As a marketer and former insurance producer, I have been asked a number of times the best way to way to start a personal lines department within a commercial lines agency. It’s a logical transition as the agencies typically have a number of loyal commercial clients the agency wants to retain. I have seen this […]
Agency Entrepreneurs
I came across a fantastic article by Tom Barrett entitled “Nu Waves” from Agent & Broker magazine. In it, he discusses the recent emergence of new agencies across the U.S. In fact, he points out that more than 4,000 new agencies have opened over just the past few years. The focus of his article, though, […]
Make Yourself Indispensable
I recently came across an article by Dave Archer, CEO of Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET) entitled “Keeping Clients in a Slow Economy.” While there were many good points made within the article, the topic that stuck out to me the most was: Look for ways to make your company indispensable. As companies […]
Selling Price Increases
I was in a meeting the other day with a number of insurance agency owners talking about sales and the importance of de-commoditizing our industry. I noticed an overwhelming concern from the meeting members that inexperienced agents are focused on trying to sell strictly on price rather than presenting the value they bring to the […]
Stop Being a Commodity
We’ve allowed ourselves to become a commodity. As insurance agents, we have allowed the online direct carriers to sell exclusively on price, and we have turned our products into commodities while it couldn’t be more the opposite. Insurance can be complicated, confusing, and frustrating. Consumers want some guidance in purchasing insurance; but, we are not […]