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Insurance Soup Blog

Agency Elephant's TRUNK TALK with Dallas Downey

3/15/2021

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Aren't we lucky to live in a time with online reviews? We don't know about you but we're avid readers of customer reviews on everything we purchase. It's a great practice to check out  someone else's experience with a product that we're about to spend our hard earned dollars on. This is why we were pumped when we heard that agents who are using our Agency Elephant automation software wanted to share their thoughts about using our product!

We shot this review of Agency Elephant with Dallas Downey, an agent with Clemens Agency Co. in Indiana.  Dallas had been in the insurance space for a while before he decided he could free up the funds for automation software, and he's glad he finally did.

Click the video to hear his thoughts on bringing automation into his insurance agency and see why he'd recommend it to anyone who may be on the fence about trying Agency Elephant!
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Why CRM Software Is A Good Idea For Agents

3/2/2021

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Most people in sales have a product they can lean on. They have a service or a physical ware that they can point to for their buyers to be sold on.

As an insurance agent, you're in a unique position of selling a product that your customers can't reach out and touch, see or smell. This means that insurance agents have to lean even more heavily on the connection they create with the client. The client is buying your policy based on YOU and their feeling and belief that they can trust you. For this reason, the client/agent relationship is at the forefront of your business. This makes CRM, customer relationship management, incredibly important for insurance agents. The following are a few ways that CRM really comes through for the insurance industry.

BETTER CLIENT COMMUNICATION
Getting in touch with your clients and customers is easier when a CRM system for insurance sales is used. CRM insurance software easily connects with different email programs while also connecting using text messaging/SMS and social media options. These connectivity options let agents seamlessly communicate with clients and customers on a more personalized level, send messages and replies, and offer tailored solutions to fit the client's needs.

BETTER CLIENT OPPORTUNITIES
One big bonus of CRM for insurance sales is the ability to use the “opportunities” feature. This allows agents to organize your leads that allow users to track potential clients for the entire arc of the client experience - from initial contact to closing the deal. Moreover, this feature allows agents to create forecasts and reports, and to even set specific notifications for birthdays and appointments.

BETTER MANAGEMENT OF DATA
​Insurance agencies have a TON of information to keep track of. The daily upkeep of data management is a huge task for agencies of any size because the information they need to generate accurate customer profiles can be scattered over lots of different policies, claims, files and documents. Using CRM software makes organizing all of the data way more time efficient for agents.

BETTER SECURITY
With everyone's data available online, data security is very crucial for every insurance agent. Client data MUST be protected from unauthorized access to prevent it from being tampered with, destroyed, or disclosed to others. Without any CRM software, customer data and management are at a high risk of being breached. This data contains important information about the financial transactions of each customer and IS NOT something an agent can risk getting out. Many CRM solutions contain built-in data security measures with features for agents to use certain security protocols to gain access or change data. 

BETTER FORECASTING
Agencies and agents can use CRM for insurance sales data because it builds a better sales prediction model and that makes customers feel important. Agents are able to better understand what the clients might need in the future by looking closely at their behavior, history, and profile information. Brand loyalty and business relationships are improved greatly by using every advantage available.

​Customer relationship management is extremely important for creating a level of customer satisfaction that gets agents to a more fruitful client/agent experience.  When agencies use CRM for insurance sales, they empower their insurance agents with the most advanced tools to get to know their customers, what they want, and deliver the best product possible.
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Info All Agents Should Be Tracking for Their Clients and Prospects

2/22/2021

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This post originally ran on Quotit.

The insurance industry is highly competitive. Even if your brokerage or agency is doing a great job, there’s a good chance some of your clients will leave—if for no other reason than that research suggests people switch insurance plans often. To get your brokerage or agency to the next level, you need to do everything within your power to boost customer retention rates. Not only is it easier to sell to an existing customer than to a new one, but it’s also more lucrative. 

One of the easiest ways insurance agencies and brokerages can increase retention is by using modern tools that make it easier to provide top-notch service to their clients. One such tool is called a customer relationship management (CRM) system, which helps you keep track of client-specific information while automating repetitive tasks and reducing human error.

What Is a CRM and What Does It Measure?
A customer relationship management solution helps you keep track of all kinds of information about your clients. Your insurance agency or brokerage should use a CRM to store the following information:
  • Basic information: You need to keep track of things such as names, employers, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and other similar data.
  • Preferred method of communication: If your customer prefers communicating via email, you might not be delivering as much value if you’re calling them every time an issue comes up. Use a CRM to easily keep tabs on the way your customers like to communicate, and meet their expectations by doing what they prefer.
  • Personal information: A CRM can help you store personal information—such as someone’s hobbies, what their family is like, when their birthday is, and more. Use a CRM to automatically email all of your clients to wish them a happy birthday.
  • Pre-existing health conditions: Deliver more value to your clients by being aware of any health conditions that might impact their insurance and offering tips and resources to help them manage those ailments. This is an easy way to personalize your insurance outreach and increase retention.
  • Policy details: When is your client’s policy renewal coming up? You don’t want to drop the ball here. With a CRM for insurance agents, you can automatically reach out to your clients as their renewal dates near, helping them seamlessly re-enroll and reminding them well in advance so they don’t have to worry about renewing at the last minute.
  • Date of last contact: Don’t make your clients think that you forgot about them! A CRM helps you keep track of the last time you reached out to a client or a prospect. You can automatically send notes at regular intervals to ensure you keep in contact with your clients.
Extending Your CRM
In addition to helping you keep track of all of this data, today’s leading CRM solutions can also be integrated with other tools. For example, by integrating your CRM solution with an online quoting and enrollment tool, you can improve your relationships with existing customers while strengthening your outreach to cold prospects and optimizing lead management—all of which ultimately translates into increased retention rates and more referrals.

With a CRM for insurance agents in place, you get the peace of mind that comes with knowing you won’t have to rely on bad data or—worse yet—no data. Instead, you’ll also have access to robust client profiles that are always just a few clicks away. With more information on hand, you can launch targeted, data-driven marketing efforts that will enable you to enjoy better business outcomes by serving up personalized experiences to your clients, leads, and other prospects on a regular basis.

Set Your Agency or Brokerage Apart with Modern CRM Tools
If your insurance agency or brokerage is still relying on spreadsheets to run your business, it’s time to consider moving to a modern CRM solution.

A CRM enables you to automate repetitive tasks while ensuring that you stay on top of important milestones—such as birthdays, policy renewals, and aging into Medicare.

Add it all up, and it’s an easy and fast way to provide better, personalized experiences to your clients, increasing your competitiveness and boosting your retention rates. ​What’s not to like?
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Tech Checklist for A More Successful Sales Process

2/18/2021

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This post by Kelly Donahue-Piro originally ran on Agency Nation.

Technology has assisted us to do many thing these days (such as ordering more dishwasher tabs by voice from my Alexa). So as an insurance agency have you researched and implemented a strategy to infuse technology into your sales process?

Now, this doesn’t mean that artificially intelligent bots are binding coverage (although that will probably happen someday). What it does mean is you’re stacking the deck in your favor by using modern tools. When everyone has to buy your product, finding the cool factor is critical. I will stand by this, people value convenience over price and infusing technology into your process can do just that!

We have created this technology checklist that you can use in your agency to identify where technology can help you attract more opportunities, improve your closing ratio and generate additional referrals with the assistance of technology.

1. Building and Maintaining a Modern Website
Your website is on your sales team today. This means you need to be in tune with best practices and the overall health of your website. A few notable items you should consider: Contact forms on the home page, phone number at the top right, mobile friendly and speed to load.

A great website encourages submissions and a terrible one, well the leads have to burn too many calories to want to do business with you. Also, consider chat bots on your site for those who would rather “chat” than speak to someone (Remember, a great deal of people still shop for insurance at work).

2. Headset
Now you may think “What does a headset have to do with sales?” Everything. If you can be more mobile you can complete application information even faster and with greater accuracy. Better yet you can get rid of the outdated hand written quote sheet and become far more efficient.

3. Templated Emails
It’s always better to automate them whenever possible, however for the ones you can’t templetes are a great way to save time. The fewer emails you have to write the better your life will be. You can call more people, or follow up with more leads when you aren’t spending all that time typing routine emails. More importantly the quality will greatly improve.

4. Integrated Proposals
This is tricky, but it can be done. Your agency should absolutely have its own customized proposal. No doubt.
You can look into some automated proposal features such as Pandadocs or Proposify. This will help make you stand out from the crowd and upsell.

5. General Branding Emails
During the sales process people are generally getting several quotes. If someone is getting 3 quotes what’s the likelihood that they remember your name. Not high but sending out general branding emails during the process helps stack the deck in your favor.

6. Video Proposals
You should look into Loom, eventhough I might suggest trying to push your agency to deliver pilimnary quote information on the first phone call. Getting that price in their hads on the phone helps get you closer to a yes.
But if you can’t (not don’t want to) then to set a time to deliver the quote to the person over the phone and ask for the business. If you get an objection you should then use a video proposal to review what you already discussed. Nothing will ever beat asking for the business from a real live voice.

7. Building Your Database
When you build a database you can then start working contacts through your pipeline. Many of your contacts are not in active buying or consideration mode today. This means you need to nurture them and keep your brand front and center. If you use the right tools (we recommend Hubspot) you can literally see leads being warmed up through the system. We can predict with pretty good accuracy when someone is going to become an opportunity!

8. Follow Up and Pipeline Management
We all get busy right? For many, follow up or prospecting can fall short. The way to safeguard your leads is to automate reminders for follow up. You can have checks and balances on how leads are being handled. Also, many management systems fall short in the area of visualizing the pipeline. When you can’t see your pipeline many leads can fall through the cracks. Hubspot sales has a free tool anyone can use that is great!
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Why have more people when you can have better systems? Technology that assists your sales people will help you grow with less effort!
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5 Things To Think About If You Want To Start Your Own Agency

2/17/2021

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Most times, captive agents who want to break away from the pack to start their own agencies are coming from a situation they thought they could improve upon. It's easy for agents to forget that running an agency is also the same as running a full-time, full-fledged small business. This means that starting and running a successful independent insurance agency comes with a ton of responsibility and hours put in on the clock, and before jumping into the deep end, you've got to have your ducks in a row.

Here are a few of the most important things you need to be aware of that will impact on your ability to start your own, successful independent insurance agency.

​YOU'RE GOING TO NEED STARTUP MONEY
Exactly how much startup capital you're going to need depends on a few things including where you live, how many products you plan to offer and how many people you're going to need to employ in order to get started. Other start up costs include but are not limited to things like rent (or even buying office space?), security deposit, first month’s rent, office equipment, agency management system, licensing and legal costs, and insurance.

On the lower end, you could be looking at anywhere between a few to $50,000 with more expensive agencies reaching into the high hundred thousands, Small business loans are always a good option if you're in good personal financial standing and you have a strong business plan.

YOU'RE GOING TO NEED SOMETHING TO SELL
You'll need to decide which national insurance carriers you can get access to. This isn't the easiest of hoops to jump through. This is where your strong business plan comes into play. National carriers are going to want to see your previous experience in insurance sales including your existing book of business, as well as your plan to deliver a certain volume to customers over a specific time frame.

Aggregators are also an excellent resource for independent agents. Small agencies that decide to become part of an aggregator will gain more and better access to insurance carriers.

YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW HOW SOON YOU'LL SEE A PROFIT AND HOW MUCH IT'LL BE
Unfortunately the answer to these questions are never exactly easy to predict. There are a lot of moving targets that each business has to hit. This means each agency has to map out and examine it for themselves by going over things like sale projections, gross profit estimate, the cost of providing services, and other expenses like advertising and marketing. 

​How much an agent can make is another not-so-easy question to answer, but a bit more solid if you consider agent qualifications, state, region, number of customers, and experience. These can all help you make an estimation in terms of what an agent in your agency could make. Agency owners will typically make more.

YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW IF MORE CERTIFICATIONS ARE NECESSARY
If you're already selling insurance, you're likely to already have certifications. Depending on where you live and what areas you plan to service, you may need multiple licenses for the type of insurance you plan to sell. Those requirements will all be based on your state’s insurance licensing board. Be prepared for applicants to take potential training courses and even exams. We can't stress how important it is to do your due diligence on making sure that you and everyone in your agency has all the proper certifications before you begin selling.

YOU'LL NEED A PLAN FOR GETTING CUSTOMERS
Whether you plan to use your existing book of business or to buy a book of business, you're going to need to plan to find new and creative ways to reach prospects in your area. Whether you plan to network, use referral marketing or to strike up successful partnerships with other local businesses, you need to be looking closely at what you can do to always be attracting new clientele.

Make sure you have a website up and running, as well as up-to-date social media pages that you're posting to. Also be prepared to become a visible part of the community that you prepare to serve so that you can put a face to the name of your business.

These are all helpful tips for any agent considering starting their own agency. The most important part of any plan is being prepared and being realistic in your planning so that you don't quickly find yourself in over your head. With enough careful research and the right team, you're bound to do great things!
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How Independent Insurance Agents Drop The Ball

2/15/2021

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Everyone knows there are unique challenges to selling insurance whether you're a captive insurance agent or an independent insurance agent. Agents who've decided to go independent have certainly done so because they saw benefits to going it alone rather than being part of a national carrier, but that doesn't mean there are really easy ways to screw things up.

Whether you're doing back office work, meeting a client for dinner or sending out annual holiday cards, there are always dos and don'ts to be mindful of. Here are a few of the most common DONT’S that independent agents DO that make a sale go south.

#1 - BEING AFRAID TO ASK FOR REFERRALS
We know that asking for referrals isn't easy, but you're an independent agent now. Your bread is buttered with referrals and the sooner you find a comfortable and creative way to ask your clients to share your info with others, the sooner you'll see your business grow. Every time you DON'T ask for referrals, you can count on lost business. It needs to be an absolutely mandatory part of every sales call. PERIOD.

#2 - MAKING TIME FOR YOUR CLIENTS AFTER THE SALE
We know that closing the deal seems like the most important part of the sales process, and this means that once it's done, many agents think that servicing the client is also done. This could not be further from the truth. If you aren't making an effort to touch base with your clients from time to time throughout the life of their policy with you, you risk losing them at the end of it. 

As an independent agent, you MUST strive to create long-lasting client-agent relationships. This is because the longer your client is with you, your chance at building a strong foundation of trust is greater. And we know that once your client trusts you, they're likely to do more business with you.

#3 - NOT REACHING OUT TO CURRENT CLIENTS BEFORE YOUR MEETING
Many agents see a meeting on their calendar and think that there's prep work that needs to be done in terms of client contact before it. There is SO MUCH to be gained by reaching out and having a brief chat before your meeting takes place. Asking a few questions before you're face to face with the client can have you on 3rd bade become the meeting even begins. It's the best way to find out what potential cross-selling opportunities you might have with this pre-existing client. If you're sitting down with a client who already trusts you and is pleased with your service, you're already behind the 8 ball if you haven't made time for a phone call beforehand.

#4 - LETTING SOMEONE ELSE SCHEDULE ALL OF YOUR CALLS
In the perfectly normal hustle and bustle of being an independent agent, it's easy to let an assistant or an office manager schedule your meetings for you. This seems innocuous in and of itself, but really the only way to make sure that your book of business is sailing in the right direction from day to day is to make sure your meeting schedules are full and the timing makes sense. The worst thing you can do is have someone else scheduling meetings that don't need to be meetings and wasting precious time for you and your client. If someone else is in charge of your schedule, make sure you're keeping an eye on them at least a week or two in advance so that you can determine whether or not you really need to meet face to face, or if it's something that you or someone else can handle over the phone.

We hope these few tips help you out if you're an independent agent finding your way on a new path. It can take time and energy to find what's really working and NOT working for you in your new agency. Hopefully, these few easy tweaks can make a big difference to the longevity of your business.
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Lead Gen Ideas You Can Take To The Bank

2/12/2021

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Most agents, novices or seasoned, will tell you that lead generation is a tricky game. It's hard to know if you should pay for leads that may not be credible or if you should pound the pavement and risk your time on leads that may. not follow through. Here's a list of a few ideas that any agent can take a swing at when it comes to sniffing out the right prospects.

1. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK
You're in sales. You know this means being ballsy and being bold, so when you want a good quality lead, a referral from a past client is a win-win. Referrals aren't going to land in your lap, so be creative when you're starting out and find the best way to get past clients to refer you.

But there's no rule that referrals must come from a customer. You can get introductions to potential clients from people who already trust you, such as your friends, family, or former colleagues.
And even if you get the dreaded call from a client asking to cancel their policy, make sure you remind them that you’re there for them anytime they need you. Consider creating a system to conduct exit surveys when clients leave to look for areas for improvement.

2. GET OUT AND SHOW YOUR FACE
Being part of your community is an mode to build your reputation as a committed member of your town and the surrounding areas. But there are other easy ways to get involved if you look in the right places:
  • Advising local charities on their insurance purchases.
  • Hosting insurance seminars for small business owners.
  • Taking part in area meetups or online forums.
  • Offering to be a guest speaker for business groups.
  • Assisting clients' friends or relatives when appropriate.

It may be tempting, but don’t treat these situations the way you would a sales presentation. While ultimately you’d like these interactions to generate insurance leads, your first goal should be contributing to your community. The sincerity you demonstrate will keep your name top-of-mind and draw prospects to your agency when they need your services.

3. TRY SOME OLDER METHODS
Spam folders, privacy laws and the Do Not Call Registry have unfortunately made connecting with insurance leads more difficult than in the past. But some tried-and-true prospecting tactics still work, such as:
  • Fishbowl drawings
    • Ask a restaurant if you can collect business cards and offer their gift certificates to weekly winners.
  • Print advertisements
    • Advertise in industry trade magazines with postage-paid pull cards.
  • Read the local paper
    • Scan the marriage and engagement announcements for personal lines sales opportunities.
4. TRY SOMETHING BRAND NEW
Your website is a good tool to help you generate leads. Enable features that request contact information, such as a "Get a Quote" button or newsletter signup. But bear in mind that these elements won't do all the work for you. You might also want to do things like:
  • Put contact forms on every page.
  • Include testimonials to enhance your credibility.
  • Highlight your contact information.

Don’t bypass the possibility of garnering referrals from social media, either. This often-untapped resource for finding clients can (and should) be harnessed by new insurance agents looking to grow their client lists.

5. USE REFERRALS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
In some ways, launching a referral program is as easy as remembering to tell every client something like, "Please keep me in mind if you hear of anyone else I can help." But to really add momentum, it doesn’t hurt to throw in an incentive for every referral. These incentives could include:
  • Lottery tickets
  • Gift cards
  • Movie tickets

Many state insurance departments allow incentives as long as they aren't attached to a sale, but make sure you check with your department first.

6. GET OUT AND MINGLE
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Tons of people need insurance, but most of them aren't sitting in your agency. Start meeting them by:
  • Joining your chamber of commerce.
  • Attending meetup groups and networking events.
  • Getting active on social media.
  • Connecting with your alumni association.

Don’t let the idea of prospecting, networking, and finding clients scare you away from your dream of opening your own independent insurance agency. By using unconventional tactics, networking, launching a referral program, and bettering your community, you’ll drive business straight to your front door.
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6 Ways To Sell More Homeowner's Insurance

2/11/2021

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This post originally ran on JEBrown.net.

Want to drum up more homeowners’ insurance business for the holidays? Here are a few tips to get you out of your current marketing rut and get in front of more customers who need homeowners’ insurance.

Market to new homeowners
Develop a marketing program targeted to new homeowners in your neighborhood. Send them something of value—like a checklist of tips for new homeowners that includes buying homeowners’ insurance.

Present to a homeowners’ association
Deliver a presentation on homeowners’ insurance and offer your expert advice on how to save money on a policy, what homeowners’ insurance does and does not typically cover, and special exceptions and cases relevant to them.

Cross-sell to other customers
Some of your insurance carriers offer discounts on homeowners’ insurance to customers who buy auto or other types of personal lines insurance with them. If you sell bundled packages like this, your customers could save a lot by buying homeowners’ insurance along with other types of insurance with you. Make sure your customers in other insurance areas know about these deals.

Leverage social media
Make sure your connections on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms you use for business know that you sell homeowners’ insurance. Highlight homeowner’s insurance products by publishing content to help new homeowners—tips for buying a home, must-do items after a new home purchase, and ways to save money on homeowners’ insurance, for example. The content can come in the form of blog posts, articles, videos, or podcasts that you advertise on your social media platforms as well as post on your website.

Form partnerships in your community
What other businesses in your community serve homebuyers? Make connections with local realtors, furniture stores, and other businesses that serve this population. Meet with the owners to talk about possibilities for cross-marketing each other’s services.

Ask your current customers
Check your list of current customers for people who have other types of policies with you, but who don’t have homeowners’ insurance through your company. These are prime targets for an advertising campaign for homeowners’ insurance. They already like and trust your business, because they already do business with you. And if they have homeowners’ insurance with another company, it’s possible they could save money by switching to a bundled package.
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There are many different ways to sell homeowners’ insurance. Adopt marketing plans both on- and offline that target new or experienced homebuyers; use social media to provide tips to new home buyers and get the word out about the policies you sell; market to your current customers; and reach out to local homeowners’ associations and businesses that cater to the same audience. With these tips, you should be able to generate new homeowners’ insurance business.
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Tips For Keeping The Passion Alive At Work

2/10/2021

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Mark Twain said "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life" but the truth is that we've all had a job that feels A LOT like work at one time or another. Jobs that we've dreaded going to or jobs that we know aren't right, but are necessary at the time. Just like with your personal relationships, it's important to find ways to adjust your actions and your mindset to keep things interesting for yourself when it comes to work.

We've scoured the internet and put together some excellent tips for keeping yourself engaged in a job that might have lost a bit of its luster. Check them out!

REALIZE YOU ARE NEEDED
Sometimes when we're stuck in a job that doesn't rev our engines anymore, we tend to be unable to see past our own discomfort and take in the big picture. Remembering that you are an integral part of whatever team you are on could help revive a bit of your interest in what you do. There are other people in other jobs that need your service and who value your input. Understanding that you are part of something bigger than you may help to get you back on track when needed.

ALWAYS BE LEARNING
When you start to feel like your work days are dragging on and going to work feels more like a chore than anything else, it's time to learn something new. Maybe there are conferences or seminars for you to attend that could pique your interest in a particular area of your industry. Or maybe you see a job opening up within the company that you'd love a shot at. If your gaze is fixed on continuing to add value to yourself, you'll find there's rarely time to get bored.

​CHOOSE WORK FRIENDS WISELY
You're going to create relationships while you're at work. It's inevitable. If you have the right attitude, you'll see that working with others comes easier than if you tend to be negative and complain. You're going to want to surround yourself with upbeat people who are willing to help each other and learn as much as they can while on the clock. This makes going to work and being at work more enjoyable all around.

​TAKE SOMEONE UNDER YOUR WING
Once you have the added responsibility of teaching someone else the ropes, not only do you feel pleased to be seen as an authority, but it also shows that you're trusted in the office. Knowing that someone else is learning from you directly and will be taking what you teach them forward in their career will give you a newfound respect for your job.

​BECOME A GO GETTER
If you work in a company that natures advancement from within, make sure that your boss and the people in charge know what your goals are and then work hard toward them. This means you'll be in mind for promotions or new opportunities when they arise. You'll find that things rarely get stagnant when you've always got something you're working toward.

​KNOW WHEN YOU'VE OUTGROWN YOUR SPOT
When you've tried your hardest to stay passionate about your work and it just seems there's no getting it back, it's okay to say enough is enough. Not every work situation is always going to be ideal for you, even if you've tried everything to make it work. If this happens, hold your head up high and know that there is more out for you somewhere else, all that's left for you to do is to find it.

These few quick tips could make a big difference if you're someone struggling to light the flames of passion when it comes to your job. Keeping the right mindset and always looking to provide yourself with the brightest future possible is key. 
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Networking In A Socially Distant World

2/9/2021

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To say that 2020 took a real bite out of professional networking would be an understatement, but connecting with other people in your industry still remains a very powerful part of any career or business development strategy. This makes networking too valuable to ignore even in challenging times. 
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We’ve thrown together a few networking tips to help you stay on top of whatever kind of networking events pop up for you this year.

MEETING UP ONLINE?
First Impression Adjustments
Most likely, a good percentage of our meeting and networking events are going to take place in the virtual world. This means the nature of our first impressions are going to change a little bit.

In addition to traditional networking preliminaries like dressing in appropriate attire and having our supplemental materials at the ready, we should be prepared and well versed with the right technology. Since we’re going to be viewed on a screen, we need to make sure the viewer receives the best possible image. This means that we’re going to have to pay close attention to our devices, our setting, our lighting, and our connectivity.

Equipment 
Your laptop’s built-in camera and microphone are likely insufficient unless you have one of the latest machines. Instead, consider adding a new external webcam and mic to your laptop or using your smartphone as it probably has a more powerful camera and mic setup.

For reference, Zoom recommends using a camera with 720p (1280×720) resolution that delivers at least 20 frames per second. They also recommend a microphone you can keep close to yourself, or clip on, that operates at 600 ohms (Ω) or below. Bluetooth microphones are recommended if you’re using a smartphone.

Setting the Scene
As for your lighting and setting conditions, this is somewhat of a rare instance where you get to tailor your first impression more closely than you could in a public setting. Choose a charming area of your home or other suitable location that delivers a positive image to your viewer and minimizes potential disruptions. Test your setup before your meeting and adjust as necessary. Make sure your devices work well and you have a strong internet connection.

You don’t have to be an expert film director or cinematographer here, but you should feel confident in your ability to control the image that viewers are seeing. You get to be viewed in the way you’d prefer to be viewed, and that can be an empowering feeling as you work to build new professional relationships.

HANGING OUT IN PERSON?
Different Opportunities 
Last year bought about some of the most drastic changes to traditional business networking events that most professionals have ever experienced. Effectively, they were kind of eliminated for a time. But people have adapted over the last few months and new in-person opportunities are starting to arise. General trends are indicating that companies are holding smaller, more exclusive in-person events. Many are also going with a combined use of virtual and in-person gatherings.

People will not be attending any in-person events until a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available. This is both an advantage and a challenge for people looking to build up their networks. Some of your target audience may not be in attendance, but you’ll have a better chance to get noticed by the people who do attend. The real impact will come from making the most of this chance.

Maximizing Your “Wow” Factor  
Smaller crowd sizes could give you a better chance to shine if you form a polished approach. Now is a great time to update your business cards, practice your pitch, and order up your customized leave-behinds, whether they be printed materials or any other kind of specialty items. Pricing on these kinds of things are very favorable right now, which helps you maximize your impression.

Be creative when making your selections. Quality, useful materials tend to generate the best results. For example, a notepad or handy tool bearing your contact information is likely to be more memorable than a single-use item like a flyer. Something unique and handy will help your recipient remember you, which extends your presence and strengthens your relationship.

Expect an Emphasis on Safety 
Don’t worry about practicing your firm business handshake, because you probably won’t be using it for a while. You can expect to see a much greater emphasis on infection safety protocols at future in-person business events. There is going to be a lot less touching and a lot more physical distance, and health screening areas are likely to become commonplace.

On a related note, trends are indicating there will be a much greater use of breakout sessions as a means to keep crowds disbursed at business events. Again, this presents a good possibility to get some one-on-one time with people that you’re trying to reach. Utilize these smaller settings to your advantage by planning an appropriate and personalized introduction to yourself or your services.

Get Ready to Connect
Although they have changed a lot, professional networking opportunities remain one of the best ways to accelerate your business or career. A little bit of advanced preparation and knowledge about what to expect will help you stay on your toes for your next networking event. Even in the confines of our current national situation, there are still great reasons to continue meeting people. Don’t let the challenges of 2021 hold you back. There is still got a lot to gain.

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