I like to use two types of goals to create a long-term and a near-term plan.  The bigger picture sets a course for my future, while the near-term plan helps me to take the steps to achieving these goals. If you have never set goals or created any sort of analysis for what you are doing at your insurance agency, then this will help open your eyes to so many things.

Running an agency, even if you are a one-person business, can be done with an efficient organization system.  You likely have numerous tasks to complete that are not repetitive, so you need to make sure that you are balancing your time correctly when creating a daily schedule.  If you just do a little of this and little of that, you may never complete anything in a timely fashion and it may cost you clients and cause other issues.  I'll go over how I manage my daily tasks from the start of the day until the end.

Most technology about which I read feels geared towards huge insurance companies, but there are products that you can use at your agency that are not expensive and that will help you to grow and maintain business.  IF you're not using at least these items, then you may be losing business to insurance agents that can respond to their clients needs more quickly.

Use this time wisely.  If business is slow, it might be time to refocus and make a plan for your future.  There are several things about your business that you can analyze, such as the type of agency that you run and the time that you want to run.  Determining what clients will fit your mold can create a more efficient agency and increase your happiness factor.

Now is the time fo you to be a leader.  People are looking to your for guidance and comfort during this time.  Be there for them.  It's not a time for watching TV and goofing off on social media.  It's time to work on a marketing plan for your insurance agency.  I share 5 things that you can be doing right now to get a jump start on for when things reopen.  You  need to evaluate your business and ask yourself if you'll be doing the same things when this is over.

Over the years, I've worked with different lines in the insurance industry, from life to personal lines to commercial lines.  I have seen both the retail side and the wholesale side, which is helped me to see the struggles of the insurance agent and made me set my sites on making it easier for agents to grow their business and retain clients.  In this episode I tell more of my own story and where I have landed today.

Insurance agents spend thousands of dollars on leads.  Are you using your money wisely?  Are you making enough to justify this spending?  It's time to analyze how much you make per policy and per client to determine the value of each transaction.  Do you know ho much your time is worth per hour?  You might be selling policies that are too small to even justify processing them.  At some point, you may have to make a decision on what types of clients your insurance agency is seeking.

Just because you're working for home, that does not mean that you should not be focusing.  You might not have new leads, but you have lots of old ones with which to follow up.  Are you connecting with your clients to remind them who you are?  Do they know that you can help them now or in the future when people get back to work?  It's time to shine and stand out in a sea of insurance agents and products.

Unexpected things are happening in the world, the economy, and the insurance agency business.  Spend this time retaining your clients and planning for the future.  The world is full of opportunity and it is your job to find it and help grow your insurance business in the modern world.  With everyone being told to stay home, what is going to happen to your business?  Don't let things that you cannot control hurt your business.  Refine your systems and keep people on the books.

Retaining insurance agency clients in tough times is key.  There is a constant focus on getting new clients, when you could be focusing on retention and cross selling your current client base.  We do not know what the near-term nor long-term future holds, but that is just part of the ups and downs of working in the insurance industry.  

In this episode, we review several talking points that might help you keep your clients during uncertain times.