Marketing is always a smart investment in your business. Relying on the carrier for leads is a bad idea. They are given to you as a token of appreciation to keep selling that product, not for supporting your monthly sales goals. Sitting back and waiting on leads from others is like dying a slow death in the sales world. You need to generate your own leads.
The three key words to success are consistency, creativity, and self-motivation.
Consistency
People trust a name or a face they recognize. That means you are a brand and should advertise for brand recognition. Statistics show that multiple marketing touches (for example, postcards or ads) increase your ability to capture a lead. You'll have to try a few different marketing tools over time to find out what is the most successful for you. Don't limit yourself marketing duration, too many campaigns are stopped before they have a chance to gain traction.
Creativity
Personal touches make you unforgettable and irreplaceable. It can be as simple as changing your voicemail every day with a special message, or as complex as creating an organized folder with personalized, valuable information for each of your clients. These things increase your retention by building relationships. In the Medicare industry, we say that you should contact each client at least twice a year reminding them who they can come to with their needs. Be their source of knowledge, and the sale will follow.
Self-motivation
Congratulations. You are an entrepreneur and living the dream with a career without someone telling you what to do or when you can go on vacation. On the other hand, even if you are a driven person this presents some real challenges, especially when it comes to self-awareness and appreciation. You do not have someone there to tell you that you could have handled this better, or that you did a fantastic job.
That's why it's extra important to set goals and reward yourself. It may sound silly, but everyone likes to hear when they do a good job. It keeps you motivated and pushes you to strive for more. People also thrive on constructive criticism, without which we cannot improve. For example, maybe you dislike making cold calls, so you set up a specific time one day a week to do them then reward yourself afterwards. The task will seem more pleasant because you have something to look forward to.
You can take it one step further and follow-up with your clients after a meeting and ask for their feedback. This gives you another touch with your client and gives you the opportunity to receive a testimonial or referral.
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