Anxiety is growing among independent insurance agents regarding the gigantic marketing expenditures by the direct channel to position personal auto insurance as a commodity, akin to taking 10 or 15 minutes to buy a few groceries.

In many cases, independent agents have tried to replicate that approach using comparative raters and generating a quote without investing the time to learn about the potential client’s situation and objectives. And if they gain the new account, unless a claim or another issue arises, they will automatically renew the account without meeting with the client, focusing instead on new customer acquisition.

Consider the following example: A hypothetical agency has a target retention of 92% for personal lines and hopes to add new policies in force (PIF) of 10% annually. The agency has 1,000 personal lines clients and a net PIF growth rate of approximately 2%. Over time, the agency realizes the average age of their customer base is increasing—resulting in less new automobile purchases, which means less premium. Plus, some of the households drop an auto, ending up with a single family vehicle or no vehicle all.

The agency realizes it needs to attract new clients earlier in their lifecycle—late 20s and early 30s—but this target group may include renters rather than homeowners, translating into lower personal lines revenues.

Aside from ramping up digital advertising and social media efforts, what else can the agency do to generate more personal lines revenue? Data from LIMRA’s 2014 Insurance Barometer Study might have the answer. First, one in four Americans surveyed reported they need more life insurance. For an agency with 1,000 personal lines clients, that means 250 clients realize they need more life insurance.

But the same survey indicates only one person in 10 is likely to purchase a life insurance policy within the next year. For an agency with 1,000 personal lines clients, that still means 100 customers are likely to purchase life insurance in the next year. For the remaining 150 clients that realize they need more life insurance but are not very likely to purchase, an additional opportunity exists to discuss their situation—especially since  the survey also reports that 63% of respondents said they have not purchased more life insurance because they think it’s too expensive. That means in many cases, the client has a misconception regarding the cost of life insurance that an independent agent could help clear up.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects of the study is that only 29% of Americans have disability insurance. That means 7 out of 10 people are walking around without disability insurance unless they can qualify for Social Security, which utilizes strict criteria and benefit payments that may be inadequate to meet a person’s needs. As more Americans work as consultants or independent contractors (don’t forget n-home business policies) they face significant disability insurance exposure. Similarly, the study reveals only 13% of Americans have long-term care insurance, another potential sales opportunity.

Turning back to our hypothetical agency, it would appear that hitting a target of two new life insurance policies and one new disability insurance policy per week is an attainable goal. Numerous MGAs would be glad to generate proposals, assist with underwriting and bind cases—and research shows the more policies a client has with an agency, the more likely he or she is to remain a client.

Take a fresh look at your personal lines clients to generate more revenue and cement the client-agency relationship.

Dave Evans is a certified financial planner and an IA contributor.