Well, we think internet leads for sales agents are great, but we also know that they must be used differently than other types of leads. If you have leads from a direct mail campaign or newspaper advertisement where people must call in, than those people certainly expect a phone call! However, many prospects who fill out a quote form over the internet really prefer to have contact made the same way that they initiated it – online!
Certainly, you should call those leads right away, and many prospects will be receptive to a friendly phone call. However, some of them may not be in the mood to talk at the moment, and they may still be looking for information. Of course, your optimum outcome would be to set an appointment right away, and then head on over to sell them an insurance policy. However, you may be pleased to realize that you can handle these prospects in a different way that will work out for everybody better.
Can You Mail Out or Send An Internet Link.
If your prospect tells you that they are too busy with work or family to talk right now, they very well could be telling you the truth! Let them know that you value their time, and their business. Set your goal towards grabbing an email address and ask them if you could send them more information. Now, instead of calling on a non-receptive lead, you have just added another name to your email campaign!
Get as much information as you can and go ahead and send them out a quote, either through email, fax, or mail. Then make sure you keep a constant drip of contact going. Contact them enough so they remember you, but not so much that you are obnoxious. Send out informative information, and offer them the chance to request more quotes and plan details.
You will find that a large percentage of the prospects you thought were dead ends, do remember you in a few days or a few weeks, and that's when they call you! Now you are already acquaintances. You can approach your sale from a much more comfortable position now. Believe me, most prospects will appreciate an insurance agent who is willing to meet them on their terms and sell at their convenience.
Why Drive All Over Town
Internet products that you can sell over the internet, through the mail, or with fax exchanges are very well suited towards the type of clients you find online! They filled out internet quote forms because they do not have an insurance agent, or because they are unhappy with the products they have. Connect with them, and let them know you would like to serve them in a convenient way!
Of course, this type of service will be convenient for you too! Instead of driving miles to meet with clients that may not close, or may not get accepted by an insurance company, you can serve many more clients from the comfort of your home or office. It saves on gas money too! Visit us for an the best Internet Sales Leads for Insurance Agents from lead companies that are set up to provide Insurance Leads for Agents.
Phillip joined our captive company for two reasons–and was soon asked to leave. One, we have products that are better than anything he could offer through his privately owned agency. Two, we have a lead system (for which we pay 7% of our commissions) that eliminates some of the work of finding prospects. Unfortunately, he continued to operate his own agency as well which was a violation of his contract.
Whether Phillip was right or wrong, his action illustrates a truth known to all insurance agents. Finding people to talk to is the most difficult part of the insurance business. Referrals and call-backs are the secret to success. But getting the clients who will do the marketing for you involves a lot more than just selling them a policy.
Keeping clients once you get them
Developing a lead into a long term client can be summed up with one question. How much time are you willing to spend, and how much service are you willing to provide for which you will not get a commission in terms of dollars?
Getting the appointment with your prospect is the first step in getting the business. Without that appointment, you have no business. However, it is only the first of many steps toward getting and keeping the business.
Being seen as a "real" person
We are living in a day when trust is dangerous. Numerous scam artists lurk in the streets, watching for an opportunity to take advantage of the unwary. With that in mind, it is important to let your prospect see you as a real person–someone with a phone number, an address, a family, perhaps some interests in common. I tell my prospects why I am in insurance, what I did before that, and where I live. I also give them a small written bio in the form of a bookmark that has pictures of me, my kids, and my grand kids. We engage in a five or ten minute exchange where they tell me a bit about themselves as well. It breaks the ice, as I'm not likely to scam a person who has enough information to put me in jail.
Getting to the need
Within a few minutes, we transition to business. I usually ask if they know anything about my company. Even if they do, I have a bit more information ready to give them such as the kinds of service we provide, the speedy claim payment for which the company is known, and the assets that support the company as a whole.
Even when I know what product the client is probably interested in, I begin with a simple questionnaire that we call a "needs assessment." I have a couple of variations, depending on the situation. For example, I find out very quickly what health insurance a person has; if she has Medicare and Medicaid, I know that I don't need to waste time on Long Term Care, or any kind of health product other than a prescription drug plan. The only thing I can help such a person with is their life insurance.
Understanding the prospect
Once I have determined what my approach should be, I simply explain that my purpose is to give them information followed by some options tailored their unique situation. To do that, I must ask a few questions. The next step will be a decision which will be up to them to make. That decision will be to either take action on one or more of the options, or to do nothing.
Then I simply ask questions about the areas that have the most impact on a person's future regarding life and health. If they have life insurance, what kind is it, and when was it last reviewed. If possible, I will ask them to get their policy and let me take a look at it. Doing so has turned up policies that were Term Life about to expire–or universals with premiums about to increase. Nearly everyone thinks he has "whole life." In my experience, at least 60% are sadly incorrect.
If a client has health insurance which is currently serving his needs adequately, I inquire first about his health, and then about Long Term Care. If a person is already using a walker or wheelchair, or has serious illnesses like diabetes requiring insulin, for example, there is little point in discussing Long Term Care as he won't qualify for it. If his health is good, however, I will simply engage him in a discussion about family members or friends who have needed extended care. The point is, we have to establish the possibility that at some point in the future, extended care is likely to be necessary, and that putting the burden on family members strains the emotional, physical and financial health of the family along with putting the life long savings and family home at risk.
Educating the prospect
The underlying purpose in all this discussion–which can take from 20 minutes to an hour–is not sales. It is education. Many people –not versed in insurance language–are confused about what they already have. Insurance is something people buy because they have to; then they put it in a closet and forget about it, believing they have everything they need, and locking the mental door against anything new. An agent who can open that door and either verify or clarify their understanding about their insurance possessions stands a much better chance of making a new sale.
Sometimes opening that closet is like opening a can of worms. Recently a client shared two 15 year old life insurance policies–$50,000 each–on himself and his wife. The policies were both labeled "whole life" both on the cover sheet and on the deck page. His also said "payable for life" beside the premium. This year he received a notice saying that if he wants to keep the $50,000 his premium goes from $60 per month to $308! His wife's premium would go to about $290. He had already called the company and had been told that regardless of what the deck page says, the policy is actually a Term policy and that the premiums will continue to increase. Nothing on that policy says Term. However, there is a paragraph which he had never noticed and did not understand, which said that the premium was subject to "periodic recalculation."
Does the client have grounds for a complaint and return of premium? I would think so. But whether he does or not, he knows, that even though it will cost him more now than it would have 15 years ago, he wants a policy that will have no increase in premium and will not decrease in benefit–guaranteed whole life. If I hadn't discussed his complete life/health insurance package with him, he would never have known.
Delivering the policy
Once a policy has been issued, our company requires personal delivery and obtainment of a delivery receipt. It has been said that every minute spent with a client upon delivery of a policy is equal to a year that the client will stay with the company. Furthermore, many more policies are sold at the time of delivery than are sold on a first visit. The client has trusted you enough to take the first one. Take the needs assessment with you and review it before getting to the house. A completed needs assessment will have possibilities between the lines. Are children getting married, grandchildren being born? Who is the beneficiary on the life policy you are delivering. Offer to visit that person, give them a business card with the policy number written on the back, and let them know that in the event a claim needs to be made, you will be available to help or answer questions.
Generating repeat business possibilities
Once the business is complete, generate more business by doing the unexpected. You can drop in when you are in the area, deliver a small box of Russell Stover chocolates (at less than $2.00 out of your pocket), or some other small gift that simply says "thank you for your business." A small gift or card–for no reason whatsoever except to say thank you–will go a long way in keeping your clients and finding new ones. Since 1985, Gary Stuart has worked to build and cultivate an agency that puts the customer's needs first. In 2000, he translated 15 plus years of insurance experience to the development of sites like http://www.accuterm.net where life insurance agents can learn about the advantages of exclusive, internet generated sales leads. Gary believes that a good lead is only the beginning of an agent/client business relationship.
Knowing the difference is difficult for some of the best insurance recruiting managers to distinguish. Most have very few clues on what makes the senior market agent unique, The agents they are pursuing are hidden deep among a licensing list loaded with those not in radar range for selling senior products. It is only by uncovering the substantial dissimilarities can these agent be found. Using this guide, is a map to making this mission successful.
Here are 15 general characteristics which make senior market sales specialists unique:
1. They are likely to live not in big cities, but in farther out metropolitan suburbs and especially rural areas.
2. Their highest amount of clients also live primarily in outer suburbs, rural areas, plus retirement communities.
3. It is very unusual for these agents to belong to any or the local or national insurance associations.
4. Few of these pros show interest in subscribing to or reading insurance trade magazine articles.
5. They don't normally answer the phone. The recorder in on, as they are out working or relaxing.
6. The work vehicle they drive is more likely to be a pickup than a Cadillac.
7. Instead of appointments 10 miles away, many are in a very far off in a distant town, often crossing state boundaries.
8. Unsolicited faxes from recruiters go directly to file 13.
9. "Appointments" often mean driving up and knocking unannounced on the senior citizen's door.
10. Emails sent out by recruiters trying to save recruiting money are considered spam.
11. You won't catch them selling with portable computers or lugging briefcases. A folder/binder just large enough to carry a large yellow notepad and government and product brochures are sufficient.
12. These agents are not known for working evenings, during snowstorms, or conducting business more than 4 days a week.
13. No two-part presentations are given, unless it is to deliver a policy or write more business.
14. Compared to other agents and brokers, they are 3 times as loyal to the firm or company that recruited them. That is, if they are treated right. Meaning like the professional they are.
15. For many, their income and renewals double that of the regular agent, and rival that of highly educated financial planners.
By senior market specialist, we mean agents actively selling long term care insurance also known as ltc, Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage, supplemental health, or small life insurance policies. Don Yerke is the marketing adviser at Agents Insurance Marketing USA, Inc. with a 150 page website at http://www.agentsinsurancemarketing.com We are the premier direct marketing firm for providing refined lists of Department of Insurance agent names. Tips, secrets, advice, and intense research make this web site unique.The site is crammed with articles benefiting insurance agents, marketers, recruiters and sales letter writers. All of our information is Free. Even our enormous listing of power words and power word phrases is the largest on the internet, designed to assist writers and speakers of all sorts for free.
The lifeblood of an insurance agent is referral sales. Here are four ways to get referrals. The first three are good refreshers. The fourth may surprise you. Ask for the referral: "Mr. Prospect, if you like what we've put together, I'd appreciate your recommending me to your family, friends and business associates. Can you suggest anyone that I should give a call?" Then, you take out your pen and wait. This technique works, but it's wish-and-a-prayer stuff. From the prospect's point of view, there's no strong reason to give you a referral. After all, he just bought something. That should be enough. Do something with your prospect. Do something that motivates them want to tell others about you. Golfing is an perfect example. This works, but it takes a major investment of time. Give them a gift -Virtually every successful agent gives his best clients gifts around Christmas. There's an entire industry that has built up around the gift-giving needs of agents--diaries, calendars, books on family values. Back in the 70's the Life Insurance industry produced a book about family values. It was widely used by Million Dollar Round Table Agents to start discussions on family values, but it was expensive to give, and many copies of the book were never opened by clients. Offer to give them a membership to a web site if they like what they see. - This is a winner. Even if your prospect or customer doesn't want the membership, they'll remember that you offered to give it to them. If do they like what they see, they'll remember you every time they log in. And, people talk about websites. They discuss what they do on them, and they tell their friends and family.
Imagine this: "Bill, I just wanted to tell you that my kids loved that web site you told us about yesterday. Jenna helped Little Billy draw a picture and put it in an e-book. Dawn really liked the book about monsters. She feel asleep for the first time in two months without having to turn on the flashlight. I really appreciate your giving us a subscription to it. By the way, our friend Marsha Greene stopped by yesterday while Dawn was listening to the book on monsters and she asked me how I found the site. I told her that you gave us a free subscription, and she said 'That's the kind of insurance agent I want. She asked me to give you her number. Got a pencil? It's . . . ."
Assuming that you like the idea of giving a membership to a web site, what type of site should you select? If you're also a licensed broker, you could give them a membership to a site where they can research or trade stocks. If you're bread and butter is families and estate planning, a site that is useful for families is a good choice. You'll also want to keep costs down: Find a site that has a high perceived value that allows you to give a deep discount.
How to offer the subscription: Don't just give it. Give it value. Say something like this, "Harriet, I'd like to give you a membership to one of my favorite websites. Here's the URL. If you like what you see, don't buy anything. Call me, and I'll set up an account for you. Better yet, ask them to look at the website while you are speaking with them. Then, when they say they like it, tell them it would be your pleasure to set up an account in their name for a year.
After you offer the subscription: Follow up. Now, you have something besides insurance to discuss. If they like the site, you can even offer to buy a membership for some of their friends, family and business associates. Ask them who they know who would enjoy the site. The referrals will come. Alan Jordan has written hundreds of magazine articles, six business books and several children's books. He is also the creator of http://www.LetsBeCreative.org which offers quality content for children in written, audio, audio-visual formats. The site offers free content, plus much more for an annual membership of $20. Businesspeople may buy bulk subscriptions to the site for as little as $1 by clicking on the Gifts menu item or writing to gifts@letsbecreative.org Your gift has a perceived value of $20.
Does even the thought of lead generation make you feel like banging your head against a wall?
Experts say generating a constant supply of new medicare supplement leads is one of the hardest and most frustrating tasks most business owners face.
Effective sales lead solutions are easy to find if you follow a few simple rules.
Follow them close enough and you'll enjoy a Ninja-like ability to sneak up on virtually any market and generate medicare supplement leads seemingly out of thin air. At least that is what your competitors will think.
Business owners use a variety of different methods to generate medicare supplement leads.
Some you may be aware of are:
TV and Radio Ads Telemarketing Direct Mail Postcards Display & Classified Ads Fliers Billboard Ads Trade Shows Press Releases Yellow Pages Ads
Each of the above lead generation tactics have their place but there is a lead generation solution that, in my opinion, presents the average business owner with the opportunity of getting a steady flow of laser-targeted leads virtually whenever they feel like it.
Medicare Supplement Leads: Lead Generation Websites
Few people realize that a medicare supplement lead generation website can be as small as just one page.
A good medicare supplement lead capture page offers something of value such as an informative report in return for someone giving you their name and email address and in some cases, their physical address and telephone number.
This page can also include a simple form that gathers information that the business seeking the leads wants to know.
Use a professional autoresponder service such as Aweber.com to immediately send your prospects a bit more information relating to the products and services being offered as well as the download url of your report and remember to always include a few simple words of thanks.
You can see an example of such a page here: http://www.GetMoreSalesLeads.com
Nine Things That Encourage People to Respond to Your Medicare supplement Lead Generation Page 1. The Headline. Experts tell us that a staggering 80% of people don't get past your headline. It is well worth the effort to take the time to learn the basics of copywriting. 2. Graphics (Or a Lack of them!) You should always split-test the use of graphics on your lead generation name capture page. Some products and services really benefit from the use of graphics (before and after pics for instance) whilst others may find graphics distract people's attention from the goal of the page - getting people to respond and fill in your lead generation form. NOTE: Beware of using humor in lead generation. Something that you might find hilarious might leave another person cold or worse even offend them. 3. Colors. Believe it or not colors can have a dramatic effect on your response rates. Never ever use a black background. Think in terms of Google and Yahoo (Clean white backgrounds) and rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, just copy their lead. 4. Fonts. It constantly amazes me how so many websites use fonts so small that even if you wanted to respond - you would need bionic eyesight to do so. Use fonts such as Ariel, Verdana or Times New Roman. 5. Audio. Adding a simple streaming audio message can dramatically boost your opt-in response rates. 6. Video. Video can make all the difference in the world. You can see an example at http://ReprintRightsOffer.com 7. Testimonials. People love to see 'social proof' that what you say about your products and services is true. NOTE: There is an adage in marketing that says: Facts TELL But Testimonials SELL. Use this to your advantage. 8. The Offer. Your prospects will basically be thinking 'What is in this for me?' make sure you give them a valid reason to want to give you their details. 9. Reassurance. Always tell people that their contact details will never, under any circumstances, be rented, traded, shared or sold and let them know they can unsubscribe whenever they want to.
If you try these things and use the right keywords to get traffic to your website and in your pay-per-click ads, you will find that a simple direct response website can be a powerful solution to your medicare supplement lead generation needs. Chris Bloor is a Successful Internet Marketer and Lead Generation Specialist. He reveals dozens more cutting-edge sales lead solutions at his new Blog: http://www.SalesLeadSecrets.com
