"Mistakes happen to the best of us, but it’s what you learn from these mistakes that makes them worthwhile. But what if you don’t realize you’re making a mistake? Sometimes it’s easy to overlook something if it is routine to you. As an independent insurance agent, you may not even realize you’re making mistakes that are driving away customers. Here are a few common mistakes made by independent insurance agents.   Build Relationships with Your Customers Building relationships is one of the most important parts of selling insurance. Many insurance agents just want to cut to the sale, but taking the time for introductions can help build rapport. Building a relationship with your customers will increase the trust they have in you to provide them with the best quotes. In addition to building relationships with your customers, it’s important to be asking them the right questions – but more importantly, listening to their insurance needs. Many insurance agents don’t listen enough to learn what their customers are really asking for. Listening to your customers will allow you to select the best insurance products for them, not only increasing their satisfaction, but your sales. Knowing the right questions to ask will save both you and your customer time by cutting back on information that doesn’t matter for the sale. Remember the Follow Up! A way to secure a long-lasting relationship with your customer is by following up with them after the sale. Following up will confirm if your customer is happy with the product you’ve provided to them. Following up is also a great way for your customers to build trust in you and realize they are your priority. If there are any issues after the sale, this is the time to correct them. The more your customer is able to trust and like you as their agent, the more business you will do with them in the future and with any referrals they provide. A follow up can be as easy as sending an email to your customer to make sure they are satisfied with their insurance. In addition, if you tell your customer a specific time you’ll reach out to them, you need to stick to that schedule! It’s an easy way to build your customers trust and you will appear reliable and involved. Ask For a Referral If you are able to build a good relationship with your customer and satisfy their insurance needs, you should always ask for a referral. People tend to rely more on word of mouth when making a decision, and that good word of mouth will most likely lead more customers your way. A referral from a customer is a great way to reach new potential customers, and it’s easy for you to ask for at the end of a sale! Don’t Waste Time with the Wrong Issues As an independent insurance agent, you may want to talk to as many prospects as you can thinking that this is the best way to get as many customers as possible. The truth is that not all of those prospects are going to buy insurance, and it’s a waste of time talking to prospects with no intent to buy. By reducing the time spent talking to the wrong prospects and increasing the time spent talking to promising leads, you’ll be able to make the most of your time and increase your sales. Another issue independent insurance agents focus on is price rather than product. A customer will most likely want the lowest priced insurance, but it’s better to focus on the value of the policy rather than the price. The price point for a policy may be higher, but the value will far exceed the lower priced policy. In this case, you should focus more on the product instead of price. Become a Better Agent Superior Access realizes that being aware of common mistakes can be beneficial to helping you as an agent. Keep in mind how you build relationships with your customers and what you focus your time on. A few adjustments can increase your sales and make you a more efficient agent! We’re here to help you increase your business. For more information on Superior Access, please visit https://www.superioraccess.com/why-choose-us/."