DI Sales and Marketing Plan

[Year]



DI Sales and Marketing Plan



















Agent Name






Agency



AA1361-7-2007

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Table of Contents




Introduction 3
Sales Goals
4
Activity Goals
4
Marketing Plan
5
Marketing Planning Ideas
6-12
Sample Marketing Calendar
13
Blank Quarterly Marketing Calendars
14-17
Budget Worksheet
18

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Introduction


Because it is so occupation-specific, disability income insurance is well-suited to a target
marketing approach. This sales and marketing plan template is designed to aid you in
planning activities to penetrate a target market. A target market is a definable segment or
group of people who network and communicate with one another. This makes it easier to build
relationships and gain access to them.

We recommend that producers choose target markets with which they have an affinity, or where
they may have a means to access members of the market. Occupations/professions are obvious
and key target markets – members of a profession often belong to the same associations or other
networking groups. They have common interests and concerns.

One target market should not be overlooked: your own in-force clients – specifically, those
individuals who have life insurance or equity products, but not DI. The advantages of working
with in-force clients are many:

• Ready access, because you already have a relationship

• Efficient prospecting, because you learned about their needs via the planning
process

• Client loyalty, because clients who have more than one product or service with
you are much less likely to leave you for someone else

• Enhanced persistency, because clients who have more than one product or
service are much less likely to let a policy lapse

• Stronger renewals, because with greater client loyalty and enhanced persistency
come a strong stream of renewal income



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[Year] DI Sales Goals


To set your DI sales goal, consult with your General Agent, Career Development Supervisor
(CDS) and/or Disability Income Specialist (DIS). Some producers concentrate on DI and have
higher premium goals; others might expect to produce about 20 percent of their life premium
goals in DI premium.



Total DI Sales (First Year Premium)
$







Weekly Activity Goals


Determine appropriate activity levels to enable yourself to meet your sales goal. Work with your
CDS or DIS for guidance on realistic activity goals to meet your sales objective.

# letters mailed




# follow-up calls (contacts) made




# appointments set




# applications submitted




# cases closed




# of referrals





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4

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Marketing Plan


This marketing plan template is designed to aid you in planning activities to penetrate a target
market and make DI sales to your in-force clients.

As you develop your marketing plan, keep in mind:

Marketing expenditures must be balanced with sales results. In other words, begin with the
least expensive forms of marketing – letters and mailings – and then, based on sales results,
invest in more costly tactics.

The table below illustrates a sample time frame for marketing activity – based on sales results
– to penetrate your target market.



Marketing Expenditures Should be Calibrated to Sales Results
Time Frame
Marketing Activity
Prospecting Activity Sales Results
1-2 Months
Market surveys
Cold calls off target
1 - 3 sales

Market research
list
Pre-approach
mailings/calls
2 - 6 Months
All above, plus:
All above, plus:
3 – 5 additional sales
Attend organization meetings
Networking - gather
Contribute byline articles
names
6 - 9 Months
All above, plus:
All above, plus:
5 - 10 additional sales
Subscribe to industry
Wave mailings/calls
publications
Referrals/calls
Join organization
Ad in organization newsletter
9 - 12 Months All above, plus:
All above, plus:
10 - 15 additional
Seminar for organization
Follow up with
sales
Support organization special
attendees of seminar,
event
special event, trade
Trade show
show


• Every marketing event should have a specified outcome (sales, new prospect names,
referrals, seminar RSVPs, etc.).

• Costs and results for each marketing event should be tracked to determine effectiveness
and inform the coming year’s marketing plan.

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Marketing Planning Ideas


As you develop your marketing plan, consider incorporating some or all of these tactics:

• Prospect Database
• Mailings – pre-approach and wave
• Public Relations
• Advertising
• Seminars
• Association Participation/Industry Events

Detailed guidelines for each of these tactics appear on the following pages.
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Prospect Database


A database of prospects to cultivate for sales is essential to your success. It’s important to include
in-force clients who do not have DI coverage, as well as new names.

In-force Clients
When looking at your in-force client base for DI prospects, consider the following:

• Do you have up-to-date information on each client?
• Do a mailing to double-check contact information while performing some good
client care.
• Work with your agency’s DIS to identify who among your in-force clients are the
best prospects for DI. For example, who is:
• Age 35 – 55
• In a professional occupation or a business owner/self-employed
(including home-based business owners)

Berkshire offers a professionally-written, compliance approved pre-approach letter for you to
reach out to existing clients about DI. To order the letter, send your request for publication
number PA149 to supply@berkshirelife.com. You can order the enclosure, Pub3526BL, through
the corporate warehouse.


New Target Market Prospects
There are many sources of names, but the most qualified names - prospects versus suspects - will
come via networking, personal observation and asking for referrals.

Sources include:

• Names from referrals
• Names from list vendors
• Names from market surveys
• Names from organization membership lists


“Ten Most Wanted” List
As you work to penetrate your target market, you can aim to maximize success by creating and
focusing on a “Ten Most Wanted” list. This is a list of individuals who are considered to be
centers of influence or key players in your target market.

If these people become clients, they have the potential to influence others, provide excellent
testimonials and make powerful referrals.


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Mailings


Pre-approach and wave mailings help you build a warm environment in the market for sales, so
that when you call a member of the market for an appointment, he or she is more likely to say
“yes” than “no.”

You’ll also want to include regular mailings to in-force clients in your prospecting mix.

Review The Catalog from Berkshire for mailing ideas or work with your
Marketing Director to select pre-approach letters and other materials. (If you
are not familiar with The Catalog, it can be located via Guardian Online or
also at www.berkshirelifetools.com.

Consider a wave mailing - three mailings within 10 days per defined group
of prospects – to “warm” environment to set up appointments with prospects.

Mail to only as many prospects as you can contact (not just call!) in a given
week.

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Public Relations


Public relations will help establish your reputation as a trusted disability income expert in your
target market - a key to building more sales from more prospects.

If possible, work with your agency’s Marketing Director on these activities:

Keep an up-to-date list of local business media and consumer media in your
target market.

Make contact with editors of trade newsletters and journals, suburban
weeklies, target market publications, the local business journal, and the
business editors of the daily paper(s).

Make sure a copy of each of Berkshire’s compliance-approved byline articles
is on hand. Order byline articles by emailing your request to
supply@berkshirelife.com.

Ensure that each independently-written article is submitted to GEAR for
compliance review at least three weeks in advance of the publication
deadline.

Issue press releases to promote DI events.

You will also want to:

Identify key community target market events.

Contact program chairs at the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, etc. to offer a
general educational seminar on how to select quality disability insurance.

Plan your involvement and participate at these events.

Track sales and other (e.g., referrals) outcomes from the events.

Have an up-to-date head shot and bio for submission with byline articles.


Also, see Berkshire’s tip sheet on public relations (contact Wendy Webster Coakley,
413-395-4467 or wendy_coakley@berkshirelife.com), as well as Guardian’s Guide to Local
Media Placement and Exposure for General Agencies (Pub# 3689).
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Advertising


Like public relations, advertising helps build an image for you and your agency. DI ads in
Chamber of Commerce newsletters, local business journals and publications read by members of
your target market can build prestige for your business and leads for you.

Again, work with the agency’s Marketing Director on these efforts, if possible:

Select target publications; focus on local publications read by businesspeople
and members of your target market.

Obtain information on deadlines, ad sizes and insertion costs.

Select ads from Berkshire’s library of compliance-approved ads, and order
with your imprint using imprint order form 2331 and place the ads on a
consistent basis. Ads promoting disability insurance can be found in The
Catalog, a guide to all marketing materials available to support the sale of DI
and LTCI. The Catalog can be found via Guardian Online or at
www.berkshirelifetools.com.

Ensure that each independently designed ad is submitted to GEAR for
compliance review at least three weeks in advance of the publication
deadline.

Investigate using ad reprints as follow-up mailers for seminars and other
events.

Make sure a budget is in place to support your advertising program.


Also see Berkshire’s tip sheet on advertising also found in The Catalog.
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