How to Prospect in a Community Organization

What You Need to Know

You could ask people to do business with you.
Better: Show people why they should approach you.
Being visible helps.

Many insurance professionals are active in the community.

They volunteer, join groups, attend meetings, serve on boards and attend religious services.

How can you get business?

When we think of “getting business” we think about “asking for it.” Use the direct approach.

This often delivers the wrong message, that the agent is involved only to see what they can get for themselves. If business doesn’t follow, they drop out.

Put another way, being pushy does not work.

You need to get three messages out there: People need to know what you do, that you are an ethical person and that you are a hard worker.

You want them to know you are successful too.

That fourth part of the message takes care of itself.

Prospecting is like dating. People who try too hard come across as desperate. People who do not push are seen as successful.

Since they work in the insurance field and they aren’t asking everyone for business, they must be successful insurance agents.

Successful people want to do business with other successful people.

Here are six tips for how to make that happen.

1. Prospecting in community organizations is done by raising people’s awareness.

The first message you need to get across is “What do you do?” A simple approach is to always dress well and have a logoed item at all times.

You probably own a variety already.

It might be a logoed shirt at the gym, a logoed luggage tag on your golf bag, a logoed umbrella at school sports and a logoed tie or scarf at indoor events.

People recognize logos.

2. You need to raise your visibility.

This means attending events on a regular basis. Make it a point to get to know the other members.

In your neighborhood association, you can meet everybody.

In your college alumni association, there might be hundreds of members.

Meet as many as you can, but be sure to meet the major players like the officers.

3. Let people know what you do.

This can be done in several ways.