Astonishing results: Agency online marketing

[michga11]

voltron, read some of these in the meantime. some 3 pages for you. :(:)

http://www.insurance-forums.net/forum/a ... 10993.html

[michga11]

I will be looking forward to your first contribution to this discussion board.

likewise to you.

[volstrike3]

I checked out the link and it looks like the discussion is over a year old and doesn't offer any more insight than your vague complaints. I would not pay $2500+ per month for this service either. The last time I talked to AR they had a new product geared twords smaller agencies or those with smaller advertising budgets. I don't remeber exactly but the programs were starting around $500 a month without a long commitment. Not a huge amount of money to manage some drip campaigns, SEO, etc. It looked like it could be very useful for flow type business... personal lines and mainstreet BOP's. I am not saying that this company has the magic bullet and is the only program that could work... but agencies better get out in front of drip marketing, internet marketing, social media, online quoting/servicing, etc. Just calling your client 90 days out isn't going to cut it when other agencies and direct writers are in constant contact.

[dafone]

I don't understand why you guys have to turn this forum into your personal battle ground? I come to this forum to hopefully acquire new information about our profession. If I want to hear a bully try to pick a fight, I will go to a local school yard where that type of immature behavior may be acceptable.
Grow up or find a appropiate chat forum for your behavior!


df

[michga11]

the discussion on this board is over a year old too. take a look. mine was the first response since aug '09. where did you come from? you had not posted anything on this board until after i did. i find that to be interesting. also, i don't work on personal lines. more into large companies, not little dollars here and there. maybe it will work for your little ma and pa shop though. that's if you can afford it.

by the way, if you treat your clients good, then they will treat you good back. they will not be searching elsewhere if you took care of their needs properly. obviously, you are not providing any type of service nor relationship that they need. i'd leave you too.

[michga11]

I don't understand why you guys have to turn this forum into your personal battle ground? I come to this forum to hopefully acquire new information about our profession. If I want to hear a bully try to pick a fight, I will go to a local school yard where that type of immature behavior may be acceptable.
Grow up or find a appropiate chat forum for your behavior!


df

sure you did. you know other people do have responses on here? or are my posts the most exciting thing you have seen in years. you'd be astonished at my results.

[michga11]

I don't understand why you guys have to turn this forum into your personal battle ground? I come to this forum to hopefully acquire new information about our profession. If I want to hear a bully try to pick a fight, I will go to a local school yard where that type of immature behavior may be acceptable.
Grow up or find a appropiate chat forum for your behavior!


df

sure you did. you know other people do have responses on here? or are my posts the most exciting thing you have seen in years. you'd be astonished at my results.

*?

^^typo correction.

[larrylunk]

I know who this guy is. Volstrike3 got it right when he wrote: "It sounds like you have a personal problem with this company... have you worked with/for them before? I don't have a dog in the fight as I am not their customer... but you come off like a bitter ex employee or somebody else with an ax to grind." And dafone is also right. But in spite of this particular string, this is usually a professional forum with useful information from informed professionals.

[michga11]

'sup, larry. you do know who this guy is, just as this guy knows who you is. so in the space of that, you know what i am capable of and what i'm going to do. get prepared. this is the best string to ever come across IJ. you know why? because i posted in it, that's why. don't be jealous of a little spark and bite. by the way, there's not one bit of information here you can't find on your basic google search.

wow, look at all this stuff i learned from all of these informed professionals! the results are beyond astonishing! thanks for everything guys!

LOL!

[d's insurance store]

I don't subscribe to Astonish Results but have studied their system as best I can through their own web site and by following an agency I'm aware of that did buy into their system.

I view what they're offering as a 'closed loop' system, where they will change your agency processes to be receptive to their reworking of a web site and exploitation of incoming inquiries for quotes and info, and existing clients, along with dedicated participation in social media and then feeding the emails for quotes and additional business back around and around until recipients of all this media either buy, refer or cry uncle.

I am now of the belief that to properly exploit an agency website to optimize SEO and perhaps pay per click, an owner has to hire a full time IT person who handles just that, or the work has to be outsourced. The days of obtaining a domain name, putting up a simple website with a phone number or quote info engine and watching the requests come in are long gone. Astonish is an outsource resource, along with a few others who are popping up (like Michael Jans).

Of course, the key is whether the outsource money is well spent and delivers on the implied promises made during the pitch. I don't doubt it works in some areas, but this is one of those systems where the milage will vary. You've got to be located in an area that isn't innundated with web site options to buy insurance and have participants in the social media who don't mind hearing from the insurance agency on a regular basis. For agencies who have narrowed down their specialities or offerings to a few specialities, this outsourced system could work very well as there will be far less competition for the narrowed markets, rather than the full line, personal and commercial agencies that 'do it all' trying to be all things to all people. Frankly, I just don't see the value of blogs and tweets for general personal lines offerings where the basic communications are to advise people to raise their deductibles and fasten their seatbelts. In order to sustain interst and keep the eyeballs focused on your agency communications, there has to be more than that.

Last year, I wan innundated with advisors offering to sell the secrets of social media for my agency. Now the pitch is for the full outsource of these kinds of systems. Probably, this too shall pass, to be replaced with the next new thing. I remain pessimistic for the long term future of a full line retail agency given my forecast of changing demographics for the upcoming gnerations of insurance consumers and their lack of need for that' trusted insurance advisor'. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm making plans to most likely be doing somehting else in about 8 to 10 years.

[michga11]

I, for one, appreciate the pessimistic. They are the true smart survivors of this world. Research, research, research. Don't just sign on the dotted line because you *believe* what they say. The proof is always in the pudding. Keep eating. Never drink the spiked Kool-Aid, it'll kill ya. Best of luck. FYI, I want to be Indiana Jones. There's so much to see...so much to do...so much to find...so many more things on this earth to enjoy. ta-ta.

[michga11]

Well if I could walk on water
And if I could find some way to prove
If I could walk on water would you believe in me
My love is so true
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na

Well I'm no angel, now, I'll admit
I made a few bad moves I should regret
I hurt you once or so you said
Just one more chance is all you get
Didn't mean to do you wrong again
Worse things have been done by better men
Baby, baby, don't, don't treat me this way
I know, yes, I've got to pay now, I'm still paying

Well if I could walk on water
And if I could find some way to prove
If I could walk on water would you believe in me, my love is true
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, oh

All along, I told you lies
To err is human, forgive is divine
Don't be a fool, don't settle the score
Cause I can't take it no more, I can't take it

Well if I could walk on water
And if I could find some way to prove
If I could walk on water would you believe in me, my love is true
Well, if I could walk on water (if I could)
Is that what I'm gonna have to do
If I could walk on water would be you believe in me, my love is so true

Do I have to walk, walk, walk on water for you
Hey baby, baby, there's a little time, let's spend it together
We'll get over what we left behind, there's our future together
Yeah, well let's stay together

Well, if I could walk on water
And if I could find some way to prove
If I could walk on water would you believe in me, my love is true
My love is so true, do I have to walk, oh, walk on water for you

If I had to walk, girl
If I had to walk, walk, walk
Do I have to walk on water, walk on water for you
Do I have to walk on water
Do I have to find some way to prove
Do I have to walk on water, walk on water for you
Do I have to walk on water
Do I have to find some way to prove
Yeah, yeah, walk on water, walk on water for you

[volstrike3]

Is anybody monitoring this site? Can we ban this guy and track his IP to avoid a repeat?

[michga11]

what's bothering you so much, voltron? i don't understand why you're so concerned with my posts. have you really looked at the other threads? i mean really looked at them? you'll find that this is not the only thread with a minor pissing match.

p.s. i hope i do get banned. it's not gonna hurt me any. plus, it means that i got to you, which makes me pleased.

[Mitch]

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