I’ve been working closely with insurance agents as a coach and mentor for the past 8 ½ years and one thing is clear to me. Agents and brokers are leaving money and clients on the table because they fall victim to 7 insidious myths and monsters that lurk in the bushes. These monsters have always been hanging around (even when I was selling insurance), yet like zombies, they can change and morph with time and technology (zombies do that, right?). While there are many snares and traps waiting to upend agents, I’ve got my Top 7 Myths and Monsters that need to be avoided to attain your maximum success. Let’s be candid, however. Really good agents are often tripped up by these monsters. Successful agents with bountiful books of business get blindsided. No one is immune. The problem with veteran agents making a nice living is that they can fall into the “success trap.” That is worse than all these monsters combined. The success trap keeps agents comfortable and thinking they don’t need to grow, learn, or change. When you’re in the success trap, you are more likely to buy in and live in these myths forever, and that’s where you waste talent and lose opportunity. Identifying these myths and monsters will help you stay out of the success trap and on the road to boundless success. Let’s take a closer look at each one:

2. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
1 | A Phone Conversation is a Meeting
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Meetings are face-to-face. Phone conversations
have become the easy out for agents that don’t
want to get in their car and meet someone. Phone
calls should be the vehicles to setting meetings with
both prospects and clients. Cold calling and dialing
for dollars is dumb. There are many more creative
ways to become an object of interest for prospects
and an indispensable team player for clients. To
accomplish this, you need to go from 2-dimensional
(phone) to 3-dimensional (in person).
Use phone calls to schedule meetings, gain
clarification, gauge early interest, and provide
customer service. While it’s humanly possible to sell
business over the phone, your better and more
profitable business needs that human touch.

3. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
2 | Updating Your Social Media Profile is Marketing
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Social media is a legitimate platform to help build
your brand. However, too many agents have
become enamored by it and consider its use to
be a key avenue for revenue. Wrong. It’s
doubtful your clients are spending much time on
your profile page deciding if you’re the guy or gal
to help them with their insurance needs. They
are more likely to believe in goofy characters
created by advertising agencies to raise
awareness on television.
Don’t spend more than 30 minutes a day on
social media. Do keep it current. Do use it to
write articles; post videos; offer unique value;
and create a brand name. That can all be done
with regular maintenance that takes less than 30
minutes a day. But never get caught in the
erroneous thinking that social media will catapult
you to insurance sales success because you
posted a picture of your winning smile next to
your agency office.

4. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
3 | You Gain Sales From Your Insurance Smarts
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This is a BIG monster. I constantly hear from my clients when I ask them their value proposition that they
are the best choice because of their industry knowledge. Blah! You may have 100 acronyms after your
name and may be the leading expert in construction insurance (along with a gazillion other agents), but
none of that is the primary factor for a prospect choosing you as their agent.
Get ready to highlight this…you gain new clients because they trust and like you. They get to this point
through strong referrals from people they trust; your ability to show up on time; your ability to return calls
and emails quickly; and your skill in asking questions about them. They don’t need you to be the smartest
insurance person on the planet. They require that you are competent in insurance and outstanding in
being accessible and prompt.
The quickest way to gain credibility in these areas is through referrals. If their friend or colleague thinks
your great, then you probably are.
Don’t try to dazzle people with your
insurance perspicacity. Rather, dazzle
them by calling them back.
Bonus: Contrary to popular belief, people that buy
insurance of any kind are more impressed with your
dexterity in listening to them than by being able to define
coinsurance. In order to be truly “likeable,” your prospect
needs to trust that you will always have their best interest
at heart. Agents out just for the sale can’t fake that.

5. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
4 | Your Competition Isn’t Damaged
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This perception never ceases to amaze me.
While agents may deny it, I hear and see
evidence of it all the time. One example
always insinuates itself through in the
platitude of “customer service.” Insurance
agents are prone to proclaim that theirs is
the best ever. It’s usually not the case. The
truth is that insurance agencies as a whole
are decent at customer service. Just
because you are being given the
opportunity to offer a proposal, doesn’t
mean the other agent stinks at their job.
You may feel you offer a better alternative
than your competition. That’s fine, you
should. But being lulled into a sense that
your competitor has made errors on the
policy or in service is a big mistake.

6. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
5 | You Can Sell Insurance from Your Chair
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Technology is a cool thing. It also is a temptress that charms you
into thinking you can spend your time at your desk and still be
wildly successful. I’ve seen this most often with veteran agents
that have a nice book of business. “I’ve got to take care of my
clients.” “I’ve got to work the renewals.” “I can use technology
to reach new prospects.” There is also a false sense that this is
the preferred method that prospects want to be reached. While
I don’t advocate certain interruption marketing tactics, there
are creative and ingenious ways to meet new people. All of
them involve being away from the office. These include lunch
and coffee meetings with clients and referral sources; attending
trade shows and networking events; and being an active
member of the community.
Don’t get caught sitting at your desk. There are monsters hiding
underneath!

7. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
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6 | Your Prospects Are Interested in You
Insurance isn’t the sexiest topic. That’s why insurance
companies spend billions of dollars trying to bring
humor and silliness to their advertisements. You have
to bring more to the table than a low premium and
“great customer service.” You must first determine
how to become an object of interest. Find out how you
can bring the most value and return on investment.
Most importantly, you need to remember that logic
makes people think, emotion make people act.
Insurance agents are commonly big on logic and light
on emotions. Life insurance agents are better than
most on creating an emotional reaction. All agents,
regardless of their line of expertise, must create
something other than the specter of doom and gloom.
That’s no fun. In order to become “interesting,” you
need to be of value and create an emotional response.
Doing that is time well spent in your marketing efforts.

8. 7 Myths & Monsters All Insurance Agents Should Fear
7 | Your Clients Won’t Leave Because They Like You
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Gone are the days of the good old boy network. Just because you take your clients deep-sea fishing or provide tickets to the big game doesn’t mean they will
continue to give you their business if you don’t do your job. The monster in the room is that being liked is what relationship building is all about. That you’ve
achieved a great relationship by being “buddies.” I fell into that trap as an agent, so I know it’s real.
Business relationships are built on candor, trust, and tough love. You should be able to challenge, provoke, and be vulnerable. Clients are looking for someone
that will always look out for them, even if the message hurts. Basing a business relationship on being pals used to be the norm. Now it is the exception. Don’t
fall into thinking you can’t be replaced because your client doesn’t want to miss out on that trip to Mexico on you. Being a“buddy” is dangerous to your book
of business. Strive to be a trusted partner and advisor.
Bottom line – It’s easy to fall into a success trap in the middle of your career. It’s easy to try too hard and believe bad information when you’re just getting
started. These 7 Myths and Monsters do exist and will keep you from reaching your full potential. Exorcising them from your thinking will allow you to make the
most of your opportunities and “insure your success.”

9. At InsuranceSplash, we know insurance
marketing and we love insurance agents.
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