Should I use a custom domain name for my email?

[multipledigits]

Hello,

I'm finally out of Assurance and diving into being an independent agent. I'm customizing things now and I was wondering if I should get a domain name for my email. Right now I'm using outlook . com on my official flyers and everything but before I get too heavy into publishing, I was wondering if maybe I should use a custom domain name instead for my email and then have the website itself maybe just funnel to my agent website that I get through Ritter/Integrity (MedicareCENTER). They do not have a custom domain that I can use for my email.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[somarco]

Is yourname.com available?

 

[multipledigits]

Is yourname.com available?

Looks like it is! Should I use this then?

I've never considered branding my name like this. I'm working entirely remotely right now/just over the phone. I don't have any professionally-taken photos of myself that I'd put on there. Would that be necessary?

 

[somarco]

Start simple and brand YOURSELF rather than trying something fancy like Joe'sMedicareMastery.

You don't need a professional photo but it does need to be a clear head shot with a plain background. My photo was taken by my daughter in a bar at a baseball game. The background was dark enough that all you could see were a few lights against a black background.

I worked statewide by phone and email (me@myname.com). Only had a number with a local area code, no toll free number.

Low budget . . .

I lived off savings and credit cards for almost a year before taking anything out for me. I am not saying you have to do this, only that you don't want to blow all your money in the first 60 days.

Consider a digital business card, especially since you are going to do telesales.



Agents invest too much money at first on things that don't matter. I started literally on a shoestring working out of a closet size room I built in an unfinished basement.

 

[multipledigits]

Start simple and brand YOURSELF rather than trying something fancy like Joe'sMedicareMastery.

You don't need a professional photo but it does need to be a clear head shot with a plain background.

Consider a digital business card, especially since you are going to do telesales.



Agents invest too much money at first on things that don't matter. I started literally on a shoestring working out of a closet size room I built in an unfinished basement.

Thank you very much!!! I really appreciate your advice. I will definitely get those things taken care of ASAP.

Could you please elaborate a bit more on the agents investing too much money at first on things that don't matter? I haven't really spent that much money yet and I want to make sure I'm not doing anything unnecessary for this stage in the process.

 

[somarco]

You don't need . . .

an office
a desk (I used a KD table from Ikea and a folding chair)

Lead generation will by your biggest challenge. If you have the funds to float while defining your target market then buy a mailing list that allows you to target by age, zip, income and home ownership (NO renters).

Plan on mailing 500 postcards per week (or biweekly) for the first few months. If you don't feel comfortable creating your own, use stock mailers.

Mailbox Power has a decent turnkey system.
https://go.mailboxpower.com/

They also have a lead database where you can get targeted names for about $0.10 each. If you are in a metro area target prospects within 10 - 15 miles of your home. I use the MBP data and feed it to a person who mails letters for me. It's not cheap and you won't get much volume but it's a good system for someone with a solid renewal client base.

@BuckNasty on the forum built his business with postcards . . . I think he was sending something like 10,000 per month. Search for his screen name and read some of his posts to get a feel for how he works his system. Or use this link which (I think) will show you his posts.
https://insurance-forums.com/community/search/24917038/

He only has 197 posts but almost every one has a nugget that can help you.

Work smart and work consistently. This is a numbers game. Agents get wrapped up in how many "deals" they got in a week or month. Don't count dollars or sales, could qualified prospects who are interested in what you have to offer.

Get organized. Have a follow up system. Have a drip marketing system (I use a monthly newsletter) for folks that don't buy the first time. Eventually you will have enough followers and clients that you won't have to do mailers. I am doing it now so I can cut back in a few years and live off renewals and referrals.

This is not a race, it is a journey.

 

[ValeRosso]

For what its worth...not one person said anything about my gmail address when I used it. Did I lose a sale because someone saw my gmail and decided not to go with me? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Also, do you REALLY need your email on your card? Or is your phone sufficient?

 

[somarco]

For what its worth...not one person said anything about my gmail address when I used it. Did I lose a sale because someone saw my gmail and decided not to go with me? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Also, do you REALLY need your email on your card? Or is your phone sufficient?

I registered my name as a dot com domain and have used it for a number of years. I also used my name @gmail when that became available. In the early days of gmail my emails went to spam but no problem with myname dot com.

Gradually gmail became more accepted, added more features and a much improved interface plus integration with Sheets, Docs, Calendar, etc.

I also found a tracking service that works quite well with Gmail.

A few of my websites direct email to myname dot com with forwarding to gmail.

Inbound phone call inquiries probably outnumber emails by a factor of 2 or more, but I do get a number of inquiries by email. There are a number of people who will request information by email but won't call.

Either way will work. My name is recognized online and generates traffic via YouTube, LinkedIn, FB and other social media as well.

Do you NEED your name domain? No, but it can't hurt if you can get it in a dot com URL.

 

[straightnochaser]

Domains are cheap and help with name recognition so I would say yes.