On the surface, it may seem like there are few similarities between insurance broking and being in the dating game – however, one senior figure believes there are a couple of important crossovers.
Kim Gilbert, owner of Zenith Insurance, says the early stages of dating are actually a lot like winning over a potential new client – because it all boils down to taking a genuine interest in another person.
“Just like in the romantic courting process, you need to learn about your new partner,” said Gilbert, when speaking at the recent NIBA Convention. “You need to do a little bit of investigating, you need to ask those probing questions, and you need to find a crossover or a commonality.”
While it can be difficult to find common ground on a dud date, or with a client who seems completely different to you, Gilbert said there’s almost always something that two people share – whether it’s a hobby, a hometown, or even which sports your kids play.
“You want to have the opportunity to engage in a conversation with individuals from all different walks of life, and you need to be able to talk about a whole range of things,” he said.
Even when there aren’t any immediate signs of common ground, Gilbert said brokers can set themselves up with the skills to be able to establish some.
“One of the things I say to young people is – and I know it’s really boring and it’s really dull – but you need to be reading the newspapers and watching the news, because by doing that, you’re educating yourself to be able to talk to clients,” he said.
“When you’re going out there and you’re talking to your client, if you understand his industry and what impacts on him, if you understand from a financial point of view what’s happening in the economy and what’s happening overseas, you can establish a relationship based on commonality.”
Importantly, Gilbert also noted that – as with any relationship, romantic or otherwise – winning another person’s trust won’t just happen overnight.
“You’re not going to establish a rapport or a relationship with someone who’ve you’ve met once, twice or even three times,” he said. “I’ve had clients for 10, even 20-odd years and that’s because there is a level of consistency in communication, interaction and involvement.”
