New AgencyIQ Features

Happy New Year 2012! A new year brings new OPPORTUNITIES…. and AgencyIQ has rolled out New Features that will have a positive impact on your marketing in 2012. The best news is….. they’re FREE!

*Upgraded Email Certificate – promotes improved deliverablity and open ratios for emails to your prospects and clients….FREE!

*Newsletters - send a monthly Newsletter to up to 2,000 recepients per month….FREE!

*Mirrored Emails - receive emails to any email address outside of AgencyIQ… great for mobile applications or remote use and keeps a record of all of your correspondence…FREE!

ALL of these New Features are fully integrated into the AgencyIQ workflow platform and create a fully robust Marketing System for your agency!

Check out these new features in our “Lunch-n-Learn” webinars on Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00pm CST. You can also learn more about Newsletters by clicking on the following link Webinar Schedule

AgencyIQ is excited to bring these Powerful, New Tools to you for 2012….
Let us help you Grow with our AgencyIQ Marketing System!

View Training Video

When the Tech Team came out with this feature, I was like…Uh-Oh… What is it and how do I explain it? Turns out it’s Very Simple and VERY COOL! This new feature allows you to store all of your email correspondence inside AgencyIQ AND in another email address. So, for example, you receive an email into AgencyIQ, it will also show up in your Outlook or other email address. Many of you have requested this feature and now its functioning inside your AgencyIQ account. Follow these steps to activate this feature in AgencyIQ:

*Go to “My Settings” in the top right hand corner
*Click on the “Email Configuration” Tab
*Type in your “Mirrored Email Address” in the 2nd Box
*Click “Save”

That’s it! Now, anything you do inside AgencyIQ or your other email address server will be “mirrored” in both accounts. If you’re on the move or don’t have time to sign into AgencyIQ, you can still see all of your correspondence inside your other email address. This also provides accurate tracking of ALL of your email correspondence with clients, no matter if it orignates from AgencyIQ or your other email address!’

Watch the Set Up Video Above!

If you have any questions about this NEW feature or any of our other NEW features that have rolled out in the last few weeks, visit our website www.agencyiq.net and contact us for assistance or an overview of all of our new features!

Not only is QuoteWizard focused on the overall consumer process, we pride ourselves on creating an exemplary agent experience. Combining knowledgeable territory specialists with unmatched customer service, the agent process is both effortless and customizable, from initial sale to general account maintenance. Utilizing our unique filtering options, agents are matched with their most competitive demographic. However, the most imperative part of the agent experience is converting each lead into a valuable client. Because of the distinctive partnership between QuoteWizard and AgencyIQ, the acquisition and management of your qualified prospects are now easy.

AgencyIQ assists QuoteWizard agents by creating a systematic approach to consumer marketing. Once QuoteWizard leads are imported into AgencyIQ’s lead library, agents are able to organize and execute specific messaging and drip campaigns. Their automated e-mail system helps the agent build name recognition with each insurance prospect. This organized approach allows the agent to maximize their investment, ensuring each lead is thoroughly marketed. Insurance agents who sign up with QuoteWizard and AgencyIQ have a higher retention rate and purchase an average of 240 more leads.

QuoteWizard’s research, combined with agent feedback, has developed helpful hints to make the most of your internet leads.

1. Treat every lead the same. Regardless if the lead name provided is Mickey Mouse or Jane Doe, this could be an individual reluctant to initially provide their information.
2. Contact the lead as soon as possible.Research shows that 70% of consumers buy insurance from the first agent they are contacted by.
3. Be as specific as possible. When calling the consumer, mention that you are following up on their request for Auto insurance on a “2006 Toyota Camry.” This lends to your credibility and shows you already have a vested interest in the consumer and gaining their business.
4. Call at various times of the day. Dedicate a specific person to stay in the office after hours to follow-up with consumers who may be unavailable during the day.
5. Be creative. Make your e-mails and voice messages stand out. Send text messages. Think outside the box when marketing to each consumer.
6. Use a lead management system like AgencyIQ to stay organized.

QuoteWizard is proud to be AgencyIQ’s Partner of the Month. To show our appreciation, they are offering a $50 credit to any agent who mentions that they found QuoteWizard on AgencyIQ’s website. For additional information, please contact QuoteWizard Sales at 1-800-755-4392.

1) Informational – pretty straight forward, the client has questions regarding your company, services, coverages etc…..
2) Problem solving – the client has an issue that requires your assistance to resolve. This is an opportunity to shine and earn a customer for life!
3) Angry beyond reason – redirect to #2 – the client is definitely not happy, wants to bend someone’s ear and set things straight! The goal here is to get them back to status #2.

The key to successfully negotiating all of these scenarios is to LISTEN carefully to what the client has to say! Don’t get ahead of yourself and start forming a response in your mind before they finish their statement, really listen to what they are saying. Confirm what you’ve heard back to the client, using the appropriate tone of voice. Once you’re both on the same page, respond with positive words, your willingness to assist with the request. If it is a problem solving opportunity, be compassionate and empathize with the client. Be prepared to offer alternative solutions to counter the sometimes unreasonable solution requests. Don’t make any promises you cannot keep and honor any time line commitments you make to respond to the client. By quickly addressing the issue, following through with your commitments, you can earn a client’s business… for life! For those dreaded angry beyond reason calls, take a deep breath, let the client air it out and don’t take it personally… I know, easier said than done, but you can do it! Sometimes, simply saying “I’m sorry”, or “I apologize” can diffuse a tense situation. The goal is to get the client beyond being mad and focusing on a solution to their problem (#2), which is at the root of their anger.

At AgencyIQ, we strive to provide excellent, effective, timely customer service. If you need assistance, use our video trainings, email, on-line chat or call one of our customer service reps… We look forward to hearing from you!

• Don’t use false or misleading header information
• Don’t use deceptive subject lines
• Identify the message as an ad
• Tell recipients where you are located
• Tell recipients how to opt-out of receiving future emails from you
• Honor opt-out requests promptly

Take a few minutes to review your emails and you will probably find you are already complying with these requirements. AgencyIQ has gone to great lengths to make sure that all of our clients comply with the CAN-SPAM laws. If you have any areas of concern about your emails, use a simple rule of thumb…. If you received this email, would you feel like you were being mislead, could you find the sender if you needed to, and could you stop the messages if you wanted. There are a number of individuals and some organizations that are extremely concerned with being found in violation of this law, some to the point of nearly paralyzing their email marketing efforts. If you have specific questions regarding this Act, click on the following link http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm to go to the FTC website for specific guidance. This law is not designed to cripple the use of email for commercial business purposes… it was created to ensure the responsible use of a powerful marketing channel. At the end of the day, email marketing is a significant tool in your marketing arsenal and when used correctly and responsibly, you have no worries. Now, hit the Send button!

In our careers, we’ve all know a few Mike Modano’s. People that embody the spirit of our company, contributing at the highest level, team players, always encouraging those around them and bringing out the best performance of others through their example in action. You just can’t imagine how you’d survive without that person! Unfortunately, most organizations don’t plan ahead in anticipation of key personnel eventually leaving. Do you as a business owner have key personnel that you depend on to carry the load? We all do, but do you have a plan on how to move forward if/when they leave? Succession planning is usually way down the list of strategic planning activities, but it is vital to the sustained growth of an organization that you have a plan for replacing key employees. To keep your company vibrant, forward thinking and prepared, having a potential talent pool of internal or external resources is not only smart, it will save you and your organization a lot of heart ache when the day comes for a key employee to be replaced. As a owner/manager, it’s important to recognize the Modano’s in your organization and look ahead on how to deal with the void after their last “game”.

Ever hear the John Mellencamp song “Tumbling Down”? That’s what I thought of when the old Texas Stadium in Irving, TX was demolished recently. Being a native of the area and a huge Cowboys fan as long as I can remember, I could not convince myself to join all those who watched in person or on TV the destruction of a place that held so many memories. Landry, Staubach, Lilly, Aikman, Irvin, Smith, the Ring of Honor, NFC Championship games…. The list goes on and on. And yes, I do believe the hole in the roof was there so God could watch His team play! What was once a state of the art facility featured in numerous movies and mesmerized Sunday football viewers on TV, had, over the years, suffered from age, neglect and a public that demanded new heights of technology to keep their intrest. No lingering, slow demise for this former showcase, Jerry Jones, the eternal promoter, made Texas Stadium’s last hurrah another money making deal. It was even sponsored by Kraft Foods (I don’t get it… but they ponied up the cash, the single largest requirement). Faster than you can say “Kraft macaroni and cheese”, Texas Stadium disappeared in a cloud of dust, soon to be a distant memory of those who will remember her in her glory days!

Yes friends, even those monuments that seem indestructible on their christening day, have their eventual fall from favor and are replaced. So it is with the tools we use to run our business. Technology changes constantly, computers and communication systems require constant review and the software we use to manage our data is always undergoing tweaks and updates. Over the next few weeks and months, you will be receiving notices of important enhancements to the AgencyIQ operating system. Future blogs and newsletters will detail these enhancements that will make your lead management efforts more effective, efficient and increase your book of business. AgencyIQ is committed to delivering to our clients the tools you need to grow your business. Please look for these announcements and let us know what you think!!

Humphrey Bogart

Unfortunately that famous line from Humphrey Bogart’s movie The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, “Badges? We an’t got not no badges. We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you no stinkin’badges!”  is often one of the most misquoted lines in movie history, in fact, when I first started writing this, I had to correct myself when using the quote! That being said, let’s get to the point of this blog……. Planning.  Our last blog discussed planning on a global, big picture scale. Let’s focus on what it means to you, as an individual running your business! The first step is to realize “WE NEED A PLAN!” How do you go about developing a plan that will be meaningful and effective for your business?  There are many templates and programs that will assist you with the fundamentals, a simple Google search will provide a wealth of information. It’s what you put in the plan that counts! Following are some ideas and thoughts that you may want to consider as you develop your plan:

• What is changing in your industry?
• What is changing in technology and how does it impact your ability to connect with customers
• What is changing with your customers?
• What is changing in the economy?

We all know the traditional ways to reach out to customers….. mailings, telemarketing, mass emails and others.  But what is going to grab your customer’s attention, how can you convince them to choose you over all the other alternatives in the market? Think about the following:

• Provide value, beyond the product – value in personal attention and customization
• Make yourself unique – find a way to differentiate yourself from the competition
• Build Relationships – showing the customer you really are invested in helping them make the best decisions and choices with your expertise. They will count on you to make sure their best interests are being looked after!
• Network in the community…. Join the Chamber of Commerce, sponsor a youth activity, help with a charity event, get involved in local professional groups

The key is your plan should focus on cultivating a two-way relationship with your customers. Yes, the new technology of Social Media is important, but so is an act so simple most of us have forgotten it…. Pick up the phone or stop by to say a personal “Hello”.  AgencyIQ is here to assist you with all of your customer relationship management activities, we wish you the best with your 2010 Plan!

Starting a new year is a great time to step back and assess where we’ve been, where we are and where we want to go.  A more formal way of stating this activity is called GOAL SETTING! Groan……. Many of us would rather endure a root canal without pain meds than go thru a session on Goal Setting. But, it is a valuable tool vital to the success of your business. Instead of using the traditional methods, I have an alternative you may find more enjoyable and effective. I recently found a book “The Art of War in Business” by Mark McNeilly.

“The Art of War” Online

Mark has taken the well know book “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, a successful Chinese general in 400 B.C. and related the principles of Sun Tzu and linked them to business strategies. Following are the six principles discussed in his book:

1. Win All Without Fighting – Capturing Your market Without Destroying It
2. Avoid Strength, Attack Weakness – Striking Where They Least Expect It
3. Deception and Foreknowledge – Maximizing the Power of Market Information
4. Speed and Preparation – Moving Swiftly to Overcome Your Competitors
5. Shape Your Opponent – Employing Strategy to Master the Competition
6. Character-Based Leadership – Providing Effective Leadership in Turbulent Times

Join us January 13, 2010 at 10:00 am CST for an informative webinar about how to overcome these challenges in building your business this year.  Register online today to make sure you reserver your spot!  This webinar will fill up! Register Here

Whatever challenges you and your business face in 2010, AgencyIQ is here to provide effective, innovative tools to assist you in growing your business! We have many new features and enhancements coming online that we are very excited to add to our lead management platform. Let us know what you think!!

The Missing Piece

If you have any doubts about the impact of the Internet on business, check out the sales racked up on Cyber Monday this year! It is estimated that sales could increase over 6% from 2008 levels to over $900 billion in 2009 according to online tracking company comScore Inc. according to an article in Monday’s Wall Street Journal Online November 30th,2009 (http://online.wsj.com/ ). This would represent a single day sales record for Internet sales…… in what most of us would consider a very challenging economic environment.  I bet there are a number of managerial types walking around trying to figure out how much time their employees spent on the Internet today shopping instead of work related activities!!!
 
I think my point is obvious, more and more consumers are using the Internet to make purchases. This year over 96 million people shopped on the Internet on Cyber Monday up from 85 million last year. Cyber Monday only entered our lexicon in 2005!!!! Typically 5% of holiday shopping is done online, but this year could see up to 10% of all holiday shopping. Much of this frenzy is generated by online and email promotions by retail companies. Does that get you excited? Is does me!!!! If you aren’t using online, email and social marketing, you may be missing a huge potential client base that represents a tremendous opportunity to grow your business.

Internet marketing is the missing piece of the puzzle for 2010.  Making the most of any lead means utilizing email marketing and a full CRM system to track all of your prospects.  Let AgencyIQ assist you with maximizing your leads and growing your business!