Grow Your Agency & Improve Your Marketing by Tracking Key Metrics
Chuck Blondino, Safeco Insurance, conducted research as to what differentiates high growth agencies from those growing minimally if at all, and found a key differentiator is that high growth agencies track and act upon key metrics relating to the origins of their business, close ratios, revenue and policies per client, retention and average client tenure. Based upon his research, the author outlines the twelve key metrics agencies should track to maximize their marketing and sales efforts, as well as how to generate these metrics. Chuck makes a very convincing case that an agency can’t optimize its growth, if it doesn’t have the facts as to where its business is coming from and which marketing efforts and referral sources are generating the highest return. A Balanced Approach to Agency Marketing
Steve Anderson provides a compelling vision and the key elements for a successful agency marketing strategy built on processes that are both high-touch and high-tech. He provides a great framework for agents to use in designing their own marketing plans for the long haul. Expand Your Marketing Strategy Online:
Three Digital Parallels to Traditional Tactics
This article, authored by Matt Marko of Progressive Insurance, discusses three powerful online marketing strategies agencies can move to as a logical extension of the traditional marketing approaches they have used for years. These strategies are to use Local Search (to complement or replace Yellow Pages), Online Reviews (to expand word-of-mouth referrals), and Tile Ads (to supplement print ads). Sales and Servicing Strategies to Grow Your Agency’s Business
Recent research offers invaluable insights about what drives personal lines consumers to choose particular providers for insurance, what’s important to them in making their decisions and how they want their insurance providers to interact with them. This article pulls relevant consumer data from five different studies and then outlines how independent agencies might use this data to enhance their personal lines operations and strategies to attract and retain today’s changing consumer and compete effectively with the direct carriers and others. The Independent Agents’ Opportunity to Take Back Personal Lines
In this article, Jeff Yates discusses how independent agents can provide the online auto insurance shopper with a better value proposition than the direct carriers and thereby take personal lines business from them. Independent agents now have the technology tools available to write personal lines profitably and to increase their visibility online so that they can be found by online shoppers. Recent consumer research also bolsters the opportunity independent agents have to attract and keep online shoppers. Your Digital Brand
Relationships increasingly have a digital component and learning to effectively use online tools can enhance your offline relationships and build your agency brand. Maureen Wall Bentley cuts through all the hype about social media to provide some easy to follow, common sense tips on integrating your website and social networking with your overall agency marketing plan. Real Time Makes Real $$$$
AUGIE has produced this excellent guide to help agencies make the transition from processing organizations to consultative sales organizations. New workflows (such as Real Time. Download, and going "paperless") are enabling agencies to free up time for their staffs to be more pro-active with their customer service and sales. This guide references a wealth of additional resources agencies can use to enhance their service and sales, such as client letters, surveys, and checklists. The Transition to an Agency Sales Organization—Culture and Process First; Then Technology
ACT has published phase one of a new two-part report to help independent agents and brokers build a disciplined, sales-driven agency culture and then take advantage of the technologies necessary to sustain and manage sales processes. ACT's Sales & Marketing Work Group has examined the existing sales culture of independent agencies and brokerages nationwide and is devising ways to help them embrace technology in their efforts to sustain an effective sales management process. In phase one of this report, the work group focuses on positioning the agency to be a disciplined sales organization by establishing the needed culture and sales processes. Bolstering Agency Sales & Marketing with Technology
This report tracks how agents are using technology to enhance their sales, marketing, and sales management functions. It provides a great checklist to assist agencies in using technology more effectively in these critical areas. Insurance Client Prospecting, 2006 Style
This article provides practical Internet tools and other sources for independent agents and brokers to use to prospect for new clients. click here Show Me the Money...in My Files!
This article encourages agencies to centralize these prospect information in their agency management systems. This information is an excellent source of future leads, and having this information available facilitates real-time rating and issuance with a minimum of duplicate data entry. Click here. The Right Way to Find New Insurance Prospects & Sales on the Internet
Gary Savelli is one of the most successful independent agents selling insurance on the Internet. He shares with us the tips he has learned both from his own experience, as well as from those of other agents he has helped to sell on the Web. He also discusses the importance of agents establishing a brand on the Web and learning how to position themselves on search engines. Word PDF Building Agency Sales Power with Technology
Learn how to build an agency sales culture and how agencies are using technology to enhance their sales, marketing, and sales management process. click here Sales: The Next Frontier for Agency Technology
This article assists the agency in creating an environment that is conducive to using technology effectively to enhance the firm’s sales power. click here Agency Case Study Worksite Marketing—Multi-Company, Multi-Product | 
