All posts with the tag 'Virtual Business'

Sell More and Work Less To Be Released in September

A new book from StartUpSelling will be released in September. Please see the below blog entry from Alan Blume for more details:

Sell More & Work Less To Be Released in September

Posted on August 17th, 2011 by Alan Blume

Our new book, Sell More & Work Less, Web Selling Techniques Everyone Should Use, is expected to be released in September. Offering 101 Internet Sales Tips stratified across our 4-Phase Sales Process, Sell More & Work Less focuses on leveraging the web to help you sell better, faster and more efficiently.

Most sales cycles, particularly B2B sales cycles can be expressed in four distinct phases: Identify, Qualify, Present and Close. Each of these phases might have 5 or 10 steps, helping salespeople compartmentalize tasks, ensuring they are following a guide that helps them arrive at their final destination, a new client. The reason I refer to this as a “Virtual” Sales Process is that much of the work can or should be done virtually. Keep the car parked in the driveway, avoid planes and trains whenever possible, leverage Skype, GoToMeeting and other virtual selling tools.

Sell More & Work Less reviews many virtual sales tips and techniques including The Prospect Scorecard, a simple but effective pipeline qualification tool which can be used on a PC or mobile device.  Sell More & Work Less will help sales people, business owners, sales managers and entrepreneurs focus on those activities which will optimize prospecting, qualifying and closing. For more information, read Your Virtual Success (www.yourvirtualsuccess.net), or in September, Sell More & Work Less.

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Insurance Agency Marketing 2.0 – Chapter 1: Introduction

First, there was a man in a cheap suit shouting at passers-by on the town thoroughfare, offering his goods.  Then, there was a man going door-to-door peddling his wares.  And finally, there was a person cold calling through the phone book and canvassing their way to retirement (or exhaustion).  These historical techniques are the origins of sales and marketing.  They were avenues to success in their respective eras.  Now they are extinct.

Enter Insurance Agency Marketing 2.0.  I could have chosen nearly any numeral to illustrate the version of the concepts I will present, as infinite refinements and iterations have been made between the snake-oil-sales days of the old west and the ultra-efficient methods available today.  However, I chose this number as it is indicative of the Web 2.0 methods that fuel the engines of leading-edge, tech savvy salespeople.

The Insurance Agency Marketing 2.0 series will teach you how to effectively develop a multi-dimensional marketing approach that touches target prospects in a variety of ways, identifying those who are interested and moving them into your pipeline.  When properly executed, this strategy will require no more effort than a traditional campaign, but will yield significantly improved results.

Assuming the proper licenses are in place to write business, very little is required to begin a new Insurance Agency Marketing 2.0 campaign.  In fact, the following article will teach you How to Create a Virtual Business in 72 Hours, so launching your marketing initiatives should happen today!

Here is an outline of what we will review:

  • Part 1: Start Filling the Pipeline
    • Prospect Identification & List Generation
    • Insurance Agency eMarketing
    • Insurance Agency Webinars
    • Telemarketing & Appointment Setting
  • Part 2: Become Pervasive in Cyberspace
    • Insurance Agency Websites
    • Insurance Agency SEO
    • Blog Design, Development & Posting
    • Insurance Agency Social Media Marketing
  • Part 3: Closing Business

New Chapters will be posted throughout the month of June.  Check back often to learn more, or subscribe to the Insurance Agency Marketing Blog to be notified of new posts automatically.

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Posted in Insurance Agency Lead Generation, Insurance Agency Marketing, Insurance Agency Web Marketing | Leave a Comment »

Virtual Business Case Study: How the Virtual Business Model Improved my Performance, Enhanced my Income and Changed my Lifestyle (Part 4)

So how has this virtual model impacted me? Well, to be honest, I sell more and I work less.  My closing ratios have never been higher.  I close more proposals than ever before, and I close more appointments than ever before.  The keys to this growth and improvement are listed in the 101 Tips book, and they work for me daily.  They are allowing me to continue to expand our business at a rapid pace, without the added stress of travel or increasing my hours invested.

As all salespeople reading this are surely wondering, how does this impact the income of virtual salespeople?  I do not share the specifics of my earnings, but to generalize I can say that my income has increased and my expenses have decreased, obviously improving my financial position.  Driving 3,000 miles per month translated to about $400 per month in fuel expenses where I live.  Wearing business attire leads to $100-200 of dry cleaning expenses each month.  And the lunches and dinners on the road or with clients add up quickly.  I could continue, but I am sure you get the picture.  The key point is now my earnings are invested in my family, not my career.

The greatest change I have experienced by transitioning to a virtual lifestyle and using the virtual business concepts is that I now have more time.  The greatest personal resource we have is time.  We cannot purchase more and we cannot replace that which we have lost or used.  So limited my hours to 45-50 in a typical week allows me to have much more time.  And keep in mind these hours are spent working in a spare bedroom – so there is no commute to tack on to either end.  If I work from 7 to 5, I leave for work at 7 and return at 5¸leaving as much time as possible to enjoy with my family.

To conclude, I would like to state that first and foremost you need to establish clear goals and vision to succeed in life.  Once you have completed that exercise honestly, make every effort to align your career and lifestyle with those goals and vision.  And if you are like me and family is your greatest priority, the virtual model could significantly improve your life for the better.

Part 4 of 4 – Links Below for Previous Sections

Part 1: http://startupselling.com/blogs/johnscranton/?p=1815

Part 2: http://startupselling.com/blogs/johnscranton/?p=1828

Part 3: http://startupselling.com/blogs/johnscranton/?p=1842

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Virtual Business Case Study: How the Virtual Business Model Improved my Performance, Enhanced my Income and Changed my Lifestyle (Part 2)

Now as perused the job market with my shiny new diploma, I realized that the skills I possessed that would best translate to success today were likely those I learned working with my Dad.  The ability to close new business was going to be a greater asset in the infancy of my career than the corporate debt structuring formulas I had learned in school.  Although I intended to apply the MBA skills wherever possible, it made sense for me to select a sales position for my first full-time job.

I chose to accept a sales position with an insurance agency.  My duties would include visiting with prospects, both individuals and businesses, and providing them with insurance quotations in hopes of selling new policies.  My compensation was commission based, which I eagerly accepted as I knew this would be a key motivational factor and allow me to reap the rewards of the success I hoped to achieve.

At times my results were exceptional, and at times they were moderate.  I was able to grasp our products and bring aboard new clients, but I was always striving to find a more effective and efficient way to conduct business.  I found the most success selling face to face, and this led me to spend many days on the road.  As I attempted to make the leap from a novice to an all-star, my time investment and travel schedule grew exponentially.

I would like to make it abundantly clear that I was never unhappy in my position and that I enjoyed the insurance business.  But by my last year as an agency producer, I could clearly see that the path I was tearing down was not properly aligned with the goals and vision I had for my life.  If you think back to the first paragraph where I mentioned my personal goals, I listed family before career, and I did this because that is how I want to prioritize my life.  Driving 35,000 miles per year and working 60 or more hours per week was not going to allow me to live my vision.

Part 2 of 4 – Check Back for Additional Sections

Part 1: http://startupselling.com/blogs/johnscranton/?p=1815

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Virtual Business Case Study: How the Virtual Business Model Improved my Performance, Enhanced my Income and Changed my Lifestyle (Part 1)

Like many ambitious Americans, I set many life goals during my youth.  As a child, they included playing in the NBA, driving the car from Knight Rider and building a Bill Gates size fortune.  Over time, as I (very) slowly matured, these goals were refined and developed into a set of more realistic and achievable goals that would simultaneously be very fulfilling.  They included getting married and starting a family, finding a career path that was enjoyable and rewarding, and earning an income that would allow my family to be comfortable and enjoy our time together.

The path to reaching these goals began very traditionally.  My family supported my educational development, and I did very well in school.  I attended college and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance, then continued my academic growth by earning my MBA.  With the educational knowledge in place, I was ready to enter the business world.

During high school and breaks during college, I always worked for my Father.  He sells professional audio equipment, and I inherited the “sales gene” at a fairly young age.  After spending a few summers shipping boxes in the warehouse, I transitioned to a part-time commission sales position.  During this time I enhanced the traditional marketing initiatives by cultivating online opportunities to expand our reach.  This was a successful endeavor that in essence financed my MBA while providing me with key sales skills – little did I know this would be a precursor to future success.

Part 1 of 4 – Check Back for Additional Sections

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Virtual Sales

I am currently writing a chapter in a book about virtual sales as a guest author.  It is actually very interesting and thought provoking work.  I share the seemingly infinite stories, anecdotes and examples from my successes and challenges as a salesperson.

As I review my work, I am noticing a common theme.  I illustrate several concepts in a similar way.  I will begin by explaining how well something worked in a traditional sales environment, then recount an instance where the same technique or tool was even more effective during a virtual sale.

For example, I share a story about how a certain closing technique worked during a presentation to the board of an entity.  This group had told me prior to the presentation that they would not make a decision to buy during that meeting – but during my drive home I received a call telling me that they would like to sign.  The closing technique had done the trick.

Most salespeople will quickly grasp this story when ready the book, but may or not be able to envision this same method working effectively during a virtual presentation via GoToMeeting, WebEx or Skype.  So I elaborate and share a virtual example as well – a more powerful story that proves the same technique was amplified by the virtual model and our cloud presentation.

Writing this story the same day that LinkedIn announced their upcoming IPO continues to prove that the virtual paradigm shift is upon us.  Sales, marketing, networking all can be accomplished effectively via Web 2.0 methods.  Prior to that, where would I tell this story?  In a newspaper editorial which could take weeks to process and may be irrelevant by the time it prints or rejected all together?

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A Virtual Business Vacation: Beaches, Pools, Signed Contracts & Dinner Dates

I took a vacation last week.  My wife and I traveled to Florida to spend some time with family and to relax.  We spent time on the beach, at the pool, signed a new client, and went out for a very nice dinner date.  This is the typical vacation when you work in a virtual environment.  You can enjoy the luxuries life can offer just like everyone else, but the flexibility created allows you to capitalize on opportunities anytime, anywhere.

This is just a glimpse into the power of the virtual model.  Greater flexibility, improved client service and responsiveness, and last but not least: improved profitability.  The below excerpt from Your Virtual Success profiles a similar vacation success story from our CEO Alan Blume:

Chapter 1 Excerpt – I Brushed the Sand Off My Suit

My days began abruptly at 5:45am with a loud blast of music from the clock radio on the dresser. I would shower, shave, and put on a suit, shirt and requisite tie. If there was time, I’d eat a bowl of cereal, pour some coffee in my travel mug and head out the door at 6:45am. If I was lucky, 45 minutes later I would pull into the parking lot at 7:30am. Assuming I had the customary and usual reports, meetings, conference calls and email threads, I would get back in my car around 6:30pm, and arrive home around 7:15pm. I would repeat this routine five days a week, except on travel days when I’d get up at 4:30am to make a 7am flight. These were extended hour days which often exceeded 16 hours before settling down at my non-descript business hotel. Now let’s fast forward to a more recent work day.

My morning began in a plush condo with commanding views of the Gulf of Mexico, 21 floors above the cascading pools of the Portofino Resort. Before I sauntered down to the beach, I made a quick call to one of my clients, finalizing a minor item on a major contract. I zipped off an email to their prospective client, a multibillion corporation, asking if they would move forward with the $100,000 agreement with this minor change. Now that I’ve gone virtual, it’s a little bit challenging to determine when I’m working or when I’m on vacation, in either case, I never put in the long hours many of us have endured in the traditional grind. When on vacation I might work an hour a day, and when I’m not on vacation, I work about six hours a day albeit in an extremely casual, flexible and comfortable environment. You can accomplish more in six hour virtual day than you can in a traditional ten hour business day. As a result of this productivity leap, my virtual company has yielded millions of dollars in sales on behalf of my clients and over a million dollars in personal income to me in just the last few years. I now have plenty of time for family, friends and personal pursuits like community activism, travel, reading, running, weight lifting, hiking, golfing, bowling and scuba diving, and on this day in September, a sunny day at a beautiful beach.  Read more…

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My Virtual Commute vs. Your Traditional Commute

Across the country, business executives spent most of their morning in the car commuting to work.  Maybe a 15 minute ride into Boston, or a 30 minute train ride into New York, or an hour long trek through gridlock into Los Angeles.  This is not uncommon – the bulk of American professionals drive, ride or fly to an office each day.  They invest personal time day to seek greater opportunity.

I understand the concept, and engaged in the practice for many years.  The problem is that it is a waste of time.  Lets look at a snapshot of the traditional commuter’s morning I experienced for a few years while living 20-30 minutes from my office:  Wake at 6:30 to leave the house at 7:30.  Possibly a stop at Starbucks or for gas.  With a little luck, I was fully caffeinated and ready to begin working by 8:00.

Now let us review a snapshot of the same time frame, as experienced in my virtual lifestyle.  Today I woke up at 7:00 and began the day by having coffee with my wife and giving my dog a belly rub.  I grabbed the paper and gave it a glance as I poured a 2nd cup of coffee and sauntered into my office.  By 7:30, I was working at full speed.  Here is what I was able to accomplish during the time slice that I previously spent weaving through traffic:

  • Cleaned out my email Inbox
  • Posted a New Blog Entry
  • Shared that Blog with thousands of professionals on LinkedIn
  • Emailed an opt-in list of 6,000 in-profile prospects
  • Reviewed a PowerPoint presentation for an upcoming meeting
  • Reviewed and edited an article for a colleague

After accomplishing all that, I was fully caffeinated and ready to begin “working” by 8:00.  Now I can spend my entire day focused on revenue producing activities instead of playing catch up and trying to shake off the stress of a hectic commute.  Imagine how much more you could accomplish if you were able eliminate your commute?  Not to mention the distractions that constantly occur in the traditional office environment.

I challenge all of you to analyze your responsibilities as an employee or employer, and determine what sections of your business could be virtualized.  20%? 50%? 100%?  Allowing an employee to work virtually just one day per week would give them enough extra time to accomplish all of the important tasks I listed above.  The more virtual, the more effective and efficient.  The more effective and efficient, the more profitable.  And do not forget about starting off your day by having coffee with your spouse and giving your dog a belly rub.

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Who is StartUpSelling? What Do We Do? Why Is It Important?

Who We Are

StartUpSelling is a completely virtual business, specializing in insurance agency marketing, insurance agency web marketing and insurance agency lead generation services. Our virtual model allows us to employ subject matter experts, licensed insurance agents and insurance agency marketing veterans throughout North America. Because we have no brick and mortar office expenses, we are able to deliver superior value to our clients. After all, why would your agency want to pay for our rent on the top floor of a prominent Boston office building?

Leveraging our virtual North American talent pool allows us to hire senior level people who have deep experience in insurance agency marketing, agent lead generation, agency eMarketing, agency web seminars, agency website design, insurance agency SEO and insurance agency social media marketing. Led by our CEO Alan Blume, an insurance agency marketing veteran and author of Your Virtual Success, our senior team has twice been on the Inc. 500 list, developed insurance agency web seminar programs which result in attendance of over 100 executives per webinar, built insurance agency prospect lists ranging from 3,000 executives to 60,000, and offer an unmatched list of agency marketing services to the insurance agency and broker marketplace.

For more information about our management team, please visit our Contact Page

 

Who We Serve

StartUpSelling has successfully created, launched and maintained marketing and lead generation campaigns for a vast array of B2B organizations. However, our largest following comes from the insurance agency marketplace. Our expertise in this space is unmatched, and our deep understanding of agency marketing has proved to be a valuable asset for our clients.

StartUpSelling has also provided compelling results and ROI for companies in the technology, legal, payroll, accounting, higher learning, consulting and professional service industries. Deploying virtual talent with unique and specific expertise creates powerful solutions for insurance agencies both small and large, with budget plans to fit agencies with a book of business from $500K to $50M.

For client stories and case studies, please visit our Client Testimonials Page

 

Our Goals

At StartUpSelling, it’s not about being the biggest; it’s about being the best. Our primary objective is to do great work on behalf of our clients. Like all organizations, we set annual growth goals – but it’s always quality first, growth second. We strive to deliver the best services possible and the best solutions available, at a price point affordable for our target market. And because we are a leading edge, virtual insurance marketing agency, we believe that can offer the highest quality service and solutions, at an affordable price. Our focus on quality deliverables has resulted in both happy clients, and a viable, profitable growing business.

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Insurance Agency Marketing, Lead Generation, Social Media and Virtual Business Articles

Top 10 Tips For Insurance Agency eMarketing Success

Insurance Agency eMarketing is often described as an art and a science, but the basics should be simple enough for any agent to follow. Unfortunately I’ve seen many basic rules broken by agents sending out emails that use colored fonts, capital letters in the subject line, and prolific use of spam words like “free offer” that are almost guaranteed to send an email to a junk folder. The list below are the top 10 tips to help ensure insurance agency eMarketing success.

10 Tips To Optimize Your Insurance Agent LinkedIn Profile

Social media marketing is moving front and center when it comes to insurance agency web marketing strategies. Insurance agents should be cognizant of this new frontier, perhaps changing the famous quote of “Go West, young man, go West” as popularized by author Horace Greeley to “Go Web young man (and woman) go web”. As social media websites for business go, surely LinkedIn is one of the most preeminent, and one that insurance agents and agencies should leverage in their daily routine. Here are 10 tips to help better leverage your LinkedIn experience.

Three Ways to Make Your Insurance Agency More Virtual And Profitable

Many insurance agency executives seem interested in improving profits and boosting bottom line performance. The new virtual business model offers many agencies an opportunity to accomplish this, without drastic cultural changes, personnel reductions or significant technology infrastructure investment. Insurance agencies, agents and brokers can actually deliver greater value as a result of a virtual operation, as it affords more time for productive tasks, like conversing with clients, learning the nuances of client businesses and staying current with industry changes.

Insurance Agency Social Media Marketing – How to Find Prospects And Close Business Using LinkedIn

We are all aware of the relevance and increasing importance of social media marketing. It is powerful and it can be very profitable. Where else can you find high-quality prospect leads for free? In the B2B insurance agency marketing space, LinkedIn is the king of social media marketing.B2B social media marketing has become an increasingly important component of our insurance agency lead generation strategy, and one that we expect will continue to grow in the future. Here are a few suggestions that will help insurance agencies, brokers and agents find prospects and close business using LinkedIn…

Insurance Agency Websites – Your Global Store Front Window

Your insurance agency website is your window to the world. It is your store front window, located on Main Street, in a global village in which everyone now lives. When prospects or clients stroll past your window, in this case your agency website, will they like what they see? Will they immediately understand your unique value proposition, will you look like a viable, professional agency, or will you convey a tired, dated, out of touch organization, replete with peeling paint and an antiquated facade? Will you have an up to date window display, current internet fixtures like videos and a blog, and will your graphics and photos help articulate the professional image your agency seeks?

The 4-Hour Workweek Business Book Review – A Virtual And Alternative Lifestyle

The 4-Hour Workweek offers readers a completely different perspective on the working world as most would perceive the nine to five grind. Tim Ferris changes the rules of the 40 plus hour work week and offers a glimpse into a much more abbreviated work schedule centered on a new lifestyle design. He changes his own lifestyle from an obsessive 12 hours a day workaholic to a globetrotting, virtual 4-hour work week of the “new rich”. The author proposes that we empower ourselves with a new perception on the working world. He suggest that people embrace a “New Deal”, changing the rules of the game, outsourcing mundane task, automating important aspects of businesses including cash flow and enabling a more mobile and flexible lifestyle.

Virtual Business Isn’t Just Great for Me, It’s Saving the Planet – From Patagonia To Albany

I recently read Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard. A friend recommended it to me and I found it very interesting. Chouinard is the founder and owner of the outdoor company Patagonia. My initial reaction to the book was that I love Patagonia’s business concept. To lead by example, Patagonia donates 1% of their total annual sales to environmental causes. I found this to be very impressive, but it also led me to be reflective.

Sales and Marketing Discipline For Insurance Agencies

Every great company has a key defining concept. Something that is woven into the fabric of people, products and culture. For example, 3M strives to use innovative technology and imagination to improve the daily lives of people. This concept becomes obvious when reviewing their history and how the company operates each day. The immense challenge for businesses or in this case, insurance agents, who want to achieve tremendous success like 3M, is to define that key concept – and then to make all decisions in alignment with that concept. Successful insurance agency sales and marketing cultures should be built the same way.

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Posted in B2B Marketing, Business, eMarketing, Insurance Agency Lead Generation, Insurance Agency Marketing, Insurance Agency Web Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Virtual Business | Leave a Comment »

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