Re-Shopping Renewals Before Your Clients Do
When renewal premiums jump, clients shop. The agencies that keep them shop first. Here's a simple process for re-shopping renewals before the notice lands.
TL;DR
Rising renewal premiums are the top reason personal lines clients leave. Re-shopping renewals 30 to 45 days before the effective date, starting with the largest increases, lets you reach the client with options before they start calling other agencies. Lead with the increase, show the alternatives, and document the review even when the client stays put.
A client rarely leaves because of a bad claim experience or a rude phone call. They leave because a renewal shows up 20 percent higher and nobody called them about it. By the time they ring your office, they've already gotten two quotes somewhere else.
The fix is simple to describe and easy to skip: re-shop the renewal before the client opens the envelope.
Why does proactive re-shopping work?
When a client finds a renewal increase on their own, the story in their head is "my agent let this happen." When you call first, the story becomes "my agent is watching out for me." Same price increase, very different relationship.
Proactive re-shopping also changes the math of retention:
- You keep clients who would have left quietly. Many never call. They just don't renew.
- You find better coverage combinations. A re-shop is a natural moment to review limits and discounts.
- You protect commission you already earned. Replacing a lost client costs another lead and another sales call.
When should you start?
Thirty to forty-five days before the effective date is the sweet spot for most personal lines. That's usually after the carrier has released the renewal premium and before the client starts shopping. Earlier, and you may not have the renewal number. Later, and you're competing with whoever the client already called.
Which renewals should you re-shop first?
You won't re-shop every renewal every month, and you don't need to. Sort by impact:
Priority | Renewal |
|---|---|
First | Increases above your threshold, for example 10 percent or more |
Second | Bundled clients, where losing one policy risks both |
Third | Long-tenured clients with large premiums |
Last | Small, flat renewals with no coverage changes |
Set your threshold based on what your team can handle. The goal is a list short enough that it actually gets worked every week.
What does a good re-shop call sound like?
Lead with the increase. Don't hide it, and don't open with a sales pitch.
"Hi Maria, I'm calling because your auto renewal came in higher than last year, and I didn't want you to be surprised by it. I've already checked a few other carriers for you. Do you have a few minutes to go over what I found?"
Then give the client real options:
- Stay and adjust. Same carrier, with a different deductible or a discount you found.
- Move to a better-priced carrier on matching coverage.
- Stay as is, with an explanation of why the increase happened and why it may still be the right choice.
Option three matters. Sometimes the current carrier is still the best value, especially with a recent claim or a new young driver. Telling a client that honestly builds more trust than forcing a switch.
How do you keep it from becoming a full-time job?
Re-shopping is only sustainable if it's fast. A few things make the difference:
- Quote from what you already have. The client's drivers, vehicles and coverage are on file. A re-shop shouldn't start with a blank intake.
- Use your rater for the renewal. Run every appointed carrier at once on the current coverage.
- Draft the outreach. The email or text explaining the options should take a minute to review, not fifteen minutes to write.
- Batch the work. Pull the renewal list once a week and work it in a set block.
Document every review
Write down what you checked and what the client decided, even when nothing changes. It protects the agency if a coverage question comes up later. It also gives the next agent who talks to the client the full story. A short note like "re-shopped, current carrier still best value, client chose to stay, raised comp deductible to $500" is enough.
Measure retention by cohort
Track how many clients renew among those you re-shopped versus those you didn't, by month. It won't be a perfect experiment, but over a few quarters the trend will tell you whether the process is worth the hours. Most agencies that try it find that it is.
The bottom line
Clients shop when renewals jump. Call them first. Start 30 to 45 days out, work the biggest increases first, lead with honesty about the price, give real options including staying put, and note what you did.
In Truvo Platform, the copilot can re-shop a renewal across your carriers from the client's file and draft the email for you to approve. Nothing goes out until you say so. Get started.