You know your insurance agency should always be in search of new clients, but you may be overlooking a crucial segment. If you sell any type of business insurance or insurance that could be applicable to businesses, you should be targeting seasonal businesses.
Seasonal businesses can be a bit more difficult to target, as they may not want a policy for a full year. After all, their business only operates for part of the year. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need insurance. Their business comes with the same risks as any other type of business. But how can you get that point across and get them to take advantage of your insurance offerings?
Examples of Seasonal Businesses
Before we get too far into how to target seasonal businesses, refresh your memory on what these businesses are. A seasonal business is any company that only operates for part of the year.
With summer approaching, you want to think about acquiring tree trimmers, landscapers, and outdoor contractors as customers. In the winter months, you would maybe look to snowplow services and similar offerings.
Don’t forget to think outside of the box when considering seasonal businesses to target. For example, do you have local ice cream shops that close in the winter? Or maybe a local outdoor pool or theme park that closes when the weather gets cold. All of these are also great examples of seasonal businesses.
With that in mind, take a look at some strategies for targeting these businesses.
Highlight the Benefits of Having Insurance
As with any other type of client, a primary focus should be on highlighting the advantages of having insurance as a business. Some seasonal businesses are on such a small scale or are one-man operations, so the owners assume they don’t need insurance. Highlighting the benefits of insurance lets them know why that assumption is wrong.
Just remember that you don’t want to use scare tactics—focus on the positive. A good alternative is to use storytelling to sell. Or mention how the Jenesis client portal makes it easy to access policy information from anywhere.
There May Be a Legal Requirement
Depending on the type of business and local laws, they may be legally required to have insurance. If they don’t, they could face fines or other consequences. So, highlight insurance as a way to remain legally compliant.
It Can Cover for Slow Seasons
Some seasonal insurance policies are designed to cover for unexpectedly slow seasons if they are due to factors out of your control. That insurance will typically cover enough so you break even and can pay your employees. You can highlight the benefit of this and even emphasize the recent uncertainty that all industries have faced as a reason to consider it.
General Liability Insurance Can Save You Money
There is also the simple fact that insurance, especially general liability insurance, can save you money. For example, what if you are a landscaper and accidentally leave a stump or tree branch in the way? If someone trips over it and injures themselves, the insurance will cover their medical costs and any lawsuit.
Regular Auto Insurance Doesn’t Cover Business Use
You can also remind the business owners that their regular auto insurance won’t cover accidents or damage that occur as part of commercial use. This is a very common exclusion that could end up costing a lot of money without supplementary insurance.
Offer Short-term Policies
One of the best ways to appeal to seasonal businesses is to offer what they want—insurance that goes for a shorter term. They don’t want to have to pay for premiums all year long if they only operate for half of the year or just a few months.
If you don’t already offer this type of insurance, look into what it would take to do so. The carriers you already work with may offer it, making it a quick addition to your insurance catalog.
Provide Educational Resources to Choose the Right Policy
As with any other type of client, you want to ensure that you offer educational resources for seasonal businesses. Understanding business insurance is hard enough, but it becomes more complicated for seasonal companies. Giving your clients all the knowledge and resources they need to understand their insurance options provides a great customer experience.
There are plenty of ways to provide this type of education, including:
- eBooks and downloadable guides
- Blogs or articles in a knowledge base
- Free consultations with you or an agent
Most importantly, you want to ensure that you take the time to answer all of the business owner’s questions. Make it clear in your advertising that you will ensure they fully understand their options.
Use Word of Mouth Advertising
Seasonal business owners tend to know other owners of seasonal businesses. Maybe they work with each other occasionally or simply interact in other ways. Encouraging referrals and networking can help you get more businesses as clients.
Conclusion
You can use most of your normal marketing strategies to target seasonal businesses with some adjustments. Just be sure that you offer the types of policies that they need, with the appropriate coverage terms.