Feedback on New Website

[mmaedelins]

if someone leaves their agent to you for price they will leave you very quickly.

i know how it is in NY/NJ. Everyone just wants you to beat the price and change over. I did this for the first couple months, but overtime i started explaining proper coverage and going over what they needed. They were happy even if we were more expensive or same price but with proper coverage. Most of them tell me i'm one of a few that took the time to explain the coverages to them. So i'm pretty confident that they will be a long time client.

I'm doing my best to offer them both services so they will remain lifetime clients. But I feel that I need to reel them in with the offer of a cheaper price (since most of them would only be willing to switch at first with the promise of saving money) but then take the time to sit with them and review/explain their policy. I've found that many have coinsurances and had no idea, or one guy was paying for building insurance for 10 years but he's a renter and his landlord is already covering the building! I think its crazy that the agent he had for the last 10 years didn't even think to question that coverage!

 

[leevena]

I'm doing my best to offer them both services so they will remain lifetime clients. But I feel that I need to reel them in with the offer of a cheaper price (since most of them would only be willing to switch at first with the promise of saving money) but then take the time to sit with them and review/explain their policy. I've found that many have coinsurances and had no idea, or one guy was paying for building insurance for 10 years but he's a renter and his landlord is already covering the building! I think its crazy that the agent he had for the last 10 years didn't even think to question that coverage!

I realize that this is difficult, but at some point you will need to make a choice. You cannot be (transactional) low-cost and consultative at the same time. In reality you actually can, but it will not be as efficient or profitable.

 

[mmaedelins]

I realize that this is difficult, but at some point you will need to make a choice. You cannot be (transactional) low-cost and consultative at the same time. In reality you actually can, but it will not be as efficient or profitable.

Understood. I guess, thinking ahead, I will want to be more on the consultative end but I've only been in the business for a couple of months so once I start getting more referrals from current happy customers, I can start marketing myself in that way as opposed to just being able to save someone money.
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That font is generally considered amateurish (although I love it).

Your font changes halfway down the page on the contact us section.

I can't read the logo up at the top left and it looks like a CD cover. I'm sure the text says something, but between the size and font it's remarkably unclear.


Menu on the left is too small.

where is the call to action?

How do these things look now?? Better?? Oh, and did you see the thread about wordpress blogs being hacked?!

 

[Josh]

How do these things look now?? Better?? Oh, and did you see the thread about wordpress blogs being hacked?!

Steps in the right direction, but for about the same effort wordpress could get you a lot further.

Yes, the wordpress blogs have had some issues, but as long as your content has been backed up (which you should do every time you update and is very easy), to completely take the site down and rebuild it is relatively painless and would fix just about anything. There were a lot of wordpress blogs that didn't get hacked too

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Mine didn't get hacked. Wouldn't matter if it did since I use Blog Vault.

 

[branrah]

Melissa...
I'll re-work your site in Wordpress this weekend. see what you think...Don

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Now that's a heck of a first post.

 

[Larry Tew]

Melissa, Here are a few candid observations. My initial reaction to the term "insurance lady" and "the lady" in your navigation bar hits me as a bit quirky. I also agree about the earlier comment concerning the title font. It just doesn't say "serious professional" to me.

Also, on your "about me" page you start out in the first person and then switch to the third person. Pick one and stick with it. I speak only in first person on my site (www.larrytew.com). The old rule about doing bios in 3rd person being better than doing "about me" in the first person really doesn't hold true any more.

Lastly... ADD A PHOTO! Nothing makes a personal connection like a picture of yourself.

I hope you take my comments in the spirit in which I gave them. Good luck!

 

[mmaedelins]

Melissa, Here are a few candid observations. My initial reaction to the term "insurance lady" and "the lady" in your navigation bar hits me as a bit quirky. I also agree about the earlier comment concerning the title font. It just doesn't say "serious professional" to me.

Also, on your "about me" page you start out in the first person and then switch to the third person. Pick one and stick with it. I speak only in first person on my site (www.larrytew.com). The old rule about doing bios in 3rd person being better than doing "about me" in the first person really doesn't hold true any more.

Lastly... ADD A PHOTO! Nothing makes a personal connection like a picture of yourself.

I hope you take my comments in the spirit in which I gave them. Good luck!

Great feedback!! I'm actually glad the idea of an insurance lady hits you as being quirky. That's what I was going for. I want to brand myself as New Jersey's Business Insurance Lady so I will stand out from the crowd...at least, that's my hope. I will be getting photos done in the next few weeks and, once I do, I agree that one definitely needs to make its way to my site.

I'll take a look at the 1st vs 3rd person issue, I hadn't noticed. And, I'll have to mess around with the title font...there aren't too many fonts to choose from but I want the title to look different from the rest.

Thanks so much for the great feedback. And, just so you know, I never take anything personally. I posted the site on here to get the kind of feedback you provided. Thanks again!
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Melissa...
I'll re-work your site in Wordpress this weekend. see what you think...Don

I agree that this is one heck of a first post! Thanks, I'll check it out but I can't guarantee anything.

Although I am thinking of doing another website geared toward the interests of other commercial insurance agents (since there seem to be very few out there), and was thinking of trying wordpress for that. It would basically be a place for other commercial agents to share and learn basic and creative prospecting ideas.

 

[joshuapaccione]

Melissa Ash who? A picture would be nice