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In today's hyper-competitive insurance market, agency marketing is more important than ever. In Safeco’s Agent for the Future survey, 38% of independent agents said they plan to increase their investment in marketing. However, only 16% said they planned on hiring a dedicated marketer.

Almost every salesperson in the world has some method of keeping track of appointments; most often it’s a calendar of sorts. And, while it should come as no surprise, so do most people who make appointments with salespeople.

I recently rolled out the 2019 theme for my territory: Failure is a choice. My management team and I identified our top goals for next year and made a plan for keeping them our number-one work priorities. By doing so, we’re making the choice to work actively toward our goals rather than take a passive, come-what-may attitude.

As we finish up 2018, I look back over another record year for Smart Choice® agencies and the growth we’ve experienced together. We have reached two significant milestones this year.

In business, this is often the time of year when we begin planning for what’s to come in the next year – from budgeting and goal-setting to creating actionable punch lists and enacting plans. But, it should also be a time of reflection.

Guilford County, located in North Carolina, is in the top ten for hungriest counties in the United States, and just three years ago, the county was ranked number one. Local companies, including Smart Choice®, have rallied together year after year to prioritize the stocking of our food pantries.

Negative prospects are the easiest people in the world to sell if you remember one thing as you work with them: They don’t want you to get in the way of their buying your product/service.

Insurance fraud costs you, me, and the rest of the United States approximately $80 billion every year. It’s a big problem, not only for insurance carriers but insurance agents, too.

Insurance Fraud: Unethical or breaking the law? Both. And unfortunately it is becoming more prevalent in the insurance business each year.

Insurance Fraud. Unfortunately, it’s a growing issue in our industry. Consumers and agents are increasingly adept and creative when it comes to finding ways to commit fraud. Fraud can happen in multiple stages of the insurance transaction – committed by the agent to steal premiums via forgery or later during the claims process by the customer. There are an immense number of ways to commit illegal acts when it comes to insurance.

Tim was in trouble on this one. After finally getting in to see the prospect, Tim felt like he was backed into a corner and being poked to death. “Tim, you said the service was first-rate. Just what do you mean by that?" And Tim spent five minutes answering. “And another thing, I’m not going to tell you my budget because every time I do that, the proposal comes in within $10 of the top budget number. Why should I tell you?”

Are you apprehensive about marketing your agency online? If so, you’re not alone. Many independent insurance agents find the idea of finding customers online daunting. But the simple fact is that you need to invest in online marketing to stay relevant, competitive, and profitable