While "sheltering in place,"agents and brokers can use this time to reach out to friends,family and clients. (Image: Shutterstock)

Humans are gregarious. We like to gather in groups and have agood time. The coronavirus pandemic has taken that off the tablefor a while. Agents and brokers know they need to be callingclients during these difficult times. You've done that. Now, whatelse can you do to productively occupy yourself while socialdistancing?

Let's assume you live in an area where "shelter-in-place" is thenew reality. You have several powerful tools in your arsenal.The phone. Mail. Texting. Skype. Email. Socialmedia. Here are some ideas:

1. The virtual dance party. You probably didn't expectthat one as the lead idea! A client of an advisor friend, someonewho always has a party to attend, arranged a virtual dance partywith other friends. She is using either group FaceTime chats orfreeconferencecall.com to bring friends together, presumablysplit-screen, to take turns acting as DJ, playing music in theirbackground as everyone dances in their own homes.

2. The virtual dinner party. How tough can this be? Wehave FaceTime. So do friends. We "invite" another couple. We settwo place settings for ourselves at our dining room table, with theiPad at the other end. They do the same at their home. At theappointed time, we all "arrive" and enjoy dinner together.

3. Calling distant relatives. You get Christmas cardsfrom people you haven't seen for years. There's a connection, soyou each keep sending them. This is an ideal opportunity to call,text or email, finding out how they are coping with the coronaviruspandemic. They will likely ask what you are doing. Your "I'mcalling all my clients…" explanation tactfully reminds them whatyou do for a living.

4. Friends in foreign countries. You know theinternational media is portraying the U.S. as in crisis with peoplehoarding toilet paper rolls. When we visited our local supermarketthese past two weekends, I took pictures of a few people shopping,pallets of paper towels and toilet paper on display and lots ofbins filled with fresh vegetables. Let them know what they see onTV isn't always absolutely factual. We tend to sensationalizenews.

5. Call your neighbors. It's the "neighborly" thing todo. Make sure they are ok. Do they have everything they need? Arethey in good health? How are their other family members?

6. Social media. You absolutely wouldn't prospect during acrisis, but you might check in on people you know who have thepotential to be clients. Check-in on those who don't havepotential, either. Ask if they are working from home? They will askyou the same question.

7. Places where you shop. During normal times, I visitthe bank often. Now I call when something needs attention I can'taddress online. I thank them for coming to work, accepting theconnected risks. The same goes for calling friends with businessesyou know are not open because of government-imposed restrictions.You know they and their staff are going through a tough time. It'san opportunity to show your sympathy.

8. Your sick friends. It's a fact of life — we all knowfriends who are battling cancer or another serious disease. We knowpeople living in nursing homes. "Out of sight, out of mind" meansthey are easy to forget. Pick a time when you don't have anythingelse scheduled. Call with the intention of chatting for a while.Prepare a mental list of what's been happening in your life. Beprepared to carry the conversation. Try to find the funny side ofthings that have happened in your life. You want the call to endwith a smile on their faces.

Being told to stay at home affects us differently. Some focus onwork. Others on binge-watching TV. Others on household projects.This is a good time to think of others first and do some outreach.It might lead to business, but it should definitely put a smile onpeople's faces.

Bryce Sanders is president of PerceptiveBusiness Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition trainingfor the financial services industry. His book, "Captivatingthe Wealthy Investor," can be found on Amazon. The opinionsexpressed here are the author's own. 

Related:

• How insurance agents are helping clients throughthe pandemic
• Feel like you have been 'benched' in thisquarantine?
• Smart ways for insurance professionals to workremotely