Finding the best NYS insurance policy begins and ends with finding a good independent insurance agent. Although “Good” is probably the wrong world to describe what you should be looking for. To find the best NYS insurance policy for you, you must find an insurance agent that understands what you are, the specific assets you have to protect and exposures you need to protect against.
So the question is really NOT, where do I find the best NYS insurance policy…
…but rather How do I find an insurance agent that best suits me?
Finding the best NYS insurance policy is going to be a by-product of find the best NYS insurance agent.
Beautiful Albany, NY viewed from the Helderberg mountains…
So let’s discuss the 7 ways to find the best NYS insurance agent:
1) Referral from a Friend
The best New York insurance agents can be found first and foremost through a referral from a friend. If you don’t currently have a strong relationship with an insurance agent asking a friend, neighbor, family member or colleague for the name of the insurance agent they use can be a great way to find someone with a good reputation and a strong sense of your community.
2) The Local Business Newspaper
The local business newspaper, in the Albany area we have the Albany Business Review, is a great way to find well-respected insurance agents in your area. These agents that are quoted in articles in a newspaper such as the Albany Business Review will have a good reputation as they been vetted by the reporter using their name.
This is NOT a guaranteed result of a good insurance agent but it is a good indicator that the agency has been around for a while and is respected by its peers.
3) Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites such as Facebook can be fantastic places to find quality insurance agents. Don’t look for the number of likes or twitter followers that an insurance agent has, instead look in the comments being left by clients. If the agent has clients who are actively engaged in their Facebook page, in their Twitter stream or in their LinkedIn profile then you know they are respected.
4) Review Sites
Review sites on the Internet are also a great place to find a quality insurance agent. Websites such as yelp, Google {see our reviews on Google}, even Yahoo all have review functions that allow clients and customers to leave reviews about that insurance agency.
If an insurance agency does not have reviews on the site it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re a bad insurance agency or that they don’t have a good reputation. However if an insurance agency does have reviews have a lot of reviews and those reviews are quality five-star reviews then you know that is a well-respected agency and at least someone that you would want to interview for possibly working with.
5) Local Chambers of Commerce
Local chambers of commerce networking events are another good place to find a quality insurance agent. The reason for this is when you meet an insurance agent at a chamber event you can get their name and number and then ask around the networking event about the common opinion of that agent.
You would be surprised how honest people will be.
The Insurance Take-Away
Choosing an independent insurance agent doesn’t have to be a difficult task.
There are many ways including the five above to find an agent that fits your value structure and provide good quality service. Not everyone is going to have the same experience that you have. But if you can find testimonials, reviews and recommendations of an agent you can set yourself up with someone who should provide you with a good experience.
What you don’t want to do is look in the phone book and call the first number you see and do business with that agent.
I think that Google reviews are a fantastic place to review that an agency. The reason for this is that it takes work to leave a review on Google. If someone leaves a review on Google for an independent insurance agency they had to go through a process to do that, meaning they were invested in leaving that review for that agent.
Also consider that if an agency has one or two bad reviews in a mix of multiple positive reviews this does not mean they provide bad service. Don’t take one or two bad reviews to mean that that agent is unfit to work with you or that you won’t have a good experience of that agent.
From a psychological standpoint people are more apt to leave a negative review than a positive review because of the emotional tie they have to that experience.
If you are interested is working with The Murray Group for your insurance needs please give us a call at (518) 456-6688 or you can click here to begin a relationship by email.
Thank you and good luck,
Ryan Hanley, CIC
photo credit: roytsaplinjr via photopin cc