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Worst Insurance Customers EVER!

Is it their fault or ours?

 

  

"Are my customers really screwing me by not keeping the appointment… by not making the “buy” decision… by asking questions which I have answered already?"

If your answer is, "yes" – I agree with you, they probably are screwing you! 
If your answer is, “no” – I agree with you too

Now, let’s agree that neither one of the above answers is inherently wrong.  They are what they are – the sum or our interpretations based on interactions we have with our customers combined with our past experience. 

We should address whether these are legitimate questions to ask.  Is it really okay to ask if our customers are intentionally messing with us?  Some people would say – “NO!”  And, in doing so, turn a blind eye to the fact that there are moments when they do feel this way, and by failing to address this they become the agents of their own failure. 

Well, as I am sure you can imagine, I believe there is significant benefit to asking these types of questions, and there is tremendous value in our ability to recognize why we are asking this type of question.

The very act of recognition allows us to ask the important question – What should we recognize when we find ourselves pondering how badly our customers are treating us?  The point being that we are all different people with varied skills and outlooks which come pre-laden with plenty of baggage & mental blocks, which usually end up being reflections of our own dissatisfaction.  However, if we can take ourselves out of ourselves by recognition of something, then we have an opportunity for real evaluation and positive action.

Recently, I spoke with a fantastically intelligent MBA Graduate, who was trying to start a multi-line insurance agency.  To his own admission, he was struggling, and blaming his failure on everything and everybody but himself (bad leads, bad telemarketers, bad potential customers – well, you get the picture.) 

I finally asked him what his goals and visions were for his agency.  His goal was to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible.  Now, a multi-line insurance agency typically requires extensive time investments with each client in order to build the relationships necessary to meet their needs. 

• So, considering his goals & visions, was he a good fit to start this type of agency? 
• No.
• Would being bound by the inherent requirements of this type of agency make him unhappy? 
• Yes.
• Do these things make him a bad person? 
• No.

 

  

What it made him was, very simply, somebody who needed to re-assess his goals and make a change.  He is now a very successful “high powered” life agent.

Remember, it is a good thing to discern and ask questions about how our customers are reacting to us.  I would submit, though, it is much more important for us to be able to recognize whether it is the intention of our customers to annoy, and question us or our own projections which cloud our interpretation of their actions. 

So, next time you find yourself being eaten away by the apparent idiocy of your potential customers or clients – make an effort to remove yourself from yourself and recognize “why” you are annoyed.  Then, if required, be brave and make a change!