Good news! Jenesis will be exhibiting at the PIANC 2017 Annual Conference in Clemmons, NC on August 16th & 17th. Here is the link if you would like to register. We hope to see you there!

If you are an independent insurance agent, you are probably familiar with the term Agency Management System or CRM. Today, most agencies are using a management system to help manage their day to day activity within the office, but there are some of you who have yet to jump on the agency management system train. Although I would love to tell you all the reasons why you should be using an agency management system, I want to go deeper and talk about why you should be using a system that offers a hosted version.

I work for Jenesis Agency Management System and we just recently decided not to promote our desktop version and focus solely on our hosted version. In the last year, every agency that has signed up with Jenesis has chosen the hosted option and each week we are moving many of our current customers from desktop to hosted. Pretty cool!

There must be reasons why…

• Advantages
  • No need to buy hardware (or a server) – When you purchase a hosted agency management system you do not have to worry about where you are going to host your system. The system’s team will be taking care of that for you. Probably in a large data center somewhere.
  • No need for backup assistance – This goes hand in hand with the bullet above. When your system is hosted, the company is taking care of backing up all your data for you. No need to worry about a tragic loss!
  • You can login from anywhere, anytime – This is a pretty cool point. With a hosted version you do not need to be in your office to access the agency management system. As long as you are somewhere with internet access you are good to go! And if your internet goes out, just link up to your hotspot to continue working.
  • Accessible from your Laptop, Tablet, AND Smartphone – This is my favorite point. How awesome it is to be able to pull your tablet out at a conference or the airport to manage your business without the hassle of a laptop.
  • Faster & automatically updated – Most of the time Hosted versions operate much faster and provide better service. Not to mention your system is automatically updated to the most equipped version over night!
•  Disadvantages
  • Cost extra –  But there could also be cost savings. Confusing, I know. You are saving money on data backup, no expensive server is needed, etc. I listed this as a negative reason as to why someone may not choose to move to Hosted, but I believe that all of my points listed above greatly outweighs this one small disadvantage. We all know you get what you pay for.

In closing, I want to encourage you to explore all of your options when choosing the correct agency management system for your agency. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more than you budgeted for. My advice to you is to always go Hosted. Less worries and better features.

As a sales and marketing representative for a software company that markets to independent insurance agencies, it’s easy for me to know who I should be visiting (insurance agents) and why that’s so important (build rapport with current customers and introduce my product to potential clients). I wanted to take a moment to talk about who you should visit, why you should do it, and to think about the importance of doing it. Let’s talk about visiting in general and how it relates to agency sales and marketing.

This is a great way to show someone you really care. It means more than a phone call and it definitely means more than an email. Building relationships is the ultimate goal here. Visiting your potential clients allows them to put a face with a name and with a particular company. They are more likely to remember you, the one they have met. It is a great way to make a lasting impression. Also, people like to feel important and taking the time out of your day to make them aware that they are a top priority is a great way to be on the top of their list. It also shows that you’re easily accessible if/when they need you. Visits don’t always feel like sales and marketing. It feels like a friendship.

So who are you visiting?

Obviously you can’t visit every client or prospect. Who you visit is up to you. You may choose to build a strong rapport with larger commercial accounts or life insurance customers. While it is important that you visit your current customers and prospects, I also encourage you to focus on other centers of influence such as car dealerships, real estate offices, and mortgage brokers. Stop by and introduce yourself, drop off some business cards and brochures, and maybe consider some goodies. Remember, these places of business talk with your potential client before you do and they just might recommend your agency if they know you well enough.

So why do you not visit as often as you should? And what are you going to do about it?

I think the reason agents aren’t visiting as often as they should has to do with a combination of a few things.

1. Calls are so much more convenient. Visits take a lot more effort and time out of your day. But again, this is what is going to set you apart from the others. You won’t regret taking the time.
2. Visits aren’t easy and can be discouraging and intimidating. Just always remember, during a sales visit your prospect probably doesn’t see a person, they see a product. So don’t take hatefulness or rejection too personally.
3. Getting wrapped up in the day to day operations of the agency can be a distraction. It’s important to set a schedule for when you are going to complete your visits. Make it a priority.

Visiting goes above the “norm” people are used to. So be above the norm.