Marketing

Insurance Journal recently published its 101 Sales and Marketing Ideas for Agencies*, and our president and CMO offered the following tips.

Agency marketing best practices by Virginia State Director Roger Gill, originally published in the 2019 Smart Choice Magazine, Issue IV.

“Inbound Marketing” is much more powerful, as it positions the person or company as an expert (instead of strictly as a salesperson) in the eyes of the potential customer. Inbound Marketingis about creating a two-way communicative environment and experience.

There are several common misconceptions about millennials within the insurance industry. But independent agents can’t afford to write off millennial consumers. Millennial consumers will be the most influential market segment for the next few decades, so it’s critical that independent agents understand what millennial insurance consumers want in insurance.

In insurance, as in any sales business, there comes a time when the presentation is over and it’s time to close. Or, to put it another way, it’s time to get paid for your investment of time and hard work in looking for the best coverage options for your clients. When I asked the top agents in my region what made them such successful salespeople, they shared with me that preparing a  professional sales presentation is their top priority.

Here are four easy things you can do to make the most of your online marketing efforts.

Marketing is one of the most important things you can do to keep current customers happy as well as drum up new business. The following tips are three easy ways to help your clients and community, which in turn will help market your agency and keep your business in the forefront of your present and future clients’ minds when an insurance need arises.

As agency owners, you know the importance of identifying and understanding your client before attempting to make any sort of coverage recommendation or sale. But have you ever thought about doing the same before promoting your agency with marketing and advertising?

Prospects and clients also don’t live in a vacuum between your sales calls. This may sound obvious, but many salespeople fall prey to the concept that “Jones will never buy from anyone else but me.” Unless you are the only person in the world making the product or offering the service, your client is approached at least once a week.

Referrals are easier to get than gold nuggets. Gold nuggets have to be searched for; referrals are free for the asking.

Many independent insurance agents, both new to the industry and established agents, at some point find themselves asking the question: “Should I join an aggregator or agency network?” Here's your answer.

Why should I join an agency network and what are the benefits? Most people would provide the answer of: “access to markets and carriers!” Although that probably is the biggest reason, the truth is that agency networks offer so much more than that.