Digital Marketing and Training for the Mortgage Industry

Astonish Results' CEO Adam DeGraide Earns Cover Story from Insurance Journal!

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:53:32 -0600

On Monday, November 16th, 2009, Insurance Journal released the latest cover of their magazine.

The colored montage of 17 photos of Astonish Results' CEO Adam DeGraide is entitled "The Face of Freakin' Agency Marketing - Kool Prophet Promises Astonishing Results."

As the positive media coverage continues for Astonish Results, earning the cover story from Insurance Journal can only mean epic things to come for them and their agencies!

Congratulations to everyone at Astonish Results, and most importantly to the incredibly successful agencies who have made it happen! Pick up the November 16th issue of Insurance Journal to read the full story.

To learn more about the Astonish Results system, click here to take the 180-second tour, and be sure to schedule a personalized Virtual Presentation of the Astonish Results system today!

Agents Invited to Big Rep/Agent Harvest Dance

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:11:52 -0600

...And this year is shaping up to be the BEST dance ever. Of course, nothing actually happens at the dance. No one learns any new steps, no one "really" does anything spectacular, but that's not the point. It's a pointless, mind-numbing tradition that has existed between carriers and independent agents for decades.

Does this sound familiar...?

Rep: "Mr. Agent, you know how important this ‘relationship' is to us. We really are dedicated to helping you grow. I brought you your favorite coffee. Oh, and here's some delicious pastries for your staff. While I'm here, I wanted to discuss the new quotas we've established for you. They are designed to ‘push' your agency to achieve real growth over the next six months. Are you excited?"

Agent: "Well, that sounds great. How can you help me achieve real growth?"

Rep: "We're offering an incentive to help you ‘roll' this special niche to us."

Agent: "But that's not really helping me grow. It's just a short-term fix to a systemic issue. I'm not sure it's worth the time and resources to do that."

Rep: "I hear what you're saying, but you know and I know that you haven't grown in years. I know you could use the additional revenue, and I'm under a lot of pressure to hit my own goals. Now is not the time to try and grow anyways. You should wait for a return to more favorable hard market conditions and THEN worry about actual growth. That's just the way it is. What do ya say buddy? We're in this together, right?"

Agent: "Actually, I've decided to do something different. I'm going to aggressively market my agency to prospects in markets that make sense for us. I'm going to invest in training and education for my employees so they can learn how to serve the modern consumer. I'm going to build a powerful Virtual Insurance Office that will convert unique visitors into sales. I am going to LEAD my team with passion and enthusiasm, and actually achieve REAL growth that will increase my revenue and the VALUE of my agency. I am going to control my own destiny by re-committing myself to the ideals and principles that led me to start this agency in the first place. I am going to get psyched, fall back in love with my business, kick the crap out of my competitors, and create an agency that I can be proud of. Are you excited for me?"

Rep: "That sounds like a lot of effort with no guarantee that your strategy will work."

Agent: "You're right. And that is EXACTLY why I can't wait to get started. In fact, I'm calling Astonish Results RIGHT NOW. I'm going to take the 180-second tour, and I will do what I've always wanted to do: GROW MY BUSINESS."

To learn what the BEST and most AGGRESSIVE agencies are doing to double and triple their book in one year, visit www.astonishresults.com where you can request a free virtual tour and receive your own e-Business Plan for your agency. After all, HOPE is NOT a strategy!

Make 2010 the BEST Year EVER for Your Agency!

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:11:06 -0600

As 2009 quickly comes to a close, now is the time to develop your growth strategy for 2010! You can either stay with the status quo while your book of business dwindles, or you can use the Internet and a strong digital marketing strategy to help you FIND, SELL, and KEEP more customers profitably.

As I travel around the country meeting with agents just like you, I've found that procrastination is the main reason that agencies aren't growing in this down market. Yes, commissions are lower. Yes, the economy is challenged. However, as Zig Ziglar says, "Recession is between your ears."

The great news is you and your agency CAN BE recession-proof with the right tools, people, and processes in a down market by using the greatest digital marketing system in the world. The system includes everything from Search Engine Marketing and Optimization to a multi-media Virtual Insurance Office, automated multi-media status-driven Email Campaigns, Phone Campaigns, Newsletters, e-Newsletters, and more.

And the BEST part about it? Astonish Results has everything in place to double and triple the book of business for agencies who are aggressive and eager for this kind of growth. This system, however, is not a fit for agencies who are stuck in the old, traditional methods that are no longer effective in most industries, but especially insurance.

With the Astonish Results system, agencies are using the tools to fish where the fish are, and to act NOW to pro-actively market to the prospects at the right time with the right message to effectively build value in their agency - now and forever.

Agencies from East to West are seeing exponential growth by creating an entire system for their Social Networking, Blogging, Internet, and overall branding strategies leveraging the web where we know most people are shopping for everything from cars to houses to insurance.

Tony Allesandra, President of Insurance Solutions in Mission Viejo, California recently shared his success at the California Agents Alliance Annual board meeting. There he announced that in his first 90 days of using the Astonish Results system, Tony was able to increase his online revenue by 775%! Tony has transformed his agency and the way they are buying and selling insurance WHILE creating a sales-driven culture that is crystal clear. How has he done this? By the results and growth his agency has seen and the positive, motivated, vision-oriented team of people he has been able to build within his agency walls.

To learn more about how Tony and so many agencies all over the country are using the Astonish Results digital marketing system to grow their agencies in 2009 and 2010, visit www.astonishresults.com for a FREE virtual tour. If nothing else, you will learn what the BEST agencies are doing to grow their business and make 2010 the BEST it can be!

What is Your Strategy to ROUND OUT All Accounts?

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:04:28 -0500

As I travel the country speaking with the top independent agents, it's clear that having a specific strategy in place to consistently ROUND OUT existing accounts is a HIGH LEVEL PRIORITY.

Will technology replace your CSR's?

Astonish Results realizes that technology alone will not generate the optimum results; however, used properly, when technology is combined with training and the right processes, it can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your top salespeople.

Think of it this way: Who is the top producer in your organization when it comes to rounding out accounts?

Now imagine having technology and a strategy that would allow you to duplicate the processes and best practices of this person.

...EXACTLY. Imagine putting systems in place that would allow you to give this process (via training and technology) to all the CSR's and producers in your office. Visit Astonish now to find out how.

Imagine having technology that knows exactly what to say and when to say it in order to turn prospects' RED LIGHTS into GREEN LIGHTS every time.

Imagine not having to fight with your employees to stay on top of unsold (single policy holder) accounts.

Question: How much would you increase your agency revenue if you had a process to identify unsold policies, automatically send the right messages at just the right times, and continuously market to all active clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Call Astonish NOW to receive more information.
The Million Dollar Question: How many additional CSR's would it require to make this work?

None. That's the best part. Implementing the right technology and processes will help you to increase your business, better serve your customers, and make more money WITHOUT having to hire additional staff.

The Billion Dollar Question: Would your agency make more money with a system in place to educate business insurance customers and generate interest in your products the same way the system is being used RIGHT NOW to generate interest in Astonish products and services?

Call Astonish today and request a free online demonstration of the greatest rounding out strategy in the world. While you're there, request the free email gathering strategy. This alone will allow you to take your agency to the next level.

Have You Given Up On Your Agency?

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:08:31 -0500

As I speak to independent insurance agents throughout the country about their businesses, one common theme emerges: they have lost passion for their business. They realize something is wrong, but they're not quite sure what. Business is off, their staff is demoralized, and they don't know how to fix it.

Does this describe how you feel? If so, at this point, you have two choices - give up or seek help.

Astonish Results is rapidly growing, and we're interviewing new people all the time. A potential new employee's last stop is my office before they get hired. As we sit together and talk about the details of the new position, I let them know one of the main characteristics we look for - teach-ability.
I learned long ago that being teachable was a surefire way to grow. Nobody knows everything.

Are you teachable? Are you open to new ideas, new ways of thinking? Do you seek out help when you don't know what to do? If your answer is "no," you may not survive.

Now here's the good news: IT'S NOT TOO LATE.

Astonish is focused like a laser beam on one objective: helping insurance agencies rekindle a passion for their agencies. The GREAT news is that many of our customers help EACH OTHER grow. How's that for teachability? Remember - you don't know everything!

If you'd like to get out of the rut you're in and really grow your agency, it requires you to have a teachable spirit and to step out in FAITH. There are agencies that are psyched about their businesses, and they share one common element: they're using the GREATEST DIGITAL MARKETING SYSTEM IN THE WORLD and have partnered with Astonish Results to help them FIND, SELL, and KEEP more customers profitably.

I encourage you to take our 180-second tour today and see what these progressive agents are doing at www.astonishresults.com.

"I Think I Need a Cigarette!"

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:14:19 -0500

"I've been going to member meetings for the Agents Alliance of California every year since 1972, and this year was the first year I wanted to be there."

This statement was made by a member following the Astonish Results keynote luncheon at the 2009 members' State of the Union in Palm Desert, California last month. It wasn't just the good food being served that brought every member into the 21st Century during the keynote. Instead, it was the REVOLUTIONARY theme that reminded agents to "STEP UP OR GET OUT" of the insurance industry before it's too late.

Following the keynotes given by co-founder & CEO Adam DeGraide and myself, the room was silenced and only heard one thing when Mike D'Arelli, Executive Director of the Agents Alliance, took the microphone back and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I think I need a cigarette!" If this wasn't enough to express what had just taken place in that ballroom, I don't know what is.

The presentation, attended by more than 700 agency owners and principles, spoke to the major issue confronting independent agents of all shapes and sizes:

How can I combat the effects of the soft market when my traditional approach to business no longer works?

After personally speaking with thousands of agents over the past two weeks, it's clear to me that most agents not only lack answers - they're not even sure what questions to ask.

While I was grateful for the incredible reception of our message, I remain very concerned that agents will struggle to translate knowledge into action.

Why? It's always exciting to speak with agents about topics such as social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, blogging, and world class sales cultures. Who wouldn't get excited? I've never seen agents pack into a ballroom like they did in the desert. Everybody wanted to hear how modern agencies are doubling and tripling their production. They all realize they must begin to incorporate these strategies into the DNA of their agencies. Intellectually, everybody gets it. The problem is that most agents don't know where to start.

Here's my advice: before you begin ANY sales and marketing initiative, ask yourself WHY you're doing it. Exactly WHAT are you looking to accomplish? Who is responsible, and HOW are you going to measure the results?

In Palm Desert, we described it this way: "If the ‘insurance genie' appeared before you and offered you three wishes for your agency, what would they be?"

What we've discovered is this: most agency principals aren't sure what they would ask for in clear, specific terms. And if they don't know, who does?

Astonish Results has created the greatest digital marketing system in the world for independent agents of all shapes and sizes. At Astonish, our mission is to get the system into the hands of every agency principal across the country who KNOWS WHAT THEIR THREE WISHES WOULD BE. Hope is not a strategy, and agents who are hoping for a return to a hard market (or) for the Yellow Pages to come back into vogue will have little chance for any lasting long-term success.

As it relates to growing your agency, here's what needs to happen:

Evaluate. In terms of potential to grow as an organization, where do we stand with our People, Process, and Tools?
Embrace the reality and start the difficult process of fixing weaknesses and improving strengths.
Engage where you need help and find the right people/organizations to achieve your goals.
Caveat. Don't seek the advice of people who either can't or won't help you. In other words, don't ask staff members if you should try something new. Most people hate change, and the mere thought of trying something new is enough to cause employees to throw a tantrum.

But if your name is on the sign, it's up to you to decide where you want to GO and GROW from here!

To discover how agencies across the country have regained control of their business and put processes in place to actually GROW in any market, take our 180-second tour at www.astonishresults.com. It will be the best 3 minutes you've spent in a long time. Ask yourself this: when was the last time you attended an insurance convention where people actually got psyched, had fun, learned progressive new strategies, and at the end of the day were speechless?

You know what you need to do. Will you do it?

The 90/10 Rule COULD Change Your Life

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:38:50 -0500

Is Internet marketing a fad, or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? If Facebook were a country, it would be the world's 4th largest, and YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire population of Ireland!

As I travel around the country talking to independent insurance agents just like you, I've discovered the 90/10 rule. I tell the same thing to every agency: "The Internet Revolution is here, and it's moving faster than anyone ever could have imagined!"

However, 90% of you will IGNORE the fact that your customers have moved and they are no longer searching for you in the Yellow Pages or on the jersey of your kids' little league teams. That means that only 10% of people I talk to will actually DO SOMETHING about this shift in culture and the way you do business.

The question you need to ask yourself is this: Do you want to be in the 90% that watches your agency dwindle and fade into nothing, or do you want to be in the 10% that will DOMINATE the market?

At Astonish Results, we specialize in helping Independent Insurance agents find, sell, and keep more customers profitably using the Internet. We're up-to-date with the newest trends in the Internet and Social Media revolution, and we are helping our customers successfully DOMINATE the market.

Visit www.astonishresults.com to check out our FREE 180-second tour, and schedule a Virtual Presentation to find out how you can DOMINATE the industry and grow your agency - even in a soft market. Don't be the 90%! Change your life TODAY!

You Know What You Need To Do...Now DO It! Here's How.

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:15:54 -0500

As I travel around the country and meet with agents just like you, it's clear that you are a very sharp group. You've achieved a great level of success, and your knowledge has helped you attain that.

In life, one of the things that I've discovered is that in situations, there's either a deficiency in knowledge or in execution. We just established that you are all very knowledgeable, so the question is: are you EXECUTING the things that you KNOW you need to?

We all KNOW you need to be creating a brand for your agency and leveraging the web to do that. A few best practices include email marketing, social networking, generating your own leads through referrals and other Internet marketing strategies, improving the training of your CSR's...and the list goes on. But are you EXECUTING these practices?

The insurance industry as we know it has changed. The Internet revolution is here, and it is alive and well! Internet marketing is a complex and comprehensive subject, and it's very easy to get frustrated when you don't have time in your day to do it all, or even develop a strategy to make sure you're doing EVERYTHING possible to effectively and efficiently brand your agency - both traditionally and on the Internet.

So why not partner with a company who knows WHAT you should be doing, knows HOW to do it, and who will do it WITH you? At Astonish Results, we have helped agency after agency grow their business exponentially. What all of these agencies share in common is their vision to Find, Sell, and Keep more customers profitably. They do this by creating a multi-media Virtual Insurance Office to build value in their people, process, and insurance products; multi-media email campaigns to drive a higher quality and quantity of traffic to their agency; search engine marketing and optimization; training and consulting, and more.

If you're ready to learn how the BEST agencies in the country are using DIGITAL MARKETING to double and triple their agencies, visit www.astonishresults.com and take the 180-second tour.

At the end of the day, it's your agency. It's your life. What will you do to join the revolution, MULTIPLY your business, and change the way the world buys and sells insurance?

Do You Begin with the End in Mind?

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:51:11 -0500

Here's a simple question: When it comes to your customers, do you begin with the end in mind? Can you picture what a successful transition from prospect to a sold customer looks like? What about from sold customer to repeat customer? What about from repeat customer to a customer that gives you referrals? Do you know what you would say to your customers in each one of these instances?

For each one of those transitions, what would a successful conclusion look like?

Once you know the answer to these questions, the next step is to map out a simple process to achieve success. Note, I said "simple." Success doesn't always need to involve complexity and difficulty. Sometimes just doing the right thing at the right time is more than enough to succeed.

If these processes are not well thought-out, how do you expect your people to implement them?

I would submit that many organizations don't think this way. As a result, they have issues Finding, Selling, AND Keeping customers. To be effective, you need to break complicated systems (your business) down into manageable segments and map out a clearly defined process for each. That's where the fun begins!

Here at Astonish Results, we specialize in helping our clients segment and map out a clearly defined process in order to help them grow their business by Finding new customers, Selling more premiums to those new customers, and Keeping them as customers for life.

Visit www.astonishresults.com today to take the 180-second tour and discover how you can double the size of agency in less than 3 years!

Take the Agency Competency Test

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:01:25 -0500

Independent agents across the country continue to struggle with the combined challenges of the soft market and the growing demands of the modern consumer. As they pursue a winning formula to drive organic growth, several trends have emerged among successful agencies.

According to Marsh-Berry Consulting, the Best 25% of agencies achieved a 12% net organic growth rate 2006-2007[space](after leakage). Using the following list of Core Competencies, take a minute to honestly assess your agency's ability to achieve the same growth rate of the Best 25%. Knowing that you can only manage what you can measure, grade your agency on a scale of 1-5 in each of the following areas. Once you have your benchmark, you can put a process in place to constantly improve:

1. Strong leadership presence. Clearly defined vision.
2. Specific goals for sales and service. Measured on a regular basis with a process for improvement.
3. Working towards a "World Class Sales Culture." Everyone knows their role in support of sales.
4. Effective use of technology for management and marketing functions. What can be automated, IS automated.
5. Clearly defined process for new customer acquisition and cross sales. Deliberate, executed the same way EVERY TIME.
6. People management. Have a clearly defined process in place to recruit, hire, and train team members.
7. Leverage Internet and social media. Have a dedicated person focused on this segment of the market.
8. Compensation. Job descriptions and incentives that drive PROFITABLE new business.
9. Willingness to invest in marketing and growth. According to MarshBerry, 2-5% of annual revenues for growth investment.
10. Desire. A "WHATEVER IT TAKES" attitude to achieve desired outcomes.

If you're like most agency principals, after completing this assessment, you have discovered that it's going to take more than a hard market and more "REFERRALS" to compete with the best in your business. Research shows that there is a widening gap between the haves and have not's in the insurance industry.

What happens when the owners of an agency have no real experience or passion for driving these initiatives? People will do what they WANT to do, not what you NEED them to do. As a result, the agency will continue to struggle to achieve any meaningful growth.

Fortunately, Astonish Results has created a complete consulting and marketing system focused on helping agencies improve in EACH of the Core Competencies listed in the assessment.

Astonish has been featured in Rough Notes magazine as an Unfair Advantage. Recently, the Founder and CEO of Astonish Results, Adam DeGraide, was interviewed on camera by the CEO of the Insurance Journal. You can view this video here.

To find out how your agency can leverage the Astonish Unfair Advantage, take the 180-second tour www.astonishresults.com and discover how you can double the size of agency in less than 3 years. Call today!

California Agent Makes the Grade…

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:41:10 -0500

...And it's starting to pay off. Insurance Solutions, located in southern California, has this advice for agencies aspiring to develop a "World Class" sales culture:

Everybody in the organization plays an important role in the sales culture. You must let your team know exactly what is expected of them, how and when you will measure results, AND what's in it for them, when expectations are (or are not) met.

In addition, Insurance Solutions realizes you can't manage what you can't measure, so they've put technologies in place to monitor and track the success of all of their customer-facing team members. That's where the hard work begins.

This is the knowing vs. the doing part.

Knowing what needs to improve is different from actually helping people improve. Just telling team members to "sell" or "round out" more accounts is not going to work. Your agency must be committed to providing team members with a constant feedback loop that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. Through open discussions that include listening to recorded phone calls, you must provide your staff with real time advice on how to better serve the modern consumer, starting with the notion that every call MUST have a beginning, a middle, and most importantly, an END.

The end is the part where the all the money is WON or LOST.

Million dollar suggestion:

Insurance Solutions will provide grades to their staff on how well they perform in each of these areas. Because the end result was clearly communicated to their team, everyone has embraced the concept and actually looks forward to the feedback. For them, it's exciting to know that they're growing as people and as an agency.

What happens when there is no one in the agency with the time or the experience to train and improve your existing staff?

Team members lose focus on what matters most: INCREASED SALES. Everything falls apart from there. Agencies who fit into this category must take immediate steps to regain control of their business and put systems in place that allow them to measure, manage, and improve the behaviors that will ultimately result in increased revenue. Without these systems, the growth of the agency is a function of LUCK. This would make any reasonable person very anxious.

Agents across the country have discovered how Astonish Results can help them regain control of their agency by providing the right combination of technology, education, and motivation required to drive sales and improve morale. To learn how you can do the same, take the 180-second tour at www.astonishresults.com. Start planning for 2010 now - you'll be glad you did.

Tweets, Fans, and Friends: Confused? You're Not Alone.

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:56:35 -0500

It's a new world we live in. A world where professional athletes, musicians, and celebrities announce important public statements, hot news, share daily thoughts, and post daily blogs on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and more. So if it works for them, why can't it work for you as an independent insurance agent? I'm here to tell you that it can, and it DOES! The best news? IT'S FREE!

Common misconceptions about these new social networking tools are that they are "for kids only" or "adults don't use them." You're correct that the youth of America are using these tools. In fact, 2/3 of the North American youth are spending time visiting these sites daily. The statistic that may surprise you the most is that 1/3 of adults in North America - that's 176,240,196 people - also use these social networking sites.

Now that we know that people are on these sites, how do you get involved and make sure you have a branded presence there too? The most important piece of the puzzle is to have a plan. Don't just throw together a Twitter and Facebook page and call it a day. Have a clear set of goals for what you would like to achieve from these new marketing mediums, and do it ahead of your competition. What are your main objectives? How will you achieve them? Is there someone that might be better at this than you that you can assign to the task?

Social Network Marketing 101:

Develop a plan and your objectives for each of the most popular, most successful social networking sites.
Assign someone in your office to update your agency's site daily. They require a lot of attention.
Encourage member interaction to get people involved.
Be fun! Don't be stuffy: be different. This will help with the viral aspect of your campaign.
Leverage online media tools such as videos, podcasts, streaming audio, video blogs, etc.
Integrate other marketing/advertising mediums to promote your social networks (corporate website, email newsletter, blogs, etc).
Include a link to your networking sites on everyone's email signatures.

The task of social network marketing is not an easy one, and a lot of people like to leave it up to the experts. Astonish Results is creating and implementing entire social network campaigns for each of their agencies so that they can spend more time doing what they do best: selling insurance. Astonish helps their agencies by educating them on the best tools in the world to give them the best and most optimal branding on the web. For your own CUSTOM Social Networking Business Plan, request a virtual presentation at www.astonishresults.com. Every day you wait, your competition is conquering the cyberspace world, while you are...?

Select Independent Agents Become World Class

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:48:15 -0500

As I travel across the country speaking with independent insurance agencies, they all agree on the importance of developing a "World Class" sales culture. In theory, it makes sense. The problem is, what does that look like in the real world?

First, agents must be realistic about the potential of their existing staff to make the transition from a service centric culture to a sales centric culture. In other words: do you have the right people on the bus?

If not, difficult decisions MUST BE MADE. This is where most agents struggle. They can't imagine letting go of long-term loyal employees, despite the fact that these people undermine EVERY effort to transition the organization.

This dynamic is so pervasive, many agents have actually experimented with the idea of segregating new hires from existing employees to avoid the "negative impact" on new team members.

While this idea is appealing, what does it say about the performance of the existing employees?

Next, agency principals must ask themselves: who within our organization is actually gifted enough and willing to take on the task of motivating and educating staff members? In other words, it's one thing to say "I need you to sell more products," and it's another thing to educate and motivate them to do it.

The million dollar question:

Who within your organization is tasked with the responsibility of improving the overall performance of your existing employees? Who, what, where, when, and why does this person spend time mentoring customer-facing personnel?

Most independent agents lack the understanding and resources to DRIVE effective training programs, so they choose the alternative of "it is what it is." Many agents have actually conceded the fact that they never will be - never can be - "world class" anything.

This is NOT true. For those agents, I beg them to consider the following story:

Imagine the conversation that existed between the first two people who discussed the possibility of capturing and training killer whales:

"Hey Mike, see that black and white whale with the huge teeth? I say we catch a few of them, drag them back to California, breed them in captivity, and train them to jump through hoops. Come to think of it, I bet we can sell tickets for people to watch them and we can build a theme park around the whales."

Do you think the response was:

A: "Of course we should do that! We can do anything, as long as we're willing to work hard and we actually believe."

B: "That will never work. We don't have a big enough net, we don't know what to feed them, and we could get killed trying to catch them."

If you answered A, please call Astonish Results immediately to learn how independent agencies across the country are getting the results that most agencies dream of.

If you answered B...

Your Advertising Dollars: Going Up in Flames?

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:18:07 -0500

In today's digital age, times are changing, and fast! What may have worked ten years ago may not be working anymore. It's hard to change our ways. Who likes change, right?

Ten years ago, the Yellow Pages was king, and the rest of us were just its humble dominions living within its kingdom. If you weren't in the Yellow Pages, your business was virtually unknown.. Although the Yellow Pages continue to be one of the most expensive mediums of advertising in any agency's marketing budget today, their feasibility and the number of consumers that actually use them to find information anymore is quickly fading.

A recent study of Google Trends reports that the Yellow Pages will be nearly dead and taking its last breaths in the advertising world within two years from today. We all know that the Yellow Pages are trying to resurrect their business through yellowpages.com, but where do people go to find information today - yellowpages.com or Google? Google is the number one most visited website in the world, and is more than likely the way that your potential customers are going to find you.

Did you know that 8 out of 10 of your potential and existing clients search for insurance on the Internet before they buy? 8 out of 10!

So the question you need to ask yourself is: will they find you? And if they do find you, will your website convince them to contact you? If you're unsure of the answer to those questions, then you're not alone. Most agents today haven't taken advantage of the growth opportunity the Internet provides them. The ones that have are selling more premium, making more money, and having more fun.

At Astonish Results, we specialize in helping insurance agencies like you FIND, SELL, and KEEP more customers profitably by using the Internet. Over the past twelve years, we've developed a proven system that is helping agencies DOUBLE the size of their business in less than three years.

Visit www.astonishresults.com and take the free 180-second tour. Find out how we can help you grow your business and STOP wasting those advertising dollars!

Now for the fun part! We're giving away a new iPod Nano to whoever can come up with the most creative idea on "New ways to use the Yellow Pages." Some good examples are: a booster seat for your kids, kindling for your winter fire, etc. Simply e-mail emailmarketing@astonishresults.com with your idea, and we'll notify the winner later this week. Get those creative juices flowing, and let's have some fun!

Local Agent Brings “Cool” Back to Insurance...

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:07:39 -0500

...and his clients love it.

If someone walked into your agency today and told you there was a way to potentially double the size of your business in less than three years, and have your agency featured on the cover of Rough Notes magazine, would you believe it?

If you're like 90% of all independent agents you would respond logically with a definitive "NO WAY!"

Why do you ask? The most obvious reasons would be a soft market, decreasing payrolls, increasing competition, lack of customer loyalty, etc.

Only 10% of independent agencies out there are thriving in this market. Why? Because it has presented them with a once in a lifetime opportunity to grab market share from less innovative and weaker competitors.

Chris Paradiso of Paradiso Insurance is one of these people. He is literally on pace to double the size of his agency in less than three years. He loves the turmoil that exists in the market and hopes it never changes. Every day this difficult market stays the same or worsens, yet Chris is winning over customers from his competitors.

How? First, Chris is a positive thinking person who does not have time for negativity. Second, he has discovered what 90% of agencies have not, the world has changed for the better.

The modern consumer lives online in a world of virtual communities. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networks are the fastest growing segment of the online market. Chris has even found a way to create his own virtual community to link local businesses with local consumers!

Twenty years ago, the marketing strategy for agents was through referrals, local meetings, etc. The referrals kept coming in, and the money with it. That traditional community no longer produces the same results it did twenty years ago. However, community version 2.0 is alive and thriving on the internet. Chris Paradiso has found a way to tap into the new "local" market and he has put himself right square in the middle of it. As a result, his personal and business clients love to visit him because he has made insurance more than risk mitigation or just another bill. Money is scarce these days, and consumers want value, not just a policy.

There are a growing number of agents across the country who are falling back in love with their agency and their clients. Each day offers new opportunities to innovate, have fun, and win market share.

Imagine waking up in the morning with a smile on your face and a copy of Rough Notes magazine on your nightstand. Imagine you on the cover, your picture, your agency, your life being admired by tens of thousand of your peers. Now that is worth fighting for!

Do yourself a favor; click here to read the article about Chris Paradiso and how he has been able to grow his business and be successful in today's soft market.

To learn the secret behind Chris Paradiso's UNFAIR ADVANTAGE, visit www.AstonishResults.com. Take a 180 second tour that will change your life!

Double Your Agency Revenue: Fact or Fiction?

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:07:36 -0500

Warwick, Rhode Island - July 22nd, 2009 - Astonish Results, an aggressive insurance marketing company, is making some very bold claims in their advertisements. But are they really backing it up with "astonishing results?"

"Double the size of your agency in three years."
"The Greatest Digital Marketing System in the world."
"It's mathematically impossible to write less business using our system."

Flooding trade publications, industry conventions, and the Internet with messages like these, Astonish has been claiming to be the biggest and the best in their field. Skepticism is a natural response to statements like these. Knowing this, Astonish and their clients have been very candid about the financial success the system is generating.

With over a decade of Internet marketing experience, Astonish Results decided to work exclusively with the insurance industry two years ago. Since then over 120 agencies, running the gambit of sizes and products, have partnered with Astonish Results and are using their Digital Marketing System. Astonish recently released a report showing that their top clients are using the system to literally double their commissionable revenue in less than 24 months. That's one year less than their advertisement claims.

One client in particular, Paul Murphy, was willing to make his figures public. When Paul started with Astonish in February of 2008, his Massachusetts-based P&C agency had $10 million in premium on the books and made approximately $900,000 annual revenue. When the report was released in June 2009, Paul Murphy's agency had already grown to over $24 million in premium and over $2.4 million in revenue. Paul notes that his agency is on target to do $3.6 million in revenue in 2009, which will mean Paul Murphy has more than tripled his annual revenue in less than two years. (Visit Paul's Virtual Insurance Office).

Success stories like these only beg another question-how? According to Astonish Results founder and CEO, Adam DeGraide, "Success in the Internet age comes from having a complete system to help you find, sell, and keep more customers profitably. That's exactly what we've developed over the past decade. Our clients' results make perfect sense. With 85% of insurance customers using the Internet to research before they buy, I'd be skeptical if they didn't get results."

Tim Sawyer, President of Astonish Results, put it this way, "Many people today think marketing success comes from one thing. They say to themselves, ‘If only I could get on the first page of Google, I'd make more money.' The truth is, marketing has never been about one thing. Successful marketing comes from putting everything together into a complete system that gets results. That's what we've done for our clients. Their results are only limited by how aggressively they choose to use the system."

The figures that Astonish and their clients have released prove that their confident claims are backed by facts. Astonish now offers another way for independent agents to hurtle their doubts - they've given agents the ability to see their system by scheduling a Virtual Presentation on their website, www.astonishresults.com.

Agents Can Create Their Own Social Networks...

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:42:25 -0500

...And they should.

In less than 15 years, the Internet has clearly become the resource of choice for the modern world. For everything from cars to snow shoes to insurance. Consumers PREFER the Internet. Since its inception, savvy marketers have struggled to find ways to make the virtual world operate like the traditional world. The problem is, it doesn't.

With the explosion in popularity of Internet sites like Facebook and Myspace, users have clearly taken matters into their own hands. Social networks allow people from all walks of life, from all over the world, to stay connected, to share information, to tell stories, to become accepted, and to be part of a group. This phenomenon has taught marketing professionals a VERY valuable lesson.

The increasing demands on the time of the modern consumer means that there is less time for traditional friendships, fun, and socializing. Social networks provide the perfect quick fix, and more importantly, a reason to stay in touch.

The new reality:
On a Monday night at a local restaurant in Sacramento, the place is packed to the point of no seats available. The food was okay, standard Italian. Keep in mind the place is a coffee shop during the day - get the picture?

As I sat waiting for my meal, I was amazed at the number of large groups eating, drinking, and socializing. It looked more like a trendy bar in downtown Manhattan. Next, an older gentlemen approached me and asked if I was participating in "trivia night," which I wasn't. I told him no and he walked away, disappointed. A few minutes later, this same man stood in the middle of the restaurant and began to announce the "standings" of the various trivia teams seated together in the dining area. After each score, a loud applause could be heard throughout the rest. These people were psyched and clearly excited about the long night of team trivia to come.

What's the point?

The owner had created a real life social network. A way for people who don't know each other and probably aren't comfortable meeting strangers to come together and BE PART OF A GROUP. In this case, a trivia team.

What do people do when they are socializing and having fun? EAT and DRINK more than usual. They stay longer and come back often.

What's the lesson to be learned, independent agencies?
You must do the exact same thing. Create a way for your customers to stay longer, come back often, and BUY/CONSUME more stuff. In your case, INSURANCE. Because of the unique captive nature of the agent/customer relationship, this is relatively easy to do. It's the KNOWING and the DOING that makes it difficult.

Fortunately for agents, Astonish Results has created the greatest social network marketing system designed to help independent agents dominate their local market, wow their commercial clients, and add HUGE value to all their customers.

To learn how to put the power of insurance social network marketing to work for you, contact Astonish Results today.

What BMW Can Teach the Independent Agent

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:30:23 -0500

Owning a BMW has always been a rite of passage for newly successful agents. Driving a new 5-series is a statement to friends and co-workers that you have arrived. I think it's fair to say the reason for this is the prestige associated with the BMW brand. Perception is reality, and if you drive a BMW, the perception is that you are a successful upward mobile business person.

The million dollar question is: "How do consumers perceive your agency brand, and by extension, YOU?"

This is the most important question any agency or individual agent could ask themselves. There's a concept in marketing known as "Everything Speaks." Everything you do and say reflects on your brand.

Consider the statement "the ultimate driving machine." Everyone knows exactly what that means. There is no confusion about what BMW stands for or the quality of the product they deliver.

What would consumers think if Wal-Mart entered the insurance business? I would personally think, "simple process, limited advice, low costs, honest." I think I would be comfortable with it because of the brand - not the person providing the service.

This is the challenge that independent agencies face. In a market where consumers are extremely skeptical and jaded, IMAGE is everything. Said in another way, perception is reality.

Take a minute to review your collective branding efforts.

*What picture are you painting for your customers?
*What value are reflected?
*What is the message being sent?
*Most important of all, does your branding reflect your vision?

Next, take a moment to consider the people who share AND are part of your brand.

*Do they share the same values?
*Do they conduct themselves in a way that reflects positively on your brand?
*Do they promote the brand with the same passion that they promote themselves?

After some consideration, ask yourself how what you're actually doing lines up with your vision of what you should and need to be doing? Are they the same? If not, what needs to change?

Many agency principals express to us that they've made a series of incremental decisions that have brought them to a point that they never intended to be at. They talk about having lost their sense of identity and completely diluted the vision for their unique brand. Insurance professionals who discount the importance of brand awareness are missing out on a key element of successful marketing. In an age when every customer counts, you must eliminate the possibility of losing business due to either a lack of or negative brand awareness.

Fortunately, more than 85% of all consumers will go to the Internet to do research before requesting an insurance quote. This is an opportunity to utilize low-cost marketing strategies to capture business and build brand awareness. A comprehensive online marketing strategy can make even the smallest of companies look like they have a million dollar marketing budget.

Owning and driving a BMW is a special experience. BEING PERCEIVED AS ONE: PRICELESS.

At Astonish Results, our agencies love that we encourage individualism. Our way of thinking allows these same independent agencies to express their uniqueness and execute on their own ideas. The number one comment from agency owners across the country is, "I have all these great ideas; I just need help putting them into practice." Astonish Results has developed a system to assist you in developing a marketing strategy that reflects the company and the person you always INTENDED to be.

Contact Astonish Results for a complimentary brand consultation and to discover how you can utilize the Internet to grow your agency.

Is Your Agency Value Hanging By a Thread?

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:03:57 -0500

According to a recent study by Marsh, Berry & Co., there's a good chance that it is.

By the way, would you be surprised?

Think of it is this way: given the current soft market conditions, is it realistic that an agency - or any business for that matter - could thrive without a real business plan, a true sales culture, effective and efficient use of technology, AND a comprehensive plan to market the business?

The standard catchphrase "We are a referral-driven business" is starting to sound a little bit like "We're not sure how to market effectively. We're nervous about spending money in this environment. We're not particularly good at getting business from people we don't know."

Great news. If this applies to you, you're in the same boat as 90% of all independent agents.

Let's separate the FACTS from the FEELINGS.

Is your agency willing and able to drive profitable organic growth? According to Marsh, Berry & Co., the top 25% of independent agents achieved organic growth of 12%.

Quick question: What was your new business production during 2008 as a percentage of 2007 commissions? The top 25% averaged 23.2 of prior year income. The top 5% averaged 29.1%.

The point is, the top performing agencies have figured out a way to consistently drive organic growth. These agencies are not sitting back waiting for a return to a hard market and subsequent profitability.

How do you achieve organic growth?

Add a new product.
Increase price.
Sell more existing products/services.

The easiest choice and the hardest to execute is #3 - SELL MORE STUFF. PERIOD.

There's no dancing around the subject. Agencies that do not have a plan to drive growth WILL LOSE VALUE. According to the study, four years from now agencies that can not maintain a minimum organic growth rate of 8% will realize a decrease in the value of the agency on an after tax basis. The agency will be worth less. Which means your agency will be running on a treadmill for four years and end up in worse shape than when you got on.

THE INDEPENDENT AGENCY SYSTEM IS QUICKLY BECOMING A STORY OF THE HAVE'S AND THE HAVE NOT'S.

According to Marsh, Berry & Co., buyers of independent agencies are getting very picky about what they are looking for:

Executive level accountability and participation.
Understanding how sales metrics effect success.
Providing staff with the right technology and tools.
Quantifying organizational and individual goals.
Measuring, monitoring, and improving.
Pay for performance and negative consequences.
CONSISTENTLY FUNDING growth initiatives and aggressive growth budgeting of 2-5% of annual revenues for growth investments. If you were to rate your agency on a scale of 1-10 in each of these areas, would you score above or below 80%? Keep in mind, in school 80% was a LOW B.

In the July issue of Rough Notes magazine, Astonish Results was featured as the premier digital marketing, business consulting, and training company for the independent agent. The article, titled "An Unfair Advantage," highlights EXACTLY how Astonish is revolutionizing the way insurance is sold all across the country.

Discover how you can leverage this Unfair Advantage. Schedule a Virtual Presentation of the system that will dramatically change your agency at www.astonishresults.com.

Your Agency Website Should Make You Money

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:38:23 -0500

Every week, I travel around the country to speak with independent agency principals about insurance marketing. The more I travel, the clearer it becomes that most agencies today are finding it very difficult to generate enough new business to cover their annual losses. Part of this difficulty is a result of increased premiums and other macro-economic factors. However, I see a bigger problem.

The Fact: In 2009, 85% of YOUR customers will use the Internet to research before they buy their next insurance policy (IIABA).

This fact can seem like a huge obstacle for many. However, agencies that see this statistic as an opportunity for growth will dominate their markets in the years to come.

Million Dollar Question: Does your agency have a bulletproof strategy to capture the modern consumer on the Internet?

When I ask independent agencies this questions, most answer, "Yeah, I have a website." I then ask, "Does your website make you any money?"

Every time I ask that question the answer is "NO." NO!

Billion Dollar Question: Why have a website if it doesn't make you money?

Discover the Secret: The top agencies across the country don't have a website. They have a Virtual Insurance Office.

A Virtual Insurance Office is a highly interactive website designed specifically to convert visitors into high quality leads. It builds value in your people, your products, and your agency and is the most powerful sales and marketing tool available. Your Virtual Insurance Office will say the right things at just the right time to get the right RESULTS every time - and it works for you 24/7.

Why buy any old website when an attractive new Virtual Insurance Office will help you sell more policies and MAKE YOU MONEY?

Astonish Results is the only company in the world that builds Virtual Insurance Offices. It's just one part of the Astonish Results complete Digital Marketing System that is helping the top agencies across the country to FIND, SELL, and KEEP more customers profitably. We've combined the best tools, training, and consulting into ONE SYSTEM that is allowing the top e-agencies double the size of their business in three years.

Learn how the Astonish Results system can help you leverage the Internet to grow your agency. Schedule your FREE Virtual Presentation today!

Now you know. However, there is a HUGE difference between knowledge and action.

5 Proven Ways to Grow Your Agency

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:11:32 -0500

Agents across the country are looking to create new strategies to deal with the shifting economy and meet the demands of the modern consumer. They realize that the playing field has changed and to compete in today's insurance market they need to adjust their strategy to meet the following goals:

Develop a comprehensive strategy to capture new business using the Internet.
Increase customer retention by improving their service and communication to existing customers.
Train your people to increase customer loyalty, increase policies-in-force, and increase closing ratios.

In order to help agencies like yours meet these goals, we've outlined the 5 Proven Ways To Grow Your Agency in the Digital Age.

Get a Website that Works - To leverage the Internet, agents must first recognize the incredible opportunity to capture customers and make REAL money. 85% of insurance customers use the Internet to research before they buy their next policy. What does this mean? YOU NEED A WEBSITE. Not only do you need a website, but you need a website that is specifically designed to generate phone calls and email quote requests.
Increase Your Visibility - The best e-agents know the key to online success is their ability to increase the quality and quantity of traffic from the major search engines. Agents must find a way to increase their visibility. Pay-Per-Click marketing and organic search engine optimization are the two main methods of increasing your visibility online. Have a strategy in both of these areas is critcal to increase your website's visibility. Partner with a company that can get you results in both of these areas.
Strengthen Existing Relationships - In order to strengthen relationships with existing customers, agencies will need to develop a strategy to communicate consistently with their customer base and employ technology to automate this communication. This strategy should include effective email newsletters, friendly holiday messages, automated voice broadcasting, and quarterly physical mailings.
Constant Improvement - We all know that you must recruit the best talent that you can afford. But once you have, it's just as important that you develop a culture of constant improvement. Train your people. Educate them on how consumer trends are changing. Motivate them to increase their results. A business culture of constant improvement will not only affect company morale - it will affect your wallet as well.
Think Positive - The changing consumer behavior and the recent economic shift is an incredible obstacle for some agencies and an incredible opportunity for others. Think positive. Attitude may determine your trajectory.

Will you take advantage of this opportunity?

Astonish Results has built the greatest digital marketing system in the world. We've combined the best tools, training, and consulting into one system that is helping the top agencies across the country to find, sell, and keep more customers profitably using the Internet. Schedule a Virtual Presentation of the Astonish system today to discover how Astonish Results will help usher your agency into the digital age.

Simple Internet Strategy Transforms Agency

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:26:19 -0500

The Paul Murphy Insurance Agency is not your typical agency.

In a time of economic uncertainty, Paul Murphy saw the opportunity to grow his business. Through a clearly defined Internet marketing strategy, Paul Murphy Insurance has been able to use the Internet to generate a consistent flow of exclusive home and auto prospects. In less than three months, his agency went from having zero new policies generated via the Internet to consistently writing new home, auto, motorcycle and recreational vehicle policies daily. Now, less than a year later, Paul has increased his new business by over 230% (in this economy!)

We had the opportunity to interview founder Paul Murphy to discover how he's leveraging the Internet to grow his business. Here is what he had to say.

AR: What has made your Internet marketing strategy so successful?

PM: We've adjusted our focus to making sure we're increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to our Virtual Insurance Office (website). Also, our strategic partnership with Astonish Results provides us with a comprehensive system to follow-up with prospects and our existing customers.

Our main focus right now is the creation of our new CRC department. The CRC (or Customer Relationship Center) will become the new nerve center of our organization. We will be able to manage and track all inbound and outbound sales calls, create email marketing campaigns, measure results, and make adjustments immediately. We see this as the cornerstone of our agency.

AR: How do you ensure that a new employee is productive from the start?

PM: Arm them with all the right tools, processes, and training right from the beginning. We also find it's important to provide leads to get them started in the right direction and a positive work environment to keep them motivated.

AR: How has training helped improve your results?

PM: Continuing education is important to any industry. The proper training from top to bottom ensures success now and in the future. Our partnership with Astonish Results allows us to utilize Astonish Coaching. They're training staff has made a tremendous difference in our productivity, processes, motivation, and management.

In addition to the on-site training, the Astonish tools allow us to monitor all inbound phone calls. This has been critical in better management and training of our people. CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT is one of the primary principles driving our culture.

AR: How have you used technology to grow your business?

PM: First we made a commitment to develop and implement a clear Internet marketing strategy by partnering with Astonish Results. We believe in providing our employees with the best marketing tools available. This sends a clear message to our customers that we're the right company to do business with. On the Internet, the competition is pretty fierce. It's important to make sure you stand out.

AR: Is email marketing part of your new marketing strategy?

PM: Absolutely. Email marketing is an effective tool that allows us to generate new business opportunities inexpensively and stay in touch with our current customers automatically.

We've implemented a great email-marketing tool called the Astonish Results Virtual Profit Center. It's set up to automatically help us execute out-bound marketing campaigns, sales follow-up emails, monthly communication to our customers, cross-selling emails to our current clients, and many other email campaigns. The results we've seen are increased lead flow, closing ratio, customer loyalty, and a reduction of our direct mail budget.

AR: How is your new website different from your old website?

PM: Our new Virtual Insurance Office stands out from the rest. It's like nothing else in the market. The interactive site walks customers through the entire policy activation and claims process. We get great feedback from our customers on how simple and easy it is to use the website navigation. It's amazing how many people comment on the Virtual Insurance Agent. As a result, our contact rate has increased by 390% since switching over to our new website. More contacts mean more opportunities to close more business.

AR: How do you gather emails?

PM: We ask every person we speak with for their email address, as well as purchasing databases of people who are interested in our insurance products. We try to think outside the box - quality email addresses are everywhere you look. We make it a part of our daily activity. In addition, we offer visitors the opportunity to enter our online contest. The "Go Green" campaign is a nice way for our CSR's to politely ask for email addresses.

AR: Why is it important for insurance agencies to generate leads on their own website?

PM: More leads equal more opportunities to make money. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. This is a numbers game. You need more leads and a better conversion ratio in order to make more money.

Also, when you buy a lead, you're paying a third-party lead provider to grow their business. We're interested in building our brand, not the brand of third-party lead providers. We realize this takes time, but it's a sustainable business model and it's an investment worth making.

AR: Why is it important to market your website?

PM: Placement on the Internet is KEY. You can't expect to launch a website and have it start generating leads. You need to have a clear strategy on how you're going to drive traffic to the website.

AR: How important is the sales process in this whole equation?

PM: It's very important. You need to understand the products that you're selling and how to move a prospect through the sale. The Internet just allows us to have more opportunities to sell insurance; it doesn't sell it for us.

AR: Why do you think so many insurance agencies are behind when it comes to the Internet?

PM: It's still an uncharted territory for independent agents. Like any other marketing initiative, the startup cost may seem high, but the results can be staggering once you take the chance. We want to be ahead of the curve, not behind it. We're investing in the future of our agency. Our customers and our employees are our most valuable assets, and we are committed to providing them with the latest technology to efficiently grow the agency and improve our customer satisfaction ratings.

See the system that Paul Murphy uses to grow his business. Schedule a free Virtual Presentation of the system today.

Email Marketing - Helping Agencies Make More Money

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:25:27 -0500

Most industries today are using email to not only communicate with their current clients, but also to market to prospective customers. Surprisingly, the independent insurance industry is behind the curve on this opportunity.

Even though this is the case, there are a handful of agency principals that have seen the opportunity and are using email marketing to reduce their marketing budgets and increase their results.

Hear from agency principals that are using Email Marketing.
To help you see the opportunity, we've interviewed six agencies from across the country that are currently using email marketing to successfully make more money. In partnership with the Insurance Journal, we've created a 10-minute webcast titled "How the Power of Email Marketing Can Grow Your Agency."

Learn how Email Marketing can work for you.
Join us to discover how email marketing can do the same for you. The webcast debuts tomorrow, May 13th at 1pm Eastern on InsuranceJournal.com.

Astonish Results is the ONLY complete digital marketing company helping agencies leverage email marketing to make more money. Schedule a FREE Virtual Tour of the Astonish System and see all the ways we're helping independent agencies increase their results.

Also, we'll automatically sign you up for the upcoming webcast on InsuranceJournal.com. (You'll see our system - and then see it's results)

Some FACTS about Email Marketing:

It's costs much less than traditional marketing.
The ROI is exponentially greater than traditional marketing.
It saves you time.
It allows you to market to a larger audience.
You can measure every dollar you spend.
It builds value in your brand.
It's not spamming if you follow the rules.

Schedule your FREE Virtual Tour now.

Agent Scores Big From Swine Flu Coverage

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:16:14 -0500

With all the media coverage and hysteria surrounding the outbreak of swine flu, a group of savvy insurance agents capitalized on the BUZZ, using e-mail marketing to create timely, relevant messages to catch the attention of targeted prospects. Although the idea was simple and easy to execute, the result was a staggering response rate, and more importantly, NEW BUSINESS.

All agencies, big and small, can learn a lesson from this.

All consumers-from the 20-year-old college student looking for an auto policy to the highly specialized technology company in need of E&O-are constantly bombarded with advertisements for cheaper insurance. That includes YOUR existing customers.
Consumers have become skeptical and less interested in traditional marketing mediums (i.e. yellowpages and newspapers).
With only a second or two to catch their attention, timely and relevant marketing is the most effective and efficient way to reach the modern consumer.
The Internet and the personal computer are the medium of choice for consumers. The explosion in forums like MySpace and Facebook support this point. This month's Insurance Journal talks about the importance of social media to independent agents. This is not just about reaching teenagers and college students. The fastest growing demographic for Internet users is individuals 50 and up.
Email is the number one way to communicate with the modern consumer.

How do you tie this information together to make money?

Like anything in life, nothing worthwhile is easy. This strategy requires FOCUS. The best e-Agents know how to blend RELEVANT TOPICS with the RIGHT CONTENT, and they know when and where to use this information to their advantage. By combining the right mix of proactive and reactive marketing, these agents create a predictable lead flow of high-quality targeted prospects.

Let's be honest. Most people are not interested in opening an envelope that says "YOU CAN SAVE MONEY ON INSURANCE working with local people." EVERYONE is saying the EXACT same thing, to the point where no one cares. However, if you sent an email that says "Protect your family from swine flu and other harmful viruses," you are going to get their attention. It makes sense. This will create an opportunity for you to differentiate yourself.

The Problem:
Most independent agents don't have time to create timely and relevant marketing campaigns that involve strategies like premium search, Virtual Insurance Offices, landing pages, multimedia presentations, blogging, email marketing, etc. For most agents, the mere thought of it creates a huge headache. The GAG response is typically, "Our agency is 100% based on referrals."

The Million Dollar Question:
How are the Internet and the use of personal computers affecting brand loyalty and the ease of obtaining competitor quotes? Is this trend going to increase or decrease? Fortunately, for agents who recognize the shift in consumer behavior, there is an alternative to shrinking books of business and decreasing profits. Astonish Results has created a complete turn-key marketing system that is allowing agencies to grow their business in any economic environment. If you are one of those agents who believe that HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY, contact Astonish Results today.

Stop the bleeding. Discover how the top e-Agents in the country are thriving with Astonish Results.

Remedy for the Soft Market

Timothy Sawyer (Astonish Results) — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:49:51 -0500

Remedy for the Soft Market

What's the remedy for a soft insurance market?
Growth.

In a soft insurance market it's critical that agencies are focused on growing their book of business and keeping their current clients. While this answer may seem simple, it begs a more daunting question: How will you grow your book of business during this soft market?

Will you buy more Internet leads?
Will you attend more community meetings to meet potential clients?
Will you start cold calling potential customers?

All of these methods will work in growing your book of business, but will they provide enough new business to battle the soft market?

Research shows that 85% of insurance customers use the Internet to research before they buy their next insurance policy. This has made it critically important for agencies like yours to have a complete strategy to find and capture more customers using the Internet.

Start Getting Results - Astonish Results has created the ONLY digital marketing system for independent insurance agencies. We're helping agencies across the country FIND, SELL, and KEEP more customers profitably, even in a soft market.

Your Next Steps - Take the 180-Second Tour of the Astonish Results system today. You'll learn how your agency can grow exponentially in this soft insurance market.

Also, schedule a FREE 30-minute Virtual Presentation of the Astonish system to learn how Astonish Results can specefically help grow YOUR business. Sign up today and you'll be invited to watch our exclusive Insurance Journal webcast titled "How to Generate Your Own High Quality Leads Using the Internet".