CHAMPION CHAT

Cultivating Future Opportunities: How to Nurture Prospects

In the world of voluntary benefit sales, nurturing prospects, clients and recruits is akin to tending a garden. Just as a gardener carefully cultivates plants to ensure they flourish, voluntary benefit sales and leadership professionals must attentively nurture their prospects, clients and candidates to guide them toward becoming those valuable prospects, clients that are raving fans and candidates that transform into career agents . This edition of our newsletter will explore effective techniques to nurture your prospects, clients and recruits ensuring they feel valued and understood throughout their journey.

1. Understand Your Prospects, Clients And Your Candidates

Prospects:

The first step in nurturing prospects is gaining a deep understanding of their needs, challenges, and goals. This involves:

• Research: Conduct thorough research on your prospects' industries, company news, and individual roles. Use tools like LinkedIn and company websites to gather insights.
• Listen Actively: During initial interactions, ask open-ended questions and listen carefully to their responses. Understanding their pain points will enable you to tailor your approach effectively.
• Niche: If you are working in a particular niche (an organization, particular industry or geographical area), it's best to see what communication opportunities are available to utilize.

Clients:

When doing this you have to remember this category breaks down into two categories: Employers and Employees. The idea is to build and increase awareness of you, your products and services. This will improve your public persona and build goodwill thus opening doors.

Employees:

• Research Opportunities: Look at what communication opportunities and events are available to reach out to the employees. Make sure you obtain permission to communicate with employees using email, company brochures and marketing pieces as well as public service pieces.
• Events: Ask the decision maker to allow you to attend and add to company events (company holiday parties, company picnic and training sessions). If you do this correctly it transform who you are in the eyes of both employer and employees.

Employer:

• Consistent Contact: The idea behind employer outreach is to build a relationship with every business owner and payroll administrator as well as keep players in each company. This can be accomplished a few ways. First develop a monthly outreach tool that asks the following:

1. Did any employees leave the company?

2. Did the company hire any new employees?

3. Are there any billing issues?

4. Do any employees have any claims?

5. Do any employees need service?

6. Do you know of any companies that would like to expand their benefits offering at no

cost to the company?

Candidates:

• Think Long Term: The best recruits typically are the ones who take some time to recruit. Nurturing is a way of sending messages about the career opportunity to those candidates you are targeting. Jsu like with prospecting when a candidate says no to the career opportunity you should view it as "No for right now". When I was in the business and recruiting people to become agents I kept a list of 100-150 names that I reached out to regularly via email, social media and phone.
• Get Them To Envision: The object is to pique interest and build excitement by helping the candidates envision themselves as successful, happy and engaged in the career opportunity.

2. Personalize Your Communication

Generic outreach is a thing of the past. Personalized communication demonstrates that you value the prospects, clients and candidates as an individuals. Here’s how to achieve it:

Prospects:

• Segment Your Audience: Divide your prospects into different categories based on industry, geography, company size, or specific needs. This allows you to create targeted content for each segment.
• Tailor Your Messages: Use the information you've gathered to craft personalized emails and messages. Mention specific challenges they face and how your solutions can address them. Don't be afraid to use snail mail in your campaign.

Clients:

• Vary Your Messaging: It's important to not just make your messaging about voluntary benefit products. I included health tips, budget ideas, references to people who can help. them in other areas of my life.
• Emotions: Don't just spout facts and figures, elicit emotion! Remember you have sold or are selling an intangible product that no one can see, smell, hear, taste or touch. Therefore emotion is key.

Candidates:

• Use More Than Words: To generate interest use pictures, video, GIF's and third party tools.
• Testimonials: Obtain testimonials and recommendations of agents, policyholders, employers, payroll administrators and claimants. This can sometimes influence people more than you words.

3. Build Relationships Over Time

Nurturing is about building long-term relationships rather than pushing for an immediate result. These principals apply to prospects, employers, employees and candidates.

• Follow-Up Regularly: Keep in touch with prospects through periodic follow-ups. Use these opportunities to check in on their progress and offer further assistance.
• Be Patient: Understand that not all prospects, clients and employees are ready to move forward immediately. Respect their timeline and be available when they are ready to act. Nurturing is a marathon, not a sprint.

5. Utilize Multiple Channels

Engage with your prospects, clients and candidates across various channels to increase your chances of connecting effectively.

• Email Campaigns: Develop a series of nurturing emails that guide your prospects, clients and candidates through different stages of their journey.
• Social Media: Engage with prospects, clients and candidates on social media platforms by sharing valuable content and participating in relevant discussions.
• Direct Mail: For a more personal touch, consider sending hand-written notes or small gifts to show appreciation and maintain engagement.

Conclusion

Nurturing prospects, clients and candidates requires time, effort, and a strategic approach. By understanding those you're trying to nurture, personalizing your communication, providing consistent value, building relationships, and utilizing multiple channels, you can effectively guide them toward moving forward. Remember, the key is to cultivate trust and demonstrate that you are genuinely invested in their success.

Thank you for reading this edition of Champion Chat. If you have any questions or need further assistance in nurturing your prospects, feel free to reach out. Let’s cultivate a thriving future together! You can reach out to me via email at [email protected], text me at 708.870.7306 or book a complimentary coaching session just click on the Calendly link below and let's talk!

https://calendly.com/championcoachjoe/discovery-coaching-call