Podcast Center
Video Center
Webcasts
Resource Center
Events
March 02, 2008 at 02:00 PM
Is it by chance or by choice that you are finding success?
Many agents are great sales professionals but are not necessarily great marketing professionals. As a sales professional, the plan you probably follow targets how many calls you need to make each week to get in front of a certain number of clients or prospects, to ultimately place a certain amount of business to be successful and build your business.
While this is a necessity, especially early in your career, and you can do this and find success, are you building a sustainable business or just generating sales? Even as an experienced agent, are you repeating your first or second year in the business over and over again and leaving your business building up to chance?
Getting in front of the right prospect rather than just any prospect would be a better strategy. It is with the guided approach of a marketing plan that will help you navigate through what you are doing and give you a sustainable track on which to run to get in front of your ideal client.
Evolving consumer market
The evolving consumer market is dictating more and more the need for a planned approach. Consumers have changed and understanding these changes is an important first step before you embark on developing a marketing plan.
Experienced agents certainly recognize that households today differ significantly from those a few decades ago. According to Yankelovich Research, today only 24% of households consist of a married couple with children, down from 40% in 1970. Single moms and dads and people living alone also make up a greater percentage of households than a few decades ago.
Understanding a potential client’s status as a new parent, single homeowner or empty nester gives you insight to his or her potential financial needs.
Not only has household composition changed, the Internet and the ease of access to information has created a new consumer who is smarter, empowered, less trusting, less forgiving, eager to collaborate and more demanding. These are consumers who seek information, and the way the information is communicated is critical to how the information is received.
Essence of a plan: building trust
Sixty-five percent of consumers say they are bombarded with too much marketing and advertising, according to Yankleovich Research. So where does that leave your marketing plan? It gives it better direction. Having this information empowers you to align your business with the specific needs of consumers. The bottom line is these new, smart, empowered consumers need to receive information from someone they trust.
