MARKETING
Gearing Up from page 12
Jack Dewald , CLU , RHU , a 40-year industry veteran , is a senior advisor to Agency Services , Inc ., and a past NAILBA chairman and recipient of NAILBA ’ s Douglas H . Mooers Award , as well as a Life Member of MDRT and the Top of the Table .
For Mr . Dewald , the pandemic has put some key foundational aspects of our business in a sharper light . In particular , he reminds us of how the pandemic has intensified the importance of deep relationships :
Relationships are key
“ When asked to share a sales idea for this article , I thought briefly about talking about some technical or esoteric concept that our agency has used to woo our brokers and cause huge increases in sales . Then I decided to take a few weeks to consider what to say , and ultimately determined to take a much broader approach — if you will , a view from 30,000 feet . As I think about the past 18 months or so and how our industry has dealt with the COVID crisis and all that came out of that , I am more convinced than ever that it really does come down to relationships !
“ We have all grown weary of endless phone calls and Zoom calls . While technology and all sorts of digital applications and processes are great ( and I ’ m very thankful we had it in place before COVID ), the fact remains that nothing happens until something gets sold . People buy from folks they know .
“ At the risk of drawing the ire of some readers , I am going to say it : I ’ m tired of the lack of accountability fed by folks working from home , in their pajamas on the couch , with no interoffice action . COVID did a lot to make us operate more efficiently , but too many clients , advisors , and home office personnel have fallen into the trap of what I call ‘ Covid Lazy .’
I ’ m tired of the lack of accountability fed by folks working from home , in their pajamas on the couch , with no interoffice action .
Jack Dewald
Covid lazy
“ Years ago , we built our agency sales team with a focus on getting out to see and know our customers . We ’ ve always made face-to-face sales calls . We ’ ve always been involved with the support staff of our brokers by nurturing relationships with them . We ’ ve always worked hard at getting to know our brokers — and I mean truly know them , know their preferred way of doing things , their methods , their dreams , and yes , quite often being entrusted by getting to know their clients . Some of my best friends are advisors who work with us . Some of my best friends are also carrier reps and sales leadership among the carriers . Both advisor and carrier friends have been to my home ; we have traveled for fun together ; we have hunted and fished together ; and we ’ ve played golf together . We have attended sporting events together . We know each other ’ s families and often attend weddings and funerals and other family events .
Don ’ t be a stranger
“ I don ’ t want to think about having to do business with people I don ’ t know and who don ’ t know me . I will admit , when I get a cold call from a salesperson I don ’ t know , it is not a high priority for me to jump right on it . I work my task list with dedication to those I know and who know me .
“ Had we as an agency not had all those relationships , I don ’ t think we would have come through the pandemic like we have so far . I know I would not want to be ‘ dialing for dollars ’ trying to fight my way through calls and voicemails and boring Zoom calls from other strangers . I am certain our sales team feels the same way . I also am certain that our brokers and advisors choose us because they know us , trust us , and can count on us .
“ So , my message is this — build , maintain , and nourish relationships . Just like you do with personal friends and family , make your business relationships deep and able to flourish even when times are strange . In the long run , the payoff and joy are worth it . In all honesty , we just don ’ t want to be one more voicemail for somebody to have to return !”
Gearing Up continued on page 16
14 Perspectives Q4 2021