Pitch the Sharks

The second annual Pitch the Sharks competition for agency managers captured the best ideas on how to attract core clients to consider incorporating into COUNTRY marketing efforts. More than 45 agencies submitted creative ideas, plans and success measures for a chance to Pitch the Sharks in Las Vegas. This year, we asked agency managers to track their ideas in their Marketing Plan to be considered a qualifier.

Houser Kilgore

Congratulations to Willamette Falls (Ore.) Agency Manager Christi Houser and Rep Holly Kilgore on their winning Pitch the Sharks idea, Meals for Moms. Their idea found a unique way to target hard-working core clients. Keep reading and watch thisvideo to learn more.

With Meals for Moms, Houser and Kilgore partnered with local restaurants to deliver meals with COUNTRY goodies and a quote incentive flyer to working moms who were homeschooling through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They used Facebook to ask for nominations and followed up with moms who responded when Kilgore reached out. “Our idea focused on home and microbusiness owners, but could easily evolve to include farm owners too,” said Houser. “While this idea focused on moms, this idea could morph into so much more. It's an honor to support reps who have ideas, especially new reps who might need help getting started. To win Pitch the Sharks and help COUNTRY grow justifies what we do every day. Holly’s hard work paid off through the amount of people she served during the campaign.”

By the numbers

During the 60-day campaign, Meals for Moms delivered 36 meals (total cost $2,113) and brought in total annualized premiums of $14,644. Per rep, it was an impressive amount of premium in 60 days. Broken down, this amounts to: • Fifty-one new prospects • Nine new households • Seventeen quotes • Three cross-sells

Total revenue after expenses was $12,530. “Meals for Moms also generated referrals,” said Kilgore. “Moms refer other moms to COUNTRY. The campaign showcased how we enrich lives in the communities we serve and built an emotional attachment for these moms to me and our brand.” Meals for Moms aligns with our 2021 objectives to: • Win 110,000 new clients and 50,000 new core clients • Meet the planning needs of an additional 15,000 core clients

Sweet Treats

Agency Manager Clay Flower - Spokane

Partnered with local businesses to provide COIs with mini treats to increase referrals from our COIs, and in turn increase quotes and sales.

Mobile Wash Mondays

Agency Manager Jeff Maxson - Chicago South Mobile Wash Mondays was a weekly event targeting COIs and with a mobile car wash. His team used social media to create buzz around the campaign.

Easy as 1-2-3

Agency Manager Jeremy Peterson - Northern Nevada

Easy as 1-2-3 used a simple ad with a QR code to drive prospects to rep to a Get a Quote page and activate a quote incentive. The ads were hosted by local businesses which could develop into a COI or result in quotes/sales.

Dogs Gone Wild

Agency Manager Victoria Nygren - Chicago North Dogs Gone Wild targeted dog owners in the Chicago area supporting pet adoptions with a local shelter and targeted discussions with dog friendly businesses.

The following reps also participated in the Pitch the Sharks event:

• David Walker - Spokane • Ed Beavers - Chicago South • David Vazquez - Flores-Northern Nevada • Samantha Ingles - Chicago North