Storming ahead successfully

We couldn’t have picked a worse day for the opening of my company’s new regional office. Gale-force winds had blasted into the city overnight, knocking down trees and power-lines, shutting down the airport, and tearing the roofs off new, unfinished homes in the suburbs. They had also succeeded in lighting up the phones in our claims centre.

Amazingly, most of the guests invited to our mid-afternoon opening had made it. And while the wind was still shaking the windows of our new building and driving hard gusts of rain against the glass, the usual speeches had been successfully made. The ribbon had been formally cut. Now the throng of invited brokers, independent adjusters, lawyers, government representatives and other company guests were gathering in conversational clumps for refreshments. As the company’s senior marketing representative, I was circulating and greeting many of the areas leading brokers. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure swing in through the office’s front doors in a gust of wet wind, a figure in a well-soaked raincoat which he promptly doffed and tossed on a chair.

I recognized the familiar figure of Bob Davies, co-owner of a thriving midtown brokerage. Picking up a glass of sherry from one of the passing trays, I cut over towards him. “Greetings, Bob!” I handed him the glass. “You look a little damp. Take a seat.”

He smiled as he sat down, tipped the glass in salute, and took a healthy swallow. “Ah, that’s better.” He glanced out the window. “Nice weather you ordered for this opening, Dave. Sorry I’m late, but I had to pay a quick visit to one of my bigger commercial clients. Wind did some serious damage to his boat storage facilities.”

As he spoke, my boss Fred Wilson — manager of the company’s downtown branch — walked up, accompanied by a small group of brokers. “Bob here has the best excuse for missing all the speeches,” I said. “He was out getting a client’s windstorm claim in the works.”

Fred Wilson clapped his arm around his broker friend. “Putting business ahead of pleasure again?” he laughed. “You put us to shame — but you got your priorities right.”

“You sure did!” It was the voice of Stan, another one of our brokers with a very efficient operation in a nearby town of 30,000. “That’s the best advertising you can get — a satisfied customer. Especially one who gets a claim settled faster and better than he expected.” Amid a nodding of heads, Stan continued, “you know, years ago I read the story of a multi-millionaire who was asked for the secret of his success. His company had a terrific advertising campaign that everyone talked about. He agreed that the advertising was a real help, but then he said: ‘The most valuable asset my business has built is the unsolicited praise of our customers’. He went on to say that, basically, we’re all in the trust business. It’s our job to build a bridge of trust between ourselves and our customers. No advertising is more effective than that.”

There was a general murmur of assent around the group. “And you know,” Stan reflected, “I’m always surprised when people in our business don’t really do anything with the positive calls and letters they get from customers.”

“They’re the basis of the advertising you do, aren’t they?” I interjected, aware of the low-key but effective advertising that Stan carried out in his hometown. He nodded. “Yes, they are. I keep all these letters we get. Then, of course, I ask the sender if they mind me using their comments in my advertising. Never had a ‘no’ yet. I run a good-size advertisement in our local paper twice a month throughout the year. The heading simply says: ‘what our customers tell us’ and beneath that we run a selection of the nice comments plus the initials of the customer underneath.”

There was a moment’s silence, then Harry — a suburban broker I visited regularly — spoke up. “For my money, it’s the best advertising there is. Maybe it’s not clever, or sophisticated, and some people think it’s old-fashioned, but the point is…it’s clear and it’s honest. And these messages reinforce the professionalism we all try to project.” He gave a short smile. “I do the same sort of thing myself. I make up a special Christmas letter I send out every year to my customers and to potential customers in my area. I trim out the best lines from all the nice letters I get, then I include a bunch of these comments as the opening to my letter.”

“Did you write that letter yourself?” I asked.

Harry nodded. “Doesn’t take long and my theme doesn’t really change much from year to year. Safety. Security. The peace of mind that good protection brings. The value of experience and good service.” He looked around the group. “I try to get across the fact that I run a professional operation, that my staff is well trained, that we’ve been around for over thirty years, and that we’ll always do our best to look after their needs.”

“Good idea,” Bob agreed. “Sets you apart from the deep discounters and the low price crowd.”

“That’s why I stick to my theme. After all, I didn’t build my business with the lowest price in town. That’s just not me.” Harry stabbed the air with a finger. “In my book the price I pay for customer loyalty is service, service, and more service.”

“I think that’s sound marketing,” Bob Davies replied. “I remember reading an advertising expert say that any advertiser simply rents space in the mind of a customer — so you should always try to make your message sound like you.”

“Years ago I used to prepare my own mailing pieces,” another broker interjected, “but now I buy our association’s pre-printed newsletter in quantity. Imprint it with my agency name, of course. It’s a slick little publication, two colors, lots of useful information in it. Much better than I could do on my own.”

“Yes, I’ve seen it out in my territory,” I agreed, “It’s an excellent piece, but isn’t it aimed pretty well at your personal lines’ customers?” “Oh, sure,” the broker nodded, “but I also buy copies of a business insurance newsletter from an independent publisher. That goes out three or four times a year to all my commercial accounts, so I think I’ve got both bases covered pretty well.” “I do the same,” Bob Davies cut in, looking around the table. “And you know what I think their great value is? They project a professional approach to insurance and the service we give to our customers.”

“Same is true for the advertising our association does,” Harry said. “I wasn’t totally convinced when they launched that expensive national TV advertising program and asked us all, plus all the leading companies, to contribute to its cost, but I sure am a believer now. And you know something? I think the insurance companies like it too. The campaign presents us as professionals who spend time with clients to tailor insurance to their needs. Now that the whole financial services’ market is so wide open, I think it really sets us apart.”

“I love seeing these TV spots in prime-time hours,” Bob added with a smile. “And when you use the logo on your own printed materials or your outdoor sign I think it helps a lot.” There was a another quiet chorus of agreement around the group.

“Know what I use?” I turned to see the bulky figure of Tom, another broker I knew by sight. “Specialty publications that people tend to keep around for some time. I’m out in the ‘burbs but advertising in these doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.” “What kind of specialty publication?” Bob asked.

“Community guides. For instance, a listing of local hospitals, with their Emergency numbers, or Poison Control hotlines. The telephone numbers of all the local MPs, City and local Councilors,” Tom responded. “A listing of local libraries and their hours of operation. Phone numbers of nearby sports and social facilities like the YMCA or YWCA. Or a guide to financial services in our area. That sort of thing, The cost is reasonable, they have a long shelf life, and guides like this can be a real help to people.”

At this point there was a low chuckle from the other side of the table from Stan. “Speaking of specialty advertising,” he said, “reminds me of the day s some years ago when I became a partner in weather-related catastrophes.” Seeing the look of surprise on the faces around him, Stan continued. “What I mean is: I used winter weather as my advertising medium.” Stan grinned. “Actually had my own radio show built around the weather. I sponsored — and get this — the school bus report during the snow season.”

“I remember these reports,” Tom replied. “I grew up in the country. That radio show collected and reported all the school bus cancellations. It kept listeners posted on any changes in the school bus schedules because of ice or snow storms.”

“Right!” Stan said. “From December through to March that report was critical for families whose kids were bused, so we got great exposure.” He chuckled again. “I remember one nice lady stopped me on the street and said what a wonderful help the report was on snowy mornings. But then she asked how I ever found time to put the report together and still manage to run my business!”

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” Bob said. “For my money I still believe one of the best ways to advertise is to be visible.” “Pillar of the community, eh?” Fred Wilson asked. His broker friend nodded. “Service to the community gets you known. It’s even more important in smaller centres. People like you to be involved — and they can notice if you aren’t. They get to know you, to see you in action, to trust you.”

“Yep, that’s grassroots communication all right,” Stan agreed. “It’s advertising yourself. I’d do it anyway, but it does help to be visible. People like to know you’re putting something back into the community.”

“Isn’t it just another example of professionalism, to be an active part of community life?” I queried, and got a nod in return from Stan. “I believe that,” he said emphatically. “You know that old saying, you not only have to do good, you have to be seen to be doing good. Well, I think that’s what most of our customers like from us. They might not tell you to your face — but in my book they like to see business people being active in the community. Involved in a fund-raiser for the local hospital, for instance. Active in service clubs like Rotary or Lions, or even local government. And, of course, a lot of our customers belong to the local golf or curling club.”

“Good old-fashioned networking,” Fred put in, smiling at his broker friend.

“Exactly!” Stan leaned forward in his chair. “Fact is — people often ask me insurance questions when we meet at these events. They’re relaxed about it, so I usually just give them a brief answer then follow-up later with a personal call. I’m often amazed at the business which comes as the result of a casual inquiry.”

The shuffling of feet around us made us aware that the company’s new regional office was now rapidly emptying of guests. Raincoats were being donned and handshakes exchanged at the front entrance. Fred Wilson rose to his feet and smiled around at the group. “Looks like we’ve done another opening,” he said. “As well as having a good impromptu session on how to advertise.”

We walked together towards the front doors. “You know,” Bob said, as he buttoned up his coat, “that little session on advertising just scratched the surface. We didn’t even touch on direct mail, on giveaways, or on sponsoring local sports groups.”

“Or the value of tie-in advertising with insurance companies,” Fred Wilson added with a grin.

“And not forgetting,” I added, “the pros and cons of creating your own web site on the Internet.”

“Plus, of course, the big question,” Harry responded, “how much to spend?” “Correct!” Fred answered, “let’s cover these next time, eh?”