Today's tough economy might seem like a big obstacle in your prospecting attempts. There is no doubt that, in the wake of the recent housing and financial crises, rising gas prices, and widespread job cuts, consumers across America are concerned and uncertain. You can, however, turn the current economic situation on its head by using it to give consumers a reason for purchasing supplemental coverage — and by using the Internet to help target potential clients, you can position yourself for success.
Use the economy to your advantage
In today's challenging economic climate, many people are living paycheck to paycheck without much or any savings to provide a cushion. In the past, savings accounts frequently provided individuals or families with asset protection and financial support for lost income in the event of an illness, accident, or even death. When talking with your prospects, it's important to let them know that many people today are actually purchasing supplemental insurance coverage because of the bad economy, not in spite of it. You can tell them that, now more than ever, consumers need the safety net that insurance policies can provide.
Internet 101
For agents prospecting in this tough economy, the Internet is an effective add-on to more traditional prospecting methods, such as referrals and networking. By using the Internet, you can help supplement these activities by obtaining information on businesses within a specific industry or geographic area you wish to target.
Agents prospecting for specific business types can use search engines such as Google and YellowPages.com to create a list of targets per region. For example, if you market your products and services to auto mechanics, construction companies, and trucking firms, it's as simple as going to the site, typing in "auto mechanics" and the town or region, and watching a list of potential prospects pop up.
If you are new to a geographical region, chamber of commerce sites or Web pages developed by individual communities can also be used to learn more about the types of businesses clustered in the towns within your territory.
To add to what you find on the Internet, you can also build your prospect base by simply driving through the territory to collect the names of small businesses that might not advertise much. This information can easily be used to further develop your database.
