Page 106 - The UnCaptive Agent

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that face-to-face prospecting works even better.
Regardless of how you go about, it you should consider
making cold calling part of your low-cost marketing
tool kit.
LinkedIn™ is an excellent resource for developing
commercial lines prospects, and its Sales Navigator™
program can be a very useful tool in helping you pros-
pect for very low cost. Facebook™ is cited by most
agencies as a part of their marketing program. You can
use Facebook™ as part of your no-cost marketing by
actively participating, but you can also drive a lot of
sales with targeted Facebook™ advertising.
Participating in online forums related to a hobby or
interest is very effective in marketing your business, yet
often overlooked. I have a friend who I met on a pilot
forum who has built a million-dollar revenue agency
solely from posting on the forum.
Traditionally, insurance agency owners belong to one
or more civic or community organizations where their
face-to-face interaction with others generates business.
If you are not already involved in your community in
this way, you may want to consider it.
Some agencies rely on lead generation purchases
from third-party lead sources. This can be an effective
way to generate new business: just remember to be sure
those lead gen vendors are only selling the lead to you.
(And don’t forget to put into your contract that they
can’t resell your customers’ information next year!)
Many successful startups have built their books of
businesses around centers of influence like real estate
brokers and mortgage companies. Centers of influence
can be incredibly valuable to you. If you make a client
a raving fan, they will be happy to help you with refer-
rals. While you can’t compensate an unlicensed person
with money, you can pay them back with extraordinary