It’s a rewarding way to build business 

This idea originated with Dennis McCurdy, a creative agency principal in Massachusetts.  He passed it along at an agents’ meeting we attended.  Since then, The Cookie Jar has taken on a life of its own.

Use this marketing approach at your weekly agency meetings.  For every coverage update, X-date or new business written, the agency principal and CSRs earn an opportunity to draw from the agency’s cookie jar. The McCurdy cookie jar contained $300 in various bill sizes. The jar was filled by three $20 bills, five $10 bills, ten $5 bills, and one hundred-forty $1 bills. 

The cookie jar encourages sales activity and teamwork. And it adds excitement to weekly meetings. Buy an interesting ceramic cookie jar for a prominent place in your agency conference area.  Load the jar. Test the approach for two or more quarters.

Strengthen relationships with handwritten notes 

At our marketing seminars and coaching sessions we remind agents: “your customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  One simple way to show you care is with a personal touch.  Try applying handwritten notes to letters (at the top or as a P.S.);  hand-addressing envelopes; and writing personal messages on your agency notepaper (appointment confirmations, thanks for interviews, congratulations, et al).  Your customers and prospects will appreciate the fact that you took the time to add the personal touch!