Agency Blog

Erica Kiefer from AgencyBlocinterviewed me, asking how agency owners and agents can thrive, not just survive, in today's insurance industry and healthcare climate.A version of this article was originally published on their blog.  

Believe it or not, now is the time to start preparing your team for a successful 2018 and beyond.

Zenefits once again caused a stir, this time by announcing a change of business models and committing to work with the very brokers they once promised to make obsolete.

How many of your lives would be easier if you simply had more day-to-day help? And, how many of you would sign up in a heartbeat if that day-to-day help didn’t cost you anything? I know, a no-brainer right?

You hear it all the time – Change your agency! You’ll go the way of the Dodo bird if you don’t! You’ll have to sell your agency and work for someone else! You’ll lose your independence! Start making changes today to save yourself!

But is that actually good advice?

We watch insurance agencies make the craziest decisions about spending money. We see heavy spending and snap decisions regularly being made on a variety of software platforms, hiring internal marketing people, and buying client services (think value-added services). 

What we also see are agencies frustrated with the lack of results from that come from this spending. It feels a bit like a money pit. And the way this spending takes place, it should! 

Selling is a difficult and scary job. That’s why most people want NOTHING to do with it. And, that’s okay for them; they choose other jobs.

And most would agree that prospecting is the most difficult and scariest part of that difficult and scary job. That’s why most producers come up with countless reasons to avoid their prospecting responsibilities. But, that’s not okay for you.

It seems every time I browse around on social media someone is promoting some “secret” or “shortcut” to writing business, to getting the attention of decision makers. They would have you believe that prospects/clients only have a single challenge for which they are looking for the “holy grail” answer that can be yours to deliver if you just ______________ (fill in the blank with whatever service/event/product they are selling).

If only it were that easy.

We have had a huge marketing epiphany. Okay, epiphany may be a little strong, but we’ve had a whole lotta learnin’.

Marketing in a New Era.

This is the subject line of an email I received from a benefits producer I correspond with occasionally. He replies to articles and brings up thoughtful questions, and then we have some back and forth exchanges. I want to share one with you that I felt was particularly relevant to our readers regarding insurance sales and marketing.