Only Turkeys Don't Take Advantage Of Thanksgiving Day

Are you making an impression on your clients this Thanksgiving and using the holidays to set yourself apart?

This is a sneak peek from one of the ideas I'll be sharing at the state wide meeting in January, 2012. I LOVE creative mailings! Sending your clients something unique really sets you apart and helps you stand out in their mind. Showing your clients a little of your personality and a bit of your creative side will help them connect with you on new levels that you're probably not experiencing yet.

Here is one of my creative mailings from this year that I just sent out for Thanksgiving. It was mailed to 300 of my best clients with a pocket calendar for 2012.

Here's a big, helpful tip for you: mail Thanksgiving cards INSTEAD of Christmas cards! It's hard to stand out with a Christmas card when there are 25 other cards taped to the mantle! Thanksgiving is a great time to show your appreciation for great clients AND there is a lot less competition (cards) arriving in the mail.


My card is hand drawn so my clients know it is personal and created for them! Anyone can buy a bunch of cards and have their staff send them out in the mail, but how many insurance agents, financial advisors or even friends and family take the time to hand draw them a card for Thanksgiving? None would be my guess, which means my card gets extra points!

The inside of the card also has a personal, hand drawn note and then a short message about how much I appreciate having the recipient as one of my best clients. I've also included a few things that I'm thankful for (my family) to give my clients a reminder that family is important to me.

NEVER talk business in your cards and notes and other personal mailings to your clients. Your Thanksgiving card should be all about the appreciation you have for your relationship and your warm wishes for a special day. Talking about business in a holiday card is downright tacky!

I did something VERY SPECIAL for my top 300 clients that I'll be sharing with everyone at the January kickoff meeting. In the bottom right hand corner of the card I put an arrow directing my clients to turn the card over.On the back of the card I made them an irresistible offer and gave them a link to access a special "for your eyes only" website because they are one of my best clients.  The goal is to get clients engaged and involved with my agency. Engagement and involvement are HUGE keys to happy clients and long-term relationships and you should look for every opportunity possible to connect with your clients in new ways that encourage them to get more involved with your agency.

It's not too late to get a Thanksgiving Day card sent out to your clients. Even a card that arrives a week late but talks about Thanksgiving is better than trying to compete with the Christmas rush. Use this opportunity to connect with your clients and build a better relationship heading into 2012!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Robert Edgin

J Szes Is Working It!

Jerry Szeszulski is working it, how about you?

I know there are a lot of little things that have to get done every day and, because of that, the most important things get ignored. I know that sounds backwards but that is the way almost every single agent I know runs their business - BACKWARDS! Not you? How much time do you spend doing these things?

• Auto changes
• Home Changes
• Mortgage Changes
• Answer Claims Questions
• Answer Coverage Changes
• File Claims
• Answer Billing Questions
• Fix Billing Problems
• Send EOI to lien holders
• Etc.

On a scale of 1-10 for increasing your retention and growing your business how important are those things? Yes, they have to get done BUT how important are those activities in regards to growing your business? If you answered not very, then give yourself a prize. If you do not actively spend time doing things to grow your business and keep your clients happy then you will NOT grow your business or keep your clients happy! Seems like a simple concept but it is missed by most agents. But Jerry gets it!

Jerry has started a new blog to share information with his clients AND he is focusing on something he wants to sell, safe financial products. Since the P&C market is tough in Oklahoma, Jerry is focusing on something else until things come back around. Pretty smart guy!

Check out Jerry's new blog, it's a great example of working ON your agency instead of IN your agency:
http://jerrysgibberish.blogspot.com/

Way to go Jerry!

PS. It was probably a good idea that Jerry did not use his last name in his blog address. It's a lot easier to spell gibberish than Szeszulski!

21st Century Communication Part 2 - Video Mail

Every Insurance Agent Sends Emails. You Can Be

Different And Stand Out With Video Mail!

How many emails do you receive every day? How many do you receive that you actually remember? How many do you receive that you look at more than once and then forward to your friends? The average person sends and receives 228 emails per day, spending almost 50% of their work day dealing with emails. The email open rate has fallen to 17% in 2011 which means people are overwhelmed and inundated with an excessive amount of email and they are choosing to ignore most of it.

If you have a marketing piece or something important you need to send to your client there is a good chance they won't even see it unless you find a way to stand out and get your email noticed. Fortunately, there is an easy way to do that! There is a way to get your email opened, read (repeatedly), and then forwarded to their friends. It's called video mail, and the response you'll get from using it will blow you away!

Since we're talking about video, I'll let a video explain how important a video mail system is and how impressive you can be to your clients by using this simple tool.

What should you use video mail for:

1. Policy Information
2. CashBack Notices
3. ID Cards
4. Billing Notices
5. Setting Up P.I.R.s
6. Welcome Emails
7. Thank You's
8. Get Well/Thinking Of You
9. Monthly Insurance Tips
10. Happy Birthday's
11. Anything Else You Can Think Of!

I've sent  video mail that was watched by a client 8 times and then forwarded to their friends who called me to discuss their insurance coverage. The reason? Their current agent isn't doing anything near as cool as video mail. In fact, they're agent probably doesn't contact them at all so when they see a live human being, personally interacting with them and delivering a message to them it really stands out!

Can you think of a simpler way to connect with your clients and let them get a little of your personality and character while doing something as simple as emailing them? Think about all of the personal touches you can make in a very short amount of time without ever leaving your desk!

Video Mail Services: There are plenty out there to choose from ranging in price from free to very, very expensive. I settled on a service called eyejot.com ( http://www.eyejot.com/affiliate/acr419ifick/join ) and paid the $99.95 per year to get the Pro Plus version. The $99.95  keeps my emails free of adds, allows me to send videos that are as long as I want them to be and to as many people as I want to send them to AND allows me to customize and brand the page that the person receiving the email will see. Mine looks like this:

It has links to my social media sites as well as my personal web site and has a personal message on the side. Again, there are plenty of services out there to use, this one just seemed to be very simple and user friendly for me and the people I send video mail to. To join them: http://www.eyejot.com/affiliate/acr419ifick/join

Video mail is just one piece of the 21st Century Communication puzzle, but it is a very good first piece. Just adding this one thing to your office will give you the opportunity to be different and touch your clients far more often and in more ways than most other agents in town.

By Robert Edgin

21st Century Communication For Insurance Agents - Part 1

10 New Ideas To Grow Your Agency And Keep Your Clients Happy During Challenging Times

Times are changing in the insurance industry and unfortunately too many agents are NOT keeping up.  New threats to our profession are popping up every day including a constant barrage of ads trying to convince clients that they no longer need us.  Consumers can - and do - buy insurance without an agent almost 65% of the time. Those that choose to work with an agent expect more than ever before from that agent. They want to be wowed and impressed not only by an agents knowledge (all agents are expected to be knowledgeable) but also by their ability to communicate and provide an experience they can not get from anyone else.

What worked in the past doesn't work the same anymore, but if you're willing to learn new ways to communicate with clients and new ways to be successful than these can actually be very exciting times. As times get tougher and more agents go out of business (because of their refusal to change), those of us that are left will get the lion's share of both the clients and the income. 

                                                                                     

In fact, I predict that the professional agents who can survive the next 5 years will find themselves in the best position of their entire careers, making more money and reaching new levels of success. But, you must make it through the tough times first. You MUST adapt. You MUST incorporate new strategies to engage with your clients. You MUST expand your communication arsenal. You MUST take action today, or find yourself out of business tomorrow.

There are three rules to keep in mind when developing your client communication strategies:

1. Frequency: How often do you touch your clients? How often do they see you, hear from you, get something from you or interact with you? Studies show that if you don't touch your clients a minimum of 13 times per year then they don't even remember your name. Did you catch that? Your clients don't even know who you are if you are not touching them in some way, shape or form at least 13 times per year! If they don't know who you are how likely is it that they are going to be loyal to your agency when rates get a little tough? If you don't touch them 24 times per year then they don't feel special about you or think that you feel special about them. Did you touch your clients 24 times last year? If your clients don't think that you're special are they going to send you referrals? Most agents touch their clients 2 times per year and unfortunately those touches are coming from the home office in the form of renewal packets and a bill. If they only hear your name or see something from you 2 times per year and both involve them paying large sums of money, how good are they going to feel about you?
2. Perception: You get to choose the way your clients see you. Whether you want to be the funny agent or the high class agent or the ultra professional is completely up to you and completely under your control. It doesn't really matter what you decide to be to your clients as long as you are something besides just another insurance agent. There are plenty of those around and believe me, you don't want to be one of them. Clients need to know why you are different and what makes you tick so they can have a connection and you can develop a lasting bond. Remember, these are social times we live in.
3. Uniqueness: Clients expect more than just insurance policies from their agent and their insurance companies these days. If all they cared about was the actual policy and coverage it provides then we wouldn't have lizards selling insurance and Flo wouldn't be the best known spokesperson of any company, in any industry, in the entire country. People want to be entertained! They want an experience, not just a transaction. They want something different, and your communication strategy gives you the opportunity to give them everything they want PLUS the things they really need (like a knowledgeable agent looking out for them). If 95% of the agents in your area do things a certain, specific way then you need to do the opposite. Fortunately, 95% (or more) of agents don't do anything so being different is not too tough. Don't be a part of the herd, following everyone else and doing what they do will only get you one thing - slaughtered. As Robert Frost says, take the road less traveled and it WILL make all the difference.

There are 10, 21st century ways to communicate with your clients that WILL give you a true advantage over your competition - both big and small - and help you take your agency to the next level. My next post will be about the first method, video mail. Why do I use it, how do I use it, when do I use it and what does it get me in return.

By Robert Edgin