True benevolence sets
an example in one’s community
Agency activities outside of the normal flow of
business build teamwork and relationships between and among employees.
By Scott Naugle
Engaging in random acts of kindness for your local community has many benefits for your agency. Setting up a food truck on a corner and giving away coffee, spending an afternoon along a busy street to pick up trash, or planting trees to reforest a barren city lot are all methods to bring positive notice to your insurance brokerage. Positioning your agency as one that cares about the community and is willing to roll up its sleeves to prove it leaves a lasting impression.
Find a busy sidewalk or street corner in your city, bring in a coffee truck—preferably a client—and pay the tab for all coffee given out to passersby. Pick a weekday morning between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Round up employee volunteers and put them all in shirts or jackets with the agency name and logo. Offer coffee, no charge, compliments of the agency to anyone walking by or who rolls down a car window. Smile and say, “Have a great day.”
Don’t hard sell by trying to collect names or leads or by pushing business cards or brochures. This can overshadow the random act of generosity. The person receiving the cup of coffee will remember your agency name if it is on a banner hanging off the coffee truck or on the employee’s shirt. Record a short on-site video for social media stating that your agency is giving away coffee just to simply brighten someone’s day.
Work with your local city to identify a street in need of cleanup. On a weekday morning, send a team of agency volunteers to pick up trash. Place proper signage, with your name and logo, that a street beautification is underway courtesy of the agency. Count the bags of trash collected and take photos for social media.
Why do all of this? Well, there are several reasons including employee morale, agency visi-bility and reputation, networking, client loyalty and retention, carrier relations, and new business generation.
First, your employees want to be proud of where they work. Agency activities outside of the normal flow of business build teamwork and relationships between and among employees. They get to know one another outside of talking over the top of another’s work cubicle about a coverage provision or an outstanding workers compensation audit for a client. Your agency is only as strong as the positive relationships and the agency culture among employees.
Additionally, many Gen Z, X, and Y individuals want to be part of a company that is socially and positively engaged in improving a small part of the world. The agency’s social consciousness and community work are factors that can be used to attract talent.
Your agency will be visible in a positive way without seeming to expect anything in return. This is the heart of pure benevolence. You’ll be seen working in the community to the positive benefit of all.
The reality is that others will remember this, setting your agency apart from competitors. You will gain a tremendous amount of positive public relations mojo. Your agency name will be in front of hundreds of passersby who will not quickly forget that you are willing to sweat and toil for the improvement of the area.
Almost every agency shows up at a golf tournament; how many actually get out in the streets to make a difference? You may refer to this as passive networking, being seen without an overt attempt to gain an expiration date or new lead.
While it may be difficult to objectively measure, there will be a positive impact on client retention and loyalty. Consumers want to do business with firms that care about others and their community. They’re proud to be associated with a company that is trying to make a difference and is willing to perspire for it. You are building your brand and raising awareness of your agency in a way that few competitors will do.
This additional and unexpected visibility will drive calls and leads to your agency. Those seeing you at work in the community will remember when they have a renewal or issue with their current agency. Seeing agency employees working in the community begs the question of when and where has my current agency cared enough to do something similar?
It may seem like a stretch to suggest a positive impact on carrier relations, but recall that many carriers are undertaking charitable work. We all receive emails or glossy flyers from carriers with captioned photos and descriptions of the work they are doing to promote good. We should do the same and share our good work with the carriers. They will appreciate knowing that they are partnered with an agency with a social consciousness.
Gather your employees in an agency meeting and brainstorm ideas for a quarterly community project. Explaining the benefits of doing a project and involving them in the generation of ideas and eventually the planning will engender tremendous goodwill and a strengthened sense of connection to the agency. Agency culture will be positively impacted.
For all the right reasons, don’t wait. Bring all your employees together this afternoon. Your agency and community will benefit in so many ways.
The author
Scott Naugle, CIC, AAI, is a 45-year veteran of the insurance industry, growing up in a family agency in rural Pennsylvania to COO of a large, publicly traded agency with 30 locations. He serves as a board member on the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance Academy board. Scott works now as an independent consultant and can be reached at Naugle@live.com.
