Last week, we talked about all of the different ways that an existing customer trumps a new one. While we do not discourage you from going out there and selling new policies, we do understand and appreciate the high value you place on rounding out and cross selling in your industry – and the rest of the business world wants to emulate that as well.

Retaining customers is not only ideal, but more profitable for businesses. But that is not to say that building customer loyalty is easy.

So let’s talk customer retention strategies:

1. Provide customer service that is relentless – As an independent agent, you hold customer service very high. Make sure you practice what you preach. Develop an understanding of what it is your customers’ need – longer hours, weekend office hours, insurance social networking communication, digital services – whatever it is, find out how to provide it to them; that is what will keep them loyal to you.
2. Meet customer expectations with skilled employees – It is equally important to be sure that your agents are properly trained. Remember: having the wrong people on the bus can be damaging, too.
3. Keep it scalable- Even as your agency grows, it is important to maintain that same focus. This can be a challenge for any business. Be sure that you have the right tools and focus on what matters most and how you can deliver that effectively and efficiently.

Remember, repeat customers are going to spend as much as 67% more – this makes sense in the insurance industry – they’ll purchase more policies, and as their needs change, they will need policies that have increased liability and cover more of their needs. As long as you are providing customer service that meets their needs and keeps them happy – they’ll come back for more and love you for it. So get out there and build your insurance empire with a foundation based on a world class sales structure focused on the RIGHT THINGS, with the RIGHT PEOPLE.