Here’s an interesting question:

“I’m a personal lines insurance agent, and I would like to be able to have a 95% closing ratio, high retention, and a great system for getting my clients to give me referrals.”

All I can say is WOW.  When I was in the insurance business, I created ways to prospect that were not normally done within the industry.  Of course, back then, we also did not have compliance departments breathing down our necks, as most of the insurance agents have today.

Any of my readers can massage the suggestions I’m going to give here to fit their own industry or business.

The first thing I did was to create a prospect list.  I started with 100, and then increased it to 1000 individuals whom I wanted as clients.

Then I accumulated articles and any other free information I could locate, and kept in touch with them over a period of at least one year.  My thoughts were that if after one year, they still didn’t want to do business with me, then color me gone and out of their life.

By doing this, I developed a relationship with them.  Of course I also created unique letters to send them with various forms of GRABBERS.

For instance, I created a letter like the following where I sent a shoe with the letter.

Jeff…Now You Can Increase Your
Net Worth By $1,000,000.   Effortlessly!
            (Include one Right shoe with your Letter)

Dear Jeff,

As you can see, I’ve sent you a “right” shoe with this letter.

I did it for two reasons:

First, because what I have to share with you is so important, I needed some way to make sure this letter got your attention.

Second, because I want us to start off on the right foot, I thought sending you the shoe was a good way for me to get my foot in your door.

Anyway, here is what this is all about…

(Continue with the rest of your offer)

Think of ways to adapt this letter to the product or service you are selling.

Another thing you can use is to offer my book, “10 Marketing Mistakes That Steal Your Cash” to your prospect and clients. Go to www.kenvarga.com/report.php and take advantage of the free book offer.  It’s free and will bond you with your customer.

In prior blog posts, I gave you suggestions to the last two items of your question…high retention and a referral system.  Refer back especially to the last post on “How To Create Lifelong Customers”, and to the post on April 26, 2008, “Growing Through Referrals”.

Technorati Tags: Closing Ratio, Getting Referrals, growing referrals, Referrals, retention, retention rate

Questions:  I’m a financial planner and I would like to qualify for the Million Dollar Round Table, (an industry honor), make a holy land visit with my spouse, and become one of the top 10 agents with my company.

Regarding the visit to the holy land, NOTHING should ever stop anyone from achieving their dreams.

I have a phrase I always say to myself.  “Just Do It.” 

Set up the visit now and whatever is currently stopping you will no longer be there when the time comes.  So, “Just Do It.”

Now to the other parts of your question…

If you implement the concepts and strategies I’ve suggested in my Marketing Tips of the Week, and this Blog, you can’t help but qualify for the MDRT and also become one of the top 10 agents for your company.  When I was in the industry, I qualified for a club in the company I chose to write business for.  It was called the 100 Million Dollar Club.  That’s correct.  I did over 100 million dollars with them.

The way I did it was to create unique letters, like to ones I have shown you in earlier blogs and in my Marketing Tips of the Week.  I also created reports to send them that helped them financially and with their health. Someone asked me to put some of these reports and unique sales letters together and perhaps I will offer them to everyone soon.  Let me know if you’d be interested in getting them.

Anyway, you must set up systems and strategies that will keep you in your prospects’ and existing customers’ minds.  Whenever they think of Insurance, your name should immediately come into their minds.

Here’s a letter I used when I wanted to get referrals:

Linda… Your Help Will Be

Greatly Appreciated!

Linda Dawson
7008 Seaworld Drive
San Diego, CA 92109

Dear Linda,

Thanks again for your business and continued support. Because of valued clients like you, my business has grown substantially.

As you may have noticed, as my business has grown I’ve been able to offer you a better level of service. And to serve you even better, I’m presently figuring out ways to take my practice to the next higher level. After considering all the options, I feel you, as one of my valued clients would be the best person to help me do it.

Would you please help me extend my products and “personal touch” services to your family members, relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, business associates, and other people whom you have a trustworthy relationship with?

You can use the enclosed Tell-A-Friend Certificate to record the names of the people whom you think would benefit from my products. Please mail the Tell-A-Friend Certificate inthe enclosed postage-paid envelope.

Linda, thanks for helping me grow my business.

Best regards,

Your Name
“Your Dream Protector”

P.S. Have a fantastic day.

ABC Insurance Agency, Inc.
– Specializing In Protecting Your Dreams –
123 Main Street, San Diego, CA, 94000
Phone: 619-123-4567, Fax: 619-123-4568, Email: client@abcagency.com

Here’s the Tell A Friend Certificate:

Tell-A-Friend Certificate

YES! I’d like you to extend your product and outstanding service to my family, members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. So they can also protect themselves, their valuable assets, their dreams, and their future better. By helping you grow your business to the next higher level, you’ll be able to provide me with an even better level of service.

Your Name: ___________________________________________________________________
Please note: I’m looking for the people who are between 30 and 45 years old and own their own homes. If you have more than three names, please write on the back of this form.
Name: __________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________
City__________________ State: __________________ Zip: _______________
Phone: ____________________ Fax: _______________ Email: ___________
Name: __________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________
City: ___________________ State: __________________ Zip: ___________
Phone: ____________________ Fax: _______________ Email: ______________
Name: ___________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
City: _________________ State: __________________ Zip: ____________
Phone: ________________ Fax: _______________ Email: ______________

Please Fax this certificate to 123-4568. Or Mail it in the postage-paid envelope provided.
ABC Insurance Agency, Inc.
123 Main Street, San Diego, CA, 94000
Phone: 619-123-4567, Fax: 619-123-4568, Email: client@abcagency.com 

Implement this system and you definitely will accomplish the three things you emailed me about.

Technorati Tags: Getting Referrals

This is a very interesting question.  It is from a network marketing subscriber. The questions is: ”I’d like to go to the Ambassador Level in my company in the next 3 months.”

Assuming that you ’re following the selling and recruiting training that your parent network company provides, here are some things to keep in mind and apply that would help you grow rapidly.

1.  Remember, everything you do in your business is about benefits…what’s in it for your prospects, customers, and distributors?

This means that your prospects, customers, and distributors need to experience the promised benefits of your products to become prospects, remain customers, grow into distributors, and remain distributors.  This means that, as much as possible, in all your interactions, you should be making sure that the person you are interacting with is experiencing one or more benefits of the products. 

So for instance, when talking with a prospect, help them imagine how their life will be better after using the product.  One of the best ways to do this, as I’m sure you know, is to give them free samples.  When talking with a customer or distributor, make sure they are using the products as often and the way they should.  Why?  Because if they don’t use the products correctly, they are unlikely to experience the benefits.  And once they stop experiencing the benefits, you lose them.  This leads us to the next point…

2.  You must follow up and keep the awareness of the benefits alive in the experiences of your contacts.  You can do this in a couple of ways:

a. When you talk with a prospect to whom you’ve given a sample, or to a customer, or to a distributor, you can ask “So how is it going for you with such-and-such a product?” Don’t be afraid that if you ask they will discover that they don’t like the product and will stop buying.  The fact is if they don’t, they will stop sooner or later anyway.  So it is only to your advantage to find out as early as possible how they are doing with the product, so you can fix any problems that are starting.

b. Another way is to collect success stories of using the products and pass them on to all your contacts.  For instance, you can give away a free prize for the person who submits the best success story of the month. Or you can make them “famous” by publishing their story in your newsletter. These stories remind readers of the benefits of using your products.

3.  You must have an “Amazing Referral Program” that you have created to get your customers to become advocates of your business, and refer everyone they know.

In the prior Blog post, I went over a shortened version of what an, amazing referral program should be about and the way you ask for those referrals. So review that blog over and over again, and create your own, “Amazing Referral Program.”

4.  Now comes what I refer to as my “Visualization Technique.”  I’m a firm believer that we are what we think.  If we think negatively, negativism will follow us.  So believe that you’ve already achieved the Ambassador Level, and visualize what it will do for you both financially and also personally.

For example, if you believe that achieving this level, will provide the finances for purchasing a 6,000 square foot home, then visualize yourself living in it and experience the feelings you will get when you are living in it.

5.  Since you are selling health-related products, join organizations or volunteer your time in places where you can meet people who have health issues and who may be able to take advantage of your product.  You have to be careful here with the rules of the specific organization about whether you could talk about your product, etc.  But the idea here is to find out where your prospects are and go there.

6.  Build strong relationships with your customers, prospects, and distributors.  With strong relationships you have a strong business.  Two of my books can help you with this. One is called “The Secrets To Creating Lifelong Customers”, and the other is called “Up The Loyalty Ladder”.  They can both be found on my website at www.kenvarga.com.

The important ingredient to building strong relationships is to know what’s important to your people besides just the business, and to become a resource for them regarding those important things.  So for instance, if one of your distributors often needs babysitting services, you can send him news clippings of things related to babysitting, or keep your eyes open for good babysitters, or offer to babysit in an emergency.  Helping them with things that are important to them builds and deepens relationships.

7.  Lastly, you need to know your particular numbers.  In other words, you need to know how many people you need to contact to yield how many prospects.  How many prospects will yield how many customers?  How many customers will yield how many distributors?  How long does a distributor remain a distributor? Etc.

When you know your numbers you are able to keep track of whether or not you are on target to your goal of Ambassador.  Your numbers will tell you what activities you need to improve on in order to reach your goal.

If you execute the above steps well and diligently, you will reach your goal in the shortest time possible.

Technorati Tags: Getting Referrals, getting to "Ambassador" level in your network marketing, growing a network business, Growing your business, growing your network marketing business