The new year is here. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? If so, have you broken any yet?
Here are three you might consider related to your role as a health insurance professional – and they are fairly easy to keep.
1: Make the most of your online presence. Be sure you are “findable” online. Google yourself. Where did you show up in the results? Are you or your agency (if you have a “doing business as” or DBA name) showing up among the top five? How about the top 20?
If you add “employee benefits” to your search, does it change the results? For the better – or worse?
If you are new to the insurance business and are just getting your agency set up, it’s important you know that the right name can make an enormous difference when prospects and clients are searching for you online. Something too generic undermines your Google search results.
Make sure your content is of value to your network. Include topics that employers can relate to from a business perspective as well as a personal perspective. Highlight trending topics such as compliance or legislative updates, but post them in a timely manner along with resources or solutions they can implement.
2: Leverage insurance-related vendors and services. There are great tools for employees that can help provide services like mental health, fertility, or access to their benefit information. Platforms are also available to help brokers run a more efficient business, transfer client data securely, and audit bills and processes. Lastly, take advantage of stellar resources for employers to help them stay organized. Whether it’s finding the right online enrollment system or partnering with a payroll company that can provide multiple services.
3: Reconnect with your network. The new year is the perfect time to reach out to prospects in your files who didn’t close on your prior outreach. Ask what’s changed and how you might be able to provide greater assistance now. As noted above, you can present new vendors and services you’ve acquired to offer a better client experience. You can also help connect people within your network. The workforce is shifting quickly, so help refer your network partners to companies that are hiring. Pay it forward by helping a Center of Influence, even if it doesn’t directly help you get a group. It helps you provide value outside of just consulting on insurance needs.
Bonus resolution: Stay positive. If 2022 did not end the way you were hoping, and your production or revenue was flat or fell short, don’t beat yourself up. Focus on your future sales instead. It’s a new year, and your fresh opportunity to shine – by delivering helpful guidance and value to your clients.
For additional ideas on marketing yourself, read a few of Word & Brown’s prior blogs: 7 Ways to Generate Group Health Insurance Leads, 5 Social Media Engagement Tips, and 5 Outreach Ideas to Make Your Agency a Local Celebrity and Enhance Your Profile.
About the Author: Vanessa Benitez is Word & Brown’s Senior Vice President of Growth and Business Development, a role she took on in 2022. Previously, she was a Field Sales Representative, Senior Regional Sales Manager, Field Sales Director, and Regional Vice President in San Diego and the Inland Empire, where she helped double the region’s annual production in two years.
