Recently, I was speaking with an independent insurance agent who is feeling the effects of the
self-serve internet age.
They have traditionally carried a fairly significant mass-advertising budget, but now seem to be having their lunch handed to them on radio and television by the likes of cavemen and talking reptiles and even a cartoon character or two.
Will they survive?
Possibly… But will they thrive?
Probably not… at least not with their current business, revenue, or marketing models.
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There is a time for everything… but nowhere does it say that the time will last forever.
When I was in college, one of the quickest ways to make a small fortune in business (not to mention a ton of perks), was to start a travel agency. If you’re under 30, we can talk about it some time.
No one had ever heard of the former Vice President’s invention yet, and that allowed the agent to pocket up to a thousand dollars an hour for essentially scrolling around on what would become Hotwire or Expedia or a host of others.
Sweet deal… but history.
Imagine someone telling you today that they will book a flight and make car and hotel arrangements for you… and all it will cost is twice the price your ten year old could get in five minutes online… plus a 15% commission.
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This should all be very exciting news, of course… even for the insurance agent or travel exec. Unless, of course… they believe they were born for the insurance or travel business.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Questions:
How has technology changed the intrinsic nature of your business offering?
Have other factors such as globalization, competition, commoditization, or capitalization impacted you? Positively or negatively?
If you were opening a business six months from now… what business would it be? Are you making plans to do it? Why or why not?
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