Smaller insurance brokers - you are bigger than you think!

1. Idea Exchange Growing Your Property Casualty Agency
Make Your Agency Look Big — Even If It’s Not
Small Agencies Are Bigger Than They Think
By Alan Shulman Shulman
T he problem with being a small insur-
ance agency in the land of marketing
giants is that it’s hard to be taken seriously.
erage. Now, which number is more impos-
ing: 2,000 or half a billion? You can also
feature additional P/C, individual life, group
Us” to a dedicated page that displays the
descriptive totals. Either way, place the
numbers under a heading like, “We proudly
Why should a consumer or business buy insurance, and more in a similarly illuminat- protect the residents and businesses of the
from a little neighborhood office when there ing manner. Here are some examples. [Anytown] community.”
are humungous enterprises like GEICO out Social media: Broadcast the above num-
there? Obviously bigger is better, right? Yes $250,000,000 in personal property for bers to your Twitter followers in a series of
and no. local homeowners. teaser tweets, such as “We provide over a
[Calculated as: 2,000 homeowners poli- half a billion dollars in homeowners insur-
Bigger Is Not Always Better cies with contents insured at an average ance protection for Anytown residents. True
Yes, it’s better to be perceived as big — of $125,000 per policy, when your personal or false? [URL].” Link each tweet to your
and no because being big comes with a property limit is typically 50 percent of the site’s page that displays the totals. Post more
whole other set of problems. Some of which dwelling limit.] teasers on your agency’s Facebook wall.
are seemingly insurmountable. Ask GM, for You can even proclaim the numbers, albeit
example. Regardless, most people prefer to More than $600,000,000 of personal in a more muted manner, via updates to
buy stuff from bigger outfits. It offers the liability for local homeowners. your LinkedIn connections. Plus, similarly
illusion of stability and [Calculated as: 2,000 homeowners policies note these dramatic totals in your agency’s
competence. Still, many with a limit of $300,000 comprehensive e-newsletter or blog. Another option is to
local agencies are substan- personal liability, plus all personal umbrella record and post a supporting video with
tially bigger than they policies.] an intro from a
themselves imagine. It’s principal, colorful
a matter of impression. If 10,000 local drivers. charts, and a slide- What really
they compare themselves [Calculated as: 4,000 auto policies with an show displaying counts is how
to the nation’s largest average of 2.5 drivers per policy.] photos of selected
direct marketers and the properties that you important a
Insurance Journal Top 100 Assets of area firms selling more than insure. small office is
agencies, then yes, they’re $250 million in annual goods & services.
relatively modest opera- [Calculated as: 300 commercial accounts Define Yourself to the commu-
tions. But, that’s not what matters. What with average annual receipts of $850,000.] Don’t let the nity it serves.
really counts is how important a small office mammoths you
is to the community it serves. This impres- Tout Your Community Protection compete against
sion is invaluable when marketing to both Promote your agency’s value to the com- define your office as tiny and irrelevant.
personal and commercial prospects. Here’s munity by touting numbers like those above. Instead, proudly broadcast your worth in
one way to do it without fibbing. Each one represents the depth of protection the most favorable and public ways. Turn a
provided by your office. The total amount of potential negative (your size) into a positive
Numbers Never Lie (Sort Of) personal and commercial assets that you pro- (your community value) by using numbers
Even volume-challenged agencies can tect within your marketing territory can run such as those above to help in this regard. If
generate some very significant numbers. So, into the billions. That’s impressive. Reveal you don’t clearly proclaim who you are, your
boldly tout what you protect by displaying your calculated sums on your Web site, on competition will do it for you. And that’s not
them to maximum effect. For instance if the various social networks, and via other exactly healthy for your long-term survival.
your agency writes 2,000 homeowners poli- agency communication venues.
cies insured with an average dwelling limit Web site: Locate the above digits on Shulman, CPCU, is the publisher of Agency Ideas, a sub-
of $250,000 each, you protect some $500 mil- your “About Us” page. It’s one of the first scription-only sales and marketing newsletter. He is also
lion in real property for area homeowners. places that interested prospects visit when the author of the many tools posted on the Agency Ideas
Increase this number by 10 percent if you they want to learn more about an organiza- Instant Download Store. Phone: 800-724-1435. E-mail: alan@
elect to include appurtenant structures cov- tion. Or if you prefer, link from the “About agencyideas.com. Web site: www.agencyideas.com.
www.insurancejournal.com July 19, 2010 INSURANCE JOURNAL-NATIONAL REGION | N1