That’s right insurance pros, according to a recent Forrester Research survey, more than 4,600 consumers voted and a majority of them rated their interactions with independent insurance agents as less then enjoyable.

Ouch.

However, many independent agents received high scores as far as ease of service and meeting clients’ needs.

There’s an insightful blog post over on the Agent for Change blog through which American Agent & Broker Editor Laura Toops shares her perspective on this survey.

She ends her blog entry by asking “what’s your agency doing to build your brand perception with your customers?”

In response to this question, I can’t think of a better person to reference than Dale Carnegie and his best-selling classic How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Carnegie says there are 6 ways to make people like you & enjoy being around you, as follows:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in the terms of the other man’s interest.
6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

Insurance agent or not, those are some pretty simple recommendations. I pose the same question as Ms. Toops. What is your insurance business doing to build a stronger, more enjoyable relationship with your customers? Please share your comments here!

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