Pay Less For Business Insurance & Keep Your Broker Honest

After 20 years as a commercial insurance broker who worked for five separate companies in the industry, I've seen a lot. And much of what I've seen is prospective clients overpaying for their commercial insurance.

Yes, there are a many great brokers out there, and you may even consider yours a friend who's looking out for you and your business. But there are also many unscrupulous ones who are just waiting to take advantage of the business owner who does not have the time or knowledge to figure out if their broker is doing a good job and if they are getting the best price.

Another dilemma business owners face when dealing with their long-time insurance broker is one of complacence. The broker has become comfortable and may even have gotten a bit lazy just counting on your renewal.

There is an initial benchmark that can indicate whether or not your broker is looking out for you: communication.
In fact, my clients often ask, ?How often should my broker and I communicate on matters other than premium payment??

Here's my answer: For most commercial insurance accounts spending over $100,000 of annual premium, and not including calls for claim activity or renewal updates, your broker should personally contact you no fewer than four times a year.

The more contact you have means the greater and more solid understanding your broker has of your business. And that means your broker can convey your business in the best light to an underwriter, which usually results in the lowest cost of risk. Depending on the size of your account, your broker should also be giving you written account activity updates about your account several times a year?quarterly or monthly if you have a larger account.

Bottom line: the more contact you have with your broker the better.

In addition, if you're a savvy insurance buyer, you'll speak regularly to your broker to give updates on the state of your company and changes in your business so your broker can be aware of what may need to change in your insurance coverages.

One method to knowing if you are getting the best deal is to shop your current broker with one or more other brokers or carriers. But even though this method will save you money, there are right and wrong ways to doing it. If you don?t know all the secrets about how the process works, you won?t know if you've gotten the best deal possible.

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