Episode 35: Rocket Referrals Launches Rocket Connect + Focuses on Company Growth

Carl and Torey Maerz started by looking for a problem. Sometimes when people focus too much on the idea and not the problem that goes into it, the product fails because there wasn’t a focus on what’s going on behind the scenes. The Maerz brothers discuss this and more with the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives Mike Colwell.

Research in the Industry

In the beginning, securing referrals for insurance agents was the focus for their business, Rocket Referrals. Now, their company also focuses on:

• Increasing client retention.
• Collecting client reviews.
• Improving client communications.

The Maerz brothers explain how within insurance, people can go online and search out reviews. For insurance agencies, meaningful touchpoints go along with retention. If you don’t hear from them regularly, people feel they must not care. A complete referral strategy must be utilized to keep referrals healthy. If you keep your customers happy for a longer time, the more referrals you can get. Social norms and market norms where authenticity matters, you have to put that meaning and feeling behind what you do. With Rocket Referrals, it’s done through automation to keep insurance agents from needing to check in on each of their clients constantly.

[Read more about Rocket Referrals bootstrapping: Starting a Small Business with Minimal Capital.]

Knowing Your Referral Sources

Using the Rocket Referrals data and algorithms allows insurance agents to know who is referring them. Instead of just telling people the data and who they should communicate with, Rocket Referrals takes the lead on the communication. With their data, Rocket Referrals understands what insurance agents need to say and when they need to say it, as well as the frequency of the communication. Rocket Referrals communication utilizes these best practices through the data they’ve uncovered.

Company Culture + Growth

Ready to bring on their 30^th team member, Rocket Referrals has come a long way. The Maerz brothers explain that it’s important to step back and appreciate the progress the company has made before continually pushing forward. As the company grows, the culture can change, but the mission can stay the same. It’s possible to be a good company as you grow.

As the fastest-growing software company in Iowa and #481 on the 2019 Inc 5000 Index, the Rocket Referrals team sets their focus not on awards, rankings or recognition, but on what their team is accomplishing.

The Maerz brothers explain that you can’t define company culture. It’s something you live. When Rocket Referrals was determining who they were as a business, they came up with these three core beliefs:

• Technology should work as you expect, but better than you ever imagined.
• Software and tools should be available to any business.
• Greatness is in everyone and we want to build software that brings out that greatness.

Rocket Referrals comes back to these three beliefs in every decision as they move forward.

Listen to the entire podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/162832/1773133-carl-and-torey-maerz-rocket-referrals

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