It's amazing to think that the first commercial radio station didn't go on the air until 1920 -- KDKA in Pittsburgh for trivia buffs. From that modest beginning, radio has grown to be a ubiquitous presence in our lives.

It wakes you up in the morning and gives you the news. You get in the car, and you probably turn on the radio. It goes to the beach, the ballpark, and the office. It gives everything from "heavy metal" to talk shows to Bach.

TELEMARKETER'S SKILLS

You might look toward four basic types of people when you're searching for prospective telemarketers:

Your own administrative or service employees
Professional salespeople
Experienced telemarketers
New employees who express an interest in telemarketing, but have little or no sales background

A few days ago, I received a call from one of our Referral Boot Camp graduates, Greg, who was experimenting with Referral Events and not having the success he’d hoped for. Although many clients attended his events, they didn’t always bring a guest for him to meet — even though it was requested on the invitation. Greg didn’t feel that he could turn down his clients’ desire to attend his events, even though they didn’t have a guest to bring.

My E&O classes include discussion on claims frequency by line of business. When I bring up the issue of Life insurance, many folks have trouble identifying...

When it comes to marketing, the insurance industry can face a lot of challenges. The landscape of the insurance business has undergone several changes in the past couple of decades. These changes are mostly due to the rise in internet startups selling insurance.

A recent article in a national training magazine used "insurance" as an example of a commodity sale. Do you agree with that? Is insurance a commodity? Do you sell it that way? Should it be sold that way? How do your insureds and prospects view it? In this article, the IIABA Faculty explores some of these issues.

JUST LIKE SHOPPING FOR INSURANCE AT A SUPERMARKET! Dear (Customer Name): When you want to buy groceries, do you run around town to the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker...

In this document, Bill Cates tells you why a client-centered approach to seeking referrals is usually more effective than one that’s producer-centered. Instead of saying "I’m building my business and I need your help," you’re saying, "I’m glad you see the value in what we’ve accomplished. Let’s see who else can benefit from this service."

The following section is a varied and important one to a profitable independent agency. In it, you will learn the basis of the Sales Center concept and how Sales Centers have brought increased profitability, retention, and total-account sales into many agencies.

Many agencies establish a Sales Center with their existing personnel, or hire an additional administrative or customer service person to take over additional duties. Others find that the increased efficiency of a Sales Center allows them to expand their marketing efforts, and they hire an in-house or outside telemarketing staff to keep leads coming in to producers.

Before implementing a telemarketing campaign, several key issues need addressing to be sure your objectives are met.