Stand Out From Your Competitors: Pass the Grunt Test

by | Jul 20, 2018

Your inbox probably looks like mine. It is jam-packed with requests from vendors, carriers, prospects, customers, and even competitors.

Trying to respond to all the emails in a timely fashion is overwhelming. Sometimes you’d like to ‘select all’ and hit ‘delete.’

Since doing so would quickly dry up your pipeline, you’re tempted to rapidly reply with short responses, or only reply to top priorities. (I know. I am, too.)

Today’s digital economy has raised the bar. Customers are online in a fast-paced world. They seek convenience, speed, and value.

If you want to stay relevant, you know must offer your customers a best of breed that uses the phone, email and other forms of technology to provide rapid, but thoughtful interactions.

Are you communicating clearly and doing things to ensure you retain existing customers while finding new ones?

There many things you can do to stand out from your competitors. Here’s a few you’re sure to have success adding to your daily routine.

It all focuses on evaluating things through the eyes of a caveman and passing the grunt test. Read on to see how you do…

Three Ways to Pass the Grunt Test

Let’s look at your website, emails, client education, and quoting process. As you walk through these exercises, think about how your competitors would do, too.

Your Website

If a caveman looked at your website, would he be able to grunt what you offer, or would he be confused? (What about your competitors website?)

Donald Miller of StoryBrand suggests using the grunt test to review the copy on your website. In fact, he suggests that your site should answer three simple questions:

  • What is your offer?
  • How can you make their life better?
  • What do they need to buy?

Before we go on to other ways to apply the grunt test, let’s pause for a moment.

Go look at your home page. Does your website answer those three questions? Does it pass the grunt test? If you answered no, you better stop reading now, so you can get your website fixed immediately.

Next, Let’s Look at Your Email Responses.

If someone read what you wrote in a quick response would they feel like you were just brushing them off? Or would they think that you genuinely cared to offer them the best customer service ever?

Like you, I receive email responses all the time. And it is really easy to see who put thought into what they write versus the person (or machine) that rapidly responds to my reply. Or worse yet, the person who never responds to my request.

Did you know that 98.4 percent of consumers check their email at least once a day? And 77 percent prefer [well-thought out emails] over today’s plug and play marketing automation systems.

Okay, I added the well-thought-out part to that statistic. But think about it for a minute. If your customers prefer email, shouldn’t what you write in that email pass the grunt test?

It may take you a second more to write out a thoughtful response. But the payoff is huge if you retain or gain a new customer. Right? (I bet your competitors aren’t doing this.)

One trick is to keep a template handy of the basics you want to include in your email replies. Then all you have to do is copy, paste and edit it to fit the response that is needed.

Apply This Approach to Your Talk Track, too.

Whenever you interact with your clients and prospects, do you look for ways to educate them about the importance of insurance coverage?

Does what you say about the insurance products and services you offer pass the grunt test? Is what you say simple to understand and jargon free?

Find ways to showcase your knowledge and expertise in every form of communication you send out via email, share via the phone, or say in person.

Or do you talk to impress using lingo that only other agents and brokers would understand?

You can increase loyalty by consistently providing value when you connect with others. In fact, one study found that loyal customers by 25 percent more insurance and deliver 250 percent referrals more than disgruntled ones.

Your Quoting Process

The grunt test can also be applied to your insurance quoting process.

Are you using archaic processes from days gone by? Are you dialing the various carriers and using a mix of market technology tools?

How’s waiting by the phone for replies to your requests working for you?

You can move beyond the caveman approach by using one platform that gives you access to more than 150 markets and 40+ unique product offerings for FREE.

Learn more and sign up today!

Now that you’ve read this far, you’re equipped with the same knowledge and information I possess. You now know how to pass the grunt test and stand out from your competitors. You are armed with some quick and easy tips that can help you grow your business.

When is now a good time to get started?

5 Ways To Effectively Communicate With Clients

by | Jul 4, 2018

Imagine that you’re a prospective customer who needs workers’ comp insurance.

You’re searching Google looking for an insurance agent that offers the types of policies and services you need for your business.

You find several agents that look like they may have what you’re looking for, and you send each one the same email with a request.

The Story of Three Agents

Warm Welcome. One agent responds to your email inquiry immediately with a reply. He warmly thanks you for reaching out and lets you know that he will get back to you within the next 24 hours. In the interim, he sends information about their process for working with clients, so you know what to expect next. He also points you to a page with a Workers’ Comp checklist that has questions he should ask as you work together.

Unresponsive. Another agent never responds to your email request or phone calls for days or weeks. In fact, you start to wonder if you sent an email to the right address. When you call, you immediately go into a voicemail box but never receive a response.

Minimal Communications. The third agent you reached out to lets a couple of days go by before they send you a response. When they finally do, they merely point you to their website or a landing page. They don’t say anything more. This leaves you hanging wondering about the credibility of the agent.

Tough Questions to Answer

If you were the prospective client looking for help with insurance coverage, which one of the three agents listed above would you want to consider working with?

It is easy to see that the first agent had done a few simple steps to connect with the prospect and provide them with helpful information before they have even spoken.

The other two agent response examples show a lack of interest or consideration. If you were the prospective customer, you would mark them both off your list and focus on the first agent in a heartbeat.

Pause for a moment and think about the way you respond to your clients and prospects.

It can be tough to admit, but which of the three agents do you look most like?

Communicate and Connect with Customers

With any form of customer interaction, you can have success when you follow the age-old rule of treating others the way you want to be treated. Here are a few tips to consider.

Provide Timely, Personalized Responses: Today’s society is built on instant everything. We tend to look for immediate responses whenever we send an email. So how can you apply this? Give your prospects and customers a timely response that is personalized to them. Ensure they experience a connection and feel valued by you.

Write Clear and Concise Messages. We live in an age of sound-bite journalism. We all tend to scan the pages of things we see and read. From our emails to social posts and billboards—we all are guilty of scanning. So how can you overcome the scanning issue? Write clear and concise messages that are easy to understand.

Speak Your Client’s Language. It is easy to get caught up in insurance jargon or industry speak. Remember that your customers don’t have an insurance world dictionary to help them translate what you’re saying when you use buzzwords. Use easy-to-understand terminology and analogies without acronyms when you communicate. Doing so ensures your clients connect with you and what you have to offer.

Make Lists & Use Bullets. Writing a detailed paragraph takes up your valuable time. It also means the person you’re sending it to has to take time to unravel what you’ve written to determine how it applies to them. Consider writing short sentences. Make lists and use bullet points to make what you’ve written a quick read.

Give Calls to Action. Have you ever read through an email response and scratched your head wondering what to do next? Your client has, too. Make it easy on both of you by spelling out exactly what they need to do next. Give them a call to action.

These are just a few ways you can ensure you are effectively communicating and connecting with your clients and prospects. You can also apply this tips to every audience you reach out to – from vendors to carriers to customers and friends. Doing so consistently is sure to make a positive impact and create a win-win situation for everyone.