I can’t say enough about Henry Glover. He was fantastic. He answered all of my questions and helped me with some insurance for my grandmother also. He even told me that she should stay where she is because he couldn’t get her a better deal. He put our needs above his needs…Overall this was just an incredible experience and a breath of fresh air after the last agent I was dealing with. I will be recommending him to everyone I know and look forward to a long business relationship with him. Thank you!
How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
When it comes to identity theft, people always think, “That would never happen to me…” until it does. If you aren’t actively protecting yourself from identity theft, you should start now.
Thieves can swipe anything. Name, social security number, email address, phone number, medical records, passwords, etc. Once they have this information, they use that information to commit fraud. This could be anything from stealing your tax refund to opening credit cards in your name (ruining your credit) to receiving medical treatment.
When it all boils down, your personal identity is more valuable than the cash in your pocket, so it’s imperative that you do your best to protect it.
How to Know When Your Identity has been Stolen
In truth, the average person may not know immediately that their information is in the wrong hands. Three warning signs are:
- Noticing unexpected charges on your credit card
- Seeing that your credit score has dropped significantly
- Receiving notice from a debt collector (which is only suspicious if it’s not due to debt you acquired on your own)
Precautions You Should Take
There are things people should do on a daily basis to ensure that their identity is safe. In truth, there is never a 100% guarantee that you can protect yourself from identity theft. However, taking the right precautions can significantly lessen the risk.
The basics include building a strong password and setting up two-step identification anywhere your personal information is stored. Beyond that, you should be selective when giving out your personal information. Always check that a web page is secure before entering your credit card, don’t fall for “phishing” scams, etc. Essentially, trust your gut and err on the side of caution.
If you don’t have enough time in the day to monitor your own accounts, credit score, personal information, etc., you can always turn to the professionals. Many banks allow you to set up real-time alerts so you know when your card is used, but that is only one piece of the puzzle.
Many insurance companies (like my own Red Rock Insurance Group) offer identity theft protection services. In a time when even your children’s identity can be stolen without your knowledge, you can never be too safe.
For many, it’s well-worth the peace of mind that comes from knowing your information is constantly being monitored and protected through monitoring, alerts and recovery.
What Customers Really Want from Insurance Professionals
In the insurance industry, there are too many professionals who put their own personal gain ahead of their customers’ needs.
A few examples are:
- Selling customers on a more expensive policy (sometimes for extra commission)
- Cutting communication short
- Being dishonest about any aspect of the process
The ins and outs of insurance can be complicated, but understanding customer needs is simple. The key is prioritizing their needs. After all, without the customers, there would be no company.
Dedicate Your Time
All professionals sometimes feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day to complete every task on their list. However, customers don’t want to feel that you’re rushing through a conversation with them to check off a few boxes.
Whether it’s taking the extra time to call a customer about a question they had or typing out a well-thought-out email, they notice. In fact, some expect it and will be very disappointed if they don’t get that kind of personalized service.
Listen Before You Speak
When you listen and take notes during every conversation with your customers, you’re setting yourself up for future success. People want to be genuinely heard. Even if a few minutes of your conversation deviates from the important business you’re speaking about, that’s okay. Those extra minutes are being spent developing a relationship with those customers.
Who knows — You may discover unexpectedly valuable information in the process that helps you fully understand their insurance needs. Plus, your customers will be thoroughly impressed if you bring up a detail from your last conversation.
As a side note: This is why I’m in favor of independent insurance groups. Customer’s know who they’ll be talking to every time they call.
Simplify
As Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
Your customers likely won’t be insurance experts. This doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in what they’re paying for. The best method is to explain the details in a way that is easy to digest.
The bottom line is that happy customers stay with you. Your customers are much less likely to shop around for a different insurance company if they’re content with their current service. Price is always a factor, but the experience is what really solidifies their loyalty.
Happy customers also write good reviews, recommend you to friends and family, and are more likely to reach out with any questions or concerns.
But what’s most important is the knowledge that your service is appreciated. I always go above and beyond for Red Rock customers when possible, and I’ve never once regretted it.
Natural Disasters: Is Your Home Properly Insured?
Homeowners all across the country are at risk of falling victim to a natural disaster. From floods to tornadoes to earthquakes, every region is at risk for a severe weather event.
Those on the East Coast are currently dealing with the effects of Hurricane Florence. Southwestern states like Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, etc. are no strangers to hurricanes, but we’ve also had our fair share of tornadoes and thunderstorms.
Before securing a policy for homeowners insurance, you’ll want to be familiar with the natural disasters local to your area. Be sure that you’re getting the best coverage for your location. Unfortunately, it’s only after severe weather hits that some homeowners realize they weren’t properly insured.
Flood Insurance
One especially important note is to specifically inquire about flood insurance. Homeowners in nearly every state are at risk for flooding, but most standard home insurance policies do not cover flood damage. It’s also important to remember that flood policies won’t kick in until 30 days after they’re purchased unless it is tied to a loan closing. The day before a huge storm isn’t the best time to realize you forgot to call for flood insurance. Oftentimes insurance companies will put a moratorium on “New Business” when a known storm is on the way to prevent people without flood insurance purchasing just before the storm hits.
Be Vigilant with Your Policy
Home insurance isn’t a bill you should pay and forget about. Your policy is an important part of your home’s overall security because you never know when disaster will strike. The insurance coverage required by your mortgage company often isn’t enough. They only care about the structure based on the loan amount, which often times the loan is less than the actual cost to rebuild. Also, keep in mind that they don’t care about your personal belongings, so you want to make sure that you have enough personal property coverage. In short, your home’s market value and its replacement cost are two very different numbers. You want to make sure you have the right coverage for furniture and personal belongings in your home.
You should also notify your insurer when you make any major renovations that would add to the value of your home. If you neglect to disclose that you built an addition onto your home or otherwise remodeled, it is a gamble that could cost you in the long run. Upfront honesty will only be an advantage in the event that you need to file a claim.
“But I Only Rent”
Even if you only rent a property, you should still have renters insurance to cover all your personal property in the case of an emergency. Your wardrobe alone could be worth thousands of dollars, so the cost of insurance is inexpensive considering the potential benefits.
Make it Easy on Yourself
Technology is a beautiful thing. Because most of us carry smartphones everywhere, it’s easy to record damage following any destruction.
As a preventative measure, it’s also important to inventory your possessions once a year. By either writing them down or taking photos of every room, you’ll save yourself from scrambling to inventory from memory alone.
To know if you’re fully covered in the event of a natural disaster or severe weather event, call your insurance agent. They’ll be able to review your policy and give you more information specific to your situation.
About Henry Glover
Henry Glover of Birmingham, Alabama, is the Founder and CEO of Altasurance (formally known as Red Rock Insurance), an independent insurance agency servicing clients with a variety of insurance needs. From auto insurance to life insurance, Henry Glover has crafted a team of agents to offer expert-level support and direction for your insurance inquiries. Henry founded the insurance group in 2009 and has built it to reach within several local markets. The small team of under a dozen employees is currently expanding as their success continues to grow.
Henry didn’t always know that the insurance industry was where he would build his legacy. From a young age, Henry Glover knew that he wanted to be successful. He never cared if he started a soap factory or an insurance agency, he just wanted something he could call his own. Henry didn’t know soap, but he did know insurance, so he went with insurance.
Educational Journey
Henry’s entry into the insurance industry was a bit of a roller coaster. He began school at Auburn University, studying software engineering. He loved software but hated school, so he decided to drop out even though his parents were paying all the costs. They were obviously irritated, and immediately cut him off from their payroll and stopped paying his out of state tuition. To find a job, Henry responded to an ad in the classifieds (back when the classifieds were a thing), and applied for a job selling insurance. Little did he know, the job was selling life insurance door-to-door. But Henry had to make ends meet, so he stuck with it and ended up being very successful. Henry Glover quickly became one of the top producers in the state, but realized that the business model and the job were not sustainable for his future.
Being the salesman that he is, Henry Glover made a deal with his parents that he would go back to school. This time, he decided to take out student loans, as he had been out of school long enough to qualify and get in-state tuition. The deal was that if Henry successfully graduated, his parents would have to pay off his student loans. It was a win-win situation as Henry took all the risk should he decide again that school wasn’t for him. In reality, Henry didn’t really didn’t care about college, but his parents did. They were thrilled at the prospect of rewarding their son after graduation.
However, there was a problem. Henry was basically having to work his way through school because student loans didn’t pay for everything. He worked for an insurance agency that specializes in Property and Casualty Insurance (different from what he does now with Auto, Home and Commercial Insurance). The problem was what he called the “student salesman dilemma” — as he worked on commission only, he often had to decide between closing a sale or studying for a test. He always wanted to close the sale, but he was on the hook for his school loans if he didn’t pass the class. You see, both had a economic cost/benefit and it was too hard to choose. Barring this realization, Henry did the responsible thing and quit his insurance job to take an hourly job, first as a cook, and eventually in a jewelry warehouse. But working for that insurance agency did set the groundwork for what eventually became his insurance agency’s business model.
Henry Glover finally graduated from college in 2006 with a degree in Economics and a minor in Computer Science, making his parents proud…and leaving them with the student loan bill.
Career
After college graduation, Henry Glover of Birmingham, Alabama, pursued a career in the banking industry, but he didn’t quite receive the same thrill that he experienced when selling insurance. He always knew he would get back into insurance, it was just a question of how.
After about 2 years of gaining sales and service skills through his banking position, Henry decided he wanted to create his own success from the ground up. He spent time getting to know his bank clients who owned businesses, learning from their success and failures and finding out what he would be getting himself into. With an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for the challenge on his mind, Henry Glover went back to the industry he knew best — with a few extra skills that would help to set him up for success.
Henry Glover has been working in the insurance industry long enough to know that times are changing. The world is becoming digital, and 75% of the insurance market is run by a combination of ‘captive’ and ‘direct’ insurance carriers. ‘Captives’ are large local sales forces like Allstate, Nationwide, State Farm, etc., and the ‘directs’ are companies that bypass a sales force and sell directly to the consumer (i.e. Geico, USAA, etc.).
However, Henry doesn’t bat an eye when it comes to worrying about his competitors. Because there will always be a demand for those larger entities, he chooses to focus on the nuances within the rigid insurance industry in order to set Red Rock Insurance Group apart from others. Red Rock knows insurance, and Henry knows that customers are most satisfied when there is a happy mix of both digital and traditional practices within their business model.
Having a knack for technology, Henry Glover has also become quite the experienced programmer. He’s developed several pieces of tech, not only as a hobby, but for his company as well. In his spare time, Henry enjoys educating himself on various technical aspects of development and invention. This draw to technology has been passed down to his 8 year old daughter as well, who loves bonding with her father over the subject.
Henry Glover currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Red Rock Insurance Group continues to grow and reach new audiences, and expand upon their successes so far. For more information about Henry Glover and Red Rock Insurance Group, stay tuned to his blog featured here.