As an insurance agent, you should jump at any opportunity to grow your business and build your client base. One of the best ways to do this is through networking.
Some people are natural born networkers. They seem to know everyone in the room and are excited to be in a big group of people they’ve never met. And for the rest of us, just hearing the word networking makes us break out in a cold sweat. If this is the case for you, you must find that you are trying to avoid networking at all costs.
Regardless of how it makes you feel, the truth is that networking can significantly help your career. To make the most out of your next networking opportunity, it’s important to do your homework and brush up on some skills.
Try These 5 Networking Tips for Insurance Agents
Remember Names
You’ve most likely heard that if you say a person’s names at least five times during your conversation, it’s easier to commit to memory. When you make a new contact, don’t be too obvious saying their name at the beginning and end of every sentence, but sprinkle it in here and there so it’s easy to recall. Here are five tricks from Forbes to help you remember names to avoid blanking on someone’s name whom you’ve already met or even worse, just been introduced to.
If You Want to Be Interesting, Be Interested
We’ve all been there. You’re talking to someone you just met at a networking event only to realize they are looking right through you searching for the next person to talk with or worse - for the bar. Talk about a networking faux pas. If you want someone to really listen to what you have to say, you must be interested in what he or she is saying.
Don’t Develop Your Elevator Pitch
You know the question. Everyone asks it. “So, what do you do for a living?” When this question comes up, redirect them by asking them a much more powerful question to build a quick relationship and connection. Ask them instead “what brought you here tonight?”. This simple question can get them to tell you quite a bit about their current situation, challenges and possibly even some personal backstory that has brought them to where they are today.
Tell Your Story
Instead of preparing an elevator pitch, practice telling your story. Your story should include three key elements:
- Why you started your business
- What pain point you’re solving
- Who you are trying to solve that for
In doing this, you will be allowing them the opportunity to realize if they are a right fit for you - and if not if they know anyone that is. Most people want to help others at networking events, and sharing your story in this way makes it incredibly easy for them to do so!
Set Networking Goals
With most anything in business and life, attainable goals will improve your results. Set some networking goals before your next event like giving away a certain number of your business cards or adding a specific number of LinkedIn Connections.
Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up
This is one of the networking tips where many agents fail flat. It’s always easy to seem interested when you are face-to-face with someone, but the follow up is where action takes place. When you meet someone new at a networking event, make sure you don’t forget to exchange information and follow up with them within 48 hours to show that you value their connection. Remind the person of when and how you met and what you talked about.
These networking tips can help you build strong new connections and land you new business. Happy networking!
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