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Welcome to the Wallace Johnson School of Insurance Agentry

Every week, refugees from the ranks of the gainfully unemployed enter into the hallowed halls of the Wallace Johnson* Insurance Schools (motto: We train America's finest insurance agents . . . and anyone with $185.)

Upon graduation, the school spews forth freshly indoctrinated agents like a dry heaving sailor after a Tijuana furlough.

The conversion from meandering civilian to insurance agent takes exactly one week. If you've ever seen a grub worm enter a cocoon and emerge transformed into a beautiful butterfly, it's kind of like that.

Except in reverse.

The problem with the insurance industry is that it's way too easy to enter. The lure of quick wealth draws people with no real aptitude for the service.

Where is the love?

The newly minted agents are embraced by the general public with an enthusiastic welcome generally reserved for flesh eating bacteria.

You'll hardly ever hear the phrases,
"Oh, you're an insurance agent?"
and
"Come over here and sit next to me,"
uttered in sequence.

My sources tell me that over 95% of these graduates will leave the insurance field within 5 years. They'll grumble that it's impossible to make a living and that it's too competitive.

They quickly realize that everyone sells about the same products for about the same prices. They'll say that there's no difference between agents.

They're absolutely right. And they're absolutely wrong.

There will be a few, and I mean very few, who break away from the pack and become six and seven figure earners.

Those will be the agents who invest in large Yellow Page advertisements, right?

Well, not exactly.

Successful agents master a system for generating referral business. They do everything in their power to be top of mind when someone thinks about insurance.

These top performers will send cards, notes, and newsletters. They'll hold seminars, speak to groups, and become actively involved in civic organizations.

They'll ask for referrals and then treat them as if they were gold. The top agents generate most of their own business without relying on the insurance company's marketing.

So where does Yellow Pages advertising fit in?

I thought you'd never ask.

When a shopper receives a personal referral, they often turn to the telephone directory for the number.

WARNING: A business that has a presence in the telephone directory that is inconsistent with their reputation undermines their referral business. That's because customer's expectations are not met. This causes confusion and doubt.

The smart marketer knows that every step along the process of building a strong referral business is important. Using the Yellow Pages is a critical decision point where the prospect decides who to call.

Here are three tips for high referral businesses:

1. Make certain that the business has listings under every likely name a customer might use.
   - - Oprah Winfrey
   - - Winfrey, Oprah
   - - Harpo Studios
   - - O Magazine
   
   
   
   
2. The ads should be consistent with the business's image. For example, an agent wanting to sell insurance to small businesses should not also promote "cheap auto rates for convicted felons."
   
   

   I think "Ed" has been winding the springs a little too tightly.

3. High referral businesses benefit from having a featured presentation in the white (alphabetical) pages. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of White Pages ads, but with high referral businesses, they usually pay off.
   
   Remember: Half of the population has below average alphabetization skills, eyesight, and English skills. Make it easy for these customers to find you.
   
   
   
   * * * BONUS * * *
   
   
4. Check every Internet Yellow Pages to make sure your name is properly listed. Even if you do not have an online advertisement, it's important to know that the people searching by name will find you.
   
   
5. Make sure all possible combinations of your name (including misspellings) are on your website. The search engines will find it and keep it in the index. One of my websites receives a constant flow of visitors because I put a commonly misspelled word on the page, and that's what they type into the search engine.
   
   

   Remember: Half of the population has below average alphabetization skills, eyesight, and English skills.

   
   
   

   Bottom line: If a referred customer is looking for your business in the Yellow Pages or through a search engine, and you aren't easily found, you're effectively generating word-of-mouth leads for your competition.

   
   
   * The name has been changed to protect the, er, um, innocent? Real school, fictional name.