BLUEPRINT TO FREEDOM

PART III: EXECUTION

Before making the big announcement that you’re transitioning into life as an independent agent, refine your business goals, develop the strategies needed to capture the eye of your former clients and craft smart tactics to build a network of qualified prospects. When you plan to make your new firm public knowledge, create a media blitz to promote it across multiple channels and saturate your target market(s) to achieve the most impact.

MANAGE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE

Get the word out quickly and claim your name or add your name to business search engines. This will help improve lead generation. Visit the sites listed below to claim your identity, add your updated contact information, link to your new website and provide prospects with your value proposition. Ask your friends, clients and colleagues to rate your services favorably. When searching for a new service provider, people want to see positive ratings and good feedback. By managing your online reputation, you’ll be one step ahead of a majority of your competition.

• www.manta.com

• www.merchantcircle.com

• www.yellowpages.com (Online and print publication)

• www.whitepages.com (Online and print publication)

• www.yelp.com

• www.google.com/local

• www.bing.com/local

• www.local.yahoo.com

• www.linkedin.com

• www.facebook.com

 

CREATE A BRANDED WEBSITE

Establish a website that’s clean and easy to read, and use it as a recruitment tool. Consider asking for individuals to like you on Facebook, and provide them with a quick way to contact you via email. Ask them for referrals or how they heard about your firm. Remember, if you don’t ask, they’ll never act.

Websites can be developed on a server without making the content public. This will allow you to develop your branded, personalized site in advance and then publish the site live on the web when you are ready to make your announcement. Ask your CreativeOne Team about our complimentary website program, Agent Website Creator.

DON’T  OVERLOOK YOUR LOCAL PAPER

Utilize your local paper and promote your new business in sections pertinent to your target market.

• Obituaries (older clientele)

• Food and Wine

• Travel (individuals have disposable income for insurance)

• Movies (older clientele use this to find a movie)

• Business (local small businesses)

PROMOTE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Include your name, new business name, address, phone number, fax number, email address and other critical contact details on your website. In your business profiles, be sure to include towns/areas/cities within your market range. If your customer searches for your name or a life insurance agent in the community, make sure you have his or her city listed on your page to increase exposure.

WHY YOU NEED PRESS RELEASES

Press releases are issued when something newsworthy needs to be communicated to your community. This encourages journalists to cover the event or information by writing a news article on the subject, thus giving your business free exposure. Press releases can be used to announce events, awards, accomplishments, new services, executive promotions, new office personnel or community goodwill.

Press releases with quotes have a higher tendency to be picked up by the media, which equates to free publicity for you. With the right story and angle, you’ll have the opportunity to showcase your expertise and provide your unique value proposition to prospects. Include your contact name, cell phone number, address and purpose for the press release, and try to keep the release under 400 words if possible. Don’t forget to include a professional photo of yourself to accompany the story.

Individually target your local newspaper, television stations, radio stations, coffee shop rags, local cable stations and other media outlets that fit your target market. Redirect clients to you and offer your website for more information.

Communicate to the masses through online vehicles that can drive traffic to your website as a tool for lead generation. Creating powerful press releases and publishing them on sites other than your own will assist your organization with search engine optimization (SEO), ranking you higher in search results and increasing lead generation to your website. Consider posting your releases at the following locations for increased relevancy and awareness.

• Prweb.com

• Prlog.org

• Vocus.com

• Google.com

• Yahoo.com

• Bing.com

 

GENERATE AWARENESS WITH A SMART BRANDING STRATEGY

Build awareness and establish a brand that is recognizable by more clients and prospects in your market. Consider tapping into three branding tools we’ve developed to help you establish custom marketing collateral including a logo, a look and feel, and print collateral such as brochures, post cards, fliers, beneficiary reviews, apparel, trinkets, mugs, pens, and more.

DEVELOP CUSTOM MARKETING MATERIALS ON A BUDGET

Instead of spending the time and money to print hard copies of fliers and brochures, refer clients to your webpage and post these documents as PDFs. It’s an effective less expensive way to distribute content, and people looking for you online will be able to access the valuable resources they need until you have the revenue stream to pay for printing. You can also send these online documents via email to your clients and let them choose whether or not to print them. Adding content to your website increases your search engine optimization, which improves the visibility of your website.

GET HELP SPREADING THE WORD

Begin by handing out business cards to friends, family and strategic partners and other affiliations. Leave a set of cards with businesses that are willing to refer business to you. Develop a checklist of those most helpful and distribute your cards among them first.

EXPAND YOUR REACH WITH RADIO

Find a small radio show with affluent customers, whether news, talk, Christian based or otherwise. Develop a message that will generate immediate interest and provide listeners with a compelling value offering, such as:

• An exclusive beneficiary review appointment

• Topical-based collateral from CreativeOne, including customizable beneficiary review booklets, loved one passes guides, paramedical exam expectation pamphlets, policy review booklets, and business succession questionnaire.

• Lifehappens.org, where materials start at $0.25 and up, including forms, brochures, posters, workbooks and more.

 

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS WITH LOCAL RESOURCES

Most importantly, don’t just stick to the obvious avenues of promotion. Consider thinking outside of normal media and finding other ways to communicate news of your endeavor to those who want and need your services.

School Newspaper: Parents read their children’s school newspaper. Place an inexpensive ad in this publication. Leverage your existing relationships and provide a testimonial in the ad from a reputable person in that community, such as a school district employee with whom you do business.

Local Rags: Look for new avenues to post your information including wine reviews, local food reviews, local entertainment publications, theatres and coffee shop rags. Find alternative prospects using these unexpected venues where businesses and families use disposable income.

When you come on board with CreativeOne, you join a team of seasoned life insurance professionals who are truly excited to work with you. Since 1984, we’ve focused on helping life agents reach their goals and grow their business. Our team of experienced, knowledgeable individuals can help you meet the needs of even the most discerning clientele while streamlining the process from application
through placement.

Download the PDF version of the Blueprint to Freedom on Execution now!

Read the first part of this four-part series Blueprint to Freedom – Evaluation >>

Read the second part of this four-part series Blueprint to Freedom – Preparation>>

 

 

Here’s how we can support your life business:

• Back-office support, including case design, development and preparation, as well as carrier coordination

• Application submission support, including illustrations, proposals, APS request coordination, scheduling assistance, application review and case follow-up

• Underwriting support, including a concierge in-house underwriter with over 40 years of experience

• And some of the most exciting, beneficial incentives available in the business

How could your practice benefit from a partnership with a team that’s consistent, accountable and committed? Work with us and find out how to get even your toughest policies placed.