I couldn't agree MORE with the information on Apple and their appealing to the human aspect of the individual. Good find! It really matters that you relate to the consumer as a person. It's great to have credentials and choices, but it's important to keep in mind that the more you can relate to the one looking for insurance as a person and not a "lead", the better you will know what they want and need. I know my IPOD is almost an appendage....because it is all about me!

Good thoughts, April. I totally agree with you. Now if only we could figure out a way to make insurance as cool as iPods...

Now THAT is an interesting concept..marketing and dating interchangeable..just wish I was a little better at one than the other!

With insurance, people don't want to think about it at all. They just want to know that they have it. Unfortunately there is nothing exciting about insurance. It won't be able to make my commute easier. It won't be able to cure my headache. I would be curious to see if State Farm or Allstate changed their marketing strategies, how would that affect their bottom line. Everything is so dry and stale these days..

I agree that insurance has not been "exciting" however, I believe it is AMFAM that has the commercial with people talking while riding in a car and an accident occurs in the scene and we get to see and experience it? That's kind of an exciting event that grabs the viewer and it makes them think. Although the insurance industry may be slow to move into the "exciting" area of marketing, I do believe we will see big changes in the next few years.

Greg, you make an excellent point, which is that insurance isn't exciting. It's not fun, sexy, humorous...and it's something nobody likes to spend money on. And I don't see that changing any time soon.

What's important for agents to remember, however, is that they don't have to be boring or stale. Remember this post from a few months back? The fact that the insurance company had a sense of humor earned the insurer praise all around the blogosphere—including a hat tip on Seth Godin's awesomely awesome blog.

And that brings us full circle, back to why marketing is like dating. When an agent sits down to meet with a new prospect, the agent is going to have a better chance landing the sale if he or she makes a human connection rather than busting out the high-pressure sales tactics right out of the gate. I can't think of a better example than the worst date of my life: before the salad was even served, the guy was showing me his muscles and talking about his exercise regimen. I cut the date short and eventually moved on to someone better—much as a prospect does when they're deciding who to give their business to.

As for State Farm, Allstate and every other insurance company out there, I think they can rid some of the stigmas surrounding the industry by showing a more human side of themselves. Boring as it may seem, insurers would be wise to show a little spunk to avoid sliding into the very bottom rung of the sales totem pole.

I just read an article wher selling one's business wad compared to love relationships. I think It's more like parents and children-in-low relations.