The productivity blog Dumb Little Man has a must-read post entitled “10 Crafty Ways to Create Unshakable Confidence.”

It goes without saying that confidence begets success. This maxim is more true in insurance sales than in other industries. But you knew that. Anyway, here are a four of Alex Shalman’s smart strategies:

Stop worrying about appearances. “People are too busy worrying about how they appear to others to really care about how you appear. Even if they do point the finger and judge you, it has a lot to do with their personal insecurities, which are ultimately of no consequence to you.”

Start a ‘bragging journal.’ “[It’s] a way for you to boast your accomplishments, not in the name of conceit, but for the purpose of looking back in a moment of weakness. Whenever something special happens, you do something extraordinary, or you touch, move, or inspire another human being, write it in this bragging journal.”

The mere act writing has been shown to improve well-being. (And you don’t have to be a Hemingway to experience the benefits.) Just, you know, keep your brag journal on the DL.

Stop slouching. “Our physiology has a tremendous amount of impact on the way we think and feel. Something as simple as standing with our back straight, head up, chest out and shoulders back will signal our body that we are strong and proud. Such positive body-language will give off an air of confidence and we will positively react to other people's positive reaction to us.”

Think kindly of your fellow man. “The way we look at other people is a great reflection into how we look at ourselves. If we just make the effort to create great intentions towards other people, it will literally melt away some of the fear and anxiety that we have around interacting with others. If all you really care about is bringing value and happiness into the life of others, then who cares how someone perceives you?”

Well, when you put it that way ...

Read the full post over at Dumb Little Man.

Posted by Jeb Foster at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

• The Importance of Client Recognition Or: What You Can Learn from Your Favorite Barista
  Do you leave clients in the lurch while you lavish prospects with attention? That might be is a huge mistake. Here's why.
• Wondering what people think of your direct mailer?
  (If you get a brick in the mail, you'll know.)
• Typography for the masses
  Seth Godin offers some good tips for amateur typographers—meaning everyone who uses a computer.
• 90 percent of voicemail greetings are completely ridiculous
  Why waste clients' and prospects' precious time and patience by telling them that a recorded voice is not actually you but is in fact your phone? Why tell them they can leave a message after the beep? Lifehacker implores us to shorten voicemail greetings. [Bonus: Listen to voicemail hell.]

Posted by Jeb Foster at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Posted by Jeb Foster at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
 

Often it’s the minutia that bogs us down, causing us to put innovative and profound ideas on the back burner so we can deal with day-to-day life maintenance. It’s depressing to think about how many hours we spend doing banal things like bathing, preparing and eating food, or doing laundry.

This week the things on my plate that I’ve been putting off include a large basket of laundry, a trip to the grocery store and filing my taxes. And I can't tell you how much easier the internet has made it to get things done.

Here are a few online resources to help you check some items off your list, so you can focus on the important things, spending time with friends and family, exercising and losing yourself in a good book or your favorite hobby.

Individuals and small businesses alike are encouraged to file their taxes online.

Use an online organizer to do it all from making a grocery list to remembering to send your aunt a thank you note. Check out Vitalist or Remember the Milk.

Send out the invite to your fancy dinner party without leaving your computer. It's so fun to use, you may find yourself making up excuses to send these to people. Mom and sister coming over to have coffee...send an invite!

Get organized at work in a low-budge sort of way with this plethora of resources, completely relevant for any small business owner.

Posted by maribeth neelis at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

I have a case of bloggers’ block, so in lieu of a post, I’ve decided to link to several other blogger’s posts that I found interesting, helpful or inspiring this week.

Guy Kawasaki’s interesting take on sucking up.

Time’s 10 ideas that are hanging the world: the end of customer service.

From Seth Godin's blog. Learn about all those things you don’t understand. Do it now.

Why the Wright Brothers’ were the incarnation of the entrepreneurial spirit

Enjoy!

Posted by maribeth neelis at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

The internet amazes me daily. When I first started at InsureMe, I poured over lists of keyword phrases that people were typing into Google or Yahoo before arriving at our homepage in order to determine on what keyword phrases we should bid.

I recall thinking this is going to be a sort of new-age societal footprint that future generations will explore to better understand the past—an online archaeological dig. Because using the internet is a somewhat private experience (it’s just you and the machine), people tend to forget that everything is traceable and it’s all being documented by companies that then sell that information to other companies to conduct market research.

Before you become completely paranoid, no one knows or cares what you specifically are looking at on the web, unless it’s illegal. I mean they can find out, but not without some serious reconnaissance; companies are more interested in demographics.

Each time I looked at these lists, I thought about the people sitting in front of their PCs, asking the internet their most personal questions, how to accomplish their goals or where they might find a job. The search terms that appeared on my list were typically related to insurance, as these people ended up on InsureMe’s web site after typing them. However, there were outliers, such as

urine smells like onions
my baby won’t stop crying
how you know if you have cancer
training to make more money

Continue reading "The Internet Has the Answer" »

Posted by maribeth neelis at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

The productivity blog Dumb Little Man has a great post on how to wake up bright-eyed and bushy tailed each morning.

If you wake up groggy, the chances are good that you’re (a) not getting enough exercise or (b) hitting the caffeine a little too hard. Even eating a big meal before bed can wreck your night’s sleep.

Another great tip is establishing a morning routine. The human body’s internal clock (it’s circadian rhythm if you want to get technical) craves routine. When you start waking up a minute before your alarm goes off, that’s when you know your body has found it’s groove.

Related:
Snooze Your Way to Success

Posted by Jeb Foster at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Oh, this was another fun video. For this installment, we went to my apartment to film the agent training segment: The Dos and Donts of Selling Insurance.

We've given a bunch of insurance sales and marketing tips on the Agent Blog over the years, which have started some good conversations. Here are some of my favorites:

Marketing is like Dating
Tacos, Burritos and the Importance of Listening to Clients
Always Be Prospecting
Is Your Netiquette Turning Customers Off?

Posted by Megan Mahan at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

At 7:30 this morning, it was already a steamy 79 degrees in the office. Combine that with your usual case of the groggy Mondays, and boy, oh boy, am I jonesing for a nap.

Thanks to weblog Dumb Little Man, we've got some tips for keeping those eyelids open—without the use of toothpicks.

Among DLM's tips are:

Napping. If you can catch a quick snooze at the office, take advantage. Make sure to keep it short—20 to 30 minutes—just to take the edge off your sleepiness. If falling asleep isn't an option, try a meditation nap.

Move around. Exercise can increase alertness. Try brisk walking, jumping jacks, or cruising up and down the stairs five or six times to get going again.

Continue reading "How to Stay Awake at Work" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
 

We've given you to-do tips and tricks before. But there's something different about Remember the Milk.

Still in beta, Remember the Milk (RTM) has every functionality you could possibly need. You can sync your action items to your iPhone or iPod Touch, Google Calendar, Gmail, instant messaging client (like Yahoo, AOL or Skype)...and on and on. You can share your items or keep them private. RTM also helps you locate your tasks, enabling you to see what grocery store or gas station is closest. Extensive keyboard shortcuts help you enter your items quickly and get on with your day. Oh...and did I mention that it's free?

So far, I'm thoroughly impressed with RTM. Take the tour and sign up for a free account!

Posted by Megan Mahan at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Say goodbye to the hunt and peck method, and start typing your emails faster!

Keybr is a fun web application that records the time it takes for you to type the displayed sentences—while recording your errors. If you find yourself in a Friday afternoon lull, challenge your coworkers to a little Keybr challenge.** You'll improve your typing skills in the process!

**Our apologies if this unearths traumatic memories from high school typing class.

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Whether you’re sending out an e-newsletter or simply emailing a rate quote to a new prospect, you’ll want to pay careful attention to one very important piece of email real estate: the subject line.

The contents of a subject line help us quickly discern SPAM from legitimate mail and differentiate between the messages that deserve our immediate attention and what can be pushed off until later.

MarketingProfs has a few pointers to encourage recipients to open your emails—which includes avoiding the following in email subject lines:

Continue reading "The Dirty Words You Can't Use in Email Subject Lines" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Starting a business blog in 2008? Good. You should be!

And to get off on the right foot, here are a few quick tips to help you from making amateur mistakes and (hopefully) on your way to becoming a business blogging sensation this year.

Focus on a topic. This isn't a personal blog where anything goes. Spend some time thinking about what kinds of things you'd like to write about and develop a community around. Blogs that are more topic-focused also tend to receive more credibility—which can mean visibility. But, of course, a random funny tidbit is fun to share once in awhile, too.

Continue reading "What Not to Put on Your Blog" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
 

Thankfully, 37Signals (creator of various business web applications like Basecamp, which is what we marketing folks use at InsureMe) sheds some light on setting up credit card processing online. Because paying insurance premiums online via PayPal just isn't going to cut it.

Jason, kicks things off by telling us about merchant accounts:

First off, we have a merchant account. A merchant account is needed to accept credit cards. Every business that accepts credit cards needs to have a merchant account.

As you begin your search for a vendor, Jason recommends looking for a reputable company with good rates (they currently use account through Chase bank). While the rates might not make a big difference in the early stages of your business, they will affect your bottom line if your daily volume picks up.

The caveat: Getting a merchant account could provide a challenge. Take 37Signal's experience when they were developing Basecamp:

Continue reading "For the Indie Agent: Processing Credit Cards Online" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
 

As we all ring in the New Year, it is a good time to reflect on your goals for 2008. I shared an article on Monday about how to set resolutions that stick that I hope was useful.

Each year, one of my resolutions is to find ways to give something back to my community through volunteerism. Working at InsureMe, we get plenty of opportunities to volunteer our time. But I also like to find some ongoing projects that I can do on my own.

If volunteer work is something you think you might like to give a go in 2008, check out these fantastic volunteer matching web sites.

Volunteermatch.org

Volunteer.gov

National Park Service volunteer site

Red Cross Volunteer site

The Nature Conservancy Volunteer site

Idealist.org

Find a volunteer opportunity that matches your interests and fits into your schedule and start 2008 off the right way.

Posted by maribeth neelis at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Anyone incorporating e-marketing into their sales and marketing toolkits should undoubtedly be concerned with their email reputation—because a bad rep can negatively impact your delivery rates.

But how do you find out if you're the cream of the crop...or the crud at the bottom of the barrel?

The Messaging Times fills us in: create a free account with SenderScore, type in your domain name or IP address, and voilà—you'll receive immediate feedback about your score. (Scores go from 0 to 100, 100 being the best).

So how'd SenderScore get so darn smart? Here's an excerpt from their FAQ section:

ISPs and filtering companies provide us with data they collect from the receivers of your email. If someone who receives an email from you complaining about your mail to their ISP, by hitting the "Spam" button, for example, we get a report of that.

[...] ISPs and filtering companies also report data to us about how you look to them as an email sender. Multiple web mail, cable, and internet providers are currently contributing data to us, and we are collecting over 60 data elements on each of over 20 million IP addresses. Your email reputation is measured across 10+ indices plus a composite Sender Score.

As you're planning your strategies and initiatives for 2008, don't forget to check your e-score!

(Photo source)

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

So without further ado, here are 10 ways to shape up your office on a dime, with some extra tips from yours truly.

1. Buy some plants. They're pretty, emit oxygen and can lift the mood of your office. I used to have a plant on my desk until it grew some kind of creepy green mold and had to give it away. But our plant aficionado and affiliate manager April Hartmeister has lots of plants on and around her desk and it's quite lovely.

2. Start a recycling system. There's no sense in throwing away all the paper that you use in a day. Buy some color-coded bins and start recycling. Make sure to shred personal information, of course—but recycle the bits. You can find cheaper versions of stackable bins at local retail stores.

3. Clean up the wires. FS has three great suggestions for this:

Continue reading "10 Ways to Cheaply Revamp your Home Office" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
 

We've spent a large chunk of this week brainstorming new video ideas and creating scripts. Part of what we're doing involves ad spots and YouTube, which I'm sure some of you have been thinking about too.

So, for this Friday's post, I thought I'd have you watch a few of my favorite Trigon health insurance commercials. They're good clean fun, and when you look at the frequency with which these videos are viewed, you can only imagine the positive affect they've had on the Trigon brand.

Check 'em out, mull 'em over, and have a great weekend!

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

How to Survive the Office Party

How to Feel Good About Giving Less

How to Recover from an Eggnog and Champagne Binge (Not that We Encourage Such Things)

How to Re-Gift Without Raising Eyebrows

How to Celebrate Festivus—‘the Holiday for the Rest of Us’

How to Turn Your Boss Into an Elf

Posted by Jeb Foster at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Hey, you're a busy salesperson. There are a lot of things to do in a day. Take phone calls. File claims. Follow up on leads. Schedule appointments. Go on appointments. Talk to underwriting. And on and on.

So how can you get it all done—and done right—and still make it home at a decent time? Freelance Switch tells us the secret: Focus on actions. More specifically, learn how to immediately recognize the action item of every phone call, conversation and email.

Here's how:

Continue reading "How To Do Everything More Efficiently" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

I'll be honest—nothing's really tripping my trigger today as far as insurance news or sales tips. But this article piqued my interest and it might for you, too. Click through to check it out.

The Art of the Ask [Business Week]

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Ooh, boy. It's really grates the nerves when someone uses a word incorrectly, either in conversation or email. And, in sales (and lots of other professions) coming across as incompetent can cost you a sale.

To help you avoid future vocab faux pas, keep Definr at the ready. Definr is a "remarkably fast dictionary" which has an autocomplete function to essentially finish your thought as you tap the keys. (Type in "ach" and you'll see the correct spelling for "achieve" down below, which is hyperlinked with its definition.)

Between two languages (French and English) and being a word nerd in general, I'm drawn to new word reference guides. Definr seems to be good for common, every day usage. It's missing some bigger words, but I'm sure those will come with time. Definr is fast, as promised—and gosh their logo is cute.

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
 

James is right: One of the hardest parts of learning search engine optimization (SEO) is wading through all the information on the internet and figuring out if it's current or even correct information.

Thankfully, eVisibility Insider compiled a list specifically designed for SEO newbies to help you navigate the ever-changing landscape that is the internet. Check it out to learn which SEO-themed sites with which you should become familiar, which podcasts and videos can help you cut down your reading material (though don't think you'll get off scot-free here!), and which tools and plugins can help you on your quest for SEO greatness.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that free web traffic is better than the stuff you pay for. And while you may have to invest some time, the benefits should be two-fold: Your stretched grey matter and better web visibility.

And don't forget to stop by the InsureMe Affiliate blog for more online marketing tips, news and commentary!

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
 

If you haven't noticed, we're big fans of Lifehacker around here. That's because, from keyboard shortcuts to work productivity, this blog consistently delivers tips to help us do things faster.

So when they pointed readers to an article entitled "How to Shave 10 Hours Off Your Work Week," (written by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers) you better believe I got to clicking.

Here are a few of my favorites from the list—which, coincidentally, are the ones I find the most challenging:

Touch email messages once only. The information hasn't changed—read it thoroughly and then take the appropriate action: "do, delegate, defer, file or delete it." (Read more on this.) My inbox would be a lot nicer to look at if I could get a handle on this.

Stop attending low-impact meetings. Low-impact meetings include those where the organizer isn't prepared, the topic isn't defined, or you yourself have no effect on the outcome. If the subject matter is irrelevant to you and your position, ask to be excused.

Try not finishing. Mama didn't raise no quitter, but Hyatt's got a point with this one: Not every project is worth finishing. If you get into something and it doesn't seem worth it (contacting a prospect who's playing hard to get, etc.), give yourself permission to throw in the towel.

Once you've cut the extraneous stuff out of your day, you'll have more time to do what you do best: selling policies.

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
 

Yesterday afternoon as I filled up my coffee cup, a colleague said to me: "You won't believe what I was on my doorstep when I got home yesterday. Another phone book. For the third time this year!"

The conversation grew to include four people and I listened as each of them complained about the frequency of deliveries, the bulk of each new phone book, the complete waste of paper, etc. Soon, the conversation turned to our customers—insurance agents—and why many of them were still wasting money on Yellow Pages ads.

"We use the internet to find everything," one colleague said. "And who's going to pick a random insurance agent out of the phonebook and give them their business? Whenever I've moved, I've asked for agent referrals from friends and coworkers."

She's right. So why are insurance agents still dumping money into the Yellow Pages? As far as I can tell, it's out of habit. It's been done for years and years and, come on, it's not that expensive.

Continue reading "Record Online Ad Spend & The Death of Yellow Pages Advertising" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
 

In other news: "Whistling a little ditty and drawing bemused stares from his fellow roughnecks, the oil-stained and surprisingly lithe roustabout gamboled in a most idiosyncratic manner, bounding about energetically despite his rather hefty avoirdupois."

Posted by Jeb Foster at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Ever wonder why InsureMe started blogging? Check out this recap of The Skinny on Blogging for Business as published in the September issue of the TAAR Report, and learn why.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Blogging: How to Get Started

Read. Listen. Participate. Read other blogs. Starting with those related to your industry is a good idea. Listen to what the readers are saying. Participate in the conversation.

Once you’ve got a handle on the blogosphere:

Hone in on a topic. Generally, blogs that are focused on one topic gain more visibility than the ones that cover everything.

Define your audience. Who do you envision writing to? Health insurance professionals? Auto insurance underwriters? Defining an audience will help keep your blog tight and focused.

Once you’ve thought these factors through, it’s time to start writing. There are a handful of free and low-cost blogging platforms available for public use, and most of them require little to no knowledge of HTML or web design. In fact, Blogger (Blogger.com), Wordpress (Wordpress.com), and Typepad (Typepad.com) all come with tech help and templates to make your transition to blogging an easy one.

Once your blog is up it’s time to:

Continue reading "The Skinny on Blogging for Business: Part Four" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Ever wonder why InsureMe started blogging? Check out this recap of The Skinny on Blogging for Business as published in the September issue of the TAAR Report, and learn why.

Part One | Part Two

Blogging Isn’t For You If…

Blogging is cool, but it isn’t for everyone. And you’re better off recognizing this before you start, because it can open you and your business up to certain risks.

James Omdahl, InsureMe’s Marketing Strategist (whom some of you met at HIGH TECC in July), spoke at Commission Junction’s annual summit last year on the topic of business blogging. James and a lot of other big name marketers agree: Don’t start a blog about your business if you have something—anything—to hide. If you can’t be transparent in your blog, visitors won’t be interested in reading it. And if they learn you’ve been the least bit dishonest, you can bet you’ll hear about it in the comments section.

Naked Conversations also identified a pretty solid list of questions to ask yourself and your organization before embarking on a blog. Some of these questions include:

Continue reading "The Skinny on Blogging for Business: Part Three" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

This week, entrepreneurial blog Springwise featured a new site in the UK which allows consumers to share rants and raves about their insurers.

Zuzzid is a forum of sorts, which not only allows registered users to share their experiences, but also totals all the shared experiences to rank British insurers. A price engine also compiles collective data, presenting users with general premium prices for different insurance types.

Somewhat surprisingly, the site belongs to UK insurer, Norwich Union, a company which is of course evaluated by Zuzzid users. Seems like a dangerous move, right?

Continue reading "Zuzzid: Sharing Rants & Raves about Insurers" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Are you Facebooked? LinkedIn? A closet MySpacer? If so, you've undoubtedly dealt with unsolicited "friend" requests which leave you wondering: Should I let this person into my network? What does she want with me?

Tim O'Reilly from O'Reilly Radar is calling for some manners when it comes to inviting people into your network:

Most of these [friend requests], relying solely on the boilerplate invitation text, go right into the trash. "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn." Sure. Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care? (Even if I've met you, I might need my mind jogged, especially if you might have the same name as other people I know.)

Instead of using the typical boilerplate invitations, O'Reilly suggests writing your own, explaining who you are and why you'd like to connect, like Janet here, who briefly explained why she'd like to connect with him:

So, the next time you try to befriend someone via the intarwebs, make sure you offer a little about yourself. Otherwise, your invite—and potential business relationship—might just end up in the trash.

[Previously]:
Beyond MySpace
Are You LinkedIn?
Is Your Netiquette Turning Customers Off?

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)