What makes a great insurance agent? 

1. They are an independent agency. (Aka they shop FOR you)
2. You were referred to them by family or a friend. (Clearly they make the cut)
3. They ask about you and discuss your actual insurance needs. Not just throw packages at you and high level jargon.
4. They are just getting started once you sign with them. (Customer service should be their calling card)
5. They act as insurance concierge. (No one wants to be fumbling through their insurance binders for a number to call when something goes wrong.)
6. They explain what to do in order to lower your rates and call you whenever there is something you can do to lower your coverage plans.

1) They are an independent agency.

(Aka they shop FOR you)

Most people don’t think about this at the time of purchasing insurance. What they think is happening is their agent is getting them the best coverage for the lowest rate possible. But what is actually happening is their agent is only getting them the best price that their company offers. Big difference! An independent agent shops for the best coverage and best pricing through several different companies until you help decide what is the best fit. The other agents are just doing the best they can with what they have. It is like Mondo Duplantis at a local track meet here in Lafayette. Every other pole-vaulter is jumping as high as they can and every sprinter is running as fast as they can. Mondo only jumps and runs as high and as fast as he has to in order to win. 

2) You were referred to them by family or a friend.

(Clearly they make the cut)

Why would your family and friends send you to some sleazy cat selling insurance out the trunk of his mom’s sedan? They wouldn’t. If your family is satisfied with the service that they received, you can bet that they aren’t dealing with some high level commercial scam artist. 

3) They ask about you and discuss your actual insurance needs.

Not just throw packages at you and high level jargon.

We, us men especially, like to think that we know what we are talking about when it comes to…well… everything. We tell our insurance agents exactly what we want as though we are buying a car off the lot. We have heard what our parents have and our friends have when it comes to coverage and we want the same thing for not a penny more! If you agent goes with that and doesn’t ask any questions, run! Your agent should ask you A LOT of questions. This shows you that they want to know your needs and will work to get you the best coverage for the lowest rate. Not sell you a Hummer when all you need is an Accord. 

4) They are just getting started once you sign with them. (Customer service should be their calling card)

Once you finish the paperwork, high performance agents know that is only the beginning. Now they can really get started with the service part of the arrangement that large insurance companies miss. You should feel as though you have a service agent waiting to help. Not an automated operator that can field your call at anytime, following a wait on hold for up to four or five minutes. I know the voice tells me that my call means a great deal to you, but my wait time and menu option navigating doesn’t really feel that way.

5) They act as insurance concierge.

(No one wants to be fumbling through their insurance binders for a number to call when something goes wrong.)

You should have your insurance agent's number saved in your phone. If you have to fumble through paperwork to find the right number to dial depending on the accident that occurred, you have the wrong agent. You should be able to call and have them get to work. Could you imagine getting your purse or wallet stolen and yelling at a near by police officer and before they pursue the perpetrator, they ask you a laundry list of questions that you can’t answer. Yea right! When accidents happen, leave it to the experts and rest easy.

6) They explain what to do in order to lower your rates

(They call you whenever there is something you can do to lower your coverage plans.)

Have you ever had a contract that right when you realized you don’t need the product or the service any longer that your “automatic renewal” just kicked in fourteen minutes before you called to cancel? Yea… that sucks. What if your agent called you and discussed the upcoming renewal and asked even more questions in order to get you a lower rate as opposed to locking you in to the same coverage and price? Well, that is what high performance agents do for their clients. You aren’t just a number to them. They know that if they exceed your expectations, you aren’t going to stray far from the reservation.

Just because we need insurance, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t enjoy the process of buying it and having a valuable business relationship with our agents. Choose your agent wisely.

This blog post was authored by a client of Thimmesh Kastner Insurance using his real world experience with his agent Levi Kastner. 

About the Author: Tyler LaFleur

Tyler LaFleur is the owner and operator of HPHI (High Performance Health Institute). HPHI is a hybrid of Functional Medicine, Health Coaching, Corporate Wellness, and Direct Primary Care.