A new forum member who started selling commercial insurance asked about tried and true marketing ideas. He had good success rates with cold calling, and generated a lot of new business and renewal capture, but wondered if he was missing some good ideas.
Most agents believe that cold-calling is a great method, and that mailers were more likely to be time-wasters. Agents who offered their input noted that cold-calling, networking, and industry events were the best ways to get in the door, and that direct mail needed to be part of a campaign that also included e-mails and calls, as opposed to a standalone task. Other agents advised building an accurate database with dates, associations, and contacts to get in touch with throughout the year. By targeting various niches within an industry, agents can develop a network and relationships, and then move on to another area to cull contacts and potential clients in an organized fashion.
After the original poster divulged his success rates, forum members ended up asking him what HIS secret was. He said he usually calls up prospects and says, “Hi my name is x and I’m with x. I’ve been helping other business in the area with their business insurance policies. I’m giving you a call to see if you’d like me to do a free review of your current policy.” By not sounding scripted and by offering a service, he had garnered some great success rates. Find more marketing tips in this post.
