After you make the sale, it feels all the work is done. And for the most part, it is!
But if you’re interested in…
… it’s worthwhile to come up with a great onboarding process.
We have a 7-step onboarding process that will ensure you develop a lasting relationship with your new clients.
As with any business-related procedure, you can do a “lite” version or a “paid” version.
In other words, you can spend time doing it all manually, or you can upgrade to some paid automated systems that work for you in the background.
Either one works, but make sure that if you’re doing it all on your own, important steps aren’t falling through the cracks.
Related: An Insurance Agent's Guide to Mastering the Senior Market Client Relationship
If your brain is anything like mine, it doesn’t hold much – at least not accurately. After meeting with a client, it’s important to save their information for future reference.
A great database will keep all of these answers stored for you.
We strongly suggest using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The industry-specific CRM we’ve used for years is AgencyBloc.
This is a snapshot look at the individual summary screen in AgencyBloc’s system where we input all of the information for the client or prospect:
In general, you want to keep track of:
People are sometimes reluctant to give out email addresses, but if you just offer to email something to them, such as a quote or a renewal notice, they’ll often give it to you. It’ll come in handy later.
It’s also a good idea to throw some conversation notes in there.
Keeping tabs on these types of things will really resonate with your clients.
If you’re looking for a free way to keep track of client info, we suggest MedicareCENTER. To access it you do need to have at least one contract or appointment with an Integrity affiliated FMO (like New Horizons). This platform is improving constantly and includes a number of useful features – you can learn more about it here.
Another option is to try using a spreadsheet such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. However, managing multiple policies starts to get messy, and you have to keep paperwork in a separate place. While this is a potential option, I don’t recommend it.
I firmly believe that as your book grows, you’ll want to switch to a more sophisticated system, so if you have enough cashflow to use a CRM from the beginning, it’ll save you time and effort in the long-run.
I’m the first to admit that I get really excited by mail that’s not a bill or some spammy magazine.
A thank-you card is unnecessary. Let’s face it.
But the fact that it’s unnecessary and you still did shows your client how well your momma raised you. (Or something like that.)
It’s just like bringing flowers on your second date. It’s unnecessary, but your date sure appreciates it.
You should send a thank you card immediately after your first meeting or call. It doesn’t matter if your prospect bought something from you yet.
This sends the message that you are a professional, and they may hang onto your card and buy from you later.
Of course you can write your own thank-you cards, but if you find you never have time to do it, and you want it to be automated, we recommend ClientCircle or Handwrytten.
Either of these systems can automatically schedule and mail cards for clients after they enter a referral in the system. The cards appear to be handwritten, and in the case of the Handwrytten service, they actually use a robotic arm holding a pen, to write them.
It works in the background.
Here’s an example of what the Handwrytten card looks like:
When you clients do buy a policy, send a welcome letter.
This should be on your own letterhead to signify that you’re a trustworthy professional.
The content of the letter should contain some of the following things:
You don’t really have to sell them at this point. This letter is to welcome them aboard and let them know you’re available to help them with their insurance needs.
A week or two after they purchase a policy, follow up!
With a growing book-of-business, it can be difficult to keep track of all the follow-ups you need to do. AgencyBloc’s Automated Workflow component combines email with daily to-do’s to make sure no prospect or client falls between the cracks.
Here is an example process you can implement for when a client opens a new policy:
This may sound like a lot, but when it comes to communication, your clients will likely prefer multiple conversations over never hearing from you.
In fact, a study done by ClientCircle found that 81% of insurance clients leave their agent due to lack of communication.
So, even though it can feel like you’re bothering them, they’d rather hear from you than not.
Related: When Clients Ask About Commission: Senior Insurance Agent Discussions
A survey can do a number of things:
You can do this manually by sending an email that says something like “I would really appreciate it if you could take a minute of your time to give me some feedback. How did everything go?”
As always, you can do this automatically via a system like ClientCircle. An email goes out that looks like this:
In any case, a survey will give you a pulse on how well you’re doing, and it can bring you extra some benefits like testimonials or referrals during the process.
Surveys are a fine-tuned approach that can lead to testimonials and reviews, but if that isn’t a fit for your agency, you can always skip directly to requesting a Google review.
Reviews are incredibly important on the internet – think of how often you look at reviews before making a purchase on Amazon. Potential clients do the same thing when choosing an agent. You should be proactively asking all your existing clients for reviews, so that prospective future clients see that you are highly rated.
Be sure to create or claim your Google Business Profile in order to start gathering reviews.
That email address you collected on your first visit comes in handy! Sending out a quarterly newsletter to your clients is a great way to stay in touch.
In a quarterly newsletter, you want to put together some of the following elements:
Not only is this helpful for your clients, but you get a few added perks:
The more your client hears from you, the more they think of you. The more they think of you, the more likely it is that they’ll suggest your services to their friends.
You can do a quarterly newsletter via direct mail, but email is really the way to go. You won’t have to invest in printing and postage, and you can track how many people open your emails.
You can use an email service like Beehiiv or Mailchimp to send out a casual quarterly newsletter. Both platforms offer a free plan and they are not complicated to use.
Another option comes from AgencyBloc; their system allows you to send any amount of emails you desire. Here are some options you can explore to help make sure your emails are not only opened, but also read:
Related: Medicare Educational Events Compliance Roadmap: Best Practices
Lastly, be sure to send birthday and holiday cards to clients.
This is nothing new, and we all know the benefits of sending a good old fashioned occasion card.
For an automated option, ClientCircle can also send clients loyalty cards, birthday cards, and holiday cards. The birthday cards will arrive on the actual birthday as well, rather than sending them all at the beginning of the month.
To really stand out, consider sending cards for non-standard holidays. For example, most agents would choose to send a Christmas card, so you could send a Thanksgiving card instead.
Some of your older clients may not have a lot of interaction with others, so they will appreciate this, big time!
Avoid the dreaded “I never hear from my agent” dilemma. Keep your business and keep them happy and loyal by regularly communicating and showing that you care.
We know you appreciate the business — now let your clients know it, too!
Read Next: How to Manage Growth as a One-Person Insurance Agency