Time is limited. It's possibly the second most important asset a person has (sandwiched between family, health and money). The paradox is that the more money we make, often, the less time we have. The reverse is true as well. Like many things in life, the trick is to create balance.
Anything you can do in your practice to save time and scale your efforts to reach more potential clients is going to impact your revenue in a positive way. As an entrepreneur, I know you have to wear many hats and be efficient in all of your roles. I want to share some of the tools that we use in hopes they might help you find more balance.
1. A good CRM
A good CRM (client relationship management) tool is essential. Advisors have a platitude of options in this space from well-established (but expensive) solutions like SalesForce to advisor-focused CRM solutions like Kronos and new players like Finaeo. Life Design Analysis has client and policy management features that can help you request your clients and send you notifications on policy opportunities in your block of business. It's a great way to keep your clients in one spot too and create new presentations for them. LDA makes an excellent complement to any existing CRM solution and might be the perfect fit if you don't need calendar or email.
2. An email platform
While CRM solutions are often a good way to automate your messaging and customer notes, you will still likely need an email platform. We use the G Suite of apps from Google but whatever email platform you use, take a look at adding Boomerang, an essential tool to keep the right emails in focus and follow up on opportunity without having it sit on your mind or slip through the cracks. It keeps me as efficient as possible with my email even allowing me to schedule a message for later or follow up if I don't get a response.
3. Social media tools
Social media tools like SocialPilot or Hootsuite are essential for scaling your social media efforts. There are hundreds of other tools in this space as well. It's not really important what tool you pick as long as the features and price fit your needs but what is essential is to have a presence on social media. This is where all the eyeballs are. Social media practices take time and the rewards are not always obvious but trust me, consumers are going to look for you online before they buy from you and the better your online presence, the more likely they are to find and build trust with your brand. Unless you have the budget to hire someone focusing on social media, most of the work will fall on you. Save yourself time and get better results by posting to all social networks at once. Repeat your best content and provide content that your clients would value. This is going to keep you top of mind.
4. Live chat
Live chat is a great way to answer customer questions and concerns and help engage with people browsing your website. We use Zendesk which allows us to answer billing and support related questions. However, if you consider that 88% of people are confused with their insurance options, reaching out to them while they are on your website is a great way to catch new leads and build relationships. If you have admin staff, this is a great way to empower them. It also works on your phone and you can even have an autoresponder answer message you can't get right away.
5. A website (with retargeting)
This one is obvious. Every advisor needs to have a website. This is how most clients will either find you or at least check out your services and potentially judge your reputation. A website is table stakes but if you aren't using some kind of remarketing strategy with your website, you should start. It’s an affordable way to keep top of mind. (Check out this guide on getting started.) Think of it as a way to extend your web presence to those that have already visited your site, as well.
6. Tools to research and present options to clients
Now, a lot of the options I listed are ways to run the processes in your business but let's not forget selling new product is how we get paid. If you’re not using tools like LifeGuide and Life Design Analysis, you are not going to be able to efficiently service the client by finding the best insurance options for them and presenting them in a way that helps them see the value. Remember, LifeGuide subscribers receive a 50% discount to Life Design Analysis. Just use your serial number from LifeGuide to take advantage of our alliance. In the planning space, check out RazorPlan software or Snap Projections (use code 10-LDA-SPECIAL-OFFER to get a referral deal to Snap Projections on us!)
