Six Characteristics of Successful Insurance Marketers

Six common traits of effective insurance marketers:

1. They're not afraid to take action. When it comes to marketing, taking any action is better than taking no action at all. By not making a decision, or not taking action, you're choosing to not have any marketing. It's better to make a decision and have some form of marketing working for you (even if it's not perfect) than to not make a decision and have no forward momentum.

2. They reach decisions quickly. Effective insurance marketers look at the information, make a decision, and move on - right or wrong. And here's something important: they don't allow too many people to get involved in the decision making process. When there are too many cooks in the kitchen, recipes go awry and marketing strategies get very watered down.

3. They make marketing a top priority. I have one client who is the president of a sizeable insurance organization. He manages many employees and has no personal assistant. Yet he routinely reviews and replies to marketing-related emails and decisions within 24 hours. Nothing sits! And why should it? In most cases, it only takes 15 minutes to move a marketing project forward.

4. They understand that you have to spend money to make money. Over the years, I've seen many people start businesses and cut corners with essentials, such as their websites. In my opinion, your website is your most pivotal piece in your insurance marketing arsenal. If you're going to do a bargain-basement job, then get ready for bargain-basement results. If you spend money where it matters, you'll achieve your goals much faster.

5. They understand that there's no such thing as a one-hit wonder. Effective marketing requires a consistent, integrated effort - month in and month out. Like your own personal health and fitness, growing a company requires a disciplined process. If anyone tells you they have a magic no-work formula, RUN.

6. They have the ability to track and measure. If you have the ability to track and measure, then you can be much more sophisticated in your marketing approach. This is usually linked to having a good IT resource. By having internal IT talent or someone who you can access quickly, you're more likely to track and measure your marketing results, and quickly hone your strategies.

So now that you've read the list, ask yourself, "Am I doing the six things needed to maximize my marketing results?" If you're failing in any of these areas, strive for improvement. If the problem involves your company's decision-making structure, share this article with those in charge and challenge them to change the status quo. Change won't happen overnight, but awareness is a positive first step.

By Heather Sloan