Insurance Consultant's Newsletter
Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM
November, 2005

Helping Insurance Experts Build Great Consulting Practices
www.icmentor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues. Comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome. Email: scott@icofmaine.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marketing - Getting The Word Out - Several months ago I had an article published by the CPCU Society's special interest section for consultants, litigators, and expert witnesses (called CLEW). Since then, they have accepted two more for publication. The latest covers some quick marketing thoughts on getting the word out about your practice - see a preview on my site: http://www.icmentor.com/articles.htm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More Marketing - Marketing topics account for two thirds of the conversations I have in my mentor program. What to do - What not to do - When to do what.

As I say in the above article, we are all in the marketing business. If we don't get the word out nothing is going to happen.

Early in my consulting practice I heard horror stories of consultants who went through feast and then famine - lots of business, then none. I set an objective of consistently spending 20% of my time in marketing activities. Dedicated, long term marketing efforts keeps my practice growing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great Tool - Google toolbar is a small program that adds a row of tools to your web browser. From the tool bar you can search the Internet, search the site you are on, and access Google features. It has an "auto-fill" button that stores my name and address, allowing me to quickly fill in web forms when I am ordering products or information from a website. There is even a spell checker that lets me easily correct my many typos when I'm in a discussion group or posting a comment on a website. Go to http://toolbar.google.com/ for more info.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Free Insurance Consultant's Teleseminar - Join me on November 10 at Noon, Eastern-time, for a 45 minute teleseminar. You determine the topics - starting out, marketing, proposals, equipment to buy, report writing, prospecting. You decide.

Email me with your questions and issues (scott@icofmaine.com).

Some of the topics suggested so far:

-Fee setting
-Business plans
-Ethical issues of an agency payoff
-Getting in the door
-How to separate yourself from the pack
-Personal lines consulting?
-Can you run an agency and be a consultant?
-Proposal software
-What basic equipment is required to get started?

Here's your opportunity to learn about what might be your next career move or hear some new ideas that might help your practice grow.

Admission to the teleseminar is free - however, you must register. Email me at scott@icofmaine.com for the call-in phone number and secret code. (Please note, long distance rates do apply.) Register now - a few spots are still available.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit My Insurance Blog – My general thoughts about the world of insurance - http://insurancebuzzer.blogspot.com/.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Insurance Consultant's Handbook - If you've been reluctant to invest in my mentor program but still want a broader view of my approach to insurance consulting my handbook is for you. Go to http://www.icmentor.com/handbook.htm.

--Advice not available anywhere else - startup help, marketing tools, how to build referral sources, proposals, working with agents, fee setting, checklists...

--It's Guaranteed! Buy the handbook. If you're not convinced of its value, email me within 5 days for a full refund.

--Apply The Price To My Mentor Program. The price you pay for the handbook can be applied to a future fee for my mentor program.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Insurance Consultant Mentor Program - Designed to help you build your business faster, with less hassle, and fewer false starts. 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM
Insurance Consultants of Maine, Inc.
20 Sofia Road, Saco, ME 04072-9017
Phone 207 284-0085 ~ Fax 801 991-4027
scott@icofmaine.com
http://www.endwimpyinsurance.com

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

© 2005 Insurance Consultants of Maine, Inc. All Rights Reserved. We encourage sharing this newsletter in whole or in part if copyright and attribution (including my web address) are always included.

Your Privacy - I will never sell or distribute your email address to any other person or organization.