How To Keep Producing Strong Despite Work-From-Home Distractions

Shifting from a corporate office to a home-office environment because of social-distancing requirements brought on by the pandemic has created a few obstacles for producers trying to grow their practices.

They have had to learn how to deal with numerous distractions and shifting priorities and to come up with strategies that allow them to successfully acquire and retain clients—often at a distance.

InsuranceNewsNet recently asked Ray Vendetti to highlight some of these obstacles and his suggestions for overcoming them. Vendetti is the owner of Vendetti Insurance Services in San Diego.

Challenges For Agents

Depending on their level of experience and client base, newer producers often face challenges different from those faced by their more experienced counterparts, Vendetti pointed out. Newer producers are often focused on finding and retaining clients.

But the ongoing pandemic and the sheltering in place that has occurred have put a hold on in-person prospecting activities, such as attending Chamber of Commerce meetings/social events, leads groups, charitable events and community events such as Rotary.

This need to social distance has placed new emphasis on how to meet and acquire prospects, Vendetti added. To meet this challenge, many producers are turning to leads programs, either by purchasing leads via the internet or through their respective companies.

“Contacting the leads really has not changed much,” Vendetti said. “It is still being done largely by phone or email. However, where reps used to set face-to-face appointments for fact finding and sales presentations, that option has now mostly disappeared, leaving them with the option of either using the phone or conducting zoom meetings."

This remote way of developing relationships has created a more complex situation for the producer, added Vendetti. Multiple contacts are necessary to help build the relationship and trust, which are required for successful client development and ultimately a sale. Because of this situation, producers now have to reach out more often than in the past in order to build trust and confidence in them and their product solutions.

The situation is a bit different for veteran producers, who often rely on reviews and referrals from current clients for prospects, added Vendetti. In many cases, they need to develop and establish a “reach out contact program” for their clients, which is far more proactive than their usual course of contacting clients during policy renewals and on their anniversaries.

Using Appointment-Setting Apps

To overcome some of these obstacles, a growing number of producers are using more appointment-scheduling apps, which help them become better organized and more focused. These apps allow them to block off times dedicated for appointments and a link to the prospect allows him or her to pick the date, times and even durations for their phone/Zoom appointments.

“The rep creates in advance the times dedicated to selling, and the prospect chooses times and dates that are convenient for them. The more commonly used apps are Calendly and Acuity,” Vendetti said.

Whether new or established, prioritizing has become essential for producers, as they perform their work and contact activities, he added. Although many producers have dedicated office spaces in their homes, the number of distractions that occur in these offices is usually higher than those in their away-from-home offices.

To address this issue, many producers have worked with their spouses or partners to set aside dedicated ‘Do Not Disturb’ times when they can perform their tasks without disruptions. “This dedicated time is established in advance with the family members in order to minimize the number of disruptions,” Vendetti said.

Challenges For Multiline Producers

For multiline agents, finding time dedicated to customer service has always been an issue--this is when they typically deal with client questions, billings, etc. While they can roll over office home phone calls to their home or cell phones, this type of “demand “ customer service often impairs their ability to actively solicit new business.

As they seek to address this issue, many multiline producers have purchased an additional phone for outgoing calls, while allowing messages that are left on office phone numbers to go to voice mail. This allows them to become very proactive in reaching out to prospects right away, and attending to service calls later.

Many companies have also developed an electronic signature option to handle new business applications remotely and to allow producers to expand their selling territory into almost any states in which they are licensed, Vendetti explained.

However, this option has presented new challenges for the sales cycle. During an in-person interview, for example, producers guide prospects through the application process as they obtain the five or six signatures that are typically needed to complete the application.

With social distancing, producers have to complete the information over the phone and then electronically send the application for review and ‘electronic signature’ to the prospect, Vendetti pointed out. Once the producer hits the ‘Send’ button, he has essentially lost control of the process and is now totally dependent on the prospect to respond in a timely fashion.

On many occasions, the producer finds it necessary to contact the prospects multiple times, either by phone, email, or text, to follow up on completing the signature requirements of the application. In addition, the electronic ability of some prospects is limited, which further slows down the entire process, Vendetti said.

Ayo Mseka has more than 30 years of experience reporting on the financial-services industry. She formerly served as Editor-In-Chief of NAIFA’s Advisor Today magazine. Contact her at [email protected].

Ayo Mseka has more than 30 years of experience reporting on the financial services industry. She formerly served as editor-in-chief of NAIFA’s Advisor Today magazine. Contact her at [email protected].