Movers and Shakers

"Hi, Chris, this is Ron."
"Hi, thanks for calling me back, what have you got for me?"
"I just got back from looking it over and everything looks great, but, um, have the police been in contact with you yet?"
"Uh...No...Why?"
"Because you STOLE that house!"

Chuckles on his end and a little bit of "you punk" creeped into my head, because he really did have me going for a second. I was on the phone with a guy that is evidently a mover and a shaker in the world of insurance. He was recommended by our financier, Sherry. I was talking with her earlier in the day, going over the details on the disclosure and such, when the topic of insurance came up.

Digressing briefly, another fellow I happen to know has been selling insurance for nearly 40 years, and he told me that he just can't compete with the company I already have my vehicles with. No estimate, no calculating. He flat out told me he couldn't hang with the big dogs in insurance, especially if the homeowner insures their cars with them. It's good to know people in a small town because the people you know won't steer you wrong. They will tell you straight up how it is and not try to bullshit you into anything you don't need, anything that would be a rip off, or anything generally bad.

Now, when I was talking with Sherry, she mentioned that her estimate on the truth in lending disclosure was close to what we should expect to pay for insurance. She said some things, I said some things, then I flat out asked her who wrote her policy for her house. She gave me this guy, and she mentioned that one of the other big box insurers was very competitive. I decided to call Ron first, and the above conversation was what I got when he called me back. To top it off, his estimate for the policy was three dollars cheaper per year than the estimate Sherry came up with. That's good.

The thing that's selling me (I'm still shopping prices) is the fact that this guy went out of his way. He had the bases covered. "So, you're at Wheeler Powersports? What do you do there?" He has caller ID (I didn't tell him where I worked) and knows how to talk to people. We talked about bikes, golfing (evidently Sherry is a golf nut) and a few other non-essentials. He had everything broken down nice and neat, and there was no bullshit salesmanship. He just knows how to connect and talk to people. That's what comes with a couple of decades in the business. He even took time to get online and check out our house, houses in the neighborhood, and come up with an estimate for coverage that was forty thousand more than what the missus and I paid for it. I'm down with that. You show the extra effort, and I'll pay you back with my business. So far, it's looking good. The girl from the office where I currently have my car insurance called me back 48 hours after my initial call. Yep. 2 days. Huh? Ron called me back in 3 hours. Effort. Even though her numbers were just as good, I'm leaning the other way because of the customer service. I'm in the business of customer service, and I know that to make a living, you have to help people find out what it is they want. Ron speaks my language.

CZ