What Staying at A 5 Star Hotel Can Teach Insurance Agents

My husband and I recently took a vacation to Washington, D.C., and we splurged to stayed at a luxury hotel. If you are looking for a place to vacation, D.C. is outstanding. Now, I have stayed in really nice hotels before for a night or two for conventions, but I have to tell you this hotel was actually worth the money. As I was relaxing, I kept thinking how could insurance agents benefit from how the hospitality industry has detailed out every experience. I wanted to write an article with the parallels of a great experience between a hotel and an agent.

Before I begin, the biggest lesson I learned was that you will want to pay more when you are impressed. The week after we had to attend a family affair in Key West, and while we stayed in a very nice hotel, we felt it just wasn’t as good as we had paid. As agents, if you want to be treated as more than just a bill, you have to add intentional and well-defined value to every client. This means not only focusing on the right clients, but also focusing on when you obtain those clients and having a clear plan of how to delight and amaze them. You can’t leave it up to a reactive chance. You need to be intentional in every detail.

Greeting:

As our Uber pulled into the hotel, there was no shortage of people to greet us. In fact, you had to climb some stairs, so they were all hands on deck to get our luggage, welcome us, and ask how our travels were. Key take away, the hotel was never short-staffed. We never waited, and each and every time someone greeted us. In addition, every single person looked professional. Not just business casual, but professional. From shoes, hair, and attire, they were a polished up crew. Now I’ve been to many insurance agencies where it looks like most of the team has just plain given up. I’m not sure they even combed their hair. You can say they don’t see many customers, but if you want to be your best, you need to look your best too.

Each and every person physically led us to our next contact person. They walked with us and spoke with us. With agencies, one of my pet peeves is the cold transfer: I tell you my problem, you transfer me, and I have to repeat it. Why? If your agency adopts the warm transfer on calls in-person, you will see your clients appreciate the extra effort.

Upselling:

You would think paying an arm and a leg for a night in a hotel should include everything. Well it doesn’t, but all of the hotel staff did an excellent job of outlining opportunities for us. For example, as we were waiting for an Uber, they recommended us getting a ride in the house vehicle. Every single time we went for a dining recommendation, they suggested their own restaurants first. Even at the spa, they welcomed us back for another round. It was never pushy, salesy, or over the top, but it was a reminder that they have ways to serve us right under their own roof.

How do you make this happen in an insurance agency? Make every call an opportunity to educate. Not sell, but educate. Stop rushing to get off the phone, and instead treat the client like a real person. Let them know you sell pet insurance, medicare sup, and private plane coverage. They can’t purchase it from you if they don’t know it’s an option.

Delight:

Every day they found a way to delight us, from snacks in our room to Eucalyptus towels at the gym (which by the way are amazing). We never once saw a maid. We found out they track when we leave and send a maid with a basket, not a big cart, to go change the room. Every time we left, they came back with either treats, turn down service, or to refresh towels. They anticipated what we needed and delivered it without a fuss.

Insurance agents need to adopt the idea of proactive renewal calls. You have to get ahead of the renewal reaction and build value for the client in you and your team. Being there before they know they need you is critical. We all want less to think about, and when you deliver solutions to problems people didn’t know they had yet, you win.

You Could Tell They Love Their Customers:

Not everyone should be customer facing. In fact, I think it’s becoming more and more of a skill that needs to be trained on. You can tell by people’s body language if they are happy to be there: do they smile or is everything a hassle? Even as hotel staff were waiting for guests to be served, each employee was smiling and not playing on their phone. There was a high standard, and these people lived up to it.

I can say that, in most agencies, people only like some of their customers. Most customers are in an interruption in their day. We need to think about how we speak in agencies about our customers. Are they all stupid or care about price? How do we treat them? It all starts at the top by setting a strong standard.

It’s all about setting a high standard for all the little details in an agency. If you can delight people and train your team to think about how to help the business and your customers, you can win and own your market!

About Kelly Donahue-Piro

As a dynamic public speaker and consultant I have spent the last decade focusing on how small business owners can capitalize on opportunities within their reach. With over 5 years experience in the local insurance agent sector I can bring training, marketing and technology to your agency that helps you effective and efficiently grow your agency. My specialties include consulting and coaching on upselling, account rounding, agency culture change, sales scripting, executive level coaching and benchmarking as well as agency retention skills. Contact me today to learn more about how I can help your agency grow!