Lost in the Gloss
Oct. 24, 2019
As an agent, it\’s not always about what is working, but more about avoiding what\’s not. I’m sure many of you have heard the old adage “stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This is a pretty blunt perspective, but true nonetheless.
I was meeting with an agent in Missouri last month and I asked what he did to market his agency? He told me that once a month he sends out a high gloss postcard promoting his business and Medicare Supplement plans. My next question to him was, \”How much business
are you getting from these postcard mailings?\” He reluctantly responded, saying that to his knowledge he\’d never made a sale from his postcard mailings. Not one. So, I asked why he continued sending them out. His answer was that he felt at some point they would return some business to him…
Ok, so I applaud his willingness to invest in his business. If you aren\’t putting yourself out there you will never get your phone to ring. With that being said, every product has a different audience and requires a different delivery to market it. Keep this in mind, everyone who is turning 65 gets a mountain of bulk mail, including high gloss postcards, telling them how great a particular Medicare company or product is.
Eventually, people just stop looking at any mail that resembles a Medicare pitch, which means you\’ll be fighting an uphill battle collecting clients with postcards. In this case, the agent sending the high gloss postcard was one of many. His message and company were getting lost in
the pile of bulk mail; unread. If you want to buy a list and mail to a Medicare demographic, I encourage you to go old school. Do not send out a letter that looks like a computer-generated piece of bulk mail. Instead, send a letter with a handwritten address listed on the envelope. Even if what\’s inside the envelope is identical for every prospect, if the recipient believes they\’ve received a personal letter in the mail they\’re going to open it almost every time.
Take the extra effort and it will pay dividends.
I hope this provides you with at least one idea of how to re-examine your marketing practices.
Find your way to step out from the crowd.