a client requires additional mental and emotional commitment.
Service timeliness and contracts must be reviewed in detail, agreed to and signed. This reassures the client that you are serious about proactive service and that you will address your new client's pain.

Influence: The same day a deal is done, immediately after you leave a new client's office and before the client fires his old agent, your agency should make a series of phone calls.

Your agency president, principal, partner or office manager must call to welcome the new client into the fold, give his or her direct-dial number to the client, reassure the client that service will be excellent, and ask if there is anything the client needs immediately.
A customer service representative should call to introduce himself or herself and ask how the new client prefers services to be delivered-by voice mail, e-mail or fax, for instance. The CSR also should ask for an introduction to the primary day-to-day contact and be transferred to that person to get acquainted and take care of any immediate needs.
Initiate a phone call from the individual who introduced or referred you to the new client, or a center of influence or mutual contact, congratulating the client on his decision, and stressing that he made the right choice.

Any one of these activities will help insulate your new clients from the attack of the former agent. Using all of them in a professionally orchestrated process will make your new clients shark-proof.

Special Reports /

Strictly Sales: How to 'shark-proof' your new accounts

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