Last week, I got a notice from my real estate broker announcing that she had just sold another house in my neighborhood. Then I realized that I was assuming that she was my agent.
In fact, I purchased my house from her more than 20 years ago, and we'd had no contact since then.
So why did I consider her my real estate agent? Because every month or two, I get one of these little notices, complete with a picture of a house and its address, with a big SOLD stamp diagonally across the picture. Every time I get such a marketing piece, I wonder what the sale price was. But so far, I'm not curious enough to call the broker because I know that's akin to an invitation to sell my house.
This marketing effort, conducted every time a house sells in my neighborhood, has really been effective. First, I personally identify with this agent, even though many brokers are active in the area. Second, she consistently shows me success stories. When I'm ready to sell my home, my guess is that I'll be calling her!
A success story marketing program also works well in the insurance business. In Personal Lines, you can solicit a new clients' approval to use them as a reference for their neighbors. You'd be surprised at the high percentage of people who are flattered by the request, 'Would you mind if we used you as a reference about our products and services to your neighbors?' This gives you permission to send a notice throughout the neighborhood about the 'Newest Satisfied Customer of XYZ Insurance Services, Inc.' If you can include a picture of the house, so much the better, but this kind of marketing is certainly not limited to homeowners.
Particularly effective in target marketing, the success story approach magnifies your position as a specialist in the designated target each time you write an account. If you're already well placed in the market (writing a strong number of accounts), you should integrate an updated list of clients in every proposal or solicitation to target market prospects. Notices of 'Another Satisfied Client Joins the ABC Program' can then be sent as follow-ups each time a new account is sold.
Nothing breeds sales success like a success story - close to home!