Summer is traditionally a difficult time to generate new sales. Potential clients are either on vacation, or they’re playing catch-up from when they were on vacation.

But this time period is too significant to coast with your sales efforts.

How can independent agents create meetings, presentations and proposals and bind business during the summer? Relevance. If a prospective client does not see a relevant, time-sensitive reason to meet with you, expect them to put it off until fall.

The key to your position on offense versus defense is to ask a probing question or two. For example, a personal lines client who may plan on driving to a vacation home several hours away provides an opportunity to highlight some relevant considerations, such as: “That sounds like a well-deserved vacation, but have you considered the potential financial impact on you and your family if an uninsured or underinsured motorist hits your car?”

This opens the opportunity to explain how a meaningful percentage of drivers are in this situation and to look at your client’s current personal auto policy to make sure they have adequate protection. You could also ask whether the vacation home has a pool, boat, dock or other leisure item that kids will use. Making sure the potential client has a personal lines umbrella policy is important in safeguarding their financial stability. You could even ask if one of the kids has a drone they’ll bring on vacation and whether the client is protected in the event of an accident.

Do you have current or potential clients who are active? Whether they’re into mountain biking, kayaking, hiking or something else, ask them if they have a disability policy based on their ability to perform the essential duties of their occupation, and whether it provides enough monthly income for them to pay the bills in the event of an accident or major illness.

Similarly, remind business owners trying to get away from work that data breaches are occurring more frequently. Offer to review their current commercial insurance policy to ensure they have meaningful cyber coverage in the event of a data breach. Assure business owners they can relax during their time away, even if their business is hacked or experiences an accidental release of confidential information.

Relieving your clients’ stress isn’t just about saving money, and it shouldn’t involve any technical insurance jargon. Instead, the most successful agents instill a sense of confidence in their clients that their personal and business life has adequately protection, removing one more concern they have to worry about during vacation.

The key to landing new clients is listening to what’s going on in their lives and pointing out some of the ways insurance can give them peace of mind while they’re out of the office. Don’t forget to ask about any recent high school or college grads and the unique insurance needs they may require as they transition to the next stage of their lives.

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