In addition to the data-gathering portion of this interview, you must determine exactly what it will take to write the account. You have to obtain the final rules of the game with the prospect. This includes the specific problems which need to be solved, the value added services the agency will provide, the agreed-upon targeted premium range, when you will present, the decision making process of the prospect, and an agreement not to share your work with other agencies. I don't care which approach you take, just take one of them. We have a strategy we teach during our Producer Training Camp that is working wonders.
Most agencies come back to see the prospect with a standard boilerplate proposal.
The first is the standard boilerplate document you've probably seen before. This simply lists all your coverages and limits. It really is the easy part and most agencies have a software program that spits these out. The second document is our Presentation of Solutions and Best Options. It details the specific problems we agreed existed on your account, the solutions we've been able to develop, plus some options on how to implement these solutions.