Make Time to Make a Difference

Market your services consistently and watch your profits grow.

By Troy Korsgaden

However busy we are, we must make time to accomplish the important things that need to be done. At the top of the to-do list for every multiline agent should be marketing. However, it is time to take the word “marketing” to a whole new level.

In my planning workshop, I share many of the marketing systems and techniques that I apply in my own agency. One that always piques the interest of the audience is a program that centers on making time for marketing. This one small change in the way we do business will catapult our marketing to that next level—the awesome level.

IT ONLY TAKES A SMALL CHANGE TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

Appointment to Market (ATM) will be one of the simplest and most effective marketing programs you will carry out. Not only will it yield immediate results, it will also require no monetary investment. But what you will invest is more valuable than money—it is time.

My team came up with a great program to implement ATM. It is STEAM (STop Everything And Market), modeled after a children’s reading program. You can use the following steps to carry out this program:

1. Make an appointment each week at the same time and on the same day for two hours for you and your office staff to make outbound calls, (e.g., Tuesday 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.—ATM). This means that you stop what you are doing and focus on marketing.

2. Call clients to thank them for doing business with you. Without even realizing it, you are deepening your relationship with them. This is a retention builder, and each time you touch your clients, you are blocking out the competition.

3. Glean any information on their existing files that you currently do not have. This includes phone numbers, x-dates, triggers, etc. Create a one-page cheat sheet with address, phone number, a product spectrum, etc. I have created what we call the Household Update Sheet (available at www.tksystems.org).

4. Tell the client that to better serve him, you want to set up some time in the office to discuss life insurance, fire insurance or whatever your focus is for that day. Many times, there are additional discounts or packages available for your clients. Let them know you will not turn this into a selling interview, but you feel it is important to review their accounts.

5. Set an appointment. Successful agencies who consistently schedule ATM time each week schedule on average 15 appointments during their two-hour marketing time. This is a soft-sell approach, and you will find your clients are more open-minded in sharing information and scheduling an appointment.

Hot tips for a successful ATM
Here are some ideas for steaming up your ATM:

• Elect one person in the office to handle all the incoming calls during ATM.
• Prepare in advance—provide your team with scripts.
• Have a Household Update Sheet available (this should contain a full spectrum of products and services you offer and contain an area to update client address, phone numbers, etc.)
• Have a focus. Choose a product or service as your main focus for the day, (e.g., setting appointments for life insurance).
• Be consistent and keep the ATM program going.

With the program, you will see an immediate increase in the number of people you see each day, your sales and retention. It also helps build confidence in your staff and teaches them to talk about products and services outside their comfort zones.

At times, it may seem impossible to find time in your day. However, you must make time if you want to make a difference in your business. It only takes a small change to make a big difference.

Troy Korsgaden, who is a member of NAIFA-Sequoia (Calif.), has been twice named “Agent of the Year” from among 14,000 Farmers Insurance agents. For more information, call 800-524-6390 or go to www.tksystems.org.