Term life insurance > Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

by: Sharron Senter

If you sell insurance, financial services and the like, consider the following low-cost marketing strategies to help grow your small business.

It's important to first acknowledge some of the natural barriers to acquiring new clients within the insurance and financial services industries. These include, but are not limited to, customers lacking knowledge about your products and, therefore, lacking the ability to ask questions, and customers afraid of being ripped off. Unfortunately, insurance and financial salespeople often carry the same stigma as used car salespeople. And I'm certain there are some great and honest used car dealers around. It's important to recognize this stigma so you can proactively address it in your marketing plan. Ultimately, to grow your business within the insurance and financial services industries you must strive to build an incredible reputation, built on a platform of reliability, honesty and product knowledge. I also encourage you to be very straightforward about your pricing and how you make your money. The fact is, your customer wants to know. Surprise them, and tell them upfront.

Here are some marketing strategies to try.

-- First, try teaming up with complementary professionals, such as estate attorneys, business attorneys, financial planners, etc. You'll receive referral business faster from such businesses for two reasons. One, their customers are currently utilizing services for "future" occurrences. Hence, your prospect is already in the mindset of planning and spending for the future. You now become another product they need to consider for the future. Second, there's an implied trust between an estate attorney and her customers. If an estate attorney referred her customers to you, that customer would be more likely to do business with you, than if he/she had simply seen your print ad in a local newspaper.

-- Launch a publicity campaign

For example, consider submitting a story idea to your local media about, "The Fallacies of Long-term Care Insurance. Who Needs It? What is it? Insider Secrets to Buying the Most Comprehensive Plan." I can't stress this next point enough; you must be objective when interviewing for such a story. When being interviewed by the media, it's not a chance to "sell" yourself; rather, it's an opportunity to express your knowledge and expertise, and help readers use your knowledge to their benefit. If they like what you have to say, they'll contact you.

-- Consider facilitating a bimonthly workshop(s) at your local library or community center called, "The Insider's Point of View to Long-term Care Insurance. Who Needs It, Who Doesn't?" Or, "Age & Long-term Care Insurance, When's The Right Time?" The workshop tactic is becoming slightly overused. However, I think it's still a very powerful marketing tool. Plus, it's affordable. You simply need to be more imaginative with your topics and headlines.

-- Try creating a "Long-term Care Insurance Top 10," fact sheet. It should include detailed content about the ins and outs of selecting long-term care insurance, i.e., why, why not? Who qualifies and what are the estimated costs? Distribute your fact sheet to prospects, the press and various public bulletins, such as the library, town hall, Post Office, colleges, doctor and attorney offices, etc. When you're selecting bulletin boards, stick to professional looking boards, rather than just catch-alls. The latter will reduce your professionalism. Some bulletin boards give off the impression, "What would she know; she's advertising on a bulletin board." On the fact sheet, you're not selling yourself; instead, you're selling the benefits/solutions of long-term care insurance with your bio at the bottom. If you've done a comprehensive and professional job, readers will contact you.

-- Partner with a local bank. The idea is to get yourself noted as a "pre-certified insurance expert for XYZ bank." Approach the bank VP and recommend an informal partnership whereby you're available for complimentary on site consultation for bank customers. Moreover, there's a tremendous amount of implied reliability and credibility when associating your business with a bank. The great thing about banks is that they usually distribute large monthly customer mailings. Ideally you'll want to piggyback on the bank's mailing by having your sales flyer included. These flyers are usually called, "bill stuffers."
Don't forget banks also distribute calendars, year-end statements, etc. Try to get noted in all of their communications. Of course, under the umbrella that you're a partner with the bank.

-- A bank north of Boston lets their small business customers display sales materials for a week in their lobby. Approach your bank where you have your business account and ask for the same.

-- Try partnering with hospitals. They're well known for sponsoring workshops. They also distribute a weekly/monthly newsletter. My local hospital actually distributes their calendar of events in my local newspaper. By partnering with hospitals and similar organizations, your prospect-reach compounds tremendously, while you spend zero!

-- Consider joining your local chapter of Business Network International, www.bni.com. Of course, like any organization, it's only as effective as your networking abilities and how well the members of that particular chapter work together. Always attend at least two meetings before joining. And watch out! Associations' memberships are down across the board due to the sluggish economy. There's definitely some hard selling going on. Take your time when deciding what organization is best for you. Don't be misled into joining anything.

-- Align yourself with a reputable online insurance media outlet. Ideally you want to become a regularly featured columnist, or perhaps act as a moderator for an upcoming online seminar, etc. This does several things for you. One, usually anything Internet-related is archived. So if a person is shopping around for insurance or financial products and you've partnered with a reputable and high search engine ranking online media outlet, there's a good chance your Web site will reflect high in search engine rankings. Two, if you're a regularly featured columnist, you immediately acquire more credibility than your competitors. Readers are more likely to reach out to you for product solutions.

-- Don't forget about organizations you already belong to. Are you taking advantage of their Web site resources, i.e., linking your Web site, being included in their membership directory, etc.? What's more, do a quick search on www.google.com for free directories. Try, [?your expertise? insurance directories], or [financial sales representatives directories.]

-- The key marketing strategy to keep in mind for any salesperson is that you must circulate, "be seen." It's the most perpetuating sales lead program you can foster.

-- Finally, as you're working hard to generate all these new leads, make sure you have a follow-up plan in place. The fastest and most affordable follow-up method is to ask prospects if they want to receive your free monthly ezine.

About The Author

Sharron Senter is a New England-based marketing consultant, speaker and founder of Senter & Associates, a marketing communications firm that helps small businesses deploy low-cost marketing strategies. Sharron is well known for her free monthly emailed marketing tips, found at http://www.sharronsenter.com. She?s also the cofounder of http://www.VisitingGeeks.com ? an onsite computer repair, networking and security company based north of Boston.

Do You Have A ?Universal Life Policy?? What You Don?T Know Could Hurt You And Your Family

by: Raul Ramirez

What kind of life insurance policy do you have? Is it a ?term? policy? Is it a ?whole life? policy or ?universal life policy?? If you don?t know what kind of policy you have, you could be in big trouble. Everyone needs to know what kind of policy they have, how much it is and the most important factor, how long it will last. But too many times in my career I have met with people that don?t know what kind of policy they have or I have heard this ?My husband or wife takes care of that.? What are you going to do when you need to know this vital information? This information could be the difference between being able to pay estate taxes or landing in the poor house. The point is you need to know.

This article focuses on the ?universal life? policy which came really into bloom during the eighties and was touted as a new way to fund life insurance...

Do You Have A ?Universal Life Policy?? What You Don?T Know Could Hurt You And Your Family

Term life insurance > Do You Have A ?Universal Life Policy?? What You Don?T Know Could Hurt You And Your Family

Critical Illness Insurance And Life Insurance Cover For Better And For Worse.

Critical Illness Insurance And Life Insurance Cover For Better And For Worse.

by: Rachel Lane

There are three main types of insurance cover you can buy to protect yourself and your family: life insurance, private medical insurance and critical illness insurance. If you want your financial health to be completely bionic then you could choose all three types of insurance, but if your family finances are more restricted, it might be better to insure yourself with critical illness insurance and life insurance. Critical illness insurance should not be confused with private medical insurance or even income protection insurance and it?s important that you do a full evaluation of your needs before you pursue the different insurance options.

The purpose of critical illness cover (CIC) is to fill a gap that is left by traditional life insurance policies, which will only provide a pay-out on the death of the policy holder. CIC provides a tax free lump...

Critical Illness Insurance And Life Insurance Cover For Better And For Worse.

Term life insurance > Critical Illness Insurance And Life Insurance Cover For Better And For Worse.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Long-Term Care Insurance

by: Joseph Kenny

Are you prepared for retirement and old age? While it may still be a long way off and there are usually a lot more urgent things to take care of, dealing with some of the requirements of old age, either for yourself or for someone you care about, a huge difference can be made by a few simple steps.

While saving for a pension and having good medical insurance are two of the most common steps, there is also the scope for long term care insurance, which may also be of great potential use in certain situations. This type of insurance covers the need for assistance in old age. Old age, as well as mental and physical illness can lead to many people needing assistance with such everyday tasks as eating, bathing and dressing. Simply looking after you can be too much for many people and when they are faced with this situation, assisted living and long term care can be an option.

Long-term care insurance...

Long-Term Care Insurance

Term life insurance > Long-Term Care Insurance

Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

by: Sharron Senter

If you sell insurance, financial services and the like, consider the following low-cost marketing strategies to help grow your small business.

Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

Term life insurance > Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

Insurance Claims

Insurance Claims

by: Alan Jason Smith

When you are involved in an accident insurance claims may not be the first thoughts on your mind. However, there are some procedures you should follow in order to preserve your right to file an insurance claim. This may be anything from hail damage to a stolen vehicle and does not refer solely to car accidents.

The first thing you want to do is prevention. Most insurance claims can be prevented even before the incident occurs. For instance, to prevent auto accident?s be cautious and think about taking a defensive driving course. To prevent stolen vehicle insurance claims, keep you vehicle locked up and parked in a secure place. To prevent damage from the forces of nature do not travel in bad weather and keep your car in a covered parkway. There are many ways to prevent yourself from incurring loss. Most ideas are just common sense. However, for more information contact your insurance agent for ideas on...

Insurance Claims

Term life insurance > Insurance Claims

Life Insurance ? Medical History Increases The Cost For 66% Of Applicants

by: Michael Challiner

Lucky applicants for life insurance can be insured within 48 hours and at the premium quoted - but 2 in 3 applicants are faced with delays plus the prospect of having their premium loaded.

So who are the lucky ones? Basically, you?ll have to be as fit as a flea with no family history of serious illness, under 45, in an office type job and probably applying for less than ?250,000 cover. For everyone else there is going to be some hassle.

When an insurer provides an initial quote for life insurance, all they know is your age, sex and smoking status. They use these details to make an initial prediction of how long you are likely to live and on that basis they give you an initial quotation. They call it their ?Standard Terms?.

If you want to progress your application you?ll have a multi-page application to complete. This isn?t as daunting...

Life Insurance ? Medical History Increases The Cost For 66% Of Applicants

Term life insurance > Life Insurance ? Medical History Increases The Cost For 66% Of Applicants

Save Money By Getting A Term Life Insurance Quote Online

Save Money By Getting A Term Life Insurance Quote Online

by: Peter Crump

When deciding or choosing what life insurance is best for you, you can avoid feeling pressured into a policy by searching for a term life insurance quote online. The service is terrific and it can be a fast turnaround because you control how fast or slow the process can be. Getting a term life insurance quote online is as simple as the click of the mouse. With so many life insurance companies now operating on the Internet, all you have to do is log onto the various sites and check out the rates for term life insurance.

When you check for a term life insurance quote online, you do not have to pay for the quote. This service is free and you should request quotes from at least three different companies. This way you can do a comparison of online life insurance quotes. Each of the companies has a form that you fill in and they will respond to you with the quote- usually in...

Save Money By Getting A Term Life Insurance Quote Online

Term life insurance > Save Money By Getting A Term Life Insurance Quote Online

7 Things to Know when Renting a Car

by: John Mancini

In today's society, there are a number of reasons why people rent a car. Some of the top reasons are vacations, a car they own is in the shop and renting a nicer car for a special occasion. Whatever the reason that you are considering renting a car; there are some things that you should know first.

1- It is wise to shop around when looking for to rent a car. Always find at least three rental car companies...

Term life insurance

Term life insurance > 7 Things to Know when Renting a Car

How To Handle A Hard Ride

by: Maricon Williams

As an active rider, I am susceptible to different kinds of weather. The best as we all know is dry and sunny ride. It is good to feel the warmth of the sun under your kin. It is nice to feel free-spirited again and feast your eyes on strange, peculiar and scenic spots in the locality you are driving.

Nonetheless, what makes it a little harder is when the weather turns rainy- wet and slippery. It is quite hard...

boots

Term life insurance > How To Handle A Hard Ride

Term life insurance Insurance and Financial Services Sales Tactics

financing Term life insurance

Healthy Snacking Habits

by: Sharon Hopkins

Do pizzas, ice creams, French fries, cookies and candies list high on your kid's agenda for snacks. And despite you telling your kids innumerable times, they still swear by junk and unhealthy foods for snacks. Giving in for there desire for junk food is paving way for your kids to be obese.

Just as charity begins at home, good nutrition and balance diet habits start at home. The way of life today is fast paced...

Term life insurance fruit

Term life insurance > Healthy Snacking Habits