How to Handle The Upcoming Political Season as an Insurance Agent....

Well, here we are...

The Impeachment  is over. The President was acquitted in the Senate. An almost 100% partisan line conflict in both the House and the Senate....

FOREVER IMPEACHED!!!     FOREVER ACQUITTED!!   FOREVER RIDICULOUS ON BOTH SIDES! 

AND...

I do not know if you remember what your social media and news and television outlets were like back in 2016.....

But its also....

AN ELECTION YEARRRRRRRRRRR!

So how do you go about handling yourself during this time?

How do you go about navigating conversations that are bound to come up from prospects, colleagues, superiors, and locals who simply HAVE to talk about it?

How do you go about navigating your own need to talk about it, if you are one of those types of people?

Here are a number of suggestions as we head into this already white hot political season. 

#1 - Know your Audience 

If you are going to be speaking loud and proud on social media just realize that everyone you are connected to COULD see your stances.... chances are only about 10% of them will see it... but you do not know which 10%... and you also do not know who is wandering over to your page to check out what you have been up to that is not letting you know...

#2 - Filter Your Audience

On some social platforms you are able to create custom lists and audiences that exclude whoever you would like to exclude from your connections.  Have some thoughts that you want to share but do not want to have people coming for you with torches? Exclude them from seeing it. Just the one post. No need to unfriend. 

# 3 - Just talk about it

You can always throw caution to the wind as well and know that social media can be a revolving door if you so choose.  If you are patient and ok with a lot of turnover, you being loud and proud about your political stances will ultimately create an echo chamber of people who think like you and believe in causes you do.  That echo chamber is easy to build a know, like, trust factor with but it is a long play that will have you in a lot of online arguments along the way.  In small town America where everyone knows and talks about everyone this would not be my recommendation. Larger, more populated areas where no one knows anyone it is a somewhat

#4 - Do not talk about it at all.

This is the most common advice that most professionals will give you around the topic of politics. While I believe it to be the most basic of things to advise people, I do not fully agree with it. People buy from others they know, like, and trust. While I do not recommend banging a drum loud and proud because you do not want to stand out as an activist, I do believe when opportunity to share a common belief arises it is a fantastic way to make a human connection with someone who will inherently feel more connected to you. 

#5 - When a prospect or client asks about it 

These are always the MOST difficult to navigate particularly if you are not sure where the person you are speaking to stands on the matter. My suggestion here is to tread lightly and not commit too heavily to any opinion and keep it light while trying to change topics. While you may have some common beliefs they may hold beliefs that you do not want to be associated with. Keep it light and move it along. 

#6 - My MOST SOUGHT AFTER ADVICE ON THIS TOPIC