Tips for Choosing the Right Insurance Agency
When you’re searching for the right insurance agency for your business, the options may feel overwhelming. With so many agencies offering commercial insurance, how do you know which one to pick?
Here are four helpful tips for choosing the right insurance agency for business success.
Choose a Partner, Not a Salesperson
It’s tempting to view your insurance agent as just an insurance salesperson. But in reality, you should treat your insurance agent as a professional partner in your business endeavors.
When vetting insurance agents, ask yourself if you can imagine your agent joining your strategic team for a roundtable discussion. What would they bring to a meeting with your executives, lawyers, and accountants?
Your insurance agent and their agency are a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to running your business. Therefore, you should choose an agency based on stakeholder mentality, not salesmanship.
Do Your Research
Don’t hesitate to research different insurance agents and agencies to confirm that the agent you want to work with has a solid professional history.
For example, have they pursued further education and credentials, such as Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), or Certified Risk Manager (CRM)?
These credentials are well-respected because they show that the agent you’re working with has invested in their education and professional development.
Beyond credentials, you should evaluate the agency’s social media presence. Do they publish valuable information? Are they known and respected in their community? Have they invested in a website full of helpful information for their clients?
Hold Discovery Meetings
One of the best tips for choosing the right insurance agency is to schedule a sit-down with the agents you’re vetting and get to know them. If you want to work with agents who bring a stakeholder mentality to your team, you should put effort into getting to know them better.
During these meetings, focus on feeling out the agents and familiarizing yourself with the level of expertise each of them will bring to your company.
Don’t pick an insurance agency just because they’re a big corporate brand, and resist the urge to select individual agents because someone you know had a good experience with them. Instead, choose them based on their experience and whether it feels right in your gut to move forward.
Don’t Shop Rates
Rounding out our list of tips for choosing the right insurance agency is not to shop rates. Why? Because commercial insurance doesn’t play by the same rules as personal insurance.
If you’re hunting for personal auto insurance, you might be willing to settle for the cheapest agent. We don’t recommend this approach in personal settings, but we definitely advise against it in a professional context. You don’t quote out your lawyer and accountant, so why would you do so with your insurance agent?
When it comes to commercial insurance, you should move forward with an agent who’s trustworthy, intelligent, and armed with the right expertise, not one who will save you a few dollars.
Expert Commercial Insurance With Hoffman Hanono
At Hoffman Hanono, we pride ourselves on delivering the best possible service and expertise to our clients. Contact us today to learn more about our commercial insurance plans.