Renewals and x-dates
A renewal date is when your own customer's policy renews. An x-date (expiration date) is when a prospect's policy with another carrier renews, which is when they're most open to a new quote.
You know both dates months ahead. The work is making sure someone calls before the date, not after it.
Put every date on one list
- One list sorted by expiration date, not a spreadsheet per agent.
- Your current customers, with their policies and premiums.
- Prospects with x-dates, from quotes that didn't close.
- An owner on each one, so it's clear who calls.
If your renewals live in your agency management system, export them to a spreadsheet and import them into the tool your agents work every day.
When to reach out
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before the renewal notice arrives | Check in on their coverage, so they hear from you before they shop |
| When the new premium is known | If it went up, requote and call with options |
| A week before the date | Confirm they're set |
| After the renewal | Ask for a review and a referral |
| About 11 months after a customer leaves | Text them before their new policy renews |
For prospects, set a requote date a few weeks before their x-date, and call with a quote ready.
What to say
Keep it short and personal. A few examples:
- Renewal check-in: "Hi Dana, it's Sam at Harbor Insurance. Your auto policy renews March 3. Want me to see if there's a better rate before then?"
- Premium went up: "Hi Dana, your renewal came in higher than last year. I found two options that bring it back down. Do you have five minutes today or tomorrow?"
- X-date call: "Hi Chris, it's Sam at Harbor Insurance. You mentioned your home policy renews next month, so I ran a quote. Want to see it?"
Ask for referrals and reviews
A customer who just renewed, or just bought, is the easiest person to ask. Ask for a review the day after a sale, and for a referral when they renew and you've saved them money or time.
- Give every agent a referral link with your agency's name, so clients can send a friend in a minute.
- Let a client introduce more than one friend at a time.
- Thank them when the friend gets a quote, whether or not it closes.
Every agent gets a branded referral page, each intro lands as a New Referral, and a Google review request is texted the day after a sale.
Catch the clients who are shopping
When a lead vendor sends you a lead who's already your customer, that client is shopping. Treat it as an alert and call them before another agency does.
If a lead vendor sends you someone already on your book, they're flagged as Clients-Shopping instead of becoming a duplicate.
Win back the customers who left
A customer who left for a lower price is a prospect with a known date: their new policy renews in about a year. Reach out before then, with a fresh quote.
Renewals sit on a board sorted by expiration, next to your new leads, with renewal texts that include a booking link. Former customers get a win-back text about 11 months later. Import your book from a spreadsheet, one row per policy, and texts are paced so a big file doesn't text everyone at once. See renewals
The numbers to watch
- Retention: the share of policies up for renewal that renewed.
- Requotes done: how many renewals with a higher premium got a requote before the date.
- X-date quotes: how many prospects got a quote before their x-date.
- Win-backs: former customers who came back.
Look at them every month, by agent, and put them on the same scoreboard as new sales so keeping a policy counts as much as writing one.