If there is one thing travel agents are always short on it's time. There are not enough hours in a day. That is why some agents dread looking into travel insurance when opening their agency.
One of the things about offering 3rd party insurance like TravelSafe is travel agents often find themselves asking, "Can I really make a profit selling travel insurance?"
I want to make it easy by breaking it down into one simple idea: if you do not treat insurance as an afterthough, then yes!
What we see far too often is agents who treat travel protection like an afterthought. They mention travel insurance for the first time after all of the trip planning is finished and the initial deposit is collected.
The problem with this approach is that the client has already formed a budget for their trip. You may have been such a great salesman that they are already over budget! When insurance is added later, they view it as an add-on, and they are not interested in add-ons this late in the process.
Think of the last time you went to buy something online and were offered an insurance plan at check out. You most likely refused because you were ready to finalize the purchase, not spend more money.
When you provide travel insurance quotes during the trip planning stage, your client incorporates the cost into their budget. They stop thinking of trip insurance as an “Add on” and start thinking of it as part of their overall trip cost. We recommend including travel insurance in your initial trip quote. By doing this, it signifies that you yourself wouldn't think of traveling without it.
Give them the chance to see the relative cost and an opportunity to open a dialogue on the value of trip protection. Then show them why it's so much better than what the supplier is offering.
Avoid making your client feel ambushed at initial deposit, which is such a crucial time for them to purchase a plan. In order for your client to get the most out of their plan, they need to purchase their insurance around the time of their initial trip deposit. You don't want them to purchase a policy without thinking about time-sensitive benefits like the Pre-Existing Condition Waiver, Bankruptcy Default and Cancel For Any Reason.
Read our Guide To Time-Sensitive Benefits [Infographic]
So, let’s say that you have done all of the above but your client comes back to you and says, “I’ve only got a small amount of money invested in the initial deposit and my money is refundable up till final deposit so I’m not interested right now.”
Well, luckily TravelSafe gives you a way to protect your client from themselves while also addressing their concerns. With TravelSafe Classic you can cover just the deposit, locking in Pre-Ex Waiver and Bankruptcy Default bonus benefits while keeping the cost minimal. Then, when they are ready to make their final payment and are facing penalties, you can upgrade the policy to the full cost of the trip.
When you avoid treating insurance like an afterthought, you should see a big difference in their willingness to discuss and purchase the products.
