Hello there.
I recently started with Farmers, and find this business to be very challenging, but fun at the same time. I've never really dealt with having to market myself before, and I think that's where my biggest walls are.
- There's a lot of talk in the office about simply talking to enough people. They say if you talk to 20 people, you should get at least one appointment. I really haven't found this to be the case, even for dirt-cheap renters insurance. Maybe it's the economic climate, I don't know. I've gotten a handful of appointments, but most of them have flaked out on me. In my first month I only sold one auto, and in my second I sold one fire. It's really daunting, especially with deadlines and whatnot, but I'm chugging along, trying to find different things that will work.
- So I switched to focusing more on renters and fire, since our auto prices aren't really competitive until they're bundled. I contacted an old real estate agent I knew, and I (think) I got a policy out of him right out of the gate. I say I "think" because the lender is paying the annual premium once escrow closes or something like that. I'm waiting for a check or some such business. How do I go about following up with him without being annoying or pushy about it? He's a nice guy, but can be to-the-point, and he's always busy. I don't want him to think I just wanted to hustle one policy out of him. This seems like an excellent opportunity, but I don't know how to make it flourish into a more long-term partnership.
- I recently contacted a community college about perhaps setting up a table there to hand out brochures and cards. I haven't had the best support from my district office on the matter. There's a section on the permit form that says I need a "General Liability - Comprehensive or Commercial Form, minimum limits $1M/$2M", listing the college as an additional named insured. Can anyone here help me out with what I have to do? Does this mean I need an umbrella that lists the college? Wouldn't that be really expensive? I'm really confused, and the office has been of no help over the last week and a half.
Sorry for the long-winded post. I feel like I have some good ideas, but no one to bounce them off of.
Thank you in advance.
I recently started with Farmers, and find this business to be very challenging, but fun at the same time. I've never really dealt with having to market myself before, and I think that's where my biggest walls are.
- There's a lot of talk in the office about simply talking to enough people. They say if you talk to 20 people, you should get at least one appointment. I really haven't found this to be the case, even for dirt-cheap renters insurance. Maybe it's the economic climate, I don't know. I've gotten a handful of appointments, but most of them have flaked out on me. In my first month I only sold one auto, and in my second I sold one fire. It's really daunting, especially with deadlines and whatnot, but I'm chugging along, trying to find different things that will work.
- So I switched to focusing more on renters and fire, since our auto prices aren't really competitive until they're bundled. I contacted an old real estate agent I knew, and I (think) I got a policy out of him right out of the gate. I say I "think" because the lender is paying the annual premium once escrow closes or something like that. I'm waiting for a check or some such business. How do I go about following up with him without being annoying or pushy about it? He's a nice guy, but can be to-the-point, and he's always busy. I don't want him to think I just wanted to hustle one policy out of him. This seems like an excellent opportunity, but I don't know how to make it flourish into a more long-term partnership.
- I recently contacted a community college about perhaps setting up a table there to hand out brochures and cards. I haven't had the best support from my district office on the matter. There's a section on the permit form that says I need a "General Liability - Comprehensive or Commercial Form, minimum limits $1M/$2M", listing the college as an additional named insured. Can anyone here help me out with what I have to do? Does this mean I need an umbrella that lists the college? Wouldn't that be really expensive? I'm really confused, and the office has been of no help over the last week and a half.
Sorry for the long-winded post. I feel like I have some good ideas, but no one to bounce them off of.
Thank you in advance.
