Sometimes selling a product is vastly different than promoting an insurance agency. It is helpful to know the difference.
To accomplish your business goals, you need to have an established sales and marketing platform. An effective system will drive your agency’s profits. For any independent agency, investing in a marketing strategy is key. However, even the best marketing strategy needs an even stronger sales platform.
Do you know that the difference between marketing and prospecting leads? In marketing the entire agency participates in an effort to attract clients and to hopefully secure a sale of your product or service. Prospecting involves a more one-to-one interaction that will hopefully result in a sale,
How is prospecting and marketing tied together? Call it relationship marketing, meaning you are the key component in all marketing drives. In a small business or an independent agency, you are the prospector, the account manager and the closer. Without you the business of growing an agency goes nowhere.
Your marketing is designed to pull people in. Prospecting involves one-to-one interactions. Here you are striving to maintain a relationship with that lead to hopefully secure a sale. Prospecting can include activities like: attending networking conferences, consistently checking in with leads, finding out the needs and wants of your customers, etc. On the other hand, marketing has a wider scope or reach. Marketing can include actions such as: brand strategy, creating a website that is both informative and on brand, sharing knowledge and advice through blogging, etc.
Your marketing efforts will attract people to your agency. A strong marketing campaign will help prospect clients get to know you and your business. Sales come later once clients know that they want to further build a relationship with you.
Therefore, use your agency marketing dollars wisely. Remember that you are the driving force of success behind the growth of your insurance business. Spend adequate time and effort in your marketing plan. Remember prospecting will be the ultimate factor in gaining new clients.