https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/401/10-Steps-To-Overcome-Competition/
... are already ahead of the game in this respect, depending on how much you use the materials. Learn from the experiences of your peers. Imitate their successes and avoid their failures. As with any relationship, this is a two-way street: You have to give as well as take. Interact with fellow agency owners and share your experiences. This develops a camaraderie and support system that has proven to be a mainstay in the most successful agencies. 6. Become Involved. Every business operates within a community: local, regional, or national. Most of the truly successful enterprises I have known maintain a corporate philosophy of giving back to the community. Do you? I'm not just talking about membership in the Rotary. I mean getting involved on a hands-on basis: perhaps fundraising for an orphanage or hospital, or providing assistance in the schools. Don't forget to support and promote such participation by your employees. 7. Focus On Your Marketing. Most marketing and advertising is very helter-skelter, due to the reasons pointed out in Step 1. If you haven't defined who you are and what you do, how can you market your business? Conduct a top-to-bottom analysis of all your current marketing, from Yellow Pages and newspaper advertising to public relations. As you review each element of marketing, ask yourself these questions: * Does it convey our definition of the agency determined in Step 1? Does it coordinate with all of our other marketing activities? Does it specifically cultivate our defined niche(s )? Are the results of this marketing element measurable? If so, can a ...
https://completemarkets.com/company/CompleteMarkets/Articles/content-package/IMMS-Library/TabCategory/article-post/401/10-Steps-To-Overcome-Competition/
... are already ahead of the game in this respect, depending on how much you use the materials. Learn from the experiences of your peers. Imitate their successes and avoid their failures. As with any relationship, this is a two-way street: You have to give as well as take. Interact with fellow agency owners and share your experiences. This develops a camaraderie and support system that has proven to be a mainstay in the most successful agencies. 6. Become Involved. Every business operates within a community: local, regional, or national. Most of the truly successful enterprises I have known maintain a corporate philosophy of giving back to the community. Do you? I'm not just talking about membership in the Rotary. I mean getting involved on a hands-on basis: perhaps fundraising for an orphanage or hospital, or providing assistance in the schools. Don't forget to support and promote such participation by your employees. 7. Focus On Your Marketing. Most marketing and advertising is very helter-skelter, due to the reasons pointed out in Step 1. If you haven't defined who you are and what you do, how can you market your business? Conduct a top-to-bottom analysis of all your current marketing, from Yellow Pages and newspaper advertising to public relations. As you review each element of marketing, ask yourself these questions: * Does it convey our definition of the agency determined in Step 1? Does it coordinate with all of our other marketing activities? Does it specifically cultivate our defined niche(s )? Are the results of this marketing element measurable? If so, can a ...
https://completemarkets.com/company/CompleteMarkets/Articles/content-package/IMMS-Library/TabCategory/article-post/349/Public-Relations-An-Investigation/
... on special interest committee work. Among the personal benefits you may experience, other members will come to think of you as a mover and shaker and rely on your guidance. Not a bad persona for an insurance agent. Plus, the more active you are, the more chance you will be seen as a spokesperson for your group when local media cover your activities. CHARITY WORK. Nearly all the civic membership items just mentioned apply to charity work. One distinct advantage is that you don't have to look for a charity to join, you can start your own. Just pick a local shelter, hospice, or any other nonprofit organization that benefits your community and build your own fund-raising program for them. A Ford dealership in Southern New Jersey selected five charities to help, ranging from an orphanage to a hospital. Starting with raffles, this dealership now actually produces major concerts to raise funds. The dealership has also joined forces with one of the banks and one of the supermarkets for co-op promotion and ticket sales: You have to go to one of the three to buy your tickets. Everyone within a hundred miles knows of this dealership's philanthropy, and business is good. The list of ways you can build your agency's image through PR is endless- but most agency owners make one major mistake. In many cases, participation in various activities is limited to how much the owner or executive management can do. They forget about the impact they could produce if every employee participated in at least one group or program. Offer to pay employees' membership fees and add civic-mindedness to their ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/349/Public-Relations-An-Investigation/
... on special interest committee work. Among the personal benefits you may experience, other members will come to think of you as a mover and shaker and rely on your guidance. Not a bad persona for an insurance agent. Plus, the more active you are, the more chance you will be seen as a spokesperson for your group when local media cover your activities. CHARITY WORK. Nearly all the civic membership items just mentioned apply to charity work. One distinct advantage is that you don't have to look for a charity to join, you can start your own. Just pick a local shelter, hospice, or any other nonprofit organization that benefits your community and build your own fund-raising program for them. A Ford dealership in Southern New Jersey selected five charities to help, ranging from an orphanage to a hospital. Starting with raffles, this dealership now actually produces major concerts to raise funds. The dealership has also joined forces with one of the banks and one of the supermarkets for co-op promotion and ticket sales: You have to go to one of the three to buy your tickets. Everyone within a hundred miles knows of this dealership's philanthropy, and business is good. The list of ways you can build your agency's image through PR is endless- but most agency owners make one major mistake. In many cases, participation in various activities is limited to how much the owner or executive management can do. They forget about the impact they could produce if every employee participated in at least one group or program. Offer to pay employees' membership fees and add civic-mindedness to their ...