How to Become the Best Home Insurance Agent in America

TLTR: A home insurance agent doesn’t have it easy in 2023. This article discusses nine awesome tips that can help you achieve your sales targets and generate high-quality leads consistently.

It isn’t mandatory for homeowners to get insurance, but if they’re paying a mortgage, their lenders will ask them for proof of insurance. That’s where you, a home insurance agent, come in. Usually, people see buying insurance as a hassle, a necessary evil. You’re here to show them that getting insurance can actually be a fast, easy, inexpensive, and fun process.

But even the most creative insurance agent can hit a wall sometimes. Here are a few handy tips for you to follow for gaining high-quality leads. Home insurance will never again be hard to sell!

What Does a Home Insurance Agent Do?

A home insurance agent simply sells homeowners insurance. Of course, the job description isn’t quite as simple as that. An agent works directly with their clients to understand their risks, negotiate policies and prices, and offer discounts and after-sales services. People don’t necessarily need insurance agents to buy policies, but it sure does make the process easier and faster.

For instance, a new homeowner contacts you, a home insurance agent, looking for assistance. You will work directly with them and figure out what their home needs. Is the location unsafe and prone to break-ins and robberies? Was their house’s roof recently upgraded? Is mold an issue?

Next, you will pull quotes from the insurance companies you represent and present them to your client. You’ll let them know which discounts they are eligible for, help them compare quotes, and decide on the policy they want to buy.

In other words, you act as a bridge between homeowners and insurance companies. Every successful new client or renewal will give you a healthy commission. The commission rates vary from company to company. For example, Renegade Insurance offers its agents 95/5 splits on new businesses and 50/50 splits on renewals.

How to Get a Home Insurance Agent License

You need a home insurance agent license if you’re planning to sell home insurance. You should research your state’s requirements and review pre-licensing materials before sitting for an insurance agent license exam.

You don’t really need a college degree to qualify for the job. You do need great interpersonal skills and a knack for connecting with your customers. That said, a degree in risk management, business skills, and accounting can prove to be useful in the long run.

If you have a license to sell in California, you can’t use the same license to sell in Ohio. Therefore, you will need to sit for multiple exams if you’re planning to sell in multiple states.

Note: After you pass the exam, the state insurance board will perform a background check on you. If you have a criminal record, you may not get your license.

9 Tips to Increase Home Insurance Leads

Become a Home Insurance Discount Expert Agent

Not everyone will love insurance, but they will love discounts. Business Wire reports that a study conducted by Coupons.com and Claremont Graduate University found that receiving gifts, discounts, and coupons made shoppers 11% happier.

If you’ve been selling insurance for a while, you know that your clients care about prices the most. Make sure that you know all the discounts available from different insurance companies and how to qualify for them. If there are way too many of them to memorize, keep a handy cheat sheet with you.

Let your clients know that you’re offering them a free home insurance quote just because they’re letting you quote them. Surprise them with a discount call. Let them know that getting discounts is not common, and that you’re amazed at the number of discounts they’re eligible for.

Of course, don’t lie to your customers about the discounts and the numbers. If you show them a cheaper price at the beginning and later hike it up, your customers will simply go to other agents.

Host or Join a Regular Sales-Storming Session with Fellow Home Insurance Agents

Although there is quite a lot of negative buzz around the effectiveness of sales-storming sessions, we still recommend doing them regularly. First of all, you get to meet your peers and throw around ideas together. Secondly, one great session is all it takes to sculpt a great sales pitch for yourself.

Forbes recommends powering your sales-storming sessions with the following tips:

Get your participants to do the necessary research and background work before beginning.

Make the goal of the session clear. Have trained professionals and experts join your sessions. Manage the sessions effectively so everyone is focused on the main goal.

Develop stimulating exercises to help participants. Acknowledge and thank the participants.

Don’t go home empty-handed. Align the end product and organize it so you can always come back to it.

Sales-storming sessions can help you understand what works and what doesn’t. Try to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and try role playing as agent or client with your peers.

Actively Listen; Don’t Just Talk as A Home Insurance Agent

Research from HubSpot reveals that 69% of surveyed buyers want to be listened to and 61% prefer sellers who aren’t too pushy.

Most homeowners aren’t looking for insurance—they’re looking for someone to listen to their worries. They’re concerned that a tree could fall through their roof and destroy their abode. They’re worried that an accidental fire could burn their house down.

Remember that you have two ears to listen. Always be receptive to what your customers have to say. They’re more likely to bond with you if you listen to them. Moreover, once you understand their woes, you’ll be better prepared to hand them solutions.

Your presence on social media can drive your home insurance sales as well. Do you listen in on what your clients say on the internet? A survey by Twitter found that when a business interacts with a customer’s tweet, they are more likely to spend more on their products.

Study Your Clients and Do the Research as A Home Insurance Agent

What are your client’s preferences? Do they own a ranch-style home, or a bungalow? Are they looking for full coverage or just enough to cover their liabilities? Did your clients just become new homeowners? Once you’ve answered these questions, selling homeowners insurance will be that much easier.

Not all homeowners will need the same kind of insurance. A single-story house will be cheaper to insure than a multi-story home. Usually, older homeowners prefer bungalows while newer homeowners opt for a contemporary style. Your home insurance sales pitch must cater to the client you’re selling to.

Have a Script Ready and Practice Your Sales Pitch

When you’re delivering a pitch, it’s probably one of the first times your clients have talked to you. DON’T wing it. A sales script is paramount to closing a deal. Start with warm greetings, then transition to open-ended questions and discuss things your clients can relate to.

Successful homeowner’s insurance agents know that a flexible script can go a long way. Prepare more than one script so that if one doesn’t seem to go great, you can switch to the other one. If your clients don’t seem receptive, improvise a little. Don’t scare them with insurance jargon, and keep the conversation light.

Understand that you’re not selling homeowners insurance, you’re selling you. There are hundreds of home insurance agents they can buy from. Show them why you’re the right person for them.

Following Up Is Extremely Important

A follow-up call will likely secure a sale for you. The research by HubSpot mentioned above shows that 42% of sellers struggled the most while establishing urgency for making a sale. Usually, buyers will research their options, consider a few sellers to reach out to, and buy from the seller that responds the fastest.

After a successful first pitch to your prospects, send a short email or even a text message. Put the ball in their court. Ask them which policy they want, and not if they want a policy. Cater to their core needs, but embellish your product with discounts, free quotes, after-sales services, and your expertise in insurance.

Market To New Homeowners as A Home Insurance Agent

New homeowners usually have no idea what coverage they want. Most of them may have a mortgage and will need insurance because it’s mandatory for them. It’s your chance to shine a light on the importance of homeowner’s insurance. Make them aware of their exposure to risks. They will probably welcome an expert’s advice in regards to protecting their newly-owned house.

In conclusion

Selling insurance isn’t hard, but keeping up with your sales targets and meeting daily goals can be challenging. Always remember to keep a positive attitude and never stop adding to your skill set. Every day, new agents join the workforce—give your clients a solid reason to stay with you and not go to them.

We’re looking for changemakers in the insurance agency. Do you have what it takes? Take a look at our membership plans.