| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 07/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 5 |
| Copyright: Other |
Agents should be first to sell insurance deals
Selling insurance can be a bit of a minefield, but ReTraining director Richard English says it’s in agents’ interests to do their homework.“Agents really should be making a point of selling insurance. It is important, it is quick to sell, it earns good money and most travellers buy it, ” he said.
“There is a travel insurance policy designed for just about every type of journey, be it business or leisure and most travellers will buy insurance if it is sold to them.
“So travel professionals should make sure they are the ones to do the selling,” English said. “By selling insurance, agents can be sure their clients are getting the right policy; if retailers do not make the sale, the policy the customer finally buys – maybe from Boots or at the airport on departure – could well be inadequate. And, of course, the agent will not make any money on the sale.
“The margins on travel insurance are very high compared with those on other travel products; typically an agent can expect to make around 40% – more on specially negotiated contracts.”
Selling insurance: the rules
* Get trained. Get a copy of ABTA’s Be Sure about Insurance training manual or the Guild of Business Travel Agents’ Insurance for Business Travel Agents manual.
* Know the contents, terms and conditions of all the policies sold in the agency – not just the 17-day European package cover.
* Create a checklist (either on the system or on paper) that includes a reminder to ask the customer about insurance.
* Create a ‘job-aid’ that compares the benefits of your agency’s policy with those of competing sellers, for instance the direct-sell companies.
Car-hire operators offer extensive training options for agents. Here are some examples
* Holiday Autos: runs a training academy which offers a distance learning course covering car-rental product, destination information and selling tips. Also operates agency training days and roadshows.
English: agents have to do their homework