Get down to specifics.
That’s how 85% of brokers surveyed in Canadian Underwriter’s annual National Broker Survey say they maintain status as trusted advisors with their clients. That percentage is statistically consistent with results from our surveys over the prior four years.
Women advisors are a bit more likely (89%) to favour the method than men (82%), as are veteran brokers with 31 or more years in the business (88%), followed by newer brokers (87%) with 16 or fewer years on the job. Brokers at smaller firms with 20 or fewer employees (91%) tell CU they’re most likely to delve into the details of a customer’s situation.
Increasingly, brokers also tell our survey they build trust by referring clients to various information sources (64%) and other resources. That’s up from 60% in the 2024 survey and 56% in 2023. And 25% of respondents say they use social media to demonstrate their expertise (up from 19% in 2024 and 18% in 2023).
The value of appearing on webinars and other virtual speaking engagements saw a jump to 22% in 2025’s survey, compared to 16% in both 2024 and 2023.
Keep them in the loop
Making clients aware of new and relevant insurance coverages is relied on to build trust by 77% of brokers responding to our 2025 survey. That’s statistically consistent with data from the previous four years. Women brokers (79%), newer brokers (80%) and those at large firms with more than 100 employees (81%) are most likely to use this method to build client trust.
Proactively telling clients about emerging risks and exposures is a go-to trust builder for 76% of respondents — again consistent with prior surveys. And 79% of women brokers say they employ this technique, compared to 71% of men. The approach is most popular with brokers at medium-sized firms (83%), compared with 78% at large firms and 67% at smaller brokerages.
“Advising clients of upcoming changes by insurers and explaining to them that insurance companies will only insure you if you have a well-maintained risk to begin with [is key],” says one newer broker at a large firm. She adds explaining this thoroughly helps clients grasp why insurers are “putting in more vigorous recommendations to avoid potential losses and mitigate exposures.”
Related: 3 ways brokers can boost customer service
The percentage of brokers saying they build trust by developing specialty market expertise climbed to 68% in 2025, compared to 65% in 2024 and 61% in 2023. And 68% of 2025 respondents say they’re developing deep knowledge in a small selection of products, compared to 61% last year.
Verbatim responses from survey responses stress the need for brokers to proactively inform clients about both new products and emerging risks and exposures. “[This] should not only be limited to when their renewal is approaching,” says a newer broker at a large firm.
“Review the products you sell regularly,” adds a mid-career broker at a smaller firm. “Small changes in the wordings or coverage could impact your client.”
The next big opportunity for brokers lies in Canada’s fast-growing Lower Middle Market — and Chubb is helping them seize it.
Canadian Underwriter’s 2025 National Broker Survey was fielded between Jan. 22 and Feb. 20 with 165 responses. The survey is supported by Sovereign Insurance.
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