For many independent agencies, sales and marketing
are a continual sticking point. Excellent service and friendly faces are
abundant, but teams struggle to bring the same enthusiasm they have for service
to their insurance agency marketing and sales.
As we adjust to the restrictions in place to slow the spread of the global COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic, we offer solutions for insurance agencies to mitigate loss and keep their community safe.
“All things being equal, people want to buy from those they like.”
This paraphrase from speaker and author Bob Burg says a lot about how to get insurance clients. Independent agents emphasize the relationship piece of the client acquisition equation, and rightly so. It’s the key differentiator for the industry and the best way to stand out from the constant marketing of the large captives.
But how and to where do you broadcast your agency’s value? There are some key elements to making your name known and making it stick. (more…)
A marketer’s goal is to find a reason to connect – a reason for the audience to care, to engage, to take any action. Otherwise, the message will be ignored, and time, effort, and money spent will be wasted.
Yet, too often insurance agency marketing takes a “spray and pray” marketing effort, putting out messaging everywhere and anywhere hoping it sticks. With so much noise and no reason to engage, results are – to put it nicely – underwhelming.
Like putting together a championship team, growing sales is something every insurance agency owner wants, talks about, and works toward. But, comparatively few are adept at achieving and sustaining growth.
How can you boost insurance sales and become that winning team?
The insurance industry – like others today – is understaffed. In late 2021, an insurance labor market study showed that 53% of agencies planned to “aggressively hire” within 12 months to fill vacancies. The same study also showed that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fill open positions. As an owner, your insurance agency management relies on knowledgeable staff, but it can be challenging to fill positions in today’s market.
With hiring season just around the corner, your agency needs to focus on how to recruit new talent for your team. Past tactics may no longer work on a younger, more tech-driven workforce. It’s time to expand your outreach, position insurance differently, and look for diverse qualities to keep your agency growing.
Mike Maranda has been in the insurance business for over 40 years. He’s guided his agency through many seasons, but his recent journey to find the right agency management system for his team was one of the most painful.
After many years with a system they loved, Quality Insurance Service was forced to make a change when one of the big-name providers acquired their original system. Mike and his business partner decided to pick one of the big-name systems to avoid needing to make a change again anytime soon.
Yet, after selecting one of the dominant providers, they were frustrated to move through a cumbersome system with unresponsive service. After four years, they’d had enough and started searching for a new system, eventually joining the Partner Platform community.
As the insurance industry grows more competitive, the particulars of your specific insurance agency management will make your business stand out. Those particulars could be location proximity, ease of doing business, or even something as simple as how your website looks. Though price still matters, changes in cost can only go so far.
The true test of what makes your agency the best choice is the overall customer experience. Seemingly small touches that make each interaction easier, more personable, and leave each customer with a positive feeling have a real impact. Today it’s about more than the best price and the latest tech; it’s how you use these tools to empower, differentiate, and create the best experience in your agency.
