Not all of these ideas will work for every agent in every marketing arena, nor will they all be profitable for you. So, use them, adapt them, or be creative and devise new tools and techniques of your own! In summary:

• Send "thank you" notes/e-mails/letters, or make courtesy phone calls to clients and their professional advisers. Stay in touch with clients during underwriting.
• Prepare e-mails or letters describing your client services to new policyholders. These can be reviewed during the delivery interview.
• Conduct periodic plan reviews. Generally, this means annual reviews with personal market cases and quarterly reviews in business and professional market cases.

  Try this! "A" personal market clients should be contacted frequently, and "B" clients informally once or twice a year, in addition to an annual plan review. Business and professional market clients should be contacted informally at least once a month, in addition to quarterly plan reviews.

• Contact clients and policyholders at age change, policy anniversary, and conversion option dates. Send a letter or e-mail, announcing the coming event, 30 days in advance. Call to schedule a meeting and confirm it by phone, and/or in writing, as appropriate.
• Set specific dates, times, and locations for each formal meeting with clients and policyholders. Don't just say, "See you next time!" There may not be a next time!
• Prepare carefully for client contacts. As described in "Conducting Periodic Plan Reviews," you should know in advance what you'd like to accomplish during formal contacts, and be well prepared even for informal contacts.

  Try this! Ask yourself questions like these before even the most informal client contacts:

• "What business or non-business subjects have my client and I talked about recently?"


• "Are there any hot-button issues, new ideas, or products I should discuss?"


• "Is there any new information I need about the client?"


• "How am I going to ask for referrals who fit my preferred prospect profile, and/or introductions, during this contact?"
• Keep a log of conversations with clients and policyholders. Use your client database to record everything that is discussed during formal and informal contacts, including non-business ones.
• Indicate the time and date of the conversation, so when you speak with the person again you can review your notes and arm yourself with an opening line like this one.

  "Tell me, Jan, how did your daughter's gymnastics tournament turn out last fall?"

• Keep your clients informed about issues affecting their planning and financial security. State or national legislation often necessitates changes in planning and can trigger sales opportunities. Send letters (or client bulletins) to your policyholders and clients announcing these developments, then follow up to schedule meetings.*
• Send client newsletters or bulletins to selected on-profile clients and policyholders. These are effective, low-key ways to keep a steady flow of planning ideas in front of selected clients, policyholders, and qualified, on-profile prospects, and establish your expertise in areas that are important in your marketplace. To hold down costs, circulation may be limited to your "A" and "B" clientele.*

* Note that Registered Representatives need to have letters, newsletters and bulletins like this approved prior to client use.

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Ohio National is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse or sponsor, any particular prospecting, marketing or selling system.

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