Travel insurance has always been a topic of interest, but the Covid-19 pandemic really propelled it into the forefront in the last 13 months. Coincidentally, just before the pandemic hit, Brownell Travel brought Laura Heidt on board as its insurance desk manager. Internally, she answers travel advisors’ questions about insurance, and will also work directly with clients. When she does the latter, she has an incredible 90-95% close rate. This week, Laura joins Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann on Trade Secrets to talk all things travel insurance.

In this episode:
1:07 - Meet Laura, and learn about what she does at Brownell Travel.
4:45 - Insurance can be a complicated product. That’s where Laura steps in.
6:11 - When Laura works with travel advisors’ clients to sell them insurance, she has an astounding close rate. How does she do that?
9:44 - Insurance commissions can have a pretty big impact on agencies’ profits.
11:04 - It can be daunting for advisors to shift through insurance policies and read the fine print. Industry attorney Jeffrey Ment recommends agents have their clients do their own insurance research and plan-picking. What does Laura think?
13:15 - All about cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) benefits.
16:41 - What does the future hold for CFAR? Will there be major changes?
21:19 - Why does change take so long when it comes to travel insurance?
22:47 - This is the bare minimum insurance Laura suggests for travelers. And it could be a gift to a client from their travel advisor.
25:23 - Declination waivers are important for liability purposes.

Further resources:

For more on Laura: Insurance desk debut a timely one at Brownell Travel - https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insurance-desk-debut-a-timely-one-at-Brownell-Travel

Legal Lingo column by travel attorney Jeffrey Ment - https://www.travelagewest.com/Search?q=jeffrey%20ment

Legal Briefs column by travel attorney Mark Pestronk - https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk

Pestronk’s resources - https://pestronk.com/resources/

Bad news, good sales for insurance - https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Bad-news-good-sales-for-insurance

Five things to know about selling travel insurance right now - https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/5-Things-to-Know-About-Selling-Travel-Insurance-Right-Now

The benefits of education and travel insurance - https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/The-benefits-of-education-and-travel-insurance

How the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world of travel insurance - https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/How-the-COVID-19-Pandemic-Has-Changed-the-World-of-Travel-Insurance

With a little help from our friends - https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/With-a-little-help-from-our-friends

Making the case for travel insurance - https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/Making-the-case-for-travel-insurance

Making travel insurance sales part of your workflow - https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/How-agents-can-make-travel-insurance-sales-part-of-their-workflow

Need advice?

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel insurance has always been a topic of interest, but the Covid-19 pandemic really propelled it into the forefront in the last 13 months. Coincidentally, just before the pandemic hit, Brownell Travel brought Laura Heidt on board as its insurance desk manager. Internally, she answers travel advisors&rsquo; questions about insurance, and will also work directly with clients. When she does the latter, she has an incredible 90-95% close rate. This week, Laura joins Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann on Trade Secrets to talk all things travel insurance.
<hr>
In this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">1:07 - Meet Laura, and learn about what she does at Brownell Travel.</li>
<li aria-level="1">4:45 - Insurance can be a complicated product. That&rsquo;s where Laura steps in.</li>
<li aria-level="1">6:11 - When Laura works with travel advisors&rsquo; clients to sell them insurance, she has an astounding close rate. How does she do that?</li>
<li aria-level="1">9:44 - Insurance commissions can have a pretty big impact on agencies&rsquo; profits.</li>
<li aria-level="1">11:04 - It can be daunting for advisors to shift through insurance policies and read the fine print. Industry attorney Jeffrey Ment recommends agents have their clients do their own insurance research and plan-picking. What does Laura think?</li>
<li aria-level="1">13:15 - All about cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) benefits.</li>
<li aria-level="1">16:41 - What does the future hold for CFAR? Will there be major changes?</li>
<li aria-level="1">21:19 - Why does change take so long when it comes to travel insurance?</li>
<li aria-level="1">22:47 - This is the bare minimum insurance Laura suggests for travelers. And it could be a gift to a client from their travel advisor.</li>
<li aria-level="1">25:23 - Declination waivers are important for liability purposes.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Further resources:
For more on Laura: Insurance desk debut a timely one at Brownell Travel - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insurance-desk-debut-a-timely-one-at-Brownell-Travel">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insurance-desk-debut-a-timely-one-at-Brownell-Travel</a>
Legal Lingo column by travel attorney Jeffrey Ment - <a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Search?q=jeffrey%20ment">https://www.travelagewest.com/Search?q=jeffrey%20ment</a>
Legal Briefs column by travel attorney Mark Pestronk - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk">https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk</a>
Pestronk&rsquo;s resources - <a href="https://pestronk.com/resources/">https://pestronk.com/resources/</a>
Bad news, good sales for insurance - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Bad-news-good-sales-for-insurance">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Bad-news-good-sales-for-insurance</a>
Five things to know about selling travel insurance right now - <a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/5-Things-to-Know-About-Selling-Travel-Insurance-Right-Now">https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/5-Things-to-Know-About-Selling-Travel-Insurance-Right-Now</a>
The benefits of education and travel insurance - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/The-benefits-of-education-and-travel-insurance">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/The-benefits-of-education-and-travel-insurance</a>
How the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world of travel insurance - <a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/How-the-COVID-19-Pandemic-Has-Changed-the-World-of-Travel-Insurance">https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/How-the-COVID-19-Pandemic-Has-Changed-the-World-of-Travel-Insurance</a>
With a little help from our friends - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/With-a-little-help-from-our-friends">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/With-a-little-help-from-our-friends</a>
Making the case for travel insurance - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/Making-the-case-for-travel-insurance">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/Making-the-case-for-travel-insurance</a>
Making travel insurance sales part of your workflow - <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/How-agents-can-make-travel-insurance-sales-part-of-their-workflow">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Insights/How-agents-can-make-travel-insurance-sales-part-of-their-workflow</a>
<hr>
Need advice?
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
<hr>
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: <a href="https://filmmusic.io/standard-license">https://filmmusic.io/standard-license</a>
&nbsp;
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at travelweekly.com/podcasts.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:

Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.

Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.


Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners&rsquo; questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more &mdash; as long as it&rsquo;s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at <a href="http://travelweekly.com/podcasts">travelweekly.com/podcasts</a>.
<hr>
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:
Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors&rsquo; 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives &mdash; the highs and lows that make them human.
<hr>
 Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop</a> License: <a href="https://filmmusic.io/standard-license">https://filmmusic.io/standard-license</a>
<hr>
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Advertisement