‘Shake The Tree’ For Online Leads, Speaker Says

DALLAS -- Advisors have access to potential sales nearly every hour of every day, said Jeremiah Desmarais.

The key is finding the right combination to make the connection that leads to the pitch, and possibly, a sale of a needed financial product.

“Research shows that 7 to 8 percent of folks at any moment in time are ready and willing to do business with you with what you sell,” said Desmarais, a speaker, author and award-winning insurance marketer. “The hard thing though is knowing which ones those are. You don’t want to have to go through 100 phone calls to find seven people.”

Desmarais is leading sessions Thursday and Friday at the 2017 Advisor Super Conference. His Thursday session is a shorter overview, but the Friday event is more personal and in-depth, said Desmerais, author of Shift, which offers 201 ways to sell insurance.

An hour of consulting time with Desmarais generally runs about $1,000, but attendees in the second session will get a personal touch for free.

He plans to share a few methods with attendees, including some email marketing tips. The important thing is getting comfortable with the concepts, Desmarais explained.

“Most advisors are usually overwhelmed by technology in general,” he said. “So they think that generating appointments and leads has to be very complex, but … it actually can be quite simple.”

A well-written email can help “shake the tree” and self-identify those seven or eight people who seek your business, he added.

In addition, Desmarais will discuss “the power of networks.” Advisors often network inefficiently online, he said.

“Probably 95 percent of advisors are on LinkedIn, yet they’re connected with the wrong people,” Desmarais said. “Meaning they’re in groups with financial advisors, but they should be in groups with CEOs and CFOs and business owners.

“Instead of actively connecting with other people in your industry, connect with business owners, connect with thought leaders.”

Older and More Savvy

Eighty-five percent of financial advisors in a nationwide survey by Putnam Investments said they use social media in their practices today. The average age of advisors is 55-56, but Desmarais said age really is just a number when it comes to social media savviness.

Studies show advisors 45 and older are actually more effective at using social media, he said.

“The reason is because they value people more than, let’s say people in their 30s,” Desmarais explained. “When they look at somebody, they truly see them as a person and not just as someone who can like my page, or get me a lead. … They genuinely like to connect with people and learn about them.”

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected].

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