if you'rethinking that marketing is simply a waste-of-time activity, you'remissing out on sales opportunities. Guaranteed. (Photo:Shutterstock)

As much as we'd like it to, consistent success in sales doesn't just magically happen.As sales organizations, insurance agencies need to take a veryintentional approach to distributing time,resources and financial investments across both prospecting andmarketing activities to find that sweet spot for sales success.

And if you're thinking that marketing is simply a waste-of-timeactivity, you're missing out on sales opportunities. Guaranteed.

Prospecting and marketing go hand-in-hand

Prospecting and marketing should be intentional activities thatproducers and the agency engage in on a daily basis. The purpose isto stir up interest among potential clients, and once the interestis out there, those potential clients want to scratch that itch andlearn more about you. They're either looking to reinforce apreconceived belief so they can quickly check you off the list asirrelevant or reinforce the seed of a belief that they should learnmore about you.

Related: How meaningful is your social mediamarketing?

They immediately go online to see what they can find aboutyou—your website, LinkedIn, Google. What they find when they lookyou up will provide them with a quick answer to that itch. Do theyspend more time researching and following you, or do they leavewith zero guilt, never to return?

But what if…?

If you believe the marketing part of the equation is simplyfluff and a waste of time, you have no idea how many opportunitiesyou may be losing out on. If you're stirring up interest but notproviding strong supporting information, you're not giving yourprospects the opportunity to develop the feeling that they need tolearn more. You're not letting them dig deeper and develop astronger belief that they need to meet with you.

But what if you had a strong online presence that wascompelling? Would those prospects have connected with you? Sent youa message? Requested a meeting?

Maybe. But without offering an opportunity for them to learnmore and possibly become intrigued by who you are and what youoffer, you'll simply never know. How much opportunity has slippedaway because you're only providing part of the puzzle? At best,you'll only ever know anecdotally. Not a good answer to take to thebank.

It takes a team effort

Even if you've completely bought into the “we need to bemarketing” idea, you need to approach it from a strategicperspective and lead it from the top. The agency needs to determinethe message and ensure everyone follows through, sharing itaccurately and consistency.

It takes a team effort to create the type of consistent presenceand impact that buyers need to see to drive them into takingaction. Buyers need to hear from you repeatedly for the message toreally sink in and for them to make the connection between theirneeds and your ideas/solutions.

One-time activities like sponsoring a charity golf tournament,sending out a single direct mailer or speaking once at a Rotaryevent won't cut it. And giving the responsibilities to just oneperson or one group won't either. Think through the whole processand create a plan for a flow of consistent activities that includeseveryone on the team:

• Producers need to stir up interest with prospecting activitiessuch as cold calling/emailing, participating in networking events,asking for client referrals, and sharing referrals with centers ofinfluence.
• Agency leaders should be committed to developing a strong valueproposition for their clients and have clear messaging explaininghow it benefits the clients. At a minimum, this message should beshared on the website and on company social media accounts.
• Producers, leaders, account managers (typically client-facingteam members) should be committed to sharing those same ideasthrough their own online presence and building on them, reinforcingthem, and acting as an educational guide for their followers andconnections around the core ideas of the value proposition.
• In-house or outsourced marketing managers need to be sharingthe message along with everyone else.

Buyers want a consistent message

What your buyers hear from producers during prospectinginteractions needs to match what they read online or through othermarketing activities. Be sure there is only one message and it'sbeing shared and reinforced through all of your activity, not juston the website or buried in a brochure.

You have to both talk it and walk it. The more buyers seeconsistency in a message that resonates with them, the moreinterested they become in having a conversation. And when they meetup for that conversation, the same message needs to carry throughthere, as well.

Now more than ever before, it takes both prospecting andmarketing to get to a qualified sales meeting. Give yourself everypossible opportunity to open that door.

Be sure to attend Wendy Keneipp'sMotivation Track session, “Finding Sales Success at theIntersection of Prospecting & Marketing,” April 18 at 4:00 p.m.at the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo.