Written By: Joanie Ogg CTC, MCC
No one ever said selling travel insurance to your customers was going to be easy, but oh how important it is that you hone that skill and make it part of your sales process. When we had our travel agency and I was in the position of convincing my clients that they should not buy a trip with out it, I used to meet with a fair amount of resistance. Over the years, like everything else in life, the more you do it the better you get at it. So if your customers are on the fence and do not feel they need it, try going over with them some of these top reasons why they do!
#1 There is always that chance that a trip will need to be cancelled for one of many reasons. People get sick, work gets in the way, a close family member passes away, or a tornado hits their house. Not all reasons for cancelling a trip are covered, but many are may be reimbursed.
#2 In the case of a flight cancelation….which is certainly not unusual these days in travel, sometimes trip interruption coverage will help to solve the dilemma or at least help make it palatable.
#3 I have heard this story so many times from my agent colleagues. The client misses a connection on the way to take their dream cruise and the next flight will get them in too late to make their cruise departure. For this one there are two very important things to consider. The first is, please send cruise passengers in a day before departure so that this is a not even likely to happen. However if they do have missed connection coverage they can find another flight to take and hook up with the ship at the next port of call and board there.
#4 Sadly, this has now become more and more of a concern in our world so it is something important to consider and advise your customers about. If it is simply unwise to travel to a destination due to a recent terror attack or perhaps the airports are closed and there is a travel advisory in effect. There is insurance coverage available now to assist in cancelation of a trip without losing all the money they may have spent.
#5 Hurricanes and travel do not mix. Perhaps your clients are headed to Aruba and a hurricane hits there 5 days before their travel date. The hotel they are booked in has had to close temporarily and just how will they get their money back if they cancel. Usher in weather damage travel insurance to help recover pre-paid costs and assistance with other services.
#6 Have you ever had your luggage be lost or delayed when traveling? Well, if you have not…you are one of the lucky few! I have had it occur more times then I care to share. If you help your clients to purchase insurance coverage of delayed bags, they will love you forever should this situation occur for them. Additionally, there is coverage available for lost, stolen or damaged luggage that will reimburse for clothes and other personal items.
#7 $COMMISSION$ Yes, you can earn great commission selling travel insurance to your clients! There is really no need to convince you that this is a great idea for selling it. Not only do you get to help your client protect their investment and themselves, but you can earn a great deal of money doing so.
#8 Things happen when we least expect them to. Life is if anything, unpredictable. There is always that possibility of getting ill while on a trip, being injured and or possibly needing emergency medical evacuation. Being prepared with the right insurance coverage is absolutely necessary. We all think we are invincible and nothing can ever happen to us, but life does happen and it is so important to have that insurance blanket around us. I am going to share with you a true story about one of my high school classmates and what happened to her sister while they were on a trip this summer. This story brings home the reason it is so important to help your customers to protect themselves with the purchase of travel medical coverage and medical evacuation insurance. My thanks to my friend Ellen for sharing this story and reminding us all we need to sell and have travel insurance.
“My sister and I, along with my nephew, were recently in Northern Italy in the Alps for what promised to be a beautiful cycling vacation. Unfortunately my sister fell while on her bike and broke her hip. We were in a beautiful town called Cortina that looks like a cross between Yosemite and what I think heaven should look like. Lots of Europeans go there to ski, hike and bike.
The spot was remote in some ways; although there was a hospital there that treats orthopedic injuries. My sister required surgery immediately. Thanks to our travel insurance we did not feel so alone in the situation.
She was triaged remotely from the United States by a medical team that was provided by our travel insurance. They gave us assurance that the treating hospital and surgeon were qualified. They stayed in touch with us and perhaps most importantly they sent us a very experienced nurse from the U.S. to escort us home. They upgraded my sister’s seats to business class. The nurse sat with her the entire time on the plane to make sure she was safe and doing well. The service was “door to door” meaning the nurse picked us up in Italy, flew with us to JFK and then to Colorado. She did not leave until she was sure my sister was safely at home.
It was so comforting and helpful. We were not charged for any of this (as it was covered by our policy.) We are still waiting to receive our refund from the cycling portion of the trip that we missed but I expect that will be covered, too. It would have been very difficult to navigate all that had to be done if we had not had the insurance.”