Using Technology To Establish Yourself As Your Market's Health Insurance Thought Leader
Consumers want to work with the best, especially with something
as valuable as their health insurance. Does your target market
consider you an expert? Do they know you're a thought leader?
Becoming your market's thought leader provides more tools for generating more sales for your business:
You're better able to find the right plan for each prospect-more quickly. Clients are more likely to return to an agent with the right answers. Clients are more likely to refer someone they respect as an expert. When choosing between 2 agents offering the same product, prospects are more likely to choose the person they find more knowledgeable.
Free health insurance newsletters are now all over the Internet. Do a search for health insurance blogs and newsletters, and sign up for the more informative and insightful ones.
But becoming a thought leader doesn't happen overnight. It begins with a commitment to master health insurance sales, as well as understanding how to advertise your expertise.
Elements of Thought Leadership
There's no hidden secret to becoming a thought leader. It starts by understanding the programs and plans you're offering. But your initial licensing and sales training sessions were only the beginning.
Becoming a recognized health insurance expert requires staying on top of industry developments and available programs. This means attending conferences, workshops and presentations, as well as subscribing to informative newsletters and publications.
Does that seem like a lot of work? It is. But when you balance it against the potential for more sales, the benefits are clear. Here are 3 tips for valuable and FREE tools that can help you stay on top of industry news.
Sign up for free online newsletters.
Use a "newsreader."
Google, Yahoo and others offer FREE newsreaders that compile all the articles from various online newsletters and blogs, into a convenient dashboard. Instead of having to go to multiple websites and opening several emails to get your news, you can go to one easy-to-use location and focus on the stories that have impact. Free webinars.
Many service providers and carriers now offer free webinars. You can attend these online presentations from the comfort of your home or office. Some are live, while many are pre-recorded and available on demand. Whether you're trying to improve your sales skills, learn about new programs or try out new marketing tools, these webinars offer a lot of useful information.
It may take a few days or even weeks to ramp up these tools. It may take a little longer to fully digest the continuous stream of information you'll now be getting from various sources.
Here's a fourth tip to tie them all together. Set aside a few hours a week to go through your newsletters. For example, consider scheduling the first 30 minutes of your day to review your newsreader feeds with your first cup of coffee - before the office madness takes full control of your day.
Share Your Knowledge
The next step is sharing your expertise and knowledge with the public. If you don't consider yourself much of a writer, don't panic. Sharing your knowledge can take many forms.
For example, if you're better at public speaking, record video presentations that you can upload to YouTube.com or another video-sharing platform. When you do, make sure to include links to and from your website, so your visitors can quickly find it when needed.
You can also promote and conduct audio-only webinars and conference calls to prospects and clients alike. With a provider such as www.GoToWebinar.com, for example, you can present unlimited webinars for up to 1,000 attendees each - for as little as $79 per month.
Writing Tips
Writing is still one of the best ways to publicize your thought leadership. If you have decent writing skills, make sure to put it to use and begin writing articles about health insurance issues that interest your clients and prospects.
What are those issues? Ask them.
If your writing is a little weak, don't forget that you can always get help. For starters, you can get a proofreader to make sure that your writings make sense and are grammatically correct.
You can also hire a copywriter to turn your notes and ideas into effective essays and articles. You can quickly find both proofreaders and copywriters by going online to www.CraigsList.com.
Also keep in mind that writing doesn't mean you have to write long essays and articles. Many thought leaders have actually taken to using blogs, which are often only two or three paragraphs long.
Document Library
Your articles, essays and recorded webinars need a location that you, your prospects and clients can easily access. For many top producers, that's a big reason for having a professionally designed website.
Websites aren't just ways to advertise on the Internet. They're 24/7 meeting places and libraries for online consumers. By displaying your writings and recorded presentations on your website, you're already way ahead of other agents in establishing your thought leadership credentials.
In addition to your fully functional website, a CRM and lead management system like BrokerOffice also provides an online document library for all your marketing brochures and e-applications. With a few clicks of the mouse, your leads can obtain additional information or take the next step of completing an application.
Long-Term Project
Thought leadership is a long-term commitment to your industry and your clients.
Yes, staying on top of health insurance developments and becoming a recognized expert will bring more referrals and repeat business. But more importantly, sharing your expertise with your clients reinforces your dedication to a long-term relationship with them.
If there's a secret to being a thought leader, this is it. You don't do it just to be the smartest health insurance producer around. You do it because it allows you to provide better, smarter service to your clients.
|
