MDRT ideas for connecting better with clients

Try these two ideas for building stronger connections with clients, which can lead to trust and referrals.

Asking for ‘points of contact’
After every sale, rather than asking for referrals, I ask my client to nominate two or three “points of contact” for their policies. Digital communication and going paperless have contributed to the decline in physical mail, and without a document, clients’ loved ones/beneficiaries don’t know what policies the client has, who to call, and proceeds often go unclaimed. Hence meeting with my client’s point of contact and sharing with them a robust framework of claiming has been part of my business practice. Asking for a point of contact is more effective than asking for referrals, as it’s in the client’s utmost interest to link us and the nominated point of contact for discussion.

—Jake Lim Wei Lun, AEPP, eight-year MDRT member

Deeper engagement
Relationships and sales are built by giving extra value to clients. By being honest about products that work and those that don’t, I gain trust. This approach delivers value for the client, as they don’t have the luxury of time to study and check if the plans are still relevant to their current situation. I tell them that I can’t predict the outcome of the current solutions, but I can guarantee that I will be here to guide and help them make their aspirations come true, in good and bad times. This also includes situations where I am the bearer of bad news. This type of engagement and conversation allows the clients to trust me and provides me more business.

—Arlyn Tiong Tan, MBA, FChFP, 19-year MDRT member

This was excerpted from the May/June 2025 Round the Table article, “12 ideas for deeper gifting, client engagement and budgeting habits.“