How Technology Enhances Our Ability to Execute Basic Marketing Strategies

Technology supports the consistent execution of the actions that translate into success.

WHO IS DANNY/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Troy Korsgaden

Marketing today is not much different from what it was when I started out as an agent in the insurance business more than 25 years ago. The fundamentals and basics remain the same.

Here are four marketing strategies I consider “must-haves” for any agency in growth mode:

• In-person relationship building

• Lead creation

• Working leads

• Consistency in following up

These fundamentals haven’t changed. What has changed is the way technology now makes these strategies easier to execute. Let’s look at these four strategies:

In-person relationship building. We meet people in different ways. One is by intentionally stopping by to greet people at their businesses on the way to work, on lunch breaks or on the way home. We call this the Introduction Program. It is scripted, polished and practiced so it comes across as sincere, with the customer in mind.

People buy from people they know and trust. But they can’t buy from you unless they know you. Nothing is better than meeting people in person — seeing their faces, shaking their hands and letting them see that you are a real person who isn’t always trying to sell them.

We use technology to make appointments to meet people, and then we capture and record the information we gather during the meetings. In time, we build a 360-degree view of their businesses, their families and the needs and products that support their personal goals and objectives. We are not order takers trying to get to the next quote. We are leveraging technology to build relationships and drive our business results.

Lead creation. A lead we create is the best lead. As mentioned earlier, talking with someone in person is the best way, but we use other methods, too. For example, we locate lists of people who are members of professional associations, such as an attorney bar association, a dent al association or a real estate association. These are “suspects” who need to be turned into prospects.

Generally, we make an initial phone call to set up an introductory appointment. We don’t just pop by like we would at a retail business where anyone is welcome to walk in the front door. We also join community organizations like service clubs, which are great places to get leads and referred leads. When you join a service club not to sell but to serve, and show your face in the community, you don’t need to sell; the leads come to you automatically.

Technology allows us to follow up with leads consistently, determine who is the most likely to buy and focus on the most profitable markets.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software programs and apps now make it easy to keep track of how you met people, what their needs are, what types of meetings you’ve had and what your next steps are. Our technology automatically sends out emails and letters to facilitate the process and keeps our focus on a vital activity: follow-up calls.

Working your leads. Simply giving price quotes to preferred leads — people you are building relationships with and meeting face to face — will not do the job in today’s marketplace. Turning a lead into a real prospect (not a suspect) through regular contact is a must.

You can automate the marketing and management of your leads. Technology allows us to follow up with leads consistently, determine who is the most likely to buy and focus on the most profitable markets.

Consistency in following up. The most important strategy is to follow up on all your marketing efforts consistently. The real estate business is all about location. In the insurance business, it’s all about follow-up. Agents and advisors who are consistent — and persistent — in their follow-up are more successful.

The same technology that enables us to automate the marketing and management of our leads also allows us to follow up with them consistently and provides analytics on what is working and what’s not. Technology supports the consistent execution of the daily, weekly and monthly actions that translate into success. Most importantly, technology has freed up valuable time so my agency’s team can focus more on the fundamentals.