Insurance Agents Archives

4 Types Of Insurance That All Agents Need

Posted on November 8, 2022November 8, 2022 by Cassandra Love

As an insurance agent, you spend your business hours finding your clients the coverage they need. But what about you? Does your business have the coverage it needs? Here are the top 4 types of insurance you, as an agent, should have.

1.Errors and Omissions Insurance

We know that the last things you’re planning on doing are choosing the wrong plan for your client, or missing a renewal deadline, but mistakes happen. That’s where errors and omissions (E&O) insurance comes in. E&O covers you if a client claims that you made a mistake that cost them money.

Any business that provides professional advice or services to their clients should have E&O. Insurance agents specifically benefit from this type of insurance because it covers you for a number of situations, including:

Forgetting to obtain coverage
Recommending the wrong plan
Making errors on paperwork like certificates or policy documents
Misjudging your client’s risk

Keep in mind this type of insurance is usually a claims-made policy, which means you need to have coverage at the time of the claim. Any lapse in coverage will leave you vulnerable to claims made by clients.

2.Cyber Liability Insurance

Size doesn’t matter when it comes to cyber security. Whether your business is small or large, if you own a website, email, or storefront, the client information you store online could fall prey to a cyber-attack. The cost to recover a business after a cyber-attack can be more than $100,000, so it’s not surprising that 60% of small businesses go under within 6 months of being attacked.

Cyber liability will cover cyber ransoms, data breach response costs, loss of income, and legal fees. Some cyber liability coverage even comes with advice and training for your company on how to better protect your assets online.

3.General Liability Insurance

If you meet with your clients in person, either at their homes or in your office, you need general liability insurance. This will cover you in case you accidentally cause injury or property damage to your client. Your policy will cover any medical bills or repair costs, as well as legal fees or compensation if they decide to sue.

It’s important to note that if you usually bring any equipment, like a laptop, with you to meet a client you should add personal business property to your general liability policy. That way both you and your client are covered in case of any mishaps.

4.Worker’s Compensation Insurance

If you have even one employee you need worker’s compensation. This policy will cover any medical bills for workplace injuries or illness. It can even cover the employee’s lost wages. And just in case your employee decides to sue, your worker’s compensation insurance will cover any legal fees, regardless of fault.

Most states actually require businesses to carry a worker’s compensation policy – but even if it wasn’t required, it would be a good safety net to have. After all, if an employee is out of commission, it can be stressful for you both, but without the proper coverage it could be crippling.

Your insurance business is always changing, so regularly assessing your coverage will help make sure your insurance changes with it. Once you’re fully covered, you’ll be ready to better serve your clients.

Need Help?

We understand choosing which policies you need to protect your business can be difficult and time consuming. You of all people should know who you work for to get your coverage is important! Benepath provides you with the tools, training, and guidance you need to save yourself some of the headache. Our highly skilled agents can help you get the coverage you need. Reach out to one of our agents and we can make sure you are covered, so you can ensure your clients are covered.

Take More Deductions for Less Taxable Income

Posted on August 1, 2022July 30, 2022 by Benepath Blogger

When the taxman comes knocking, you want to answer that door holding the least possible amount of taxable income. Why? Because lowering your taxable income will ultimately put more money back into your pocket, and who doesn’t want that? Once you know the common deductions that you are entitled to as an insurance agent, you can make informed decisions in your day-to-day business life to reduce your overall taxable income.

car odometer — *You can write off your mileage if you travel to meet with prospects and customers.*

What Are Some Common Deductions?

Mileage. If you use a vehicle for business, you may be eligible to deduct auto expenses based on how many business miles you drive. A regular commute doesn’t count but if you drive to a client meeting or a conference, keep track because those miles add up and they can be deducted. Download an app or keep track by reading your odometer if you drive outside of your normal commute.
Advertising. The IRS allows you to deduct advertising expenses related to business activities and promotions, within reason. If you buy business cards or a Facebook ad, these fall within deductible advertising costs. The cost of hiring someone to design ads for you is also deductible, so be sure to keep a running total of all those costs.
Home office. You may be eligible to deduct some of your home expenses under this deduction but the IRS keeps a close eye on this deduction so be sure to only write off your office if it’s a dedicated home workspace used solely and regularly for your insurance business.
Memberships. To be a successful professional you need to participate in some extra curricular activities. If you pay for membership of your insurance business-related groups, these can be deducted.
Business meals and entertainment. As an insurance agent it’s not unusual to have to entertain clients or other employees, so you should know that those expenses are generally deductible up to 50%.

Staying Organized

While these aren’t all the deductions you’re entitled to, it’s a good list to get the wheels turning to see how you can take everyday expenses and use them to your advantage. But if you’re like most people, organizing, saving receipts, and keeping all the information that goes along with tax filing in check, can easily spiral out of control. Find a system that works for you to keep you on track. With so many apps available, browse them all to see if there’s one that will fit your needs. If apps aren’t your thing, use an Excel sheet or Google Docs. Habits take time to establish, the important thing to remember is the more you keep track of, keep records of, and deduct, the less taxable income you’ll have, ultimately putting more money back into your pocket once April rolls around.

To Hire a Certified Public Accountant or Not?

You might be hesitant to spend extra money to hire a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) but because CPAs are experts in their field, you should consider it. CPAs are licensed by the state and must keep up with current tax laws to keep their license. They will find every deduction available to you, they are up-to-date on tax codes, incentives, and programs to get you the most money when you file your taxes.

3 Steps for Keeping Your Marketing Funnel Flowing

Posted on June 15, 2022January 11, 2023 by Cassandra Love

Are you working on your marketing funnel? Or are you unsure where to even begin? If you’re new to marketing funnels, don’t worry, they are relatively easy concepts to understand and implement. A marketing funnel consists of 3 steps: turning investigators into leads, then turning leads into customers, and finally turning customers into ambassadors. It’s important to keep your marketing funnel flowing so you can continuously grow your business, so we’ll break down the marketing funnel flow so you can understand its structure, and can benefit from it.

1. Turn Investigators into Leads

2 hands each holding a magnifying glass — *To help convert investigators who come to your site into leads, you’ll want to make sure that the call-to-action on your site is clear!*

Investigators are the people who visit your website looking for answers or help. Because investigators are in the “just-looking” stage, they will generally want to keep their commitment to a minimum.

To help convert investigators into leads, you’ll want to make sure that the call-to-action on your site is clear, and that it helps you to collect the information that you need to contact investigators and move them along in the sales funnel. This means your call-to-action shouldn’t simply be a “Call Now,” button; instead, your CTA should ideally encourage them to subscribe to your newsletter or ask you a question.

2. Turn Leads into Customers

Once you have gotten in contact with an investigator and turned them into a lead, the next step is to convert them into a customer.

When trying to convert a lead into a customer, you’ll need to deliver content that is value-driven, timely, and convenient. You can opt for video content to answer questions and provide information, since people generally prefer to watch video content over reading a blog to look for their answers.

In addition, you should make sure that you have an email campaign that provides informational content regularly, so you can show you know your stuff, and that you are the person that leads can turn to for help.

3. Turn Customers into Ambassadors

Last but not least, you’ll need to turn your customers into ambassadors. When we say ambassadors, we mean the people who refer you to friends and family, and even strangers, which will create more business for you.

The best way to convert customers into ambassadors is to build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with your existing customers by providing great customer service. Improving customer satisfaction can mean different things for different people, but you should be thinking about developing more personal and authentic relationships and delivering engaging content, as well as simply being there for customers, answering questions, and reaching out not just during renewal time.

Being successful doesn’t happen overnight, and neither does moving people through your marketing funnel. But if you take the time to create a strong marketing funnel, you will be able to make your business grow a little bit faster!

In the meantime, if you’re looking for new leads and to grow your business, Benepath can help! We offer exclusive leads who are ready to buy – all you have to do is tell us when you are available to work with them. Benepath will provide you with better tools, more guidance, unsurpassed sales training, and techniques from the most successful agents and trainers in the industry, not to mention the best leads available. To get more information, fill out the form above, or call 866-368-0377.

Have You Tried Some of These Lesser-Known Marketing Strategies?

Posted on April 29, 2022January 11, 2023 by Cassandra Love

Your marketing strategy is incredibly important: the more people you reach with it, the more successful your business will be. That means your marketing strategy needs to be well thought out, and include a variety of tactics to help you stay ahead of the competition. Whether you’ve been putting your agency out there already, or you are just beginning to sketch out a marketing plan, we can give you some lesser-known marketing tricks that can help you bring in more business.

Recycle Content

Take some old content and recycle it with a twist!

Coming up with new content can be time-consuming and overwhelming; it can also feel frustrating if you’ve been producing content for a while, since you might feel like you’ve covered everything! So if you find yourself with writer’s block, try recycling some of the content that you already have. Perform an analysis to see which of your content has been most successful, and turn it into something new. For example, make it into an infographic, turn it into a quick blog post, or revisit it and look at it from another angle.

Mix It Up

There are many avenues you can explore when it comes to marketing, including social media and your engaging website. But don’t stop there! Mix it up, and consider using different marketing strategies, including outdoor advertising, radio and/or TV ads, and any other traditional methods you want to consider dipping your toes into. Just make sure that your ads are targeted to your audience, and your content provides the information they need.

Re-Brand Yourself

Your business’ brand is everything; having a strong brand is important to your success, because it shows people who you are and what you represent. If you find your brand is lacking, consider re-branding yourself to attract some new customers. Determine what your strongest attributes are, pinpoint what your unique value proposition is; when you have figured these out, the next step is to prove your value, and represent your brand and what you stand for.

Direct Mail

You might think snail mail is an outdated way of reaching people, but nothing could be further from the truth! Direct mail is effective, which is why many businesses continue to use this approach to reach new and existing customers. In fact, people are often more likely to remember a business and use it in the future if they receive mail from that business, especially if it includes promotions or eye-catching information.

Answer Questions On Quora & Other Sites

Find out if you can be helpful on sites where people have questions about insurance.

If you want to show that you know your stuff, and get your name out there, try heading to sites where people ask questions, like Quora or answers.com. Create an account on these sites, search for questions in the field of insurance, and then provide as much helpful information as you can. This can help build your brand, and allow people to see you, know you, and seek help from you.

If you haven’t started marketing your business yet, consider the aforementioned techniques to help. But even if you’re a marketing veteran, these tips might help push you to a new level. After all, the more you put yourself out there, the more customers will come your way!

4 Great Benefits of Selling Insurance for a Living

Posted on March 4, 2022January 11, 2023 by Cassandra Love

If you’ve been wondering if going into insurance sales is a good career choice for you, wonder no more! Becoming an insurance agent, especially an independent agent, is a smart career choice for many people because not only does this profession only require a high-school diploma, once you become good at it, you can make six figures. If you have great people skills, are always willing to learn and stay informed, and want to help people, selling insurance is the perfect career move for you. Being an insurance agent offers many rewards other jobs simply do not offer.

1. You’ll be your own boss

One of the biggest benefits of working as an independent insurance agent is the ability to be your own boss. As an independent agent, you don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself: you create your own schedule, set your own hours, and remain in control of how successful your business is. You don’t have to answer to anyone about meeting your numbers for the month or request time off from anyone. Being your own boss, you get to determine what works for you while still growing your business.

2. You can make more money

Another great benefit of being an independent agent is that you’ll be able to make more money than you would if you were working for someone else’s business. Instead of putting money into someone else’s pockets, you will be growing your own business, and making money for yourself.

Not only that, but the longer you work in the industry, the more money you will earn. Unlike working for a company that sets your salary, if you sell insurance, you can make as much money as you want. The more insurance you sell, the more customers you acquire, and the more renewals you have, the more money you will see go straight into your pockets.

3. You get to genuinely help people

If you’re interested in helping people, selling insurance is the perfect profession for you. Instead of helping another business earn money, you will be helping customers on a personal basis. That means, as an independent agent, you’ll not only have job security and steady income growth, but you’ll also get the satisfaction of helping others stay safe, healthy, and financially secure by finding them the right insurance plan.

4. Insurance is something that will always be needed

Need we say more? Insurance is something that everyone needs, so the insurance industry will always be around. And as an insurance agent, you’ll always have customers, since people always feel more secure with their insurance-buying decisions when they have a knowledgeable person like you to help them.

Selling insurance is a rewarding career, with many benefits, as long as you can find prospects who are ready to buy. If you are just starting out as an agent, you might find bringing in leads a little bit difficult. Even if you’re an experienced agent, you might find it a little harder than usual to bring in leads during slow periods, so if you need to grow your customer base, Benepath can help. We offer exclusive leads who are ready to buy – all you have to do is tell us when you are available to work with them.

Benepath will provide you with better tools, more guidance, unsurpassed sales training, and techniques from the most successful agents and trainers in the industry, not to mention the best leads available. To get more information, fill out the form above, or call 866-368-0377.

Save Time & Money By Working With Benepath

Posted on February 1, 2022January 11, 2023 by Cassandra Love

Whether you are just entering the world of selling insurance, or have been selling insurance for years, your goal is probably the same: to continue to grow your business and earn more commissions. But on your way to your goal, there might be times when you hit a bump in the road, or when things slow down, especially outside of Open Enrollment Periods. These times can leave you struggling to find new leads, but you can save time and money trying to grow your business by working with Benepath. Here’s how.

Save Time

Trying to bring in more prospects and leads can be pretty time-consuming, and you might even be overwhelmed trying to think of new and creative ways to attract leads and prospects to your website or your business. You might end up feeling like you spend all your time in front of your computer, blogging, emailing, and trying to market yourself in as many ways as you can.

But if you work with Benepath, you can save a ton of time, because we always have a constant flow of leads who are ready to buy signing up on our website. Letting us provide you with these leads will mean you’ll have more time to focus on how to better serve your leads and existing customers.

Save Money

A survey of representatives of the insurance agents, brokers, and service industry in the United States found that the sector spent around $953.75 million on advertising in 2020 alone. This probably doesn’t come as any surprise to you: the cost of things like the web hosts you use for blogging, paid ads, and other marketing techniques can add up quickly. It might even seem as though you are putting way more money into advertising each month than you should be for the amount of traffic and leads you’re getting.

But you can cut all of these costs at least in half by working with Benepath. The low price of our exclusive leads will help you save hundreds of dollars each year, and provide you with more leads, which will only put more money into your wallet!

Not only can Benepath save you time and money, but we can also help you nurture your leads and improve your customer service skills. When you work with Benepath, receiving reliable, exclusive leads is the easy part. We provide you with real-time leads through a secured process and give you a customized thank-you page so your leads will be ready for your call. This thank-you page assures leads that they won’t be bounced around between agents, and gives them a feeling of connection with you right from the start. And while it is up to you to nurture your leads, we will be behind you every step of the way. You’ll find, though, that our leads do not need much nurturing because they will be ready to speak with you and buy your products!

To get more information, fill out the form below or call 866-368-0377.

5 Qualities Of A Successful Agent

Posted on March 6, 2020January 11, 2023 by Cassandra Love

Looking into becoming an insurance agent? Already one, and looking to become more successful? There are certain qualities an insurance agent must have in order to increase sales. Being an agent is not easy, and you will face a lot of rejection, and stress, but there are some important qualities to focus on that can make it easier. These qualities will not only raise your profit potential, but also boost your overall productivity and self-esteem as an agent.

persons hand coming out of a laptop screen shaking another person's hand. — *To be successful, you have to care about your clients, and behonest with them.*

1. Care About Your Clients

Your clients needs must come first. In order to be successful in this aspect, you must put aside your care for a commission, and want to provide the best for your client. Listen to what your clients say, what they need, and provide them with good customer service. Customer service is key to keeping a client happy. No one likes to get the run around when dealing with a business.

Return your clients calls, find answers to their questions, and care for your clients needs before your own. Not only will your client remain yours, but they will refer you to others.

2. Hold Integrity High

Honesty is the best policy. When working with a client, be honest with what you can offer them. Deception only leads to a client not staying with you for long. Provide your clients with honest quotes and whether you can actually provide them with a better plan than their current plan. If not, then admit you cannot offer something better. You will earn a client’s respect and trust with your integrity, leading to more business over time.

3. Take Initiative & Know Your Product

cartoon of an owl with grad cap on sitting on top of books. — *Know your stuff! A client will more likely want to work with you and refer you to others if you’re knowledgable.*

Always appear to be eager and excited. Take initiative with a client with a positive vibe. A client can tell when you are down, or pessimistic. No one wants to work with someone like that. Now that that is out of the way, when you do take initiative, you have to know your product.

The more disciplined you are, the more successful you will be. As an agent, you must be determined to learn your products, and know all of the ins and outs. You need to possess more than just how to sell a policy. An agent must learn all of the tax and legal aspects of products. This way you will get a better understanding as to how these products are designed to fit a certain clients needs. The more you know about your products with confidence, the more a client is comfortable to work with you.

4. Have An Emotional Connection

This goes hand in hand with good customer service and caring about your clients. Build an emotional connection with your client. You can achieve this by empathizing with a client and learning what they really need and want. Do not look at a client as just a sale. Building an emotional connection with a client builds an everlasting relationship with them. They will feel like you genuinely care about them.

5. Persistence Is Key

Rejection will happen a lot when you work in this kind of field. The key to any successful agent is to be persistent. You will deal with a lot of clients saying “no,” and it is important to be able to accept it with a smile. Persistent in this instance does not mean that you have to badger a client. Instead, it means that even though you receive rejection, you keep pushing through and work until you get a yes from someone else.

Staying Organized Is Important

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Benepath Blogger

It goes without saying that selling insurance requires organization. That said, selling insurance is not always conducive to being neat and orderly, and for certain, it is not always about being able to make and keep appointments the first time they are booked. Selling insurance comes with people hanging up the phone, refusing to make appointments to discuss insurance or canceling a meeting.

A day in the life of an insurance agent is hectic. A normal day may involve phone calls, walk-ins, meetings with staff, making calls to follow up leads, appointments inside the office and other tasks. With on-the-go days it is easy to miss things.

Staying as organized as possible is important for insurance agents. Your sales record depends on your organizational skills.

Hard or Soft Sell?

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Benepath Blogger

If you usually go for the hard sell, stop. Consider how the person on the receiving end feels and then try the soft sell. A softer approach generally appeals to the vast majority of those wanting to buy insurance. You have to remember that millions of people do not have insurance because they hate paying for it, do not think they need it and do not like insurance agents. That is a big obstacle to overcome.

If you put yourself in your clients’ shoes and understand their fears and reservations about buying an insurance policy, and shift focus to answering their concerns, asking them more questions, chatting about what they need to be happy, the process becomes easier.

Selling health insurance is not just about the sale itself. It is about those you are trying to sell to. If your customers do not like the hard sell approach, you could lose the sale. It is about identifying with the client and understanding what they need and want. A little bit of empathy and caring goes a long way when selling anything, but more so when you are selling health insurance. Health insurance is a really personal thing to every potential buyer.

Always Be Honest With Leads and Customers

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Benepath Blogger

Telling the truth is a great value. In the age of the internet it is too easy to be swayed by fake stories and inaccurate posts. Too many people get caught up making others think they know far more than they really do. This applies to insurance agents and others who are in sales. What is important to remember, however, is that no one knows everything and making people think you do is bound to blow up at some point.

Telling leads and customers that you do not know an answer to their question is nothing to be ashamed of or worried about. Just tell the person asking that you do not know the answer, but you intend to find it and provide it for them. This type of a response, whether on the internet, email or in person is far more credible than faking it. Remember, if it is on the internet, it is there permanently.

Once you have found the answer to a puzzling inquiry, make it a point to contact the person who asked the question and give them your researched answer. Service like that is something people will remember for a long time. If you want great customers, be trustworthy.

1.Errors and Omissions Insurance

2.Cyber Liability Insurance

3.General Liability Insurance

4.Worker’s Compensation Insurance

Need Help?

What Are Some Common Deductions?

Staying Organized

To Hire a Certified Public Accountant or Not?

1. Turn Investigators into Leads

3. Turn Customers into Ambassadors

Recycle Content

Mix It Up

Direct Mail

Answer Questions On Quora & Other Sites

1. You’ll be your own boss

2. You can make more money

3. You get to genuinely help people

4. Insurance is something that will always be needed

Save Time

1. Care About Your Clients

2. Hold Integrity High

3. Take Initiative & Know Your Product

4. Have An Emotional Connection

5. Persistence Is Key

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