Make sure insurance clients know your value
Conversations around value often surface these days as incumbent insurers compete with direct-to-consumer carriers that lean on technology.
Like roughly a third of Americans, according to TD Ameritrade, I adopted a new pet in 2020 to help ease the strain of the ongoing pandemic.
I started looking for a puppy before the global health crisis. Once lockdown began and shelters and rescue organizations shuttered, finding one was tough.
That’s how I ended up with a fluffy small-dog breed with which I had no prior experience, and the subsequent need to pass over grocery-store kibble and even the top-shelf foods at my local big-box pet store in search of an all-natural dog food to address some of my pandemic puppy’s unique wellness issues.
Speaking of ‘value’
Researching farm-to-table dog food got me to thinking about value, or the relative worth individuals assign to goods, services and even relationships. Conversations around value often surface among insurance professionals these days, as they increasingly compete with direct-to-consumer carriers that lean on technology to offer speedy, thrifty coverage. Such insurance products boast the box-checking instant gratification that today’s Amazon-trained consumers have come to expect. But do they truly provide value?
Not necessarily, says J.D. Power. The financial intelligence company turned its microscope on the InsurTech darling Lemonade recently and learned that although Lemonade successfully lures prospects with relatively low prices, it struggles to transition rental insurance policyholders to homeowners’ insurance policyholders. That’s because low prices don’t always equate to high product quality or great customer service.
Lemonade may be a good insurance option for a largely young, urban market that buys insurance because they are required to by their landlord. But when young adults grow up and buy homes, Lemonade’s coverage may not provide the value that homeowners are looking for in their property-protection products.
“Long-term success in the insurance business is about much more than just winning the most price-sensitive segments,” say J.D. Power thought leaders Kyle Schmitt and Robert Lajdziak. “Profitability in the home insurance space hinges on lifetime customer value.”
Bindable CEO Bill Suneson also talks about value when describing his company’s insurance-agent research. Bindable found that 66% of today’s insurance agents will retire in the next decade, and that 70% expect a partner or family member to take over their business. Rising agents and brokers are likely to “remake the industry in their generation’s image,” Suneson writes. “Our data suggests that they should be mindful of not ‘fixing what isn’t broken,’ especially when it comes to generating new business leads.”
Suneson encourages insurance professionals to avoid leaning too heavily on social media to tell their story, and to look to affinity groups such as social clubs or alumni and professional organizations as ripe terrain for prospecting.
“While it’s clear that the digital revolution is only speeding up, it’s still important to maintain a multi-pronged approach to doing business,” Suneson writes. “Likewise, agents who have been in the industry for many years shouldn’t assume that all their knowledge is useless in the increasingly tech-savvy landscape.”
Institutional knowledge still matters
There is real value in insurance-industry institutional knowledge, and this value is the fuel that will continue to propel traditional insurance organizations. The proof: Nine out of 10 insurance customers want to speak to a real person when they have coverage questions or need to file a claim, according to Bindable. This is great news for agents and brokers.
Back at the natural-foods pet store, I made peace with the idea that chichi farm-to-table dog food is worth the expense when the result is a happy, healthy and beautiful best friend. Few things are more valuable to a pet parent than that.
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