Episode Summary
In the latest episode of the Broker Link podcast, hosts Gillan and Chris have an insightful discussion about productivity tools and techniques to help insurance agents optimize their time during the busy selling season and beyond.
Gillan kicks off the episode by expressing his excitement to discuss productivity, as he loves anything that can make him more efficient in his work. The hosts emphasize that as entrepreneurs, insurance agents have control over their time and should treat their business strategically, not just as a job. This means having an intentional plan for each day rather than just waking up and randomly deciding who to try to sell insurance to.
Chris references the popular book "The 4-Hour Work Week" by author Tim Ferriss, which talks about condensing your essential revenue-driving tasks into focused blocks to get more done in less time. Relatedly, Gillan mentions productivity tips from entrepreneur coach Ed Milette, who recommends dividing your day into two halves - setting distinct goals for the morning and afternoon - to get "two days of work done in one."
A key mindset shift they recommend is realizing the huge market opportunities available. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every single day, and everyone needing health insurance and life insurance, the prospects out there are endless. This abundance mentality allows agents to stay focused and motivated.
In terms of specific tools, Gillan recommends Google's G Suite to manage email and documents professionally at just $6 per user per month. For CRM software to track leads and deals, he suggests Salesmate or Pipedrive, both very affordable at around $12-15 per month. ActiveCampaign is recommended for email marketing, costing just $9 a month for under 1,000 contacts.
To connect these tools and automate workflows, Gillan advises using Zapier. For example, you can set up automation so that new leads from a Facebook ad instantly get logged in your CRM. Calendly is another great automation tool for scheduling. The total monthly cost for all these software tools is under $30, which Gillen says provides an incredible ROI in productivity.
In summary, the core philosophy is to optimize essential revenue-focused tasks, automate repetitive administrative tasks, and outsource non-essential tasks. This allows insurance agents to scale their business efficiently. The hosts aim to provide actionable tips agents can implement to work smarter, not just harder, and hit their goals during the busy selling season and beyond.
Timestamps
(0:00:04) - Broker Link podcast dives into some productivity tips to help during the selling season
(0:00:27) - Broker Link podcast features Chris Huston on how to be more productive
(0:03:19) - What do we recommend you use for your email and your files
(0:06:23) - Step one is customer relationship management. Now, some folks will say you need an agency management system
(0:10:19) - You can easily transfer your data to another system if you don't like it
(0:10:59) - Now, here's the next piece of this email marketing, which we've talked about
(0:12:33) - If you had to choose between CRM or active campaign, which would you choose
(0:14:06) - Gillan uses Zapier to automate a lot of his marketing processes
(0:18:49) - Chris: Let's talk about automated workflows for businesses
(0:24:13) - Automate your calendar. I think that is a must for insurance agents
(0:27:23) - If you use Zapier, which is like having a virtual assistant
(0:28:32) - Anything that's repetitive needs to be automated, you need to outsource
