This week’s blog from Your Friend 4 Life is from my long time friend Steven Burgess. Steven is one of the top producers in the nation with SendOutCards. Steven owned his own health and life insurance agency for many years in Knoxville, TN and understands firsthand how to not only attract clients but maintain them for years to come by being thankful for them. He sold his insurance agency and is now full time with SendOutCards.
Thank you cards, isn’t that a bit old-fashioned?
Yes, it may be old-fashioned to send business thank you cards but, as the saying goes, “manners maketh man” (or woman). Sending a thank you card is a classy touch that will elevate you far above your competitors. Today’s technology allows you to enjoy the benefits of “Old World” values delivered with “Bleeding Edge” technology. If you want your business and relationships to thrive in the new “inter-connected” economy you’d better engage in being high tech and HIGH TOUCH! Innovative Greeting Card Technology makes being high touch a simple thing for you now. Let’s look how our innovative business can help an insurance agent grow their business.
The most powerful use of SendOutCards can be found in this actual story from one of my clients. Ryan (actual name) an insurance broker chased a purchased insurance lead for 3 weeks. When he finally got her on the phone, she thanked him for calling her but immediately rushed him off the phone because she was planning her daughter’s 13th birthday party. She said “ I can’t talk now because I’m planning my daughters 13th birthday party for next week” Ryan said “ok, when may I call you back?” She said “next week some time after the party.”
Ryan hung up the phone but was not discouraged. He simply pulled up his SendOutCards account and sent a Thank You card to the prospect (let’s call her Suzy) for taking his call and that he was looking forward to helping her with her insurance policies the following week. He also sent a Happy Birthday card w/ brownies to the soon to be 13 year old daughter.
Both cards were a HIT!! Before, he could call Suzy back that following week…..Suzy actually called him and thanked him for the cards and brownies said “her daughter loved them”. She proceeded to apologize for rushing him off the phone the week before and then asked him if he had time to help her take care of her insurance needs right now (of course he said YES!). Now, it gets better….
After Ryan finished with her appointment, she said “my friend needs coverage can you help her?” He said “yes” and hadn’t even had the chance to ask for a referral yet. She also said “do you know anybody who can write home & auto?” Well, Ryan is also a licensed property and causality insurance agent as well, so he ended up writing 6 policies from sending 2 greeting cards to that one prospect! How’s that for a return on investment?!
I would like to thank Steven Burgess with SendOutCards for sharing your awesome business story this week. It is always helpful to find tools that actually work to grow an insurance agents’ business.
Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger and team leader with over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.
sure i thankful to my claients
Subbiah, be sure that your clients know that you are thankful for them. Don’t be thankful and not share it with them. Good luck to your success.
We are absolutely thankful for our cleints. We send thank you letters with every policy to the clients. And we always mention how much we appreciate their business.
Annette, that is the exact right practice! I am shocked at how many insurance agents don’t do that. Thank you for sharing.
I am very grateful for my clients, they keep me in business and the referrals go on and on.
What I do is be in touch as much as I could.
Great question!!!!
Gail, being grateful is just one of those traits of the successful. You are truly one of those greats! Thank you for sharing.
Perhaps too thankful, if that;s possible. I am just finishing my first year in the business and each client becomes a friend because they share their entire life with me. Each client probably does not see it that way, however I do
Ray, it is not possible to be too thankful. If you make friends out of your clients you will someday end up with a referral network that would make the largest insurance agencies jealous. You are on the right track my friend!
My agents and I would not be where we were without the automated follow up of Send Out Cards. Literally, not a week goes by that I am not called and thanked for our “incredible” “wonderful” “amazing” follow-up that we do by placing new clients, and potential clients, in a follow-up campaign through SOC. I share my campaigns with all of the members at http://MedicareAgentTraining.com and they’re now reporting the same reception from their new clients, too. Love SOC!