Agency Management Systems (known as AMS) are among the most useful software tools an agency can take on. An AMS is similar to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software except that they can handle a deeper level of automation.

Agency Management Systems are pieces of software that function as an automation system for an agency at every level. AMS can be customized to function as a system for either life and health insurance agencies or casualty and property-based agencies.

If you've never heard of an AMS, you might be missing out on a major tool you could use to expand and streamline your agency business. Read on to learn more about agency management systems and how to choose one for your agency.

When you think of scaling insurance what comes to mind? You have built this great business but you want to add more value to your business. When you own your insurance agency, you know that as an entrepreneur you have to stay on top of things regarding your business.

You have to make sure the needs of your customers are met, which means the more value you have to offer your customers, the more customers you will get signed with your insurance agency. So what does it all mean and how do you go about scaling your insurance agency and building a great business?

As an insurance agent, you are probably used to having a busy schedule, and effective time management is a must to live a balanced lifestyle. However, time management is not quite as simple as filling out your calendar. Making the most of your days requires strategic planning and prioritization.

If you are an insurance agent who feels overwhelmed by your fast-paced lifestyle, you are not alone. Whether you specialize in service or sales, there are some distinctive strategies you can use to keep your days balanced and maximize your productiveness. Keep reading for some tips and tools to manage your time as an insurance agent.

New insurance agents need to understand what it takes to succeed in the insurance sector. An insurance agent can find success when they set reasonable expectations, develop a robust support system, and focus on putting their customers' needs above their own.

It is estimated that new insurance agents experience a 30% to 50% success rate, with this figure gradually dropping over time. The rate can vary depending on various factors, including the amount of training the agent receives, mentorship available, and the agent’s overall outlook.

Insurance can be a lucrative career path, but you must be willing to put in the hard work to get there. Training, networking, and the never-ending desire to deliver good service are critical factors that can impact an insurance agent's success rate.

The telemarketing industry has become a whole new playing field, especially for insurance agents, due to the rise and integration of mobile phones into our daily lives. What was once simply cold calling different home phones has evolved into a strategic, procedural approach where the agent has a clear goal that they want to achieve through their customer. Your specific approach will depend on your own company policies, but the general ideas will remain similar.

Telemarketing, as an insurance agent, will be different than in other contexts, but these tips will help guide you in almost all situations:

Stay focused and keep your goal in mind

Make sure to get the required information while in conversation

Use a guiding script

Prepare beforehand

No matter the type of business you are in, digital marketing has to be implemented to ensure your business adapts to the ever changing market. Billboards and fliers are on the outs, and social media and digital marketing is king. If done properly, your insurance agency can substantially increase revenues and change the trajectory of your business.

When using social media marketing for insurance agencies, there must be a clear plan of attack. To adequately utilize social media, you want to identify the goal(s) of the business with your marketing, pinpoint your customer base, outline which platforms your agency will benefit the most from, and ensure you have the right people and tools to execute the marketing plan.

Even if you don’t have an extensive marketing budget, there are still endless ways to use social media platforms to expand the growth of your business. With the average consumer spending at least 2 hours per day on social media, getting your brand on as many platforms as possible will help increase the chances of scaling your agency.

Insurance leads are connections that have the potential to turn into sales. While all insurance agents know that generating leads is an essential element of running a successful business, few know how to nurture those leads throughout the buying process. What is insurance lead nurturing, and how can you use it successfully in your insurance agency?

Insurance lead nurturing is the management of a lead along their journey from new lead to repeat customer. It is essentially the process of building a relationship with a lead during their search for an insurance policy. The following breakdown will examine lead nurturing and explore the most successful tips for developing relationships with leads and converting them into sales.

Everybody knows that a strong Instagram presence is a crucial aspect of effective business in this modern era, but few know how to effectively leverage their accounts to get the most out of them. Insurance agents in particular are less likely to have an Instagram account to market their services, but there are several reasons why you should.

If you are an insurance agent looking to make a splash in the world of Instagram marketing, the following guide will definitely help you make your Instagram efforts worthwhile.

There are many advantages to working from home. If you are looking to take advantage of this new trend by selling property and casualty insurance from your own home, there are certainly many avenues available to you.

No matter what is going on globally, there is always a need for many people to shore up their own insurance needs. Instead of meeting face-to-face, it is now possible to demonstrate and sell virtually any type of P&C insurance policy without even needing to see the client in a traditional fashion. Continue reading to enhance your efforts to sell P&C insurance right from the comfort of your own home.

If you want to create the perfect onboarding process for insurance agents today, then innovation must be at the center of the process. This will allow everyone involved to take advantage of the digital tools now available in the insurance industry. It also streamlines the process and allows everyone to get started more quickly.

Innovation is the key to perfecting the onboarding process for insurance agents. Personal interaction with clients is critical to success. However, innovation is increasingly necessary to do the behind the scenes work that gets quotes and policies into the hands of the people who need them the most.

Moving insurance agents into the digital realm during the onboarding process requires a focused approach that puts everyone on the same page. Continue reading to learn the steps involved in creating the perfect onboarding process for insurance agents.

An insurance agency is only as good as the agents it hires, and without quality agents to connect with consumers, the company's overall success is at risk. Therefore, it is crucial to hire the most skilled, qualified, and personable agents for your company. To do this, you need to know exactly where to find them and what to look for.

When looking for new insurance agents to hire, the best places to look are within your community or on social media and hiring websites. Make sure that you extensively adversitize the position and that employees and key clients are aware that you're hiring. Look for an ambitious individual that is personable but listens, and offer them a competitive wage.

Read on to learn how to hire insurance agents for your company who will positively benefit your team and business. We'll discuss where to start looking for these exceptional individuals, what qualities and qualifications they need, and what your company can do to entice potential hires to join your team.

With the rise in influential internet spheres, like social media, many insurance companies forget the benefits of using direct mail to increase their leads. Although technological forms of marketing are highly successful, direct mail can be just as effective because it physically impacts potential consumers to increase business.

To ensure you don't miss out on this important marketing tactic, we'll show you the complete process of how to get more insurance leads using direct mail. If done successfully, you'll see a substantial increase in clientele, and you'll have several tools you can use routinely to ensure this trend continues.

Launching a new insurance agency can be many things, but mainly exciting and overwhelming. Exciting—because trying new things and creating a business can help stretch our creative muscles and has so much potential for growth and change in our personal lives and finances. Overwhelming—because it takes a solid marketing plan to succeed—that’s more than just throwing up a website.

So, creating an insurance agency is no different than any other business; it will require a strong marketing (or advertising) plan that draws in customers, makes them feel seen and heard, and leaves them satisfied with the good or service you have provided. Below, we’ll cover some things you should keep in mind to create a good marketing plan for your new insurance agency, as well as how to maintain that plan and adjust—as needed—along the way.

Insurance agencies, like any other business, need to market their business to their potential customers. The goal is to spread awareness of your products and services so that consumers will seek you out to meet their insurance needs.

In this complete guide to digital marketing for insurance agencies, we look at the many advantages of digital marketing compared to traditional marketing. Then, we discuss a plethora of different digital marketing techniques and strategies.

So, if you want to learn about customer avatars, email marketing, SEO, and a host of other digital marketing tactics, as well as the benefits of digital insurance marketing, read on.

When it comes to expanding your influence as an insurance agent, referrals are among the most effective and cheap options available. You always want clients to leave with such an exceptional experience that they can't help but refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues. However, sometimes they need a little push to do so, which leaves agents wondering if gifts are the perfect form of incentive.

In most states, a gift provided by an insurer, agent, or broker directly violates anti-rebating laws. However, many make exceptions for referrals using referral fees as long as the gift and its value align with the state legislature and do not discount or affect a client's policy. Common referral gifts include gift cards, cash, and event tickets.

Read on to learn more about the legality surrounding agencies providing gifts in exchange for referrals as well as how this is affected by anti-rebating laws on a state level.

As an insurance agent, your customers are your lifeblood. Advertising is a fantastic way of reaching out to your customer base and drawing in new leads. Without it, the growth of your insurance business can be hampered severely. However, many states and companies have strict rules on advertising. Can insurance agents advertise themselves?

While insurance agents can advertise themselves to their potential customers, it is critical that any advertisement follows the strict guidelines provided by the state and their parent company. If an ad is found to have misleading wording or information, an insurance agent can find themselves facing questions from a number of sources.

Auto insurance leads are the lifeblood of the insurance agency. Without them, you simply don't gain enough exposure to bring in new customers. In today's digitally-minded world, it can be tough to generate reliable leads.

You can generate auto insurance leads for yourself through advertisements online, social media, or television. Alternatively, you can circumvent the tough legwork by directly purchasing leads from a third-party vendor who generates auto insurance leads for you.

You'll learn below why it's a good idea to purchase reliable leads from a third-party vendor. This not only helps in terms of advertising costs, but it also can provide you with the software necessary to keep track of all your potential leads and current customers.

Sales is about so much more than just closing a deal, and there are many technological solutions out there to help you not just make that sale but to foster relationships that will yield long-term benefits for both you and your clients. Currently, two of the most popular options out there are agency management systems and customer relationship management (CRM) software.

The difference between agency management systems and CRM lies in the functionality. Agency management systems are a type of CRM but gives you a deeper dive into more than just sales. It helps you organize your total business. Which is better depends on what you want to do with this tool.

When using internet leads in the insurance industry, it is important to find the right lead provider. Understanding how your lead provider obtains information on leads can be beneficial for you to generate the revenue goals you set. The best way to know if your lead provider is working for you is to track your closing ratios.

Being an insurance agent can be a hard task. There is a very fine line between making your customer annoyed by your persistence and using it to get things done. Obviously, you do not want to be an agent who annoys their customers to profit off them. To be a good insurance agent, you should mix several professions inside of you. You are a financial advisor, you are a caring friend, you are a great salesperson and sometimes even a good actor.

If that sounds scary - toss that feeling away. Agents have a lot of aces up their sleeves to use their persistence and hard work to find a perfect balance between them and their clients. Here are 22 advanced techniques that will help you boost your business to a new level.