The year 2020 was, in short, unpredictable. Looking into 2021, businesses are understanding that they need a flexible plan. Luckily, there are still three quarters left to nail down your P&C insurance business plan. Creating or refocusing your business plan could anchor your P&C insurance agency and help your team chart a clear course to a successful year.
Want to take a proactive approach to planning the rest of your agency’s year? We’ve pinned down a few tips for how your P&C insurance agency can craft a business plan for added success and higher profit in 2021.
You may feel like it’s too late to launch or update your 2021 business plan. The reality is, creating or updating a plan now can help you see higher sales and race past your goals throughout the remainder of the year. Here are some key tactics to creating the perfect business plan for P&C insurance agencies to succeed in 2021 and beyond:
In order for your P&C insurance agency to sprint forward in 2021, it is important to determine your “why.” That means digging into your agency’s purpose.
How?
Start by revisiting your agency’s mission statement. Dig deeper into the pieces of your mission statement to iron out your fuller purpose. Maybe you want to change people’s lives for the better. Perhaps you want to give customers peace of mind. Reflect on the purpose that is driving your operation.
Once you’ve dug up that purpose, present it to your whole team. By showcasing that vision throughout your organization, you’ll help agents stay motivated. Here are a few ways to keep your agents motivated and on track to hit agency goals:
Once you’ve nailed down your business’ purpose, you’ll have the compass to direct your goals. But if you want to push the agency forward, it will require a crystal-clear focus on your team’s needs. Here are some ways to create goals that propel your insurance agency forward this year:
Employees across your agency have different viewpoints and priorities. Before you set goals in stone, collect feedback from employees throughout the agency. Of course, you don’t have to incorporate all of the feedback into your final goals, but this step will allow more voices to be heard, ensure multiple perspectives are covered, and increase buy-in.
Make no mistake, sales and profit are critical to any insurance agency’s success. However, it is important to remember that your agents are the engine driving that success. When your agents are happy, your insurance agency can be successful. Their work performance has a direct correlation with their happiness at your agency. That is why it’s important to include cultural and wellness goals in your final insurance agency business plan.
With COVID-19 still leaving big question marks in 2021, it’s a good idea to practice fiscal caution when planning for the year. Although spending is likely to pick up as vaccines are distributed, parts of the economy may open in phases or experience additional restrictions. Any time there is unpredictability looming, it is a good idea to start with a conservative financial plan and grow.
The best goals are tangible and clear. Corporate experts suggest creating SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. By taking care to master goal setting, you’ll be positioning the agency for more growth throughout the year.
Not all insurance leaders realize it, but marketing is a driving force in a successful business plan. Especially amidst uncertainty, it’s critical to lay out a plan to attract new leads and bring them in. Here are some ways to successfully weave marketing into your 2021 business plan:
A focused marketing plan will capture leads and set your agents up to land increased sales. However, if your agents have to write personal notes to every contact or spend too much energy crafting marketing messages from scratch, it can quickly get overwhelming and time consuming. That is why the best marketing plans include marketing automation tools, such as automated marketing emails and SMS messaging. These features let your agents promote marketing in their everyday work without adding too much to their plates.
If your agency is hoping information about your brand will spread naturally, you could be waiting a while. Instead, if you want your agency to grow, it takes a proactive lead generation campaign that pulls in new potential customers and inspires them to buy.
Insurance software can help your agents stay organized and aware of progress. For instance, insurance software will let you match and distribute leads to the best insurance agent for the job. Simultaneously, they can see how leads are interacting with their pitches and replicate what’s working. With the right tools, you can keep your agents organized and alleviate their stress.
If 2020 has taught the world anything, it’s that circumstances can change on a dime. That’s why it’s important to leave room for improvements in your business plan. By constantly evaluating and improving your plan, you can achieve even deeper success than you anticipated.
How?
Rely on your insurance software and set up a steady evaluation process. Your insurance software can reveal insights about your customers and allow you to target them with messages that are valuable. Some of your messages may be grabbing the attention of customers, whereas others may be falling flat. By digging into your marketing data and KPIs, and comparing them with your agency’s plan, you can uncover what’s working and what may be standing between your agents and their goals.
It’s not too late for P&C insurance agencies to launch a 2021 business plan that drives sales skyward. And regardless of what 2021 brings, progress is a must if you want your agency to stay ahead of the competition. We’re here to give you the resources you need to accomplish your agency’s goals. Subscribe to the AgentCubed blog for tips, tricks, and expert advice on improving your P&C insurance agency.