Generating maximum business
The first role of the insurance advisor is to generate as much new business for the insurance company as possible. This can be achieved by selling the maximum number of policies to his/her clients. An insurance advisor, therefore, should approach as many individuals as possible and try to position the company’s insurance policies in the individual’s financial needs if possible.
Persistency
Just selling insurance policies is not enough. The insurance advisor should also ensure that he/she can retain the customers of the company. Persistency is an important factor in the insurance company’s revenue. Persistency shows how many policyholders are continuing with the same plan with the same insurance company. Persistency is particularly important in case of life insurance policies which are long term plans. Under these policies, the continuity of the plan for the stipulated tenure is in the best interests of the insurance company as well as the policyholder. The insurance advisor should, therefore, ensure that his existing clients continue their insurance coverage without fail.
Promoting the insurance company
Another role of the insurance advisor is to promote the insurance company with which he/she is associated. Only when customers trust an insurance company would they buy the company’s policies. The advisor should, therefore, build a positive brand image of the insurance company in the eyes of his/her clients and improve the company’s goodwill.
Since insurance is a long term product and affects the financial well-being of the family, the role of an insurance advisor is of utmost importance. He needs to be diligent and trustworthy towards his work so that the client can depend on his expertise and advice.
The insurance advisor’s role towards his/her clients include the following –
Fact-finding
The first thing which an insurance advisor is required to do before generating a sale is to find out the details of his/her clients. When the advisor knows the personal and financial details of the client, he/she can find out the client’s needs and requirements. These needs and requirements would then help the advisor to position the right insurance product. So, fact-finding is the first step of the insurance sales process where the advisor should find out the details of the client.
Goal identification
Once the advisor has the personal and financial details of the client, the next step is to find out the financial goals that the client has. Insurance policies are goal-oriented products. They can be used to fulfil the different financial goals that individuals have. For instance, if an individual wants financial security, term insurance and health insurance plans prove ideal. For child planning needs, child life insurance plans are the most suitable. So, until and unless the advisor finds out what the client exactly wants, the right insurance product cannot be sold.
Fulfilment of financial goals
This step is where the insurance advisor’s expertise and knowledge are sought by clients. Once the financial goals of the individual are identified, the advisor’s role is to suggest the right insurance products which would fulfil the identified goals. The clients benefit from insurance only when the right insurance policy is matched with their needs. As the clients benefit from insurance, their trust in insurance advisors also grows.
Handling objections
When the advisor suggests the suitable insurance product the client might not agree with the client’s suggestions. There are bound to be objections and queries from the customer’s end. It is, therefore, the advisor’s role to handle all the customer’s objections and answer them to the best of his/her knowledge.
Helping the clients buy insurance
To buy an insurance policy clients are required to fill up a proposal form stating all their relevant details. The details contained in the form then form the basis of the insurance contract. So, it is important that the clients provide all the information correctly. The advisor’s role is to oversee whether his clients are providing the correct information. He/she should also help the client fill up the proposal form and explain the relevance of the different parts of the form so that the client knows why the information should be authentic.
Maintain contact
The insurance advisor’s role does not end with the sale of an insurance product. The advisor should keep in constant touch with the client even after the policy has been sold. Constant relationship with the client would help the advisor get referrals which would help in boosting the advisor’s business. Moreover, through contact, the advisor can help the customer renew his/her insurance policies and therefore maintain a high persistency ratio.