I recently responded to a discussion among insurance professionals on Linked In regarding the subject of insurance advertisements on television. The writer was fed up with what he termed the “dumbing down” of insurance to the public. Between Flo from Progressive, the dancing e-surance staff and the ubiquitous Geico gecko, public perception is shifting to the extent that the company with the most entertaining commercials also is most deserving of your business.
As distasteful as this may be to “hard-core” insurance professionals, the reality is that this form of advertisement works. The marketing gurus in charge of such campaigns aren’t concerned about making sure that individuals get proper limits of liability or guaranteed home replacement coverage; they are solely concerned with making the phone ring or driving website traffic for its client. And, they undoubtedly are succeeding in that objective. They have made Progressive, Geico, e-surance, State Farm, Farmers and Allstate (whose commercials I like, by the way) objects of interest.
This should be a lesson to you — a lesson in both branding and messaging you can take away from these new advertisements, and that is becoming an object of interest is Job No. 1 for you. You can’t develop a relationship, earn trust or even consider selling a policy until you’ve developed a curiosity about you and who you are. People want to deal with professionals who are interesting and who raise questions on how to improve their condition. I’m not suggesting you dress like a lizard, pitch your message on the street corner with a sandwich board sign, or hang a gigantic banner on the highway; what I am saying is you need to draw attention away from all the other “noise” out there and change the paradigm of what insurance actually is to your audience. So how do you do this?
1. Be Contrarian: Some of the best-known “objects of interest” got that way by offering a contrarian viewpoint. I’m not talking about being “contrary” or rude. I’m talking about being assertive in the fact that you have a theory that goes against the tide of traditional thinking. Here are a few ideas when it comes to insurance that start with contrarian viewpoints and are followed by the real message.
- You don’t need life insurance. (You need “death” insurance.)
- Long-term care isn’t really good insurance. (It’s a “must-have” investment.)
- Crisis isn’t a thing to be avoided. (You need it to accelerate growth and find opportunity.)
- Umbrella insurance doesn’t offer you extra protection for your family. (It offers extra protection for your insurance.)
You’ll find that by pushing the original paradigm, you can often create curiosity, which leads to questions, which ultimately leads to conversation. And conversation is the key to new business.
2. Toot Your Horn Early and Often: As my professional mentor Alan Weiss has always said, “If you don’t toot your own horn, there is no music.” With the advent of technological advances in communications, this is easier than ever. Consider these inexpensive or free options to make your own music: write a blog, publish a newsletter, send out regular press releases, write a column, publish articles and white papers, host teleconferences and webinars, create videos and speak to groups. You will be providing value to your audience, which raises awareness of you… basically, tooting your own horn!
This concept is primarily about providing tremendous value through your intellectual property. Readers, viewers and participants should walk away thinking, “Wow, she is very smart. I need to learn more!”
Note: Intellectual capital is the stuff between your ears — it’s your “smarts.” Intellectual property is the manifestation of your intellectual capital through books, articles, videos, booklets, white papers and other resource materials.
3. Be Well Read: Being well read means having information and commentary in your head that allows you to carry on intelligent conversations and ask smart questions. There are a several areas from which you should consistently draw, including:
- Newspapers — both local and national
- Self-development books — balanced between industry and skills development
- Fiction — I think I learn more from fiction than I do from any other genre
- Historical works, including biographies
- Classics — I always read or re-read classic works. The language is superior to what we read now and you simply must be conversant with intelligent people. I just finished Dickens’s “Tale of Two Cities” and am now on to Melville’s “Moby Dick.”
I guarantee you, the better read you are, the better you will be able to think and talk extemporaneously, and you’ll find yourself engaged in more conversations.
4. Tell Stories: People love to hear stories. If you can create a list of stories and anecdotes about your successful partnerships and how you’ve helped to improve your clients’ condition, then you will most assuredly find more interested parties. People want to know how you can help them, and if they have clear peer-type examples to share, you create more credibility.
The best way to accomplish this is to keep a story file. When something of interest to you occurs, jot it down along with a comment on how you may be able to use it. Stories are critical to gain emotional engagement from the audiences you speak to, write for, and converse with, so always have a message and a call to action for each story.
Here’s the bottom line: You must create velocity in your marketing by taking a page from the big boys in the industry. Become an “object of interest” by using the techniques listed above, all of which are inexpensive and painless. They also will fill your prospect pipeline and turn into business, which is a huge ROI for you!
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