Insurance Agents Can Weather Radical Change by Becoming 'Discussion Partners' to Their Clients.

• Date: 26 November 2018
• Author: Korsgaden, Troy

* Today the insurance industry is going through a revolution and too many carriers, brokers, agents and team members are failing to keep up with the rapid pace of change.

Customers have grown accustomed to convenience, a plethora of information and unending choices in whatever they buy, and this applies to the purchase of insurance products and services, too. People expect it to be easy, efficient and understandable.

The insurance industry as a whole is miles behind in the race to deliver unrivaled service to customers. To keep up with the radical transformation, insurance professionals must earn the trust of existing clients and new prospects and become their gateway to everything related to insurance and financial services.

The path to this transformation is for the insurance agent or representative to become a "discussion partner"--a trusted advisor who guides customers toward optimum financial decisions by offering them every possible insurance and financial services product while disclosing exactly how his or her superior advice works.

The goal is to convert everyone into discussion partner clients who do not want to be sold or told; rather, they want a consultant who will advise them on the best products, protection and asset-accumulation guidance they need for their families.

Looking closely at the not-too-distant future, here are just a few ways the insurance industry will evolve:

* There will be total transparency about...