“Producers have a choice of where they place their business. Setting expectations and creating an open dialogue helps build a foundation of trust and allows for relationship growth. I want to get to know the producer, understand their goals, then assist in helping them achieve those goals. I share their passion of writing new business and will assist the agent as much as they need. Often, I get involved in every stage from the first meeting to receiving the bind order. I don’t win until the agent wins.” –Travis Carpenter, CIC
This blog post is part of our ongoing series Advice for Agents. We’ve been talking with the NBIS Business Development team, learning the unique ways NBIS works to assist agents looking to place new crane business—even if they never have before.
Our last post in this series explored the 3 key things agents need to know about working with NBIS versus other crane and rigging, concrete pumping, and/or specialized transportation markets.
In this post, Travis Carpenter, CIC—NBIS’ Business Development Underwriter—talks about the finer points of his approach to helping agents lean on NBIS for expertise in commercial insurance and, in turn, land new accounts and retain existing clients.
Travis, like most of our Business Development team members, has been “in the boots” of his clients. In addition to having extensive underwriting experience, he understands the particular challenges agents face. He started working as an insurance agent at the age of 21, and while he works to support the end user of the policy, he feels he also works for the agents in that he is continually hoping to optimize their relationships with clients.
“That piece about working to assist the agents first and foremost is especially important at NBIS. That’s because agents are often scared of heavy construction business, including crane and rigging, concrete pumping, and specialized transportation. It’s highly specialized. We realize this and so we work to bridge the gaps in the knowledge with our own expertise,” he said.
Once he begins communicating with an agent on potential new crane and rigging insurance, he’ll set up a meeting in order to learn what knowledge they are coming to the table with. After he establishes that, Travis creates a customized presentation for the agent and their agency aimed at creating a rock-solid foundation of knowledge.
“I’ll outline all required coverages, as well as the precise way they are all interrelated. I’ll create images and slides of various types of equipment to explain what it is and how it works. It’s essentially a heavy construction insurance 101 course to get them started,” he says.
It doesn’t stop there. After the foundational knowledge is built, Travis will assist the agent with a list of questions for them to present to the insured, as well as provide assistance on the completion of the submission’s supplemental form. Later, once the agent has met with their insured, we’ll sit down and help them refine the form further if necessary.
“It’s truly an end-to-end approach,” Travis pointed out. “It really sets us apart from other markets…we basically equip the agents with a foundation of knowledge as well as provide our own extensive experience and expertise in the form of ongoing support. The agent then feels prepared to properly win the account, address current coverage gaps, and provide a holistic solution for the insured that addresses their needs.”
We feel it’s worthwhile to break down Travis’ and our other Business Development team members’ approach because agents should know exactly what we mean when we say we’ll help them land that new account. And, they’ll come away having enhanced their own knowledge – preparing them for landing future new business in this growing sector.
“I’ve found that agents new to working with NBIS start to see that we really are the standout choice for this type of business – they start to trust us very quickly once they see how experienced we are and that we share a passion for writing new accounts.”
This is just a fraction of how NBIS can serve as an asset to our agent and broker partners. Reach out to us anytime via email, phone (888-668-6247), or visit our website at www.nbis.com.