|
|
|
|
|
Make 2004 Your Most Profitable Year Ever!
Rosemary, Stacey, Will, Jeremy & Lew
In this issue of 'Insurance Marketing and Sales Mastery' - January 2004
* Start 2004 By Getting the Easy Sales
* Success Tip
* Important Prospecting Update...
* Sales Tips
* Hot New Sales Opportunities
_____________________________________________________________________________
Start 2004 By Getting the Easy Sales
Have you gone through an annual review recently?
They can be very profitable.
I'm talking about YOU doing an annual review of your customer and prospect database, and then doing reviews with your customers and prospects.
That's right. The first place to look for diamonds, is in your own back yard…
Most agents begin a new year with grand plans to increase their new business. Yet many of those same people don't pick up the easy stuff first, skimming the cream that already resides in their computer.
Here's how.
1. CALL YOUR BEST CUSTOMERS
Of course, you know everything important that's happened recently in the world of each of your best customers, right? And you have your thumb on exactly what their plans are for 2004 and beyond, right?
And they're going to stay with you and continue to buy from you, right? Of course you know this because they are very, very important to you, accounting for most of your past income.
They helped you to finance that new car, house, boat, or whatever else you have.
You are ingrained in these accounts because you also know that your smartest, hungriest competitors are having strategic sales meetings right now and putting a bull's eye on those accounts. They are targeting them to steal away from you, so that THEY can get lots of business from them.
What's that you say?
Maybe all of those things are NOT true? Maybe you should pay more attention to them?
Yes, of course you should. Quickly.
Today. Target the 20% of your customers that gave you over 80% of your business. Call and do an annual review with them. But DO NOT say you just want to call and make sure everything is OK with them. Be proactive. Tell them that your goal is to help them have their best year ever.
Find out about,
-Major changes.
-News.
-Bought or sold, assets.
-Major initiatives.
-Changes planned for 2004.
-Personnel changes for them? Promotions. Changes in the area(s) that you affect.
Know the answers to these questions, and you'll increase your value to them, consequently providing a payoff for you.
2. CALL YOUR SMALL CUSTOMERS
Mine your database and pull out the customers who bought from you once, or those who just buy one or two items or limited single services from you.
Are your customers small because you THINK they are?
Or are they buying other products that you sell, from your competitors?
Chances are, the answer is "yes" to both questions.
3. CALL YOUR LOST SALES
Scan your database and pull out the 10-20 biggest sales you really wanted, worked hard for, but did NOT win in 2003. Call them. But, please, do NOT say, "I'm just calling to touch base." Review your notes and develop a value-added reason for calling. Say something like, "I came across some interesting information in Investment Journal, and remembered how you were concerned with the issue of passing on your IRA's to your children. I wanted to send that to you ..." Of course you would then ease into a discussion of their present situation, and perhaps uncover any possible areas of interest.
Calls to all three of these groups are really no-brainers!
Think about it ...
You've already done the heavy lifting with all of these people. You've put in the long hours, investing time and money in proposals and calls. You know their situation. And very importantly, you'll get to these people more easily than you would cold prospects. You probably know their executive assistants on a first name basis.
Try this. What will it be worth when you pick up a piece of business from one or two of them?
Rewritten for insurance agent from Art Sobczak's "Tele-Sales Hot Tips of the Week." To subscribe, free, visit http://www.businessbyphone.com
All the tools and information you need to create endless streams of new, repeat, and referral business, are in the Insurance Marketing & Sales Resource Center…
"All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us have an
equal opportunity to develop our talents."
_____________________________________________________________________________
Success Tip
How To Make 2004 Your Most Profitable Year Ever!
Now, for most of you this may sound very basic. And, as you read this you'll probably say "I've heard it all before"?
The problem is, not one in a hundred agents I talk to are doing it!
What am I talking about? I'm talking about you creating a simple business plan and monitoring your results!
If you really want to grow your business, then you need to determine what are the activities within your business that actually make you money? Are you spending the majority of your time on those activities? What's working and what's not working? Then create a simple plan to improve your results.
The first step to improve your result in 2004, is determining where you are now!
- How many prospects did you put into your pipeline last year? Where did these prospects come from? (purchased leads, referrals, lead lists, mailing campaign, neighbors, friends, etc.)
- How many prospects did you contact every week?
- How many appointments did you get from those contacts?
- How many appointments turned into fact-finding interviews?
- How many fact-finding interviews turned into closing interviews?
- How many closing interviews resulted in a sale?
- From which prospecting group did most of your most profitable sales come from?
If you don't know the answers to these questions, how can you determine where you need to put your emphasis in order to improve your results in 2004?
Once you know the results of your key activity areas, then you can determine the initiatives you need to implement in order to improve these figures. From there, write down your action steps.
Naturally, it's important that these areas be monitored on a regular ongoing basis to assess and tweak your performance.
If you'd like some hands on help, we'll work with you to develop a plan to boost these figures.
All the tools and information you need to create endless streams of new, repeat, and referral business, are in the Insurance Marketing & Sales Resource Center…
"Everyone has peak performance potential - you just need to know where they are coming from and meet them there."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Important Prospecting Update…
Implement a referral program to maximize word of mouth sales.
It doesn't need to be fancy. There are a number of ways you can increase referrals including:
- Simply asking clients via a follow up phone call soon after the sale.
- Running a client workshop and send clients some extra complimentary tickets for their friends
- Developing a referral incentive and write to your customers promoting a special incentive or reward every time they refer a friend.
"Acting on a good idea is better than just having a good idea."
Robert Half
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Sales Tips
Pre-Qualifying Power Questions
If there was a way to protect your capital, for your spouse, children & grandchildren, would you like to know how?
If there was a way to avoid probate and court costs, would you like to know how?
Would you like more income, more growth, less taxes and more money for your spouse, children and grandchildren?
"It's not the answer, it's the quality of the question."
_____________________________________________________________________________
Hot New Sales Opportunities
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Agent Testimonials
Recent Results
January 19, 2004 Alex G. - Just wanted to tell you I think the Joint Venture piece on the site is awesome and very useful to say the least. I love that particular style of information. Practical, hard-hitting, high content, "how to", hardcore marketing information tailored to our business and most importantly from your perspective.
December & January - In the past two months six agents have set up joint ventures contracts with a P&C agency and are already seeing major results…
Thanks Alex!
January 17th, 2004 Steve R. - Called to tell me he implemented the suggestions I made for his seminars and he went from a 30% appointment ratio to 90%.
Congratulations to Steve R.!
All the tools and information you need to create endless streams of new, repeat, and referral business, are in the Insurance Marketing & Sales Resource Center…
"Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it."
David Star Jordan
_____________________________________________________________________________
Well, that's it for this month's insurance marketing and sales tips newsletter. I hope you found the information interesting and helpful in your efforts to grow your business.
Lew Nason
Marketing Coach
Creator & Founder of
www.insuranceproshop.com
P.S. Do you have a friend or associate who needs help? Why not tell them about our web site or better yet, forward this page to them. They'll thank you!
© 2004 by Lew Nason, All rights reserved.
Lew Nason has been helping agents to achieve long-term success in insurance sales for over two decades. His unique perspective, on how to truly help clients, has enabled scores of agents reach the top levels of their profession. Visit his web site at www.insuranceproshop.com or call him toll free @ 877-297-4608.
Helping Insurance Agents create endless streams
of new, repeat, and referral business…
www.insuranceproshop.com
Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter
|
|
|
|
|
