Cross Marketing
Here's Your Wake Up Call
by
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Marketing insurance products in the next ten years will present new challenges for the property/casualty, institutional, and independent life agent. Retail agents in all disciplines must understand the evolution of insurance marketing and distribution. Many agents think the challenge is to survive; I think the challenge is to thrive. Mere survival may be acceptable for many, but those at the head of the pack will realize the rewards of evolutionary success, and they will thrive!
This book is not necessarily a “how to” manual of contemporary selling and marketing strategies. It is intended to be a thought-provoking chronology of our evolution from the late ’70s into 2010 and beyond. We can and should have learned from the past, but so many of us do not fit the final pieces into the puzzle until it’s too late. The beauty in a puzzle is that once you’ve constructed the outline, the pieces don’t necessarily have to be put together in any special order. They just have to eventually all fit together.
Although hindsight may be 20/20, trends and business functions are cyclical. If the P/C market is hard, it’s only a matter of time until it again softens. At this writing, things are very soft and getting softer. What goes down must go back up, and vice versa. Profit margins are under immense pressure, consolidation is rampant, costs are being shifted from company to agency, and commissions and contingencies are being slashed. To some, these challenges may seem ominous, requiring a herculean effort to recover. To others, these facts present an exciting opportunity. They see an opportunity to grow and meld the proven methods of insurance sales and services with the technologies of today and tomorrow.
Those of you from the property/casualty persuasion have surely heard, time and time again, the insurance company study directly relating the number of lines sold to customer loyalty and retention. The same study also applies to institutional agents. If the customer only purchased one line of coverage, most of them will be prone to investigate the competitive marketplace on a regular basis. Lock in more lines, and your retention percentage increases.
Initiating a “call to action” is the essence of this book. Front and center, this is your wake up call!
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About the Book
“Cross-Marketing: Here’s Your Wake up Call,” follows the career of Marlin R. Bollinger, a successful “company man gone independent,” and departs the wisdom he gained along the way. The book reveals proven business and marketing strategies for both financial services agents and property casualty agents. Its direct approach encourages readers to first understand the financial services history and then to see its future potential. This book is the wakeup call for agents looking to build their agencies through cross-marketing diversification.
About the Author
Marlin boasts a distinguished career in the insurance industry with myriad accomplishments. He formed The Bollinger Group after spending over 25 years as a producer, manager, consultant, and corporate officer in the insurance business. His most recent industry position, Senior Life Sales Vice President for a major insurance company, provided Marlin with a unique understanding of the brokerage community.
Marlin is credited with the development of numerous programs to enhance the marketing opportunities for his firm’s agency force as well as field marketers. He has also contributed to the success of several programs in a consulting capacity. Among his many marketing accomplishments, Marlin assisted in the development of Center Source, a program specifically for property casualty agencies looking to expand their services, increase their revenues and better serve their clients. While the Center Source program assists selected high potential property casualty agencies in establishing their own financial services facility through the use of a focused package of home office resources and discipline supported by qualified field management, his proven Alliance Program expands upon the principles of Center Source and provides cross selling marketing systems for property casualty agencies, consisting of a series of modules for agencies at every level of sophistication.