Agent/Broker Sales Tips: Capitalizing On Personal Lines

Agent/Broker Sales Tips: Capitalizing On Personal Lines

Competition from direct writers and the hard market is making it very difficult for an independent agency to grow its personal lines business. But there are opportunities to expand a personal lines book, according to those queried or writing for this special report. Suggestions include:

Agents can pursue acquisitions of, or mergers with other agencies to grow their personal lines books.

Seek strategic relationships with banks, real estate agencies or homeowners associations to generate prospects.

Look to commercial accounts for prospects for new personal lines business–perhaps by proposing a payroll deduction plan for auto or homeowners insurance.

Consider moving some functions to insurance company service centers, which would allow for the redeployment of agency personnel to prospect for more personal lines business.

Round out existing accounts to get the maximum return on a book of business and to discourage defections at renewal time.

Find or develop niche markets, such as in the recreational arena.

Expand into cross-selling of life and health insurance products, either through individual prospecting among auto and homeowners policyholders, or through group sales via employee benefits programs.

Don't overlook growth within homeowners accounts by helping clients assess their coverage needs for particularly unique and valuable possessions, such as family heirlooms, antiques, fine art, or even a baseball card collection. Insureds often do not realize that their homeowners policy does not automatically cover the true value of such specialty items. Providing coverage for valuable articles could increase premium volume and reinforce relationships with clients, while avoiding errors and omissions exposures.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, June 24, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.