40 mile radius is most effective.
During the more than 25 years I have had the agency, I have tried different methods of prospecting, including direct mail, cold calling, radio and television advertising, and client referrals. Building a strong prospect base is important in selling, but in the insurance business it is particularly important since customers are not likely to purchase multiple policies on a regular basis (as consumers do with other types of products and services). Since most consumers purchase policies occasionally, it is necessary to continually develop prospects through promotional activities.
Initially, I was unsure how to promote my services although the insurance company with which I am affiliated offered some general guidelines. I depended on word of mouth advertising through relatives and friends, although I was reluctant to approach some of these people since it could be perceived as taking advantage of our personal relationship.
However, I quickly learned that there is a group of consumers who are interested in purchasing insurance as part of their financial strategy and these individuals often prefer to have a personal relationship with their agent. These individuals also referred me to their friends and relatives which led to a broader exposure in the market than I otherwise would have developed.
However, I was not content to have consumers come to me; I wanted to take what I later learned was a proactive approach in reaching out to the community. This included "cold calling," which was using the phone book and calling a particular number of people each evening to determine their insurance needs. I set a goal of making 20 phone calls each night during the week; while this was aggressive, it was also frustrating since many nights resulted in no strong prospects and some individuals were quite rude when I interrupted their evening.
Another technique I used was the sales letter in the form of ...