Personal Brochures
How does an insurance agent “stand out from the crowd?” Agents and others in the financial services industry operate in a marketplace that can be characterized as “monopolistically competitive” — competitive because there are many sellers, yet monopolistic in that each seller is unique, offering clients their individual talents, skills, and a slightly different set of products. A personal brochure can be used to highlight those differences.
The typical brochure highlights personal achievements, education, professional designations, membership in civic and professional associations, as well as the products and services being offered. Personal brochures can provide a big lift to an agent’s marketing efforts — but it is important for ethical and legal reasons to follow clear guidelines when creating one.
Required Information
The guiding ethical principle when developing a personal brochure is that — at the very least — the brochure must provide information sufficient to allow the reader to understand the:
Brochure Pitfalls to Avoid
Areas in a personal brochure that may be abused include:
- Claiming to have a professional designation, expertise, or education not actually possessed
- Misstating personal or professional accomplishments
- Failure to include important information, such as that the services offered or results claimed are provided through the use of stocks, bonds, life insurance, mutual funds, annuities, etc.
Personal brochures can provide a big lift to an agent’s marketing efforts. It is important for both ethical and legal reasons, however, to follow these guidelines when creating a personal brochure.