The insurance agent struggles to get new insurance leads and their home office is not letting up on the quotas for production. And the biggest challenge of all is the combination of a perceived down economy, the lack of ways to get new insurance leads and the pressure of the agents home office all equates to less money for the agent.
Traditional ways of getting new insurance leads and growing an insurance agency just do not work. And it is futile to get into the we have got the lowest price wars because this is what pigeon holes agents into believing they provide a commodity and confirms the inaccurate perception to the public that the insurance services provided by the agents is a commodity.
So what should smart agents do in an economic environment like today? And is insurance marketing a 'dead man walking?'
The answer is a resounding 'No', but at the same time insurance marketing must break from the clutter of all the marketing messages bombarding prospects and if the agent wants to get something different in terms of better results in today's economy, then the agent must do some things different.
The easiest place to start to differentiate yourself from the insurance agent struggling to survive is to look at what you have been doing ....and STOP! I know that sounds simple, but to continue to do what used to work even though it no longer works is wasted money.
But also, don't be like the agents who are no longer in the business. They were not smart enough to look at the marketing lessons from the past and discover that it is wisdom to stop doing the marketing that does not work, BUT you NEVER stop marketing. Because when you stop marketing you have started the bugle playing Taps.
What type of marketing should you do?
The answer is marketing that is emotional, compelling, riveting, and engaging, and yes you can do that with any product or service and especially in the insurance market.
One easy way to be engaging is to tell stories or triumph and tragedy and paint the prospect into the story so that they can experience the emotion of the story without having to go through the challenge of the story. And in fact, insurance agents often can simply share some of the stories about claims that happen in their agency and explain how insurance either did or could have helped.
Another key is to make sure that you are contacting your prospects in ways other than just a sales motion. You can provide value by doing things that makes their life more convenient. And this could be as simple as sending out voice-broadcasts when you hear about a great deal on pizza from a local business or letting them know where the lowest gas prices are located. You can discover this information by simply taking 10 minutes searching online.
The insurance clients love this type of service because you are providing a way to make their life more convenient. Remember Small things really do make big differences.
So ask yourself this question on a daily basis What else might you be able to provide to add convenience to your clients, but you can get for free?
Insurance agents who want to get more insurance leads and retain their clients will love the results of starting these simple, easy, but extremely effective systems.
I hope these tips have been helpful for you and inspire you to continue and grow your agency.
David T. Johnson has arranged for insurance agents to get a FREE GIFT Plus discover how to get Insurance Leads
