Question 1 > We are personal lines agency with a lot of walk-in traffic. And we just launched our first website.  We plan on promoting it aggressively through direct mail, email marketing, web banner ads, by postcard, and in a short series of print ads.  Which of these methods will work best for promoting the site to our current insureds? 
 

Question 2 > In a recent issue of Agency Ideas® sales & marketing newsletter, you suggested offering auto-only insureds a free life-saving gift if they stopped by the office with a current copy of their homeowners policy.  The gifts you suggested were fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and smoke alarms.  Which provides the best incentive?
 

Question 3 > We want to run some ads in our local paper for the various types of personal insurance we sell. And we want them to have funny headlines so they’ll be noticed.  Can you suggest some entertaining ideas to get us started?
 

Question 4 > We want to market personal lines insurance by email to prospects within a particular upscale neighborhood. How can we obtain their email addresses? Do you have any suggestions?
 

Question 5 > We’re having trouble counting how many personal lines policies we lose every year. Our CSRs don’t always distinguish carefully between final cancellations and rewrites when doing the coding on their PCs. Our top carrier seems to have this same problem. How can we accurately track the policies we lose?
 

Question 6 > Any ideas (apart from super-qualifying) to prevent a commercial prospect from giving his current agent the last opportunity to match the coverages and pricing we’ve proposed.  Business managers seem to think it’s OK to ask the incumbent agent to quote any missing coverages we’ve identified as long as they don’t divulge the actual pricing.
 

Question 7 > I want to solicit the accounts of small retailers and contractors in nearby suburban areas.  What’s the best way to make contact with these business owners?