I will be doing all of my blogging from here now, so stop by often.
Thank you!
-John Scranton
Insurance Agency SEO Article
Posted on September 2nd, 2010 by John Scranton
Very interesting article about Insurance Agency SEO. Includes techniques and methods that have produced positive results.
StartUpSelling welcomes The Mang Group, Kysar Insurance Agency and JD Tanner & Associates to our growing family of agency clients!
Posted on September 1st, 2010 by John Scranton
We look forward to successful projects with each client!
Prospect Email List Generation
Posted on August 31st, 2010 by John Scranton
I often receive inquiries from agency producers, marketing execs and other B2B salespeople asking how to build and implement an integrated web marketing strategy. They generally understand what needs to be done, but do not always grasp the specific tasks and steps involved. In response to this, I would like to share a basic outline of the integrated web marketing strategy we execute for our agency clients. Here is step one.
Prospect Email List Generation
Assuming you have already determined who you would like to sell to, procuring a high quality prospect email list is phase one. If you do not know who you are targeting, you are not ready to start any type of marketing campaign – you need to back up to building your business plan. This is of critical importance, as it will determine how successful you are in reaching your target market, launching eMarketing campaigns and attracting web seminar attendees.
Choose the Right Vendor(s)
Test-drive them like you test-drive cars. There are dozens of high caliber email list vendors. We have tried them all, and only use a select few. You need someone who has a rich database for your target industry. Sales people are generally happy to provide you with counts and expected bounce rates for the segment you want. Make sure to have an accurate picture of what you are buying before you spend your money.
Buy the Right Titles
Most email list vendors allow you to select the titles you covet when generating your list. If you are selling benefits, do not buy a list of VP Marketing and VP Sales executives. Not only will this be a waste of your money, it could get your domain blacklisted prior to you locating the proper titles. If your vendor cannot provide the titles you need, find a new vendor.
Manage Your List Carefully
Your list becomes an important asset to your business as soon as it is downloaded. Maintain it, update it, clean it, and append it. You maintain your car so you can travel, maintain your list so you can find prospects. Your list will atrophy over time on its own; anything you do to slow that process will help you generate more prospect activity.
For more information regarding prospect email list generation, please visit www.startupselling.com.
Coffee is for Closers
Posted on August 27th, 2010 by John Scranton
Yesterday during a meeting with a client (who we have a great relationship with and like very much), my CEO pulled out the classic Glengarry Glen Ross quote: “coffee is for closers only.” My first thought was that I drink an awful lot of coffee, so I better keep closing business.
My second thought was that we often hear from our clients that they are very pleased with the pipeline activity we are generating – but they are having trouble converting the leads to closed sales. This is a common problem across the sales industry, and one that takes dilligent efforts to correct.
Here are a few concepts that have helped me, and may help you close business and earn the right to go to the coffee pot:
- Stay in your Prospect Profile – It is very easy for us to accept appointments, calls or emails from prospects who are not in profile. For some organizations, this may be due to the fact that their profile is poorly defined. Make sure you honestly assess your prospects relative to your buyer persona, and invest your time accordingly. Critically important.
- Refine your Presenation – Continually massage and update your presenation. Every few months, start from scratch. Then practice. If you do not have your presentation outline memorized, keep practicing. And make certain that your last slide provides “next steps” for your prospect to advance through your sales process. Show them, ask them, ask them again.
- Trial Close – I have often underestimated the power of the trial close. But when I analyze using the concept, I find that nearly all of the prospects who respond candidly and positively to a trial close become buyers. If your sales cycle typically takes 3 meetings, trial close in meeting 2. This will help you plan your closing presenation and strategy.
- Keep Calling – If you have presented to a prospect, and they have not responded to you – keep calling. Call every day. Email every night. Never leave an oppurtunity on the table because you neglecting to make the needed efforts to reach your prospect. This sounds simple, but I have made this error in the past.
Good luck!
Webinar: Marketing & Lead Generation for Trucking Agencies
Posted on August 25th, 2010 by John Scranton
Join us for this brief, complimentary web seminar. We will present marketing and lead generation tools and strategies specifically designed for agencies that target the transportation industry. Our marketing experts will review case study results of telesales and web seminar campaigns that resulted in more than $300,000 in new commission revenue in 2010. We will also show how website refinements, branding and search engine optimization will help your organization reach your target prospects. Topics include:
* Telesales: Custom pitch development for transportation prospects
* Web Seminars: Leveraging your industry expertise to build your pipeline
* Website Design: Branding and content to connect with target risks
* SEO: Google Page 1 search results for trucking keywords
Wednesday September 1st at Noon ET: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/129148073
Creating an Insurance Agency Marketing Plan
Posted on August 24th, 2010 by John Scranton
I recently spoke at an entrprenuership panel. At one point, a question was asked about the importance of a quality business plan or marketing plan for startups and small organizations. I answered that they were of little importance, and that my company has no business plan or marketing plan on paper. We have a handful of key concepts, goals and directives that are constantly evolving and that never occupy more than one page of space.
However, a handful of bullets on a page is not going to be an effective way to get Travelers to set up a contact with your agency. So you do need an Insurance Agency Marketing Plan, even if I think it will become outdated the moment it is sent to the companies or investors you need to impress to get your business up and running. Although this document will be of limited use, writing it out can be a thought provoking exercise.
Creating an Insurance Agency Marketing Plan can be done most effectively working backwords. Start with the pitch and value proposition that you would share with a potential client. Practice and refine it until it is so strong that you could build a business around it. Then tweak it for its initial purpose – to attact investment and/or to convince insurance companies that you should be an agent representing them in the marketplace.
Then choose how you would best share this pitch with your target prospects. What marketing and advestising media? What trade shows or associations? What geographic area, industry vertical or horizontal? Do your research and make the best assumptions you can. What you are left with will be the framework for an Insurance Agency Marketing Plan that is designed to effectively convey your value proposition to your target prospects in the most efficient manner possible.
Vacation is Over
Posted on August 23rd, 2010 by John Scranton
My weeklong vacation from blogging has ended. Did anyone notice? Regardless… I just returned from my annual pilgrimage to the outdoorsman’s Mecca of Lake Placid. I was thinking about the challenge sales and marketing people face each summer while their prospects take vacations. A relative who is a financial planner mentioned he was having a great August. I shared that StartUpSelling was also experiencing rapid growth. We both then returned to our beverages and serene view of the lake – choosing not to question the sustainability of our respective successes during the remainder of vacation season.
Here are a few suggestions for generating sufficient sales activity during vacation and holiday seasons:
- Practice Patience – Not many salespeople I know are patient, but if a prospect asks to you to leave them alone while they are away, do it. If you are not patient (like me), practice trying to be patient and avoid annoying your prospects who are trying to relax.
- Use Email – When people are on vacation they are not in their offices to answer your calls and probably would prefer not to answer their phone while waiting in line for a Disney ride. So send a brief and courteous email. If you are polite and only ask for something simple, you will often get a short response from the Blackberry. This keeps the dialogue open.
- More Calls – If you usually make 10 calls to earn an appointment, you may need to make 12 or 13. It will not take much extra time, because you did not speak to the 2 or 3 prospects that were on vacation. Being diligent with your calling results (not just dials) will help you avoid a dip in production during quiet months.
- Take Vacation – If 3 of your 5 best prospects are going to Barbados in June, you should consider going to Barbados in June. Taking 2 weeks of vacation during the off-season is better than taking one during the busy season. Try to align your plans with the common patterns shown by your clients and prospects.
Hopefully these ideas will help you produce compelling results during your next vacation season. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to share them.
