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How to Target the Right Audience

Targeting the right audience can be the final step for your breakthrough.

You wouldn’t open an adult diaper business and expect young adults to line-up to purchase your product, would you? Knowing who your customers are, what their needs are, and why they should buy your product is one of the most important aspects you need to find out about your business. Do you know if you are targeting the right customers? Do they identify with your values and brand promise? If you’re shrugging your shoulder, or don’t exactly know the answer to these questions, these 3 tips will help you reach your customers.

  1. Know your niche.

Knowing exactly where your services fit within the market is imperative to know whom you will serve. Finding and building upon your niche is the only way to know where your services are needed.

  1. Be clear about who you are.

Apart from your product or service, what are you really selling? The reason you opened your business isn’t all for the money, it’s because your realized there’s something upon which you could improve and decided to do something about it. If you’re clear about who you are, your customers will know exactly what you’re here to do.

  1. Tailor your company’s promise.

Once you know who your target audience is, you’ll need to craft a message that resonates with them, while maintaining your hold on your market. It’s time to show what separates you from the rest of your competitors, and why anyone should buy from you. Be clear, specific, and communicate your uniqueness.

Targeting the right audience can mean the difference between an empty store full of adult diapers that are aimed for young adults, and a full store filled with older people that may require the use of this very important commodity that’s made for them. It is time to figure out how you can start earning more, working less, and enjoying life! Contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer Program to do just that!

Create Stability While Growing Your Business

Starting your business can be a little shaky over here, and wobbly over there. Once you know what owning a business is actually like, it’s time for some stability! Follow these steps to help your business gain some stability as you continue growing.

  1. Regulation.

Staying with regulations are very important for the continued growth of your business. Join organizations and seminars to know the updates on any regulations your business should follow.

  1. Hiring the right people for the job.

Hiring the right person for the right position is the most valuable asset for your organization. When interviewing your candidates, make sure that you give them an opportunity to talk about their experience in the field, their training, and what lead them to apply for this position. While money may be the real answer for all your applicants, the clever ones will have researched your company and given you an answer that fits your company’s values.

  1. Trust & Trustworthiness

Employers want the ability to trust employees, customers, vendors and the others with which they conduct their business, and vice-versa. However, in order to gain trust one must be trustworthy. Being a good leader is the best way to gain the trust of your employees. Learn from your mistakes and communicate well with your clients. Leadership begins with the careful and purposeful integration of identity and performance, being and doing, essence and activity.

Stability is sought after by everyone. After you’ve worked so hard to get your business off the ground, achieve the stability your business deserves. It is time to figure out how you can start earning more, working less, and enjoying life! Contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer Program to do just that!

Do NOT Conform!!! And Get Your ASK in Gear!!!

Conformity- is that YOU? Many years ago, I heard a message about conforming to what everyone else in society does. Like so many other HUGE lessons in life, it came from outside of our industry. And just like so many more HUGE lessons, it happened because of our children. On a side note in the event you did not know, my wife and I raised (at least we gave it our very best shot) six kids. The lesson on conformity that opened my eyes and ultimately became ingrained into my being was at a youth event that I attended with some of our kids where former Oakland Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder was speaking. Part of Jay’s message was about conforming to the rest of society. Jay went on to say that if you want to be like everyone else, then do what everyone else is doing. BUT if we want to achieve a higher level, in any facet of life, you must NOT conform. You must do things differently that the rest. One must be their own person, be themselves, and develop their own personality. Personally or Professionally, there is only one you. Make that you unique and share all of it with the world to “make a difference”.

So I ask you…..Are you falling prey to conforming and operating like every other agency out there? If that’s the case, then I am sorry to hear that you may be experiencing tougher times right now. Many agents we talk with are looking for some type of “magic pill”. THERE IS NO SUCH MEDICINE. They feel they can simply copy exactly what another is doing and it will instantly work in their marketplace. This is rarely true. What is accurate is adapting real world, proven thought processes and converting them to one’s own personality and marketplace is where genuine winners begin. Another piece of brutally honest truth is that hard work and sacrifice will be part of the process. Also on the list will be experiencing failure. Yes, there will be setbacks that will cause you to dig deep and find out who you really are and what you are made of. If you had time to digest my recent blog post, it’s called “The Mirror of Truth”.  I challenge you NOT to conform – ever. As part of your effort to create the agency that supports the life of your dreams, start with your next marketing campaign, operational upgrade or scripting effort.

Since we are talking about scripting, NOW is the perfect opportunity to make your team, your agency, every word that is uttered from their lips part of the “Unstoppable Non-Conforming Solution”. Don’t forget, you are the entrepreneurial leader of your organization and every word uttered from your lips will be the example your team follows.

BUT, if you are one of the non-conformist leaders who only subscribes to profitable and efficient operations-CONGRATULATIONS! Replicate what you are doing – FAST.

A critical part of implementing your new “Unstoppable Non-Conforming Solution” must be getting your Ask in Gear. Every call, every meeting, every conversation is a SALES opportunity. This is why you must be scripted ALL of the time. Make sure you continually educate your team on the importance of having their Ask in Gear every time. Make sure your scripts follow the process. Ask in Gear every single time. Leave NO Regrets –

 

To Your Massive Success,

Mike Stromsoe

PS  After speaking to a group of agents, it was crystal clear again. I am continually perplexed about one thing time after time-AGENTS DON’T ASK!!!

Watch this quick video for one idea to change this bad habit in your agency – JUST ASK!!!

Hope this helps, hope you are willing to non-conform, hope you take action. Good luck!

 

Singles, Not Home Runs

With baseball season in full swing, this is the perfect time for us to discuss “singles, not home runs. I love, absolutely adore, helping people FULLY understand this concept.  After all, isn’t the final score really all that matters? Let’s tap our cleats with the end with the fat part of  the bat, step out of the batter’s box, take a deep breath, stare down our marketplace and get ready to take our best swings.

Who doesn’t want to score BIG and go home? What entrepreneur doesn’t feel that next great idea will be THE big idea that will turn the tables and create truckloads of cash that will provide mega freedom and financial security?  Maybe yes, maybe no. As marketers, we test. Secret tip, based on my own painful experience: home runs are few and far between. While you are swinging for the fence, don’t forget to hit lot of singles too. Singles might be other autopilot marketing programs that go on day after day, week after week, month after month and so on. Emails, voice broadcasts, phone calls, newsletters, direct mail pieces of all types, social media, videos, text messages and more. Last check, we have 27 different marketing activities going on every month. Remember, the singles when multiplied add up to runs and thou who has the most runs at the end of the game……wins!

What about you? Are you constantly rounding the base paths, making it home and scoring enough runs? If not, where should you start? Let’s make this real easy. There are 9 innings in a game, right? Get out a sheet of paper and write down the TOP 9 things that ARE working in your agency to drive new revenue, time after time, without question. Make sure that you consistently and continually do these 9 things, day after day, month after month as long as they remain profitable. Stop doing everything else. More results will come from your successes by simply performing the 9 successful programs that ARE producing results in your business.

Here’s why. This piece is being written on the heels of a successful trip, having spent two days with prosperous agents. One of the entrepreneurs, however, had a slight dilemma with a new partner in their business. She was being challenged with her mindset. We were on location and had the opportunity for immediate action. I made one suggestion and it made all of the difference. I STRONGLY encourage you to write this one down. This new partner said, after her successful appointment which culminated with her running into the room with a check in hand, “I am going to write these words on the inside of my forearm so I never forget them. They made ALL of the difference:

WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT

The newest success story went on to share how she was able to go on the appointment, have the needed discussion with her prospect, do the deal, get paid and, most importantly, learn life changing lessons. She shared that after she heard the suggestion the day before; she began to only think about how the appointment was going to be a success. WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.

While continuing to do your math, while listening to your marketplace, while tweaking your message, while shifting your media packages (note the MMM’s-market, message, media), think about doubles, triples and home runs. Watch for the opportunities. They will surface, IF you focus on them ALL OF THE TIME.

In the last 12 years or so, our living agency laboratory has hit mostly singles. Those singles have added up to well over ultimate million dollar annual revenue, 5643 paying policyholders in our herd and thousands of prospects.

Singles, not home runs. And don’t forget, many base runners turn singles into doubles, just be paying attention to what is going on around them

Please……go implement, execute and take action NOW!

PS If you can’t create a list of 9 things, immediately get a hold of Andrea or I……we need to chat.

Call 800-770-9984 or email us at [email protected] today!

How Important is WHAT Comes Out of Your Mouth?

Many agency principles think they can just “wing it” or they “know what they want to say.” True that, but what about every person in your office? On the telephone, you have 7 seconds to grab and hold your prospect’s attention and frequently you don’t get a second chance.

I’ve been in business for 31 years, and before that, starting working for my dad when I was 12. Using a script on every call is imperative… Why?  Because I know what happens when I don’t…

Using a script will help build confidence because it will be known what needs to be said, what questions to ask and it will be known where the conversation should go.  It keeps the person handling the call focused, eliminating the opportunity to get side-tracked or off the subject matter and wasting of precious profit time.

The key to a successful good telephone sales and prospecting call scripts, is a well thought out presentations that says what you want to say, precisely and succinctly, yet that still gives you room to maneuver. Your goal with a call script is for your prospect to hear you and for your prospect to get “hooked.”

Write your script the way you talk – and get to the point! People actually speak more in phrases or fragments, with pauses, sometimes improper grammar and the occasional ah or um…

So what makes a good prospecting sales script? Here are a few questions to ask yourself when beginning the script writing process:

  1. 1.  What is the purpose of this call?
  2. 2.  Who is this person I will be speaking with?
  3. 3.  What are the questions I need to ask?
  4. 4.  What is the potential solution for the prospect or
    customer’s problem?
  5. 5.  What is the next step?

And now it’s time for the close…  ASK for what you want! All your hard work is worth nothing if you do not ask for what you want.  If you have the best product, why are you afraid to ask people to buy it?

Happy implementing,

Mike Stromsoe, Creator of the
Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™
A Coaching Program for Insurance Agents
Website – www.unstoppableprofitproducer.com – Get your 3 Complimentary Gifts Today!

PS And role play with others…. Your team members internally, family members, whoever is willing! Practice is NEVER over for the successful pros!

PPS Don’t wait another minute…  Call and schedule your 29 minute In-Depth, Agency Analysis Call Today, there is absolutely ZERO COST and No-Obligation, it is simply just one more gift to help you.  Call 800-770-9984 or email us at [email protected].

Here are a few words from another agent, just like you, about Mike Stromsoe and the Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™:

“With pleasure I recommend Mike Stromsoe. Mike is continuously pushing forward with new ideas on how to create value to his clients, employees, and business partners. His creativity and implementation is what sets him apart from the pack in his quest to be best business owner/entrepreneur he can be. There are few others who are as accountable as Mike Stromsoe. Plus Mike can lay the hammer down during his cycling training rides. Ride ON!”

Sean McCreary

Owner, M3 Insurance

Who is YOUR “Ideal” Client, Any Clue?

You work your tail off to create marketing in your agency that is effective and profitable…..Are you focusing on one particular type of client(niche) or are you spreading your marketing out to the masses – doing everything that every other agent is doing – hoping to catch anyone that comes along?

What if I told you that you CAN attract nothing but “ ideal clients” to your business?  

These are the clients whose personalities match your agency team. They are often the most profitable and least painful of all our clients.

But how exactly does your agency attract this magical arena of superstar clients? It starts by defining what makes up your unique ideal client profile.  Take a few minutes and answer the questions below:

  • –> What problems can I solve through my products and services?
  • –> What changes, or results, can I help create?
  • –> Who has these problems?
  • –> Who wants these results?
  • –> What kinds of clients do you do your best work with?
  • –> What sorts of clients leave you feeling frustrated?

Once you have discovered what you want, TAKE ACTION!  Put yourself in front of your ideal prospects/clients, join their social media groups, comment on their posts, visit their monthly meetings, engage with them – find out what their PAIN is.  But remember, you are NOT there to sell… you want to listen (great marketplace research opportunity), gain visibility and build relationships.

As part of our exclusive game changing plan in the Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™, we walk our coaching clients through an activity to identify who their personal ideal client is.  If you are interested in one more tool to help you, simply email us at [email protected] and Andrea will be happy to send you a copy!

To your massive success,

Mike Stromsoe, Creator of the
Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™
A Coaching Program for Insurance Agents
Website – www.unstoppableprofitproducer.com – Get your 3 Complimentary Gifts Today!

PS Don’t wait another minute…  Call and schedule your 29 minute In-Depth, Agency Analysis Call Today, there is absolutely ZERO COST and No-Obligation, it is simply just one more gift to help you.  Call 800-770-9984 or email us at [email protected].

Top 10 Reasons to Stay in Touch – Are You?

Recently spent almost 3 hours with two of the brighter minds in the insurance industry and I am blown away how far behind some agencies are in today’s marketplace. Don’t risk being one of the casualties. This business is NOT rocket science. Little known secret – a close friend of mine is a rocket scientist. I consulted with Ron a couple of years ago, took his photo and keep it on my phone to share with anyone I am teaching because my friend, the rocket scientist, confirmed this fact – This business is NOT rocket science

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS – ALL OF THE TIME

Here are the Top 10 Reasons to stay in touch and thoughts from the author:

1. Most businesses lose 10-17% of their business every year.
Thought: While I realize this likely does not apply to most of you, you are still losing business. Why? Do you have a relationship with your clients, prospects and COI’s that will stand the test of time and any other forces that might interfere? The easiest money you’ll ever make is the money you are already making (your clients and past clients)

2. 62% of your clients aren’t taking advantage of all of your products or services.

Thought: Again – The easiest money you’ll ever make is the money you are already making (your clients)

3. 91% of our customers say they would give us a referral, but 80% haven’t been encouraged to do so!
Thought: This I do not understand…I am sure everyone on your team is scripted to ask for  referrals every time they communicate with someone, don’t they? Each outbound contact includes a “motivator” in every email, outgoing envelope, etc. Everyone on your team is also motivated monetarily to act. Right?

4. Simply saying “thank you” to your customer will increase your business by 17%.

Thought: This one is easy. Every time your team speaks with someone, this is automatic. Isn’t it? And they are writing a minimum of FIVE thank you notes a week. Right?

5. You lose 10% of your influence for every month that you don’t have contact with your client.

Thought: Another no brainer….true? We communicate with our marketplace at least one to two or more times a month (email, newsletter, faxes etc)….don’t we?

6. A 5% increase in customer loyalty could yield 20-80% to your bottom line.

Thought: Ah the Pareto Principle. We build loyalty consistently, especially with our VIP clients, don’t we? For example, we send a special VIP package every month, right?

7. Studies show that an average prospect won’t do business with you until they’ve seen or heard from you
or your message at least 7 times.

Thought: Finally, an easier question…..we have an automated, automatic follow-up system that contacts our prospects a minimum of SEVEN times, in different ways (email, snail mail, fax, voice broadcast, video landing page). Don’t we?

8. 79% of all trade show leads aren’t followed up with. Most business from a trade show comes from the vendor following up with the prospect.

Thought: Ok. Maybe you don’t do trade shows, what about networking events or other social gatherings. We always send a hand-written note saying “good to meet you” etc including credibility boosters….right?

9. 66% of your business within the next year will come from your sphere of influence.

Thought: Opportunity knocking? Well, if we are executing on 1 through 8 above, then maybe this applies.

10. Only 3% of the mail we receive is personal.

Thought: Dare to be different and STAND OUT from the crowd!! If you want to be like everyone else, do what everyone else is doing and get the same ol same ol results.

YOU are in complete control of your destiny.
What is working for you? Why or why not? As marketers, we test. Are you testing consistently?

The above thoughts and comment did attempt to be a bit humorous until I really started thinking about my own team in the “Living Agency Laboratory”….. gotta run, we have work to do!

Last thought: The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary!!

If you have questions regarding this article or if you would like to learn more about the Unstoppable Profit Producer Program, Call 800-770-9984 or Email [email protected].

P.S. Be UNSTOPPABLE!

Affinity Marketing – It’s a Natural Fit for You

Niches to riches…..if this sounds good to you, then read on!

Affinity marketing is kind of a sub-segment of a niche marketing program, but it can make your niche marketing campaign and your entire agency machine more powerful than ever.

Read my own story below, it’s an example of how your “affinity” can positively affect a niche marketing campaign:

“I started working in my dad’s restaurant when I was 12.  He hired me with one condition. He made me agree that I would work harder than anyone else or I would be fired. I agreed. I started making pizzas. I’d stand next to the girls and they’d show me what to do. They would say, “Crimp the edge a little bit more here, don’t put so much pepperoni on it, and if you do this – don’t put too much sauce.”  They taught me the ins and outs.  After awhile I was making the pizza dough.  In fact, I still have the pizza dough recipe at my house, because I use it from time to time.  There was a long stretch there when I had it memorized.  It was who I was.”

 

“Nowadays, when I’m working in the agency business, I can walk the walk, I can talk the talk, and when I walk into a restaurant, I understand everything that’s going on in the kitchen.  I understand – to boot, I also ran a restaurant for three years as well. So I understand why the mats need to be cleaned every night.  Why they need to take the filters down and run those through the dishwasher, maybe every couple of nights, or maybe once a week is good enough.  I understand why their Ansul system needs to be up to date.  I understand the heat concerns, and the food-borne illness concerns, and what the implications are of someone getting sick off your food, and what the potential liabilities are, and how to talk to your people about serving liquor, and everything that’s involved with that, because it’s who I was and what I did for a number of years.  I was emotionally involved from the deepest part of my soul.”

By having a history deeply entrenched in an affinity market you can tip the marketplace in your favor… What is your affinity market?

Niches to Riches…

Niche marketing can be a lot of different things… It could be that you are a restaurant insurance agency, a work comp insurance agency, etc…

What you’re nicheing in doesn’t really matter, but the fact that you are doing mostly the same thing, or have large segments of business in a particular niche, not only gives you more authority with your underwriters in your companies, it puts you in a position of leadership and authority within the industry to jump from one carrier to another.

In addition to that think of how this affects your agency team.  When they are dealing with the same type of mentality day in and day out, time after time, they tend to keep talking the same talk, walking the same walk.  It becomes much less likely they will make a mistake.  In the same breath, their confidence in their voice to the marketplace becomes that much greater, because they know what they are talking about.

And don’t lose sight of this, it’s absolutely true, I’ve verified time and time and time again: these people talk to each other.  If you go to seminars or conventions on an annual basis, your marketplace is ALL there, they’re all talking to each other, and they’re all trying to pick each other’s brains on who’s the best at what, including insurance. I’ve done trade shows for years in particular niche markets.

When you’re the go-to person, you’re the one they’re talking about, and you’re the only one that they’re talking about, and all of a sudden, as Michael Gladwell, the author, so aptly put it in his book The Tipping Point, “Pretty soon, the paradigm has shifted in your favor.”  You become the one, you become the ONLY ONE, and all of a sudden that entire marketplace wants to do business with nobody else but YOU.

Now let me warn you, this does not happen overnight, it takes a lot of persistence.

You must know the marketplaceWhat keeps them up at night?

Good luck, make a difference and be unstoppable!

Claim your 3 Free Gifts today at www.UnstoppableProfitProducer.com.  If you are ready to take charge of your future, call us today. 800-770-9984 or email us at [email protected] .  Don’t wait… Limited Space Available!!!

Finally, He Was Listening…

I was having a conversation recently with one of our kids who works at a school, we were discussing their marketing program. Note that the school is a private school, so they’re responsible for bringing in new students into the school.

He was talking about one of the recent marketing programs that they tried that was not real successful, and after asking a couple of questions, I quickly determined that they were trying to send the wrong message to their target market, and it caused me to think that I need to make sure that everyone has a crystal clear understanding of the “Three Ms”.

The first M stands for Marketplace – Who is your market place? What do they think about? What are they looking for? What might be the pain in that particular marketplace you can satisfy? What wakes them up in a cold sweat at 3:01a.m.? Until you know the answers to these questions, you can’t send a message to that market place nor can you create a media to send that message. So, the answer to the first M is to know everything that needs to be known about your marketplace.

The second M stands for Message –  Again, what message are you going to be sending to your particular marketplace? Will that message satisfy and solve a current pain that they might have? What’s going on in the marketplace? Are things changing constantly? Is your message going to answer that question that silently playing in their mind consistently? When you come up with the right message to match your market place, you’re well on your way to maximum ROI.

The third M stands for Media –  Okay, so you’ve identified your marketplace, you’ve learned about what’s going on in that particular marketplace, you’ve created the perfect message that is going to match the pain in your marketplace. So what media are you going use to deliver your message? A postcard, a letter, a priority mail package, a silver platter? What will be the attention getting device that will get your message read? And more importantly, what will cause them to ACT?

It’s not easy…. but nothing good in life is.

And that’s not all – More Intimate Details That Will Answer Every Question Above The 3 M’s
press this link >>>> http://bit.ly/f7USoE right NOW!

Stay Tuned –  71 More Insider Secrets To Be Revealed….. until then, Make a Difference, Be Unstoppable, and Leave No Regrets.

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