Four Factors That Will Grow Your Agency
Four Factors That Will Grow Your Agency
By Chris Paradiso
As I look back over the last nine months, there have been a few factors that have played a large role in the growth of our agency. The first of these factors is having a social media engineer. I personally feel that every agency needs at least one social media because I have witnessed significant growth from the day I hired my first social media engineer, due in large part to the way society and technology has progressed. Agency owners simply lack the time to manage all of the social media outlets, so that’s where the social media engineer comes in. I often hear agency owners say that they cannot afford a social media engineer, but what I say to that is: you can’t afford NOT to have a social media engineer! The reason I feel this way is because if you look at the direct writers such as Geico’s lizard, you’ll see that they are reaching the public at a minimum of three times a day. Our response to this strategy is to market our agency through social media because of its reaching power and little to no cost.
The second factor would be hiring the right coach for processes and procedures. We hired a process and procedure trainer back in October 2013 and since then we have implemented many successful process changes. Additionally, without process change, you cannot move on to the procedural change. The process is not as simple as it sounds, as it took our agency about four months until we were able to work perfectly through the process. Once that was complete, we were able to move on to the procedure portion of the training. Two years ago, I would have never thought to implement a process and procedure manual. I will say it has absolutely played a huge role in our closing ratio, and we haven’t even touched on sales training. The reason we have implemented this coaching is because our goal is to remember that our shareholders are our policyholders, so we must do everything in our power to make the customer experience exactly what they want.
Here’s a great quote:
“There is only one boss: The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”
– Sam Walton
The third factor is the hiring of a sales coach. How can agency owners expect our staff/teammates to improve without investing in their sales skills? I have personally looked into many different areas of improving our sales skills but I have to say the investment in having someone inside the agency, working with our team, is the most powerful way to improve your staff. The investment is well worth it as long as you feel your agency has the right people apart of it.
The fourth factor is getting a Mobile Marketing App. Why is this a necessity for your agency? Because it’s a mobile world! Connectivity with your existing clients is key, but with the legal limitations of text communication, an app is the way to go. Another great part of the app is that it allows us the ability to provide our clients with the best customer service possible. It allows our clients to pay their bill or file a claim with the push of a button. Society wants it and wants it right this second, so this will not only help our agencies give the client great service, it will also help agency owners be more profitable. Two other great points about the app are that it allows the client to have their insurance cards stored right in their phone, and the best factor of all is that it will allow us to communicate to our clients through push notification. The main reason why I say this is key for your agency for this year is because it will take nine months to a year to establish this app base with your clients, so that’s why you need to do it NOW, rather than later!
These four factors are what agencies need to have in order to grow in our industry. Technology today has allowed people and businesses alike to operate and function at speeds we never thought possible. That’s why these four aforementioned tips will allow your agency to not only take on the massive marketing campaigns of the direct writers, but succeed in this highly competitive arena. As an agency owner, I have implemented all four of these factors and have found huge success – Your agency can too!
Christopher Paradiso, CPIA, is President of Paradiso Financial & Insurance Service. He has been acknowledged by several insurance publications as a leader in the industry for his use of digital marketing and social media to help brand his agency and promote other small businesses within his community. Chris has also been recognized for his charity work with The Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
In 2011, Chris introduced “Paradiso Presents LLC,” a social media program aimed at teaching small agencies how to not only survive, but compete in today’s complex online marketing world. Chris resides in Stafford Springs, CT with his wife and two children, Mia and Gianni.
