One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my insurance career was quoting anyone who asked.

If someone wanted a quote, I'd spend hours gathering information, shopping carriers, reviewing options, and preparing proposals.

Then I'd send everything over and hear...

Nothing.

No response.

No decision.

No sale.

At first, I thought I needed to get better at quoting.

What I actually needed was better client buy-in.

Most insurance agents treat quoting as the first step in the sales process.

In reality, quoting should be one of the last steps.

Don't be an order taker for anyone who asks. Put a high value on your time.

Before I spend time shopping a risk, I want to know:

If I don't know those answers, I'm probably just providing free market research for another agent.

Before I quote anything, I try to get the prospect to agree to a few things.

First, if I find a better solution, are they willing to move their business?

Second, are they willing to provide the information I need to properly market the account?

Third, are they actually interested in improving their coverage, or are they simply shopping price?

The goal isn't to pressure anyone.

The goal is to make sure both sides are investing time in the process.

If the prospect doesn't have the courtesy to provide dec pages, loss runs, and commit to a 15-minute phone call...

WALK AWAY.

One question completely changed the way I sell insurance:

If they hesitate, you've uncovered an objection before spending hours quoting.

If they say yes, you've gained commitment before doing the work.

Either way, you win.

This may sound harsh, but it's true.

Not every prospect deserves your time.

The best producers understand that their time is valuable.

They qualify opportunities before they start working them.

Every hour spent chasing a prospect who was never going to buy is an hour not spent serving clients or pursuing real opportunities.

Here's another question I ask myself before I start quoting:

Is the potential revenue from this account worth the time I'm about to invest?

Early in my career, I didn't think about this. I would spend the same amount of time quoting a small account that generated $50 in commission as I would a large account that generated $5,000.

That's not a sustainable business model.

Your time is your most valuable asset. Every hour you spend working on one account is an hour you can't spend prospecting, servicing existing clients, or pursuing larger opportunities.

That doesn't mean you should ignore smaller accounts. Everyone starts somewhere, and some of your best clients may begin with a single policy. But you should be intentional about where you invest your time.

Before you start gathering applications, ordering loss runs, marketing the account, and preparing proposals, ask yourself:

The best producers don't quote everything that moves.

They focus their energy on opportunities that make sense for both the client and their business.

Remember, being busy and being productive are not the same thing.

Most agents don't have a closing problem.

They have a qualification problem.

The goal isn't to quote more people.

We don't need practice quoting. We need practice qualifying.

The goal is to quote the right people.

The more buy-in you get before the quote, the higher your close ratio will be, the less time you'll waste, and the more profitable your business becomes.

Remember: Your time is your inventory. Spend it on opportunities that deserve it.

Happy Hunting!

– Insurance Agent Memes