MRL #138- How To Handle Tough Renewals Without Losing Clients

There's nothing worse than a nightmare renewal.

Like the one I was dealing with last month.

A $400k premium account who hates insurance, and his renewal was going up $45,000.

Yikes.

Even better, the underwriter was trying to spin it:

"It's only a 13% increase."

Only?

"Dude, I don't care what percentage you call it. $40k is $40k!"

Four weeks out, young Micah would've panicked. But I've been through this before, so I knew how to handle it.

Fast forward to last week, and I went from presenting a $40k increase to a $5k reduction.

Not bad.

Client was happy. Account was retained.

Phew.

I didn't do anything crazy. I just did a few key things, which I do for every client, at every renewal, and you can too.

Here they are.

Start Early – Like Actually Early

120 days out, I've already gathered renewal info.

Not sending some lazy email asking the client to "update their app." I'm scheduling a 30-minute call, pre-filling everything I can from last year beforehand, and walking them through the rest on the call.

If you’ve been in the biz for more than a year, you know:

Time evaporates around renewals, especially during the holiday season. You blink and you're two weeks out and scrambling.

The sooner you can start, the better.

Set Realistic Expectations

At my pre-renewal strategy meeting I'm bringing market data.

Not just national numbers that mean nothing – actual intel from my underwriters about what's happening in our market.

I'm asking my carriers:

"What are you thinking four months out? Can you give me some real examples I can share with my clients?"

So when I sit down with the client, I'm not blowing smoke.

I'm bringing cold hard data, which is much harder to argue with.

Communicate Throughout

This is where I dropped the ball earlier in my career.

I'd have a great pre-renewal strategy meeting, then pop back up 2-3 weeks before renewal with my final numbers.

Not anymore.

I’ve learned the hard way, in the eyes of clients, that can be frustrating.

"What's been going on this whole time?"

Now I keep them up to speed on every development.

"Hey, just FYI, here's what I'm hearing. Still working on this. Aiming for this target date."

Try it.

It changes everything about how clients perceive your effort.

Show Them the First Price

This one's controversial, but hear me out.

If the underwriter comes in at a 10% increase and I negotiate down to 7%, then only show the client 7%?

They don't see any of the work I just did!

They'll push back for 4%, not knowing the underwriter already told me 7% is best and final.

But if I show them that first ugly number and say,

"Hey, they came in at 10%. I'm working to get this to 7%. Here's my plan,"

Now they see me fighting for them in real time.

They appreciate it.

And they take the increases better.

Push Back With Options

In my case, I got the equipment policy down $15k by moving the deductible from $10k to $25k.

Client's had zero losses in five years on that line. It was a no-brainer.

Always give your clients options. That's our job as brokers.

This year I added something new too.

I told the underwriter straight up:

"If we don't get this more in line, I'm worried the client leaves us mid-term. And next year? We'll have serious competition for this account."

I don't play that card every time.

But when it's true, I use it.

Here's The Reality About Building A Million-Dollar Book:

If you can't retain clients, you can’t scale.

Especially in a hard market like this one.

Year after year of increases and producer fatigue sets in.

Your clients think, "I just gotta make a change to make a change," even when you're doing everything right.

A mentor told me once:

"You don't own any of your clients. You're just renting them until they leave."

That used to stress me out. Now? It gives me peace.

My goal isn't to keep every client for 30 years (though that'd be awesome).

It's to work as hard as I can, check every box, and aim for 5-7 solid years. 10 if I'm lucky.

And if they leave after year six despite me doing everything right? I can live with that. That's just the game.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to let an account walk because I didn't do the work.

So Here's My Challenge For You Going Into 2026

Look at your renewal calendar. Circle your toughest ones.

And run this playbook:

• Start early.

• Set expectations.

• Communicate constantly.

• Show the first price.

• Push for options.

Do that, and you'll retain your fair share.

See you next week.

Kick ass take names,

Micah

PS- If you liked this newsletter and want to go further down the rabbit hole on how to build a book of business from scartch with cold outbound, then check out our Producer Playbook.

Its exactly what I wish I would of had when I started.

Check it out here.