3 Ways a Life and Annuity Advisor Can Produce Like a Superhero

If they can save cities from super villains, they can help you explain the importance of defending retirement nest eggs against enemies such as Time, Volatility and Long-Term Care Risk.

Here are three ways superheroes can help you.

1. They can increase persistency.

When your clients are captivated by your superhero stories, their policies never lapse, and their annuities are never replaced.

2. They can help you make repeat sales.

When your clients are captivated by your superhero stories, they understand what they bought from you. They want to buy more of it whenever they can afford to do so.

3. They can get you referrals.

Many new clients came in for their first meetings with me with my superhero comic book, The Adventures of Insuranceman, in hand.

They'd tell me, "My buddy gave this to me on the golf course, and I couldn't put it down."

Stronger Than a Brochure

Of course, it takes more than an innovative approach to gain the attention of your clients and prospects. Once you've got the comic readers into your office or on a video call, you've got to do right by them. You have to solve their problems.

Then, to get referrals, you've got to make it easy for clients to refer the people they know to you.

Sales and marketing comics are great for that. Clients can hand the comic books to their friends.

Sales brochures often go straight into the trash the moment meetings are over. Physical comic books are different: They have extraordinary shelf lives.

Clients hang on to the comics for life, or until they pass the comics on to friends who need your help with life insurance or annuities.

One key to getting the most out of this strategy is to make sure that each client has plenty of comics on hand, so they can give as many copies as they want to their friends.

Faster Than a 300-Page Work of Nonfiction

I recommend that every financial advisor write a traditional book, but marketing and sales comics have a major advantage over traditional books:

Traditional books take hours to read. Prospects may read a traditional book cover to cover, but they will never take the time to do so on the spot.

Then there's a superhero sales comic. Reading that will take most prospects less than five minutes, and the comic can communicate every point you need to communicate to move clients to action.

After all, what are superheroes famous for? Taking action!

Robert J. Smith, CLU, ChFC, is the founder and owner of Smith Profits, a marketing, public relations and business strategy consulting firm in Winter Garden, Florida. Earlier in his career, he was the top producer for Mutual of New York, the Equitable and AXA Financial. He later lost the ability to walk unassisted due to a spinal cord injury. He needed 15 surgeries to work his way back to health. He is the author of Influence in Action and the The Adventures of Insuranceman.

An excerpt from the cover of a marketing superhero comic. Credit: Bill Maus/SmithProfits.com