Insurance Consultant & Mentor
Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM
December, 2006

Helping Insurance Experts Build Great Businesses
www.icmentor.com

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome.
Email: Scott@ScottSimmonds.com or call 207-284-0085.

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Ideas for a Great 2007

This newsletter will look familiar to my longtime subscribers. It's the same basic theme as I used last year at this time. I have kept the best items and added a few.

How was your 2006? What will you do in 2007 that moves you forward? Some ideas...

--Keep up the contacts with your referral sources. Build your referral network. Expand the list of people who know about your practice and see the value in your work. Encourage opportunities for your referral sources to refer! Buy an accountant coffee.

--Publish at least one article a month in newspapers, trade newsletters, etc. Email the articles to your contact list and add them to your website. Even better, have them printed up and mail them. Most of us don't get much snail mail. Be sure to add a personal note. Differentiate yourself.

--Add two new articles a month to your website. Build your content. Build the value your visitors see and receive.

--ID three non-profit groups whose board includes executives from your target audience. Offer to review the D&O insurance pro-bono and to make a presentation on the coverage at a board meeting.

--Pick an industry where you have an interest and can offer unique expertise. Join the local or state trade association. Offer to review the association’s insurance program including D&O and to make a presentation to the board of directors.

--Pass one CPCU or ARM section test (or something else if you already have those designations).

--Look at your office setup. What will save you time and effort? What process do you hate to perform? Outsource it or find a way to stop doing it. Consider adding a second monitor to your computer. You will be amazed at the increase in efficiency.

--Find a business author you like. Read everything they have written. Alan Weiss and Seth Godin come to mind. Set up Google Alerts on their name so you can see new stuff as it comes on line.

--Consider your brand. What do your clients think of when they think of you? What can you do to increase your audience’s awareness of you? How can you transition your brand from where it is to where you want to be?

--Make yourself into a person of interest to your market. Build your reputation as a "go-to" person; a person of value.

--Review your computer security / backup situation. Virus software up to date? Spyware protection? Firewall? If your office burned down, would your data be retrievable?

--Recognize that your clients expect you to provide great service. The key is the ease by which people can do business with you. Make it easy. Meet the client's expectations. Return phone calls within 90 minutes. Reply to emails within a day.

--Forward your office phone calls to your cell phone when you are out. Your clients should be able to reach you by dialing one phone number. Don't make your clients hunt for you. See above comment about ease of doing business.

--Refuse to use the excuse of "too busy." Realize that everyone is, in their own mind, busy. Be honest with yourself and others in your life. If something is not of interest or of value to you, so state.

--Apologize when you are wrong and forgive slights by others.

--Focus on building your strengths rather than on improving your weaknesses. Your uniqueness resides in your strengths. Maximize your use of the skills you master.

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Free Mentor Sessions - Call me for a free mentor session. Email me a bit of information about yourself. Tell me about your current job and where you want to go. We'll set up a time to get together on the phone. I'll provide a free mentor session - no obligation. Let's spend some time exploring where you want to go in your insurance career and how I can help you get there. I've offered this now for a few months. It's been great to talk with some of my loyal readers. Call me.

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Referral Network - I'm building an online listing of insurance consultants. This may grow into a referral network and directory. I need to know who is out there! If you're interested in being a part of a directory, please complete the form at http://insuranceconsultant.org/listform.htm. There is no cost or fee.

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Consultant Mentor Program - Designed to help you build your business faster, with less hassle, and fewer false starts. Grow your current practice or gain the edge in your startup. The object is for you to make your business the best it can be - faster and more profitably. Go to http://www.icmentor.com/mentor.htm.

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Insurance Agent Mentor Program - A fair number of my subscribers are insurance agents who have no intention of becoming consultants. Several have talked with me about how my methods can help them. The principles of marketing professional services are universal. I'm glad to talk about how we might be able to work together to build your book of business. Call or email me to discuss.

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Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM
Phone 207-284-0085
Scott@ScottSimmonds.com
http://www.ScottSimmonds.com

Insurance Consultant Services Website: http://www.icmentor.com

© 2006 Scott Simmonds - All Rights Reserved. We encourage sharing this newsletter in whole or in part if copyright and attribution (including my web address) are always included.

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