Before I Sold Insurance, I Worked a Parts Counter: Why We Listen First

Before I ever sold an insurance policy, I worked a parts counter.

For more than five years I was the lead counter person and shipper/receiver at Mercedes-Benz of Charlottesville. I handled retail customers, wholesale accounts, special orders and warranty claims.

That job taught me something I still use every single day: most people don't walk up with a part number. They walk up with a problem.

A customer might come in and say something like, "There's a noise when I turn left," or "The shop told me I need the thing behind the other thing." My job was to listen long enough to figure out what they actually needed and then get it right. If I guessed, or rushed, or just handed over whatever was closest to what they said, they'd be back the next day. Nobody wants that.

People don't call asking for a policy

Running an insurance agency isn't that different.

People rarely call us asking for a specific policy by name. They call because something in their life changed. They bought a house. They started a business. They've got a new driver in the family and they're a little nervous about it. They want someone to help them sort it out.

Honestly, that's how it should be. You shouldn't need to know insurance terminology to get good advice. That's our job.

Just listen

It's easy to think sales is about pitching, persuading and having an answer ready for everything. In my experience, it's a lot simpler than that.

Just listen.

Not halfway. Not with your next sentence already forming in your head. Actually listen. Most people don't want to be sold to. They want to be heard. When you listen first, a few things happen:

• You build trust. People can tell when you're paying attention and when you're waiting for your turn to talk.

• You find the real problem. The question someone asks first usually isn't the whole story.

• You can fit the solution to the person. You're not guessing.

At the parts counter, getting it wrong meant a return trip. In insurance, getting it wrong can mean finding a gap in your coverage at the worst possible time. That's why we take listening seriously.

What that looks like when you call us

If you call either of our offices, here's what you can expect. We're going to ask questions before we talk about policies, things like:

• What's changed lately? A move, a new car, a new job, a renovation, a growing family?

• What worries you most? Is it the house, the business, the kids on the road, or making sure your family is taken care of?

• What do you have now, and what do you wish it did better?

If you want to make that first conversation even easier, it helps to have a few things nearby: your current declarations pages (the summary page of your policy), basic details on your vehicles and drivers, and anything you know about your home, like the year it was built or when the roof was replaced. Don't worry if you don't have all of it. We can work through it together.

And if the answer is that what you have already fits, we'll tell you that too. Good advice doesn't always mean more coverage. Sometimes it just means peace of mind that you're set up right.

Every job teaches you something

I've worked in a lot of roles across different industries, and every one of them taught me something. The parts counter taught me to listen first. I still think about it when someone sits down across the desk from me in Waynesboro or calls our Lynchburg office trying to figure out where to start.

So I'll ask you the same thing I asked on LinkedIn: what's an early job that still shows up in how you work today?

Let's talk

Whether you just bought a house, started a business or have a new driver in the family, we'd love to hear what's going on and help you sort it out. Auto, home, life, business, health and Medicare, we'll start by listening.

• Waynesboro: 220 Rosser Ave Ste 6, Waynesboro, VA 22980, (540) 943-9941

• Lynchburg: 131 Tomahawk Industrial Park Bldg 3, Lynchburg, VA 24502, (434) 439-4814

Both offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. You can also request a quote online at michaelbaileyagency.com/get-a-quote.