— Until they have a loss then they want a local agent to walk them thru the problem at no cost.
Of course they know all the coverages and never get a gap, like no uninsured motorists. Or maybe two 4 car garages with a replacement cost of 50,000 each (100,000 total value) and the homeowners policy only gives 40,000 other structures. Or a pool house that has a replacement cost of 70,000 and the policy only gives other structures at 40,000. Total loss on all structures occurs and they start crying the insurance company is shafting them because they won’t pay off on the total loss. The fact they are under insured has nothing to do with the claim. WWWHHHIIINNN!!!!!
To say nothing of the fact that the insurance company personel (CSR’s, etc. -direct writers) are not licensed in the state they do business in and never had to take the exam on the insurance code in any state …….
Unless you REALLY know your coverages and endorsements, I don’t know how anyone buys insurance online without doing some guesswork.
I have a good friend who is an attorney (obviously not in personal injury), who thought he had a great auto insurance policy that was untouchable from a price standpoint. Guess what?! It was! Not because it was a competitive quote, it was because he was quoted state minimum policy limits! I wrote him new coverage, for 2 vehicles with 3x the limits for about $50 more a year…
I quoted my own policy as a comparison with the lizard company, they asked for my current liability limits (250/500/250), then after 5 screens later, suggested a low monthly priced quote with 50/100/50. Am I the only one who has a serious problem with this? It is borderline dishonest if you ask me….
It’s too bad the two previous users didn’t read the article. No, instead they saw insurance & social media and immediately thought “Waste of time” and “Direct writer policy”.
What the article said was that these folks tended to research insurance using social media. Not to buy- but to join in an online conversation, to read reviews, to find out what other thought about their policies. I know many agents who are doing really innovative things with social media, and I think they’d tell you that if a consumer is engaged online, they’re more likely to make an informed decision. Check out Atlanta Insurance Live or @AlbanyInsurance on Twitter and you’ll see what I mean. Welcome to the 21st century.
New School,apparently you’re only interest is in being right and getting the last word so I’ll let you have it – I have a business to run – good luck in the future.
Unfortunately these are the same well educated young professionals that call your office, pick your brain and buy from Flo or the Gecko online to save money. They are not loyal to you or any Brand and shop you every year if they do buy through your agency. You cannot build a long term client base with only this type of customer.
It drives me crazy anytime someone makes a sweeping generalization about young people. Stop and think for a second- the reason people go to Flo and the Gecko is because those companies BUILD BRAND LOYALTY- something independent agents don’t do a good job of for the most part. If agents started to embrace things like Facebook, Twitter, etc (and some are an do an excellent job) instead of complaining about what Flo & the Gecko do maybe those young consumers would buy from you.
You want to know why this industry has a tough time attracting good young talent? Because it’s stuck in 1985.
New School – We already do at my Agency I’m on the first page of Google, Bing and Yahoo in my area. I’m also networked with facebook, twitter and my space, I have 35 years plus in the business, but you made my point for me – they still buy online because Buffet is pouring in $8oo million into advertising (while loosing millions ).We still give service @ advice.
As I said in my post, there are some IA’s that are the exception and do a nice job with social media.
It’s not just about being at the top of the searches and having a presence. Does your Facebook page engage “fans” and provide meaningful content? Or are you replicating the “brochure-ese” that too many agents use on their websites? You complain that they call you for advice and then go direct to the company to buy. That sounds like a you problem.
— Until they have a loss then they want a local agent to walk them thru the problem at no cost.
Of course they know all the coverages and never get a gap, like no uninsured motorists. Or maybe two 4 car garages with a replacement cost of 50,000 each (100,000 total value) and the homeowners policy only gives 40,000 other structures. Or a pool house that has a replacement cost of 70,000 and the policy only gives other structures at 40,000. Total loss on all structures occurs and they start crying the insurance company is shafting them because they won’t pay off on the total loss. The fact they are under insured has nothing to do with the claim. WWWHHHIIINNN!!!!!
To say nothing of the fact that the insurance company personel (CSR’s, etc. -direct writers) are not licensed in the state they do business in and never had to take the exam on the insurance code in any state …….
Unless you REALLY know your coverages and endorsements, I don’t know how anyone buys insurance online without doing some guesswork.
I have a good friend who is an attorney (obviously not in personal injury), who thought he had a great auto insurance policy that was untouchable from a price standpoint. Guess what?! It was! Not because it was a competitive quote, it was because he was quoted state minimum policy limits! I wrote him new coverage, for 2 vehicles with 3x the limits for about $50 more a year…
I quoted my own policy as a comparison with the lizard company, they asked for my current liability limits (250/500/250), then after 5 screens later, suggested a low monthly priced quote with 50/100/50. Am I the only one who has a serious problem with this? It is borderline dishonest if you ask me….
It’s too bad the two previous users didn’t read the article. No, instead they saw insurance & social media and immediately thought “Waste of time” and “Direct writer policy”.
What the article said was that these folks tended to research insurance using social media. Not to buy- but to join in an online conversation, to read reviews, to find out what other thought about their policies. I know many agents who are doing really innovative things with social media, and I think they’d tell you that if a consumer is engaged online, they’re more likely to make an informed decision. Check out Atlanta Insurance Live or @AlbanyInsurance on Twitter and you’ll see what I mean. Welcome to the 21st century.
New School,apparently you’re only interest is in being right and getting the last word so I’ll let you have it – I have a business to run – good luck in the future.
Unfortunately these are the same well educated young professionals that call your office, pick your brain and buy from Flo or the Gecko online to save money. They are not loyal to you or any Brand and shop you every year if they do buy through your agency. You cannot build a long term client base with only this type of customer.
Not true. (shakes head).
It drives me crazy anytime someone makes a sweeping generalization about young people. Stop and think for a second- the reason people go to Flo and the Gecko is because those companies BUILD BRAND LOYALTY- something independent agents don’t do a good job of for the most part. If agents started to embrace things like Facebook, Twitter, etc (and some are an do an excellent job) instead of complaining about what Flo & the Gecko do maybe those young consumers would buy from you.
You want to know why this industry has a tough time attracting good young talent? Because it’s stuck in 1985.
New School – We already do at my Agency I’m on the first page of Google, Bing and Yahoo in my area. I’m also networked with facebook, twitter and my space, I have 35 years plus in the business, but you made my point for me – they still buy online because Buffet is pouring in $8oo million into advertising (while loosing millions ).We still give service @ advice.
As I said in my post, there are some IA’s that are the exception and do a nice job with social media.
It’s not just about being at the top of the searches and having a presence. Does your Facebook page engage “fans” and provide meaningful content? Or are you replicating the “brochure-ese” that too many agents use on their websites? You complain that they call you for advice and then go direct to the company to buy. That sounds like a you problem.