Before I get started, let me handle the gorilla in the room: You need to have a marketing budget. You must invest in yourself.
The amount you are willing to invest will affect the success you will find.
If you do not have funds set aside, don't read any further. I hear it all the time: "All I want to do is see people and sell."
That's what we all want to do.
The reality is, to write annuities at the $3 million to $5 million annual premium level, you need to invest about $2,000 to $4,000 a month in marketing. To sell more, invest more; to sell less, invest less.
Here are five marketing budget investment priorities.
1. Outsource.
Outsource your lead generation. Outsource the marketing, answering the phone, paying the bills, and running the office.
Let those who know more than you do, do the heavy lifting.
Ask yourself this question: Who are you, and what do you want to do? If you genuinely want to be an annuity salesperson, then outsource everything except the activities that make you an annuity salesman and that make you money.
For me, those activities are: Seeing new prospects, soliciting referrals, completing Fact Finders, building relationships, closing sales, and delivering contracts.
Everything else in my life is outsourced.
2. Automate.
Use tools of automation to make your business run smoother. Automate your payroll; automate anything in your office you can. Automate your monthly (or weekly) client outreach.
3. Delegate.
Decide precisely what makes you money. Use a system to market yourself to your database, keep your clients, referrals and leads warm.