Oh, by the Way lines 

The magic words “By the Way” are an open sesame for sales by every producer and CSR. They can be followed up with a variety of sales lead-ins.  Here are a few samplers.

 > To keep pace with rising construction costs, your home coverages should be upgraded. 

> Your auto policy limits should be increased. 

> Would you like us to review your whole insurance program? 

> I notice that you’re not carrying xyz coverage. Would you like us to add it to your policy? 

> We carry your personal insurance account, but who is handling your business insurance? 

Test your signature against these criteria 

Consistent use of a distinctive agency signature (the design components are your service mark and your name, i.e. the typestyle used) is a valuable asset.  It builds the  monetary value of your agency, should you ever decide to sell.  And, applied to your stationery, your Web site, your sales literature and your print and electronic ads, it distinguishes you from all the look-alike competitors in your town. 

Here is a simple five-part test for your current signature. 

The true cost of insurance 

The prevailing insurance marketing wisdom is that you get new customers by price and keep them with service. 

I believe you may attract the interest of a prospect by price and bring them to your front door, but you close them by value---competitive rates combined with demonstrated professional counsel… and caring. 

Any one who has suffered a traumatic loss with inadequate or no insurance coverage understands that the highest cost of insurance is not having enough when you need it! 

To make the point on the importance of value, i.e. what you get for what you pay, borrow from this statement on value by John Ruskin and use it in your sales process. I’ve used it many times as a sidebar in newsletters that we create for independent agents.

Here’s an ad that produced outstanding results 

We ran into an agent at a seminar meeting who answered a question about ways to attract good people to interview with: “I received 100 replies to a newspaper ad I ran for office help this year.” 

The agent said he had tried many ads over the years and finally found one that worked.  Here is an analysis of the ad, and why we believe it works.  Maybe it could work for your agency. 

Luxury vehicle repairs sky high 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released a report that damage to luxury vehicles involved in low-speed crashes (3 to 6 miles per hour) can cost upward to $14,000 in repairs.  Wow!   

These bumper-thumpers typically occur in commuter traffic or in parking lots. The IIHS found that many of the luxury car bumpers are “flimsy” (an understatement, I think) and “fail to absorb the energy in a crash” (obviously). The IIHS conducted a series of four low-speed crashes on 11 different 2007 luxury vehicles. 

The insurance cost and rate implications are clear.  

A couple of reflections: (1) Where are our esteemed auto makers when it comes to engineering crash-absorbent and sturdy bumpers? (2) I didn’t realize a car could go as slow as 3 to 6 miles per hour these days!  (3) Just think what the cost of damage must be when a vehicle bangs into the back of another at the low residential area limits of 15 and 25 mph.

CSR incentive program is a sales-maker 

I am not sure where this idea originated.  But I share it with the caveat that you can modify it any way you wish to fit your agency marketing goals.  

Let’s call it the CSR “Oh, by the way” program.  It works well for agencies that have a lot of in-office traffic. The objective is to make sure that every customer who visits is advised about your complete line of insurance coverages (Option: Specific coverage or service such as life insurance or a free home replacement cost survey…you decide).  It includes a unique incentive for CSRs.  Here’s how this win-win program works.