21 Ways to Use Signs In Your Agency to Sell More Insurance

​I’d like to introduce you to one of the most effective, affordable, and versatile tools in your insurance agency marketing arsenal:

The clear plastic sign.

(It’s also one of the most overlooked tools)

Clear plastic signs can convert any old piece of paper into a marketing message that automatically speaks to everyone who walks in your door!

You can get them online for under 10 bucks or maybe even cheaper over at your office supply store. To save further still, you can get mesh banners – which are a little flimsier, but still much better than no advertising at all!

I know most agencies already have these signs, but how much thought have you put into them?

I thought it’d be fun to put together a list of all the different things you can do with a sign like this and encourage agents to try some new ideas.

So here are 21 ideas for using that clear plastic sign to sell more insurance.

(Some of these ideas might be better for the front desk. Others are more suited for your producer’s desks. Either way I encourage you to try as many as you can to see what works best!)

​1) Everything We Sell Sign

This is just a very simple sign that lists all the types of insurance you sell.

Of course you could use graphics to make it more visually appealing.

Your agency isn’t Wal-mart and since everything you sell isn’t on the shelves in front of people you always need to remind clients of all your offerings.

Clients will be more likely to:

• Think of you when they have another insurance/financial need
• Recommend your agency when they have a friend with another need
• Buy another line of insurance from you

​2) Refer a Friend Sign

​You can’t remind clients how much you value and appreciate referrals too much.

If you give out any type of rewards to say thanks you can mention it on the sign.

You’ll also prime your clients with the idea of providing referrals so it’ll be easier when your producers ask for them.

​3) Connect With Us Sign

​Encourage your walk-in clients to connect with your social media profiles.

Make it as easy as possible by providing a URL, step by step instructions, and/or QR Codes.

And don’t forget the LinkedIn connection, that one might be the most important!

(If you haven’t connected with me on LinkedIn yet, Click Here)

​4) QR Code Contact Info Importer

​The idea here is a QR Code people can scan with their smartphones that automagically imports all your agency’s contact information into their address book.

I wrote another article with step-by-step instructions you can follow.

Just make sure you provide a clear benefit to adding your contact information. For example: “Scan this QR Code to add us to your address book so you won’t have to worry about finding our number in the event of an emergency.”

5) Review Us Online Sign

​This sign encourages happy clients to go online and write a positive review about the agency.

You could add in logos of the most important review sites like Google, Yelp, Superpages, etc.

You could also use QR codes to link directly to your profiles on those pages if you think people might use their smartphones to write about you right there.

I believe agents who are not proactive about getting positive online reviews are missing out on some of the lowest-hanging fruit in insurance agency online marketing.

​6) Now Hiring Sign

​If you’re currently looking for help, putting up a sign with your needs and qualifications is a great way to get the word out.

Just be careful how you word it.

You don’t want people to think of all their unemployed friends, you want them to think about all their highly capable friends.

Maybe you can use the sign even when you’re not actively in need.

Would you always be open to another commission-only salesperson?

​7) Online Customer Account Options Sign

​If people are always coming into your agency to pay bills, change their policy, print ID cards, etc and these are things they can do online instead you might consider posting a sign at the front desk that advertises their “self-serve” options.

I don’t necessarily think you should be pushing these people away since they’re loyal and may be your best referral sources, but if getting clients to do more things themselves makes business sense for your agency this is an option.

Maybe just encouraging the online account setup will be a good first step. Once they’re in they’ll learn all the new stuff they can do.

​8) Download Our App(s) Sign

​Do any of your carriers have cool iPhone apps? Make a sign that promotes them.

You can even use QR Codes that will take people right to the app store on their smartphone to download the app!

The more you get into your clients’ phones, the better retention you’ll get.

Why do you think the big carriers have 10+ apps in the app store?

​9) Cross Sale Sign

​Just a basic idea here: advertise a specific line of insurance to cross-sell.

You can use a flyer from one of your carriers or steal one of the images I made for the InsuranceSplash Facebook page.

I won’t care, that’s why I make those things.

​10) Policy Review Sign

I shouldn’t have to convince you how important it is for sales and retention to give (or at least attempt) policy reviews with your clients annually.

Post a sign at the front desk explaining the reasons it’s important and encourage them to ask for one.

If nothing else it’ll give new potential customers the impression that you care about your clients after the initial sale.

​11) Trivia Questions

​Question: Who doesn’t love trivia questions?

Answer: No one.

Just make them easy – Your clients will have a more positive experience if they can get the answer than if they don’t.

Honestly, don’t you feel better watching Teen week on Jeopardy more than the real thing?

By the way, here’s a link to The Best Trivia Performance Ever!

​12) Upcoming Community Events Sign

​You want clients to feel like your agency is a strong member of the local community, right?

Promote local upcoming events.

Not only will your clients appreciate it, other members of your community will appreciate your efforts to promote their events and what goes around comes around.

Use a website like Patch.com, the local high school website, or a local newspaper website to make your job easier.

​13) Upcoming Agency Events Sign

​Are you hosting a customer appreciation party? Financial seminar? Blood drive? Child car seat certification event?

Make a sign about it and post it at the front desk several months ahead of time since most clients don’t see you every week.

Encourage interested customers to add it to their smartphone calendars or take their email to do a blast for all interested parties when the date comes.

​14) Customer Testimonials Sign

​Do you have some great testimonials from your clients you’d like others to see?

There’s plenty of ways to do something like this, but if you can print out a real letter or email it’ll give an air of legitimacy as opposed to you taking their words and formatting them to look pretty.

If you can add a picture of the person who gave the testimonial that helps, and try to include a first name and the town they live in.

​15) Claims Reporting Phone Numbers Sign

If you prefer your clients to report their own claims directly to your carriers, you could create a one-page sign with all the phone numbers to all the carriers they may need.

The idea is that your clients could take one picture with their smartphone and capture all the potential phone numbers that may be helpful in the event they don’t need to speak with you.

I guess it doesn’t have to be just claims numbers either, it could be a variety of important phone numbers for doing business with you. Or a list of all the employees in the agency with their extensions.

​16) Funny Insurance Picture

​Let’s face it, paying your insurance bill is not usually an overly fun experience so if you can add a little humor it can go a long way.

Do a Google image search or steal one of the pics I make for the InsuranceSplash Facebook page.

Just make sure it’s funny to everyone. It’s one thing to be a little “snarky” on Facebook but in your agency you’ll probably want to clean it up a bit.

​17) Fun Employee Fact Sign

​The more personal you can make the relationship between your clients and your agency the better.

Why not share a funny, interesting, or embarrassing fact about one of your employees?

You can change it up frequently so people are always learning something new or make every employee have their own sign for their desk.

It generates conversations.

​18) Fun Insurance Fact Sign

If you can come up with one.

Good luck. ;)

​19) Most Recent Customer Savings Sign

​Make a quick sign that says something like:

“Most Recent Savings: We Saved Chuck B. $1,289 a year off his car insurance by switching from GEICO on August 12.”

It’s more ethical if you use real people, dates, and amounts but I can’t stop you from printing out a new one every day with the previous day’s date on it.

​20) Conversation Starting Insurance Question

​There’s plenty of directions you could go with this but here’s an idea to get you thinking:

“Who pays for accidents that cost more than your insurance covers?”

I’m guessing the answer to that question should drive a pretty interesting sales conversation but I’m sure you can think of much better ones.

​21) Say Thanks

​You can’t thank your customers enough.

No one can.

But a sincere and thoughtful thank you from your staff to all the customers who walk in your door can generate a warm fuzzy feeling for everyone even when you forget to show it.

​What to Do Next:

1. If you don’t already have plastic signs in your agency go get some.
2. Try out some of your favorite ideas I’ve given here and see what gets the most results over the next month.
3. If you like articles like this please click “Like” and/or share it with another agent or sales manager.

And if you have other sign ideas that have worked in your agency please share them in the comments below!

Hope this helps,
- John