Sales & Marketing

The heart of any company can be found beating inside the walls of its customer service department. Providing superior customer service after the sale is a smart business decision that pays long-term dividends. All the money that a company spends on sales training, marketing research, advertising and PR initiatives to attract new customers is wasted if they can’t keep them …

One in three financial advisors owns an iPad. The problem? They’re all using them the same way. Advisors and agents are constantly looking for new ways to engage people and differentiate their services. The iPad is arguably the greatest engagement device available today. So, what are three simple ways that you can use an iPad to engage more people and …

One of the key strategies I teach in my Referral Advantage Program™ is to present yourself as a resource to people – to give referrals to prospects and clients as early and as often as you can. You want to position yourself as someone who is well-connected and willing to help others with your network of contacts. When you’re a …

For centuries there has been a great debate over the right amount of life insurance. In fact, if you do a little bit of research on this topic, what you will find is a wide variety of professional opinions, books, studies, classes, and theories—all of which claim they have the answer to the million-dollar question: “How do you explain the ‘right …

Historically, agents have generated policyholders for insurance carriers but not enjoyed the full value of these customers. There are many programs marketed by insurance companies and agents which aim to develop more business from an agent’s client base, but they usually fail to create meaningful value, particularly for agents but also for the carriers as well as policyholders. In the …

If you’re working hard, but aren’t consistently generating enough sales and getting referrals, chances are it’s a matter of trust! Suppose you could incorporate a few simple yet highly effective ideas into your selling process and substantially increase your bottom line? One of the most critically important and yet frequently overlooked aspects of selling is creating a solid foundation of …

As an insurance professional, you know that the internet is an ideal way to prospect for new business.  The local and global reach of online marketing campaigns provides opportunities unheard of just a few short years ago. However, direct mail is still an option, and some agents may be steadfastly holding on to this form of prospecting, perhaps due to …

What’s your goal? That’s the question you have to ask yourself. If your goal is just to make a ton of money, regardless of how, walk away. That’s right, this business probably isn’t for you. Because potential clients will see the dollar signs in your eyes and they’ll run in the other direction. If, on the other hand, you are …

Top salespeople and the most successful managers recognize the importance of nonverbal communication in the selling process and have learned to “listen with their eyes.” They understand that one of the easiest and most effective ways to close sales is to be aware of their prospect’s “buy signals.” Are you aware that your body language reveals your deepest feelings and …

The swell of health insurance acronyms being thrown at your clients on a given day must surely be overwhelming. HRA, PRA, HSA, ACA, TPA, FSA… it’s enough to confuse even an industry buff, let alone an employer trying to navigate the best benefits options for her business. Two of the most frequently confused health benefits options are Health Reimbursement Arrangements …