You need to identify who is sales-ready 

 It is the job of whomever is the marketing head in your agency to work with CSRs and producers to identify who is sales-ready for a second, third or fourth product.   

Successful ROUND OUT and UPGRADE contacts can add hundreds of dollars of commission income every year.  But they require consistent application and continuous improvement business processes.  

These processes begin with quality information about each customer that leads to meaningful conversations with customers.  You must establish your agency and your people as a valuable resource when it comes to insurance, and then offer relative, thought-provoking ideas.  Meaningful conversations about ideas may not result in an immediate yes, but will always solidify your relationship with the customer, and increase referral activity. 

Be nicely persistent if you feel the customer is at-risk because he or she does not have a specific coverage. Ask these questions over and over: ”Are your needs being met?”, “How are we doing?”  “How can we help you?”  “Is this coverage that you would like us to add right now?”  

The same principles and actions apply to your GET MORE new business prospects as well as to existing customers. Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch, Inc., and author of “Lead Generation for the Complex Sale” (McGraw-Hill Cos., 2006) says in the October 2007 issue of BtoB Magazine:   

“It is estimated that of all the leads in the sales pipeline, perhaps 80% are lost, ignored or discarded by sales.  Effective re-engagement with these leads helps you recapture revenue from many of these folks, and in the process you get more out of your investment.” 

One metric that Carroll cites from a client experience:  15% or more of 2,500 lost, ignored or discarded leads turned out to be hot leads who indicated they were ready to talk to a salesperson.  Of those 7% actually bought, resulting I n $1.2 million in added revenue.