17 Ways to Sell More Insurance by Practicing and Studying Sales

You�re either born to sell or not.

That�s B.S. (pardon my French acronym).

It�s like saying you�re born to be a world-class athlete and hard work has nothing to do with it.

Try telling that to Ray Lewis.

Sure, we�re all born with different abilities but:

1. No one ever achieves greatness without practice.
2. Practice makes everyone better regardless of ability.

But you don�t need practice, right? You�re a natural. You�re a born salesman. You can sell ice to eskimos and plastic surgery to Joan Rivers.

Right?

Then I guess you don�t need to read this article.

But if you�d like to sell more insurance, make more money, and take better care of your family you need to practice.

Here�s 17 ideas for practicing and studying sales techniques.

1) Use a Mirror

If you think it�s stupid to practice in front of the mirror you�re missing the point.

The mirror doesn�t give you magical insight about your body language or facial expressions, it�s the foundation of sales practice.

Selling to the mirror is like shooting hoops by yourself in the driveway.

It�s not as fun as playing with others but it�s always available, always helpful and time spent by yourself on personal development gives you more confidence.

Are you one of these kids who needs private lessons to get off the couch or are you self-motivated enough to get better by yourself?

2) Role Play with a Colleague

Co-workers are great for role-playing because they know the material, they know all the objections, and they have a lot more experience with different insurance sales situations.

Afraid of how your co-workers will react if you ask them to help you practice sales conversations?

Ask them anyway, getting out of your comfort zone is one of the first lessons in sales!

3) Role Play with a Non-Insurance Person

Sometimes you can gain deeper insight by practicing with someone who doesn�t understand all the intricacies of insurance like you do.

It�s the best way to find out if you�re overdoing the jargon.

And after all, your target clients are not your co-workers, they�re people who don�t know jack about insurance.

4) Record Yourself on Video

If you�re squeemish about role-playing to begin with, maybe just skip to the next one and pretend you didn�t read this.

It�s not easy seeing yourself on video but I promise it can be helpful.

Look for things like:

1. Proper amount of eye contact?
2. Do you look confident?
3. Are you fidgety or visually distracting?
4. Are you listening attentively or waiting to talk again?

5) Record Your Voice

When you watch a video of yourself there is a tendency to pay more attention to visual cues while auditory ones may be lost.

Also, it�s easy to use a voice recorder or your smartphone to record live sales conversations without your prospect even knowing.

Listen for things like:

1. Are  you acknowledging and addressing prospect questions?
2. Are you using the same terms and verbiage of the prospect?
3. Do you use a lot of auditory pauses (like umm)?
4. Does your voice sound like you care?

6) Keep a Lost Sale Journal

Losing a sale sucks, but it�s a lot worse when you don�t learn from it.

Whenever you lose a close sale, take a few moments to write down what you may do differently to make the sale next time.

The point is not to focus on what you did wrong but to make sure you learn from the mistake and try something different the next time you find yourself in the same situation.

Who knows, it could be in 6 or 12 months with the same person.

7) Get Peer Feedback

Ask a co-worker or sales manager to listen in on some of your live sales conversations and provide feedback.

The best salesperson in the world will still benefit from feedback. Even if it�s just 100% positive!

The benefits are mutual because the reviewer gets ideas from you and learns more about their own sales skills by observing yours so carefully.

8) Write Your Own Sales Scripts

A lot of the sales scripts I come across suck.

That�s because they�re either written by someone who doesn�t know how to sell or using language and talk-paths that are unnatural to me.

Plus, if you write it yourself it�s a lot harder to blame the script for your failures.

9) Memorize Scripts First, Then Improvise

Most sales scripts were not written to be read verbatim.

But that doesn�t mean that it shouldn�t be memorized word for word.

A good sales script will subtly and precisely move you through the right questions to ask and important talking points.  Once you know it backwards and forwards it�s easy to improvise all you want without missing your key points.

A football running back�s biggest plays are usually the result of real-time improvisation but he still starts every down with clearly defined plan.

Just like a football player, start from the point of most rigidity and work your way backward to maintain the highest level of effectiveness.

10) Write Mini-Scripts For Every Objection

Keep a list of all the different sales objections you hear and write a script for overcoming every one.

Or better yet, devise a questioning strategy that helps identify possible objections and prevent them before you need to overcome them.

And remember not to overcome an objection until you�ve confirmed it�s the only objection. Otherwise you�ll be running in circles.

11) Pay Attention to Non-Insurance Salespeople

I love talking to all salespeople.

I like to pretend I�m just a regular shopper while secretly analyzing every detail of their pitch.

When I buy I think about what the salesperson did that got me to buy and when I don�t I think about where they dropped the ball.

The more you pay attention to the good and bad sales techniques used on you as a consumer the better you�ll be as a salesperson.

12) Develop a List of Questions

Good questions are the silver bullets of sales.

But if you don�t have your ammunition ready, you�ll never get to use them.

Create an ever-growing list of great questions that get your prospects to stop, think, and give you an answer that you can use to help close the sale later on.

Keep your list in front of your face and any time there�s a lull in the conversation you�ll have something to say that�s a lot better than, �How �bout this weather?�

13) Practice Getting Back on Topic

One of the most challenging aspects of sales is taking a meandering conversation and leading it back on track.

After all, the sooner you can close a deal, the more time you�ll have for the next one.

During designated role-playing exercises have your partner try extra hard to take you off subject so you can practice getting it back.

14) Use Personas For Role Playing

Every prospect you encounter doesn�t act or care about the same things that your role-playing partner does so ask them to mix it up.

Prior to a role-play, ask your partner to act like a college student, or a single dad, or a retired Vietnam veteran etc.

Not only will your skills become more well-rounded, it�s also a lot more fun!

And an added benefit to the partner is gaining a deeper understanding inside the head of prospects who are different from him or her.

15) Mystery Shop Your Competition

Who says you can�t call up the competition and get an insurance quote?

It pains me to say this, but call centers have a lot of advantages over local agencies when it comes to developing successful scripts.

Call centers test different scripts and talk-paths because they take 1,000's of sales calls a day and can�t afford to be using anything but an optimized and successful script.

Call them up, record the conversation and steal everything that you like.

When you combine their research with your local expertise, you�ll win every time!

16) Demonstrate For Others

If you want your employees to be good at sales, you�re going to need to be good too.

And they�re going to need to see how you do it on a regular basis.

And if you�re not any good at sales, go back to #1 on this list and start practicing.

17) Schedule Your Practice Time

So you�ve read this article and now you�re inspired to do some role-playing and become a dedicated student of the sales process, huh?

It�s not going to work unless you commit to doing it regularly.

Pick a slow time during your week and set aside time to work on any of the ideas in this article consistently.

What To Do Next:

1. Write down an action plan for sales practice and improvement using your favorite ideas on this list.
2. Share your action plan with a close partner that will help you stay accountable.
3. Share this article with any agents or sales managers you know that are willing to work hard to improve.
4. And click the �Like� button so I know you value the ideas I�ve presented here.

�Winning means you�re willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.�
-Vince Lombardi

22 Ways to Thank Your Insurance Agency Customers

I�m no relationship expert.

Just ask my wife.

But I know you need to go out of your way to show appreciation for the other person in any relationship, otherwise it will deteriorate and eventually die.

But you don�t want relationship advice from me. (trust me)

Let�s talk about your agency instead.

• How healthy are your customer relationships?
• Do they know how much you appreciate them?
• Do you go out of your way to make sure they know how you really feel?
• What are you doing to make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

Client relationships are just like personal ones � they require work.

And if your business strategy doesn�t include processes to go out of your way to say �thank you� to your customers, they will eventually leave you.

With Thanksgiving coming up later this week, I thought it�d be a good time to explore ways to say �Thanks!� to your insurance customers. Here they are:

1) Random Thank You Phone Call

A phone call from your insurance agent usually means one of two things:

1. There�s a problem
2. They�re trying to sell something

Surprise your clients in a remarkable way with a random phone call just to say, �thanks for your business.�

By the way, if you literally just call and say �thank you� they�re going to think you�re weird so combine your �thank you� with a question like, �We�re taking a survey, is there anything we could be doing to make you happier with our agency?�

2) Handwritten Note of Appreciation

Just like a phone call out of the blue, a handwritten note for no other reason than to say thanks will surprise most people nowadays.

Simple tip: Use small paper so it�s easy to fill in the whole page quickly.

3) Recommend Their Businesses

For your self-employed clients and others who work on commission, there�s no better way to say thanks for their business than by sending them some too.

I know agents who keep a rolodex of only client businesses just for this purpose and I think it�s a great idea. If you�re going to do this, make sure to show new clients that they�ve been added to your rolodex � it�ll make them more likely to renew so they don�t get yanked out!

And guess what, the more you refer other people the more referrals you�ll get to your agency.

4) Customer Appreciation Party

I know a customer appreciation party sounds a little cheesy, but not if you do it right.

The key is giving people something they actually want.

Customers won�t want to come party at your agency, but they�ll be happy to play a free round of golf, go watch a just-released movie, or eat at one of their favorite restaurants as long as you pay for it�

Aren�t they so kind?

5) Write Recommendations on LinkedIn

This might work a bit better for commercial than personal lines, but if you have a strong enough relationship with one of your clients, there�s no reason you can�t go to their LinkedIn profile page and write a nice recommendation about their professional aptitude.

As an added bonus, there�s a decent chance they�ll turn around and write one about you too!

At the very least, you could click one of those �endorsement� buttons. That only takes a second.

6) Send a Picture of You Saying Thanks!

Take a picture of all the employees at your agency holding a sign that says, �Thanks!�.

You can email this picture anytime someone does something you appreciate for your agency like referring a new client or just renewing a policy.

Here�s a creative spin:

Take the same picture of your office employees holding a blank sign. Then you could use photoshop or picmonkey to personalize it to make it say anything you want in just a few moments�

7) Social Media Post

Go out on your insurance agency Facebook page and make a post for the world to see thanking one of your clients.

The side benefit of this method is it encourages your other Facebook fans to repeat the same behavior when they see how much appreciation you have for it.

Bonus tip: Write a blog post on your agency website thanking your customer and share a link to that page on social media instead. It�ll drive traffic to your website where it�s easier for people to get a quote or learn more about your agency.

8) Gift Cards

Okay, it�s not super creative but everyone loves free money!

I know a lot of agents who give out gas cards. Personally I never liked that idea because you�re just making someone pay $51.23 at the pump instead of $56.23 and to me that�s just not a big deal.

That same $5 could get your clients a car wash, a footlong hoagie, or a couple ice cream cones!

In my opinion those are all cooler and more memorable than a slight price reduction at the gas pump but that�s just my opinion.

9) Give Free Agency Swag

You know the deal, people love to get free stuff � even when it�s crap.

You can get a lot of really cheap stuff, but what�s the lifetime value of a fake rubick�s cube that falls apart the first day you give it out?

I find if you spend a bit more on higher quality items people will use and hold on to you�ll get much more lifetime marketing value from it.

Here�s a few promotional items that tend to stick around:

• coffee mugs
• a pizza cutters
• refrigerator magnet with valuable information
• baby�s bib
• or even just nice pens.

Do you think I�ll ever forget the agent who gave my daughter this bib?

10) Send a Thank You eCard

Saying thanks doesn�t have to be complicated or expensive.

There�s tons of sites that make it really easy to send an electronic ecard to your customers.

Go for something funny, if you can inject a laugh into someone�s day that�s a very powerful thing.

11) Thank You Video

Make a movie using the different employees of your agency saying thank you.

You could be wild and go all out by singing or lip-synching a song like, �Thank You� by Dido, or just do something very simple like have everyone say, in unison, �thank you�.

If you want to make a powerful �thanks for becoming a new customer� video, film each person in your agency stating their name, a personal message, and either �thank you�, or �welcome to the agency�, or something like that. Put the miniclips together and you�ve got a great video.

It doesn�t have to be super professional.

Upload your video to YouTube as a hidden video and send the link via email to your new clients.

12) Say Thanks in Your Newsletter

If you send out a monthly electronic or paper newsletter to your clients, give a shout out to specific clients with a personalized message thanking them for their business, a referral, or something like that.

Make sure you point it out to them though because most people probably don�t read your newsletter� (sorry but it�s true!)

13) Give Discounts to Another Local Business

Work a deal with another local business (preferably a client) that gives your clients a discount at the other business.

This is awesome for everyone because

• The other business gets free advertising and customers,
• You provide added value to your own clients,
• And the clients get discounts!

And you know they can never get enough discounts. 

14) Give Tickets to the Game

50 yard line seats at an NFL game might fall outside the range of acceptable (or affordable) customer gifts for most of the agents I know, but you can get your clients tickets to a minor league baseball game, or even the local high school sports games.

And it doesn�t need to be sports either.

What about tickets to the:

• zoo
• museum
• theater
• you get the idea�

15) Say Thanks on THEIR Facebook Page

If you go out to your commercial client�s Facebook page you should be able to make a recommendation on their wall.

That�s a great place to say thanks for something they did for you or the community.

And if their settings don�t allow a recommendation like that you can also just send a Facebook message too.

Do not do this on someone�s personal Facebook page unless you know them really well!

16) Mail Them a Cookie

When�s the last time you got a cookie in the mail?

For me the answer is never and that just ain�t right.

If someone did mail me a cookie I�d be very likely to renew my insurance policy with them.

17) Donate to Charity

Another way to say thanks to your clients is to make a charitable donation in their name.

Of course you could do this year round, but I have seen this technique used a lot during the winter holidays.

Because it�s more popular to do during the holidays, I would probably do it anytime but then. So your gesture stands out more� just a thought.

18) Holiday Thank You Cards (it�s probably too late for Thanksgiving though)

Your customers are used to receiving Holiday Cards in the mall during the winter season, but if you�re going to spend all that money on stamps and envelopes, why not do it at a time when people aren�t getting many cards like Valentine�s Day, July 4th, or Halloween.

I often recommend agents send cards out to clients once a year but instead of doing them all in December, why not send a card to all your clients for whatever holiday occurs the month before their renewal?

Your December holiday card is long forgotten when August renewals are sent out�

19) Birthday Phone Call

Sure it�s more of a �happy birthday� than a �thank you�, but that doesn�t mean that calling your clients on their birthdays isn�t an opportunity to say �thanks again for your business�.

�By the way, life insurance isn�t getting any cheaper you old fart��

20) Buy Clients a Coffee

Send someone a small value gift card to Starbucks, or another local coffee shop.

It works great for clients who either live too far away or are very busy.

Send it with a note that says, �I�d love to take you out to coffee sometime but that�s not so easy� why don�t you have a coffee on me instead.�

21) Make Them Laugh

I don�t want to get too cheesy here, but there�s not many better things you can give someone than a good hard laugh.

Just follow a few rules: no jokes about politics, religion, nationality, sex, or anything else that might offend someone.

Don�t worry, that still leaves you with lots of great of knock-knock jokes.

22) Give Your Client Flowers

Flowers are always a nice gesture because if your clients are anything like my wife, they probably never get them.

(I should follow my own advice more often)

You don�t have to spend a fortune on real flowers� follow my lead and snap a picture of one of your kids in the backyard with a flower they tore off my neighbor�s rosebush!

It worked, didn�t it?

Whether you�re a regular reader of InsuranceSplash or just happened upon this article�

I thank you so much.

I�ve been in absolute awe with how the community of InsuranceSplash readers has grown and supported this blog. I cannot thank you enough for that.

And one more thing�

If you appreciate articles like this and want to thank me for taking the time to write and publish these here�s the best way to do it:

1. Click one of those Like buttons.
2. And share a link to this article with an agent you know that really appreciates their clients.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Networking Tips for Insurance Agents: 34 Smart Ideas

I don�t like networking events.

I don�t like the fake smiles, cheesy jokes, overbearing personalities, awkward conversations, and unsolicited advice.

And of course I can�t stand the sales pitches for crap I will never ever buy.

On the bright side� sometimes there�s alcohol.

Although I�m a die-hard internet marketing guy I know these two things as fact:

1. The more people you know the more insurance you sell.
2. Networking events are one of the best ways to meet people.

So I figured, considering my disdain for networking events, I would be the perfect person to give ideas for getting the most out of something that I consider to be a necessary evil.

Here they are, 34 networking tips for insurance agents:

1) Be a Connector

I�m sure you�ve heard this one before, but there�s more to helping people connect with each other than you may have considered.

When you�re the person introducing two others you�ll naturally assume a position of power within that group of three.

Over time, the more people you connect, the higher you�ll climb up the power pyramid in your local community.

2) Show Up to Events Early

I understand the temptation to show up fashionably late � it�s a lot easier to blend into a full room of people and its more likely you�ll see someone you already know.

Show up late though, and you�re missing a key opportunity � meeting the organizers.

Event organizers hold a lot of �connection power� and when you�re one of the first people to show up you can help out, get to know them, and compliment the setup.

There�s a decent chance it�ll even get you a �shout out� during any microphone time later in the event.

3) Don�t Talk Insurance

Not only is insurance boring, but every business networking event I�ve ever been to is crawling with insurance agents.

At some point, every networker has been stuck talking to a super-boring insurance guy and they are forever on the lookout to avoid the situation.

Even if someone wants to talk about insurance, try to push it off until after the event. That way you�ll be in a better situation to sell and you�ll find out whether they�re really interested or were just making small talk.

4) Find More Networking Events

There are a lot more opportunities than just the local chamber of commerce.

Think outside the box, ask around, and check out this list to get you thinking:

1. Chambers of Commerce
2. Business Networking Groups
3. Mastermind Groups
4. Meetup.com Groups
5. Charity Events
6. School Board Meetings
7. High School Sports Games
8. Local Youth Sports Events
9. City Government
10. And check out local event sites like Eventbrite, Eventful, and Patch.com

5) Send Your Staff

You don�t have to do all the networking yourself.

In fact, it�s probably more important that your producers are out there shaking hands than you are.

Don�t just send them blind, give them some goals and objectives and make them read this article!

6) Have Memorable Cards

People expect you (the insurance guy) will have some boring business cards.

Surprise them!

I�ll write another article with ideas for business cards that stand out so I�m not digging deep into that here but be creative and make them stand out.

At the very least, put your picture on there.

And by the way, for those captive guys who say they�re stuck with the company issued cards�

The marketing police don�t go to your chamber of commerce meetings and nobody can stop you from marketing yourself (not the agency) however the heck you want to. Or put a funny sticker or stamp on the back.

7) Set Networking Goals

Like anything in business, proper goals will improve your results.

Make a measurable goal for networking like adding new LinkedIn Connections, giving away a certain number of business cards, or sending a certain number of follow-up emails to your contacts.

Like any goals you set, these should be focused on the activities that lead to sales, not the actual sales themselves.

8) Always Give Your Card

Business cards are cheap.

Ever find yourself thinking, �Should I give this guy my card?� or �Does she really want a card?�

The answer is always yes. Give it to everyone 10 times.

9) Don�t Have Big Handouts

I know what these people are thinking�

�Instead of handing out business cards I�m going to give people a 5�7 postcard. It�ll really stand out.�

Here�s what I�m thinking when you hand it to me:

�Thanks a**hole. Now I have to hold on to this stupid thing until I can find a garbage can.�

Don�t be that guy. People may smile and take your postcard but annoying people is not good networking.

10) Do The Follow-Up

Just like in sales, poor follow-up can make all your networking efforts worthless.

Do you think someone�s going to buy insurance from you or refer your agency after one meeting at a networking event?

Of course not�. You need to develop strong relationships.

Devise a follow-up plan that serves to deepen the connections you make at networking events.

(Try not to creep anyone out.)

11) Use LinkedIn To Follow Up

LinkedIn is a perfect low-effort tool for forging stronger relationships with people you meet at networking events (or anywhere else).

There�s no social stigma against requesting a connection on LinkedIn from someone you met and had a conversation with.

A LinkedIn connection is not the end goal, in fact it�s really just the beginning but it is a great first step toward developing a deeper professional connection with anyone.

12) Follow Their Business on Twitter and Facebook

Most agents I know think of Twitter and Facebook only as tools to reach out to current and prospective clients.

It can also be used very effectively as a professional networking and monitoring tool.

Use your agency�s twitter account and use Facebook as your agency page (not as yourself) and follow and like all the businesses who�s owners you meet.

Likes on Facebook are free so it won�t cost you a dime to �like� every business you meet and �like� every post they make. That�s a lot of potential free goodwill!

While we�re on the subject, click here to �like� My Facebook page and click �like� everything I post in the future 

I DO NOT recommend using Facebook to �friend� a person you meet professionally unless you have a connection with them that is deeper than business.

13) Follow Up Via Email

After meeting someone you feel a strong connection with send them an email.

You can develop a template for emails like this, however I strongly encourage you to customize each email to reference something you discussed with the individual.

If you don�t have anything specific to say to this person, take a peek at their website and mention something about it. Wouldn�t it get your attention if someone mentioned something on your agency�s website?

(When I get a generic form email that I know was also sent to everyone else at a networking event I usually report it as SPAM.)

14) Phone Call Follow Up

Have a good networking connection you�re trying to build into a great one?

Call them up out of the blue with a question about their business.

You can just make it up if you want to� Say you�re doing research for a client.

Everyone loves being the expert and they�ll think it might be a sales lead so they�ll love it.

If they�re a really important connection, put it on your calendar to reach out once a month.

15) Read �How to Win Friends and Influence People�

If you haven�t heard of or read this book you should really check it out. It�s been around for almost a century and the information it gives is fundamental, but powerful.

I have an audio version on my phone that I listen to about once a year.

(It also helps me get my kids to do what I them to. Not by much, but I�ll take all the help I can get!)

Check it out: Print Version � Audio version

16) Remember Names and Use Them Often

This one comes straight from the Dale Carnegie Playbook. (see #15 above).

People love hearing the sound of their own name and it will make people like you more.

The added benefit is when you use others� names they�ll feel like they owe it to learn your name and more about what you do.

When more people remember your name and that you sell insurance, you win!

17) Join a Networking Breakfast Group

The biggest one is Business Networking International and they have groups all over the world but they�re not the only one. Try searching Google for other local networking groups too.

They�ll usually only allow one member from each industry and it can sometimes be hard to find an opening for an insurance agent but there�s also a lot of turnover so be patient you�ll get in.

Personally, I�m not the biggest fan of referral networking groups but I�ll hold back my own feelings because I do think they can be very helpful most insurance agents.

18) Talk To The Wallflowers

One of the easiest tricks at networking events is to look for people who look shy or uncomfortable and start talking to them.

They�re usually relieved to have someone showing interest in them and it gives you someone you can take around and introduce to all your connections.

Who do you think will remember (and appreciate) you more:

1. The person that was uncomfortably hiding in the corner until you helped them?
2. Or Mr. Mayor who thinks he�s better than everyone and doesn�t need your help?

19) Bring a Wingman (Or Wingwoman)

Taking a partner or employee with you to a networking event can be a huge boost to both your networking productivity.

With someone there making you feel comfortable it�s easier to break out of your shell.

Also, you can act as filters for each other, introducing and sharing the valuable connections while keeping the less valuable connections to yourselves.

And, if you�re the business owner and you bring an employee, you�ll be forced to step up your own networking to set the right example.

20) Prepare General Questions About Business

Just like in sales, good questions are like gold at networking events.

Having a short list of 5-6 go-to questions you can ask nearly everyone will help you avoid awkward situations and make sure you�re always showing people how much you�re interested in them.

Don�t rely on your ability to come up with interesting questions on the spot. Make a list before you walk in the door.

Here�s an article with some good ideas to get you started.

21) Take Notes on Business Cards

It�s normal to assume you�ll remember all the little conversational details about the people you meet the next day.

You won�t.

Making some notes on the back of their card about what you discussed will give you good content for an email or LinkedIn connection request.

Anything about kids, family, or personal life is great because it shows the person you care about them as a person, not just a business connection.

22) Identify the Connectors

If you�ve read The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell you�re already aware of the value of Connectors.

Even if you haven�t, it doesn�t take a genius to understand that some people have more social clout than others and it makes sense to identify those with the most influence and try to befriend them.

At each networking event you go to, identify 2-5 people you would like to know better, not for who they are but for who they know.

When you connect well with one from the list add a new one.

23) Keep Expectations Low at First

Like many things in marketing, many agents stop going to networking events because they don�t see results fast enough.

It takes time to build connections and much more time to see measurable results.

Trust that your networking time is an investment in your career and future and don�t worry about the sales.

I promise sales will come if you keep networking; I guarantee they won�t if you quit.

24) Don�t Take Yourself Too Seriously

Okay, this is a pet peeve of mine more than a tip, but I�ll say it anyway.

I can�t stand people that go to networking events and walk around like they have a stick up their butt.

Why so serious?

Have a good time, throw back a couple drinks, enjoy yourself. People might actually want to talk to you!

25) Network With Your Clients

A lot of the advice on this page is oriented toward networking events, but that�s really only part of the whole networking equation.

Many of the tips and ideas on this page can be used on your own network of clients.

In fact, if you�re going to connect with someone on LinkedIn or follow them on Twitter, shouldn�t you be doing that with your own clients first?

26) Always Be Networking

ABN lacks the sex appeal of ABC, but if you�re not networking you�ll never be closing.

If you want to be successful you�re going to need to be an insurance agent 100% of the time.

Does every single person you�re connected with know you sell insurance?

They should.

27) Moving Pennies Technique

I got this tip a while back from an MLM recruiter. I didn�t sign up to sell with him, but it�s not a bad tip.

Every morning take 10 pennies and put them in your left pocket.

Throughout the day, each time you meet a new person and tell them what you sell move the penny from the left pocket to the right one.

Your day isn�t over until your left pocket is empty.

28) Disappearing Cards Technique

While writing the above idea I came up with a new one that could work for people that hate networking events.

Put 20-30 cards in your pocket and as soon as they�re all gone you can leave.

Work fast or you�ll be handing them out to the cleaning crew. (they need insurance too, right?)

29) The Elevator Pitch

I hate overused business cliches (like elevator pitches) as much as the next guy but there is a value to having a well-rehearsed explanation of what you do.

The elevator pitch is an explanation of what you do that�s quick enough to tell someone between floors on an elevator.

Make sure your elevator pitch is intriguing. A good elevator pitch makes people stop, think, and ask you a follow up question.

If you�re going to talk about yourself you want it to be because people asked.

30) Talk About What Excites You

In Number 3 I warned against talking about insurance.

Nobody really cares about it.

Sorry.

But people will listen to anything if you speak with passion.

It doesn�t matter if it�s your family, your hobby, the lacrosse team you coach or anything else!

When you speak with passion people will listen, they�ll want to introduce you to others and most importantly � they�ll never forget you.

31) It�s Not Who You Know, It�s Who They Know

You�re not networking to sell insurance to the people you meet.

You�re networking to sell insurance to FRIENDS of the people you meet.

Remember that it only takes one really good networking connection to make up for all the time you spend doing it.

32) Describe Your Perfect Client

Although you can probably sell something to just about anyone, its easier for people to refer you if you narrow down your targeted client.

Find a way to tell all your networking connections specifically who your ideal client is (or the situation your ideal client may be in)

Saying, �My perfect client is everyone� is the best way to get zero referrals.

33) Keep a Networking Journal

Just like sales, networking is an activity that can be analyzed and improved through study and experience.

Keeping a journal of your networking experiences is a great way to identify new connections to target, keep track of things other people did that were good and bad, and find opportunities to improve your own networking skills.

Just don�t hide it under your bed, that�s the first place your little brother will look for it!

34) Be Memorable

No aspect of networking is more important than having people remember you.

Be Different.

Stand Out.

Be the person everyone wants to meet.

And the one they�ll remember tomorrow.

Or don�t waste your time.

Here�s What to Do Next:

1. Make a list of the ideas here that will work for you and read it before every networking event.
2. Share a link to this article with the most socially-challenged agent you know. 
3. Network with Me � Connect with me on LinkedIn if you found value in this resource I made for you.
4. Click the Like Button to tell me you�d like to see more articles like this one.