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Insurance Aggregators / Insurance How-To / Personal Development / Uncategorized
Becoming Independent: Leaving Captivity
Content Marketing / Digital Marketing / Insurance How-To / Local Marketing
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Our Most Recent Blogs
Are You Compromising on Money & Ownership?
There is one key question you should ask any aggregator before you join: What type of appointments will I have access to? Varying carrier appointments mean very different things when it comes to access, earnings, and ownership of that business. Before you sign on the dotted line, ensure you understand all the differences laid out below. Don’t end up surprised when it comes time to service, get paid on, or transfer a policy. What are the different types of appointments? Wholesale/Brokered – You write business directly through a wholesale company or MGA. Some networks have programs where you have...
Let the System Manage
Whether your agency has 20 employees or one, an agency management system can help improve your efficiencies. If you are looking to streamline your business without completely changing your operations, look to your management system to provide specific client reports, prospecting lists, and more. Here are a few major benefits to using your management system more: Client servicing and prospecting are easier. An agency management system provides a single location for all your customers' personal information along with their policy information. Remember, your management system is only as good as the information you add and update. By including prospects in...
Updating Your Address without Destroying your Google Ranking
If you are planning to move your agency, here are some tips to prevent your Google ranking from becoming a disaster. Now, before you get excited and make these changes weeks before your actual move, you should know that premature address changes are against Google guidelines and could cause a lot of issues in the future. That’s why we recommend following these best practices from start to finish without skipping steps or jumping ahead! First, Behind the Scenes Updates You should update your website before making any Google My Business changes. Once you request your address change, Google will look...
Fourth of July Email Templates
If your offices are closing to celebrate the USA’s Independence Day, you will need to notify your clients of the closure and which day you plan to return to business. We created several email templates you can use when communicating your holiday office hours. There are a variety of fun headers to choose from, and you can mix and match the language to create your perfect Fourth of July email! Option 1) Formal Dear [Client's Name], In celebration of Independence Day, our offices will be closed on [Insert Date]. We will return will our usual business hours on [Insert Return...
3 Cross-sell Email Templates
Knowing how to cross-sell is a great tool in any agent's arsenal. The trick is to seamlessly incorporate another product into your client conversations. It sounds easy, but messing it up can damage your relationship with your customers. You have to find coverages that are relevant to your clientele. Are they a home-no-auto account with a teenager learning to drive? You have to consider your customer's past, present, and future needs in order to pitch them the most helpful product. If you aren't sure how to start the cross-sell conversation, here are some templates to point you in the right...
Keep it Clean this Summer
Spring cleaning is in full swing as agents prepare for the summer’s shenanigans. While you spend time decluttering your physical workspace, don’t forget to give a little TLC to your digital one! If you don’t know where to start (Epic can be a beast, I know), here are some quick and easy fixes that can get your data looking lean, mean, and ready for summer! Get rid of duplicate accounts. Duplicate clients can cause frustration and having multiple accounts on the same client can make for a difficult time deciding which version is the most updated. Spent a couple minutes...
Are You Compromising on Ownership & Earnings?
There is one key question you should ask any aggregator before you join: What type of appointments will I have access to? Varying carrier appointments mean very different things when it comes to access, earnings, and ownership of that business. Before you sign on the dotted line, ensure you understand all the differences laid out below. Don’t end up surprised when it comes time to service, get paid on, or transfer a policy. What are the different types of appointments? Wholesale/Brokered – You write business directly through a wholesale company or MGA. Some networks have programs where you have...
Transitioning to Independence: What does it look like?
Everyone says that now is the time to transition from a captive agency to an independent one, but we wanted to examine what that process looked like and why captive agents are looking to switch so quickly. Our Communications Supervisor Madeline Smith sat down with Agency Principal Eric Ash (Eric L. Ash Agency) to discuss his experience being a captive agent and what ultimately made him switch to the independent channel. So how did you get started in insurance? When I graduated from college in May 1999, I began my almost 15-year career in advertising, rising from an intern...
Become Commercial Lines Specialists
Finding the perfect commercial lines insurance for everyone who walks through your door can be cumbersome. There is a lot of work that goes into the process: You have to search through all of the carriers to find the right one, then you have to look through all of their lines of business to figure out what their guidelines are. There's a trick for cutting down on all of that work. If you become a specialist in one area of commercial insurance, you will free up a lot more of your time. A specialist is someone who focuses on one...
Referrals: It can’t hurt to ask
How can you use a working referral program to generate more business? Referrals are the most coveted way to gain business, and in an age where exposure means everything, they are one of the ways prospective clients determine your credibility. Honestly, the easiest (and cheapest) way to market your agency is by word of mouth, which is extremely effective. So what can you do to get more referrals? Firstly, you should rely on your existing clients to provide names and contact information for prospects. Even though you provide your clients with amazing service, it can still be challenging to have...
Who is ASNOA?
The Agent Support Network of America (ASNOA) is a fully integrated marketing and service network for independent insurance agents. We offer more than just carrier and market access, we support your entire business with our list of services, which includes accounting, licensing, marketing, training, and ongoing education. Contact us today to see how we can help you grow your agency.