The Preeminent Producer Podcast
Discover how to become a Preeminent Producer in the commercial insurance industry with The Preeminent Producer Podcast! Join the Preeminent Coaches as they dive deep into the world of commercial insurance and discuss the strategies and tactics needed to stand out from the competition and grow a successful book of business. From marketing tips, prospecting, commercial insurance producer sales training and so much more. You’ll get the knowledge and insights needed to build a lasting and fulfilling career in the commercial insurance world. You will learn how to get unstuck and earn a game changing increase in income.Tune in now for the latest episode of The Preeminent Producer Podcast!
The Preeminent Producer Podcast
Strategic Communication: Texting Vs. Calling
Which is better when it comes to communicating with your prospects and clients... Texting or calling?
That is what our coaches are discussing in this episode of The Preeminent Producer Podcast.
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Are you a commercial insurance producer struggling to stand out from the competition? Do you find it challenging to grow your book of business and create a fulfilling career?
Then welcome to The Preeminent Producer Podcast! Each week, we'll be tackling important topics, sharing proven strategies and insights from successful producers that are in the trenches and have traveled the journey to becoming a Preeminent Producer.
You'll discover what it really takes to become Preeminent & build your book of business, in a way that isn’t being taught anywhere else. Our hosts are experts in the field and have built thriving businesses by becoming the most trusted adviser to their clients. Welcome to your journey to becoming a Preeminent Producer.
Let’s dive in!
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In today's day and age, where technology rules, what are the rules when it comes to strategic communication with our prospects and customers? That's what we're talking about in today's episode of the Pre-Imagant Producer Podcast, where we pick up where I have just asked the coaches specifically when it comes to communication, when should I text message? When should I call? When should it be an in-person meeting? Because, you think about it, today's day and age, everyone wants to just text message and, depending on what age group you fall in, some of you may say text messaging is completely bad. Others will say no, it's the thing to do. That's what the coaches are going to tackle in today's episode of the Pre-Imagant Producer Podcast. Let's dive in.
Speaker 2:Each week, we'll be tackling important topics, sharing proven strategies and insights from successful producers that are in the trenches and have traveled the journey to becoming a preeminent producer. You'll discover what it will take to become preeminent and build your book of business in a way that isn't being taught anywhere else. Our hosts are experts in the field and have built thriving businesses by becoming the most trusted advisor to their clients. Welcome to your journey to becoming a preeminent producer. Let's dive in.
Speaker 3:Well, what a great question. And this is going to be a fun podcast for a couple of reasons. Number one by design. We don't get these questions until just before the podcast to make them a little more extemporaneous, to make them more just off the cuff and end. From our experiences and you can imagine if you're a young producer watching this podcast and you're talking about how to communicate with people, how to reach out to your prospects and your clients, you're not going to be surprised that I'm going to say you need to do it in person.
Speaker 3:This technology that we have today is not conducive to the way I was selling insurance. The way I sell insurance now. It sort of sounds like back when I was a youngster. We didn't do that and that's kind of what it is. We're living in a changing world and I understand that. I know that it is. I'm being drugged through that world and you are too. You're being drugged back by guys like me and I'm being drug forward by guys and gals like you, and that's okay.
Speaker 3:I do feel and I'll give you my two cents worth and I know Matt will do the same thing that I've said all the time that I think it's very difficult to create a relationship over video. I think you can maintain one, but I think it's a little more difficult to create a new relationship. I also talk all the time that relationships trump everything. I've retained clients based on long term relationships, not on video calls and not on lowest premiums, but handshakes, knowing their business, walking the aisles of their warehouses, getting dirty, having lunch, pressing the flesh, as we used to call it, shaking hands and building a strong relationship not only with the principle of the company but with the other key members that are decision makers or influencers.
Speaker 3:And again, I think that's very difficult to do in this modern day and age. It's sort of like if I get an email from somebody, I will, of course, email them back. We still do lots and lots of emails and text messages, but if it's important, and certainly if I have bad news or even good news, I need to do that in person. I need to strengthen that relationship. I need to not be afraid to deliver bad news to a client. They deserve that and that's kind of the way I feel about this. So I don't know, it's kind of a way I feel. Matt, what do you think?
Speaker 4:It really is a good question because it's a real phenomenon. It's really, things have really changed with technology and communications. In some ways for the better, I think, but in many ways not. And some of this, I think, really my observation is that some of this really accelerated with the advent of COVID three years ago or whatever it was right. All of a sudden, you know, I found clients that told me no, don't come out here. And some of that hasn't changed. You know, they've gotten used to communicating more, of course, by email rather than in person and texting For me.
Speaker 4:Anyway, more and more of my clients text me because it's so instantaneous and whatnot, and there's part of me that says maybe I shouldn't fight it. This is the way they want to do it. But I always try to make myself available, you know, but I guess in some cases I'm careful not to force myself upon them. You know, to come out in person, but I don't think overall that that's a good thing, you know, because I think you do lose that relationship building that you were talking about. You know, rick, and that kind of dovetails into a comment that I wanted to make, which, with any change, there's often opportunity, if you can find it and something we talk about on these podcasts and then our preeminent producer coaching program for our members and whatnot.
Speaker 4:We're always talking about differentiating differentiating in ways that are meaningful to that insurance buyer or prospect or client, and to the extent that we can break out of this kind of faceless whatever communication syndrome excuse me that we're in with the texting and the emails, the non-personalized stuff to the extent we can break out of that successfully, I think we differentiate ourselves. So that's kind of the key opportunity. You know that, I see. But I'm curious, rick, have you had experience the same thing with? I mean, I've actually had clients that have said, even though the renewals coming up and we're going to do our regular meetings and stuff said no, no, don't come out, just send it to me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, absolutely. There are a couple of things that you said, matt, I think, that are right on. And the other thing that we all need to remember older guys, as well as read the room, ask the question to the client how do you want to be, how do you want our communications to be? And that's after we have them. As a client or even as a prospect, I don't do that with a prospect as much as I do with a client. Now that you're a client of ours, how is the best way to communicate with you?
Speaker 3:Because I think, matt, if I'm delivering news, I'm only delivering numbers, you know. And then I just like everybody else in the world and you know, we talk a lot about obtaining clients through broker of record letters, bors. That's done by demonstrating our ability to be different, that's, finding out what they are not getting now that's important to them and being able to provide that service. Otherwise, I'm sending them a proposal and I might even not be sending it to the decision-maker. I may be sending it to somebody else and I've said to somebody else I won't do that. You're not going to be my presenter. I can do a much better job of presenting than you can, because the principal is going to give you three minutes to propose something that's critically important.
Speaker 4:Yeah, absolutely a couple of things you brought up there Just want to kind of highlight great idea at the beginning of that relationship with the prospect to establish how they want to communicate. You know, let's find out their expectation and meet it. You know, Bad news you brought up a couple of minutes ago Something I learned really early on. I've shared the story before, I think. But the bottom line is I learned very early on in my producing career when you've got some bad news, just deal with it immediately and communicate it immediately to the client. You know, they believe it or not, they appreciate that, even though we might want to kind of avoid that, naturally. And then, Paul, either you or Rick, one of you guys brought up that thing and I don't want to harp on it because it's been kind of beat to death, but I just want to comment on it briefly. There is an age difference, a generation difference that I think we have to recognize. I mean, guys like Rick and I, you know we were around when the fax machine, they invented fire.
Speaker 3:I think yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:And then the wheel shortly thereafter.
Speaker 4:Exactly those were great days. Yeah, I remember when the fax machine came out and this was like miraculous, right. That might, that just might have been the tiny little slow start of this change in communication vis-à-vis technology, you know. But I guess my only comment being okay, look, you know, obviously I'm in my 60s. I've been doing this for 40 plus years and it's changed a lot during that time. If I'm dealing with a prospect or a client who's in their 20s or 30s, yeah, they may have slightly different expectations and really they I don't know they may not want to see me, you know, face-to-face, four times a year. So you know that's the case. If we can establish that at the start of the relationship, I think that's really good advice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that's important and I wrote down something here that then I've had experience with and you know talked about age. I'm only 35 years old, so look what this industry has done to me. I mean, it's ravaged, my beard it's gray and my hair is gray and I got bags under my eyes. I've been doing this for a very long time. I've got a neighbor of mine who is a retired surgeon. He lives part of the time in Ohio and then part of the time here in Arizona and Dick is 84 years old. He walks trails every day. He could hike me under the earth. He's just a very physically and mentally fit guy.
Speaker 3:We're sitting around with a bunch of women in our backyard having a glass of wine one night and Dick said, the first thing I do when I talk to a patient is put my hands on them, put a hand on them and everybody go. Oh my God, you know. And I go back to sitting in a dentist chair having some oral surgery and I happen to know the dentist, but not personally, not doing really well, and I'm sitting there and I'm really really nervous and I'm not even sure. I just kind of you know, I was waiting for the nitrous oxide, quite frankly. And the guy walks in and he puts his hand on my shoulder and he said Rick, this is going to be a piece of cake, buddy. I said, really, he goes, yeah, and he's tapping me on the shoulder. He said this is not going to be a problem, this isn't going to take me very long. And that physical touch and I know in this day and age that's a whole different arena. I'm not wanting you to physically touch your client and we can do a whole webinar on where that's going to take you. But the idea of personal connection is what it is and that's what our surgeon buddy is telling me that there is a personal connection here that we can't get.
Speaker 3:Imagine having something really important wrong with you and you're sitting in front of your doctor on a video screen and she can't see what you're really talking about. And we're sort of business doctors. We provide that oil that makes industry go. If you've got a $20 million building you're not thinking about, I wonder if I should ensure this thing. If you've got $20 million well, I've said this before if you've got $20 million in the bank, first of all, you're not watching this video, you're out on your yacht someplace. But if you do have $20 million in the bank and you were considering investing it, there's no way you're going to invest those kind of assets without the product that we deliver, which is insurance. We're going to make you want to risk that asset and grow it and nothing is going to happen to it while it's insured. That we know we cover and there are obviously some exclusions there, but we make it safe to invest money.
Speaker 3:So we are very, very important people in the lives of people's businesses and as producers as preeminent producers you really need to understand. You're not a vendor, you're not somebody that delivers janitorial supplies. You are not somebody who just is passing through and I've said this a lot too. They will probably, on good-sized businesses, spend more money with you than they do their lawyer and their accountant probably put together, unless they've had some catastrophic thing happen. You're critically important to the success of a business.
Speaker 4:Yeah Well, yeah, that last point, that's very true, and I've often thought that if a CPA makes within reason, makes a certain mistake, it may not be that big a deal. If we make a mistake, it can be a pretty big deal. The assets that they're trying to protect can really be exposed. So that's one of the mindsets we talk about in our coaching program, mindsets from time to time, and that is one of the mindsets that we think producers need to have, that is, hey, every bit is important.
Speaker 4:As the most trusted counselors to this particular business and I wanted to comment really quick by the way, during our coaching program and I'm sure Rick and Christian, who's not here today, do the same thing I'm always picking up little tidbits from the other guys and from our members who share information, and one of the tidbits I jotted down but then I had to cross it off when you sort of retracted it, rick, was putting your hands on the people. First I thought, hey, that's a great idea, but maybe that doesn't work with an insurance producing quite like it would with a dentist.
Speaker 3:But that's a great story, I mean he sounds well, it is, but I could say that that's probably an entirely different podcast. Just what happens after you put your hands all over somebody. That's a possibility, but yeah, yeah, that's the real deal.
Speaker 4:One quick thing I wanted to comment on is and this is probably universal to all of us insurance guys I'm always concerned about, I'm a little paranoid about it Am I really keeping in touch with my current clients the way I should be? Now, just share a quick story with you guys. It doesn't have to be that difficult. Quick story. Had a client once called me up and say, matt, you know what I just wanted to let you know. I really appreciate the way that you call me from time to time. I typically do it with most of my clients and he shared with me.
Speaker 4:What impressed me is that sometimes you call me and you tell me you don't have any particular reason really for calling other than just say hi and how's it going. You know he said I really appreciate that, you know. So I guess my point is it can be that simple. Just, you know, amongst your other communications with your clientele, once or twice a year call them up and just say, hey, bob. You know, matt, hey, I'm just wondering. No real reason for my call. I just kind of wondered how's it going. And you know, like a former partner of mine told me once, when you ask that kind of question and you let them respond. Sometimes it's interesting what you'll find out. Well, I'm starting a new now. I'm, you know, a manufacturer mountain bikes in addition to my barber shop, or whatever you know. Sometimes you find out stuff that's important, but it can make an impression and it can be just that simple.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Matt, you something else in, without getting too too much longer in this thing. You know you talk about being different, which we talk about a lot on here, and being different is very, very important not being a part of the herd. And you know, if you're sitting there, you're a young man or young woman who's a producer, and you're 25, 28 years old, or 35, 38 years old, whatever you are, and you go. Well, these guys are crazy. I mean, my world is a digital world now. We live in emails, texts, all of this kind of stuff. We live in LinkedIn. We communicate this way. What are these dinosaurs talking about?
Speaker 3:Well, the idea here, then, is be different. Don't live in that world. Set yourself apart from the other people your age group of your profession, and do it old school even to other people your age. It will set you apart in a different way, and I don't think it's going to be a negative way. It's a very positive way. A good friend of mine is a young realtor. He's only been in the business for a few years, he is very old school and he is setting sales records. I get handwritten thank you notes. Who does that anymore? Especially if you're a young professional? I get phone calls all of the time from him. He stands out in a very different way, and he does this not only to his older clients, but he does it to his new and younger clients too. He is different in very positive ways.
Speaker 1:All right, I hope you enjoyed that. I hope it was thought provoking. In how you are currently communicating with your clients as well as prospects. I think the biggest takeaway hearing that is it really comes down to knowing who you are talking with. If that prospect or that client is all about text messaging and they're gonna get annoyed by a phone call, you gotta know that. But if you don't know that, is it better to err on the side of caution and just pick up the phone, Know who you're talking with and be strategic in your communication. And this is all just another stepping stone in the journey of becoming a preeminent producer. If you enjoyed that, I'd appreciate you. Like subscribe. Leave a comment, leave a review. Let us know how we're doing and any topics that you would love to hear about in upcoming episodes. And until next time, guys, we'll see you in the next episode of the Preeminent Producer Podcast.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much for joining us on this episode of the Preeminent Producer Podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to subscribe, rate and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. That helps others find the show and we greatly appreciate it. Once again, thanks for joining us and we'll catch you in the next episode of the Preeminent Producer Podcast. Огрouping serpot of a few moments in action算TheFedcast.