If your marketing prepared them, your prospects will focuson details that set you apart and assign a brand thatdifferentiates you from your competition. (Photo:Shutterstock)

At its core, marketing is about strengthening and communicatingan organizational brand. Everyone has one; it's a matter of whetheryours is intentional or accidental. While a brand is assigned byothers based on their experiences, marketing is a chance toinfluence the brand.

Related: 2020 sales & marketing tips: Perfect yourbranding and marketing

KevinTrokey is founding partner and coach at St. Louis-basedQ4intelligence.

To further complicate things, brands are layered. You have apersonal, organizational and industry brand. If a prospect doesn'tknow you personally, they'll assume you fit the image they have ofyour agency. If they don't know the agency, they'll assume you fitthe image they have of the industry. Now, I love our industry, butI'm guessing very few of you want to accept the stereotypical labelof being an insurance broker.

Tell them before you show them

If your marketing hasn't prepared prospects to look for examplesof how you're different, they will come to the meeting assuming youare like every other broker. They'll look for anything that makesyou look and sound like everyone else.

Use this to your advantage. On your website, in your blog,social media, emails or the way you set the meeting, be veryspecific about what makes you different in a way that would benefitthem if they became a client.

Because your marketing prepared them, they are expecting pointsof differentiation during your conversation. Because they stillwant to prove themselves right, they will focus on that part of theexperience and assign a brand that differentiates you from yourcompetition.

How did we get here?

Marketing is not a new business idea, but in many ways, it isfor insurance agencies. Agencies have long depended on carriers'products as their primary deliverable, and on the carriers'commission and bonus programs as their source of revenue. Changesto this dependence are forcing agencies into the world ofmarketing. In some cases, the break in dependence is being forcedby the likes of ACA and MLR. Increasingly, agencies are workingvery intentionally to break this dependence.

It's one thing to recognize the need to embrace marketing; it'sanother to take it on successfully. Many agencies lack theknowledge, skillset and bandwidth. These obstacles can be overcome;however, a lack of patience is much harder to remove.

Marketing takes time. Especially early on, it can feel as thoughyou are throwing your hard work into a black hole. If you don'tservice clients, you see an immediate result. However, whether youmarket or not, the results (or lack of) aren't immediatelyapparent. This is especially challenging for those whosepersonality is fueled by instant gratification.

You have to commit to marketing

Just like servicing clients and selling new business, marketingis a critical daily function of running a business.

Like other parts of your business, you have to approachmarketing strategically.

• Create a vision
• Be very clear with yourself and your team about why you have tocommit
• Devise a plan to organize activities
• Approach that plan with disciplined execution
• Find someone who will hold you accountable

When you commit to marketing, do it well, and do itconsistently, prospects will start coming to you.

How is that for motivation?

Read more: 

• 3 questions to answer for successful marketingcampaigns – with Megan Chiarello
• How storytelling can show prospects they would beimportant clients
• 5 marketing tips to keep the client pipelinefull