Best way to Generate your own leads

Ways to get leads:
The obvious: referrals, cold call, utilize Facebook (social media)

-Buy leads from vendors. Make sure you know if it's a live lead, or leads where someone fills out on a website.

-Funnel leads from your websites, groups, events and so on.

Highly recommend: create content that you will own and write a book. Plenty of leads once your content is online and resourcesfull.
 
Dan Win said:
Ways to get leads:
The obvious: referrals, cold call, utilize Facebook (social media)

-Buy leads from vendors. Make sure you know if it's a live lead, or leads where someone fills out on a website.

-Funnel leads from your websites, groups, events and so on.

Highly recommend: create content that you will own and write a book. Plenty of leads once your content is online and resourcesfull.
Click to expand...


Agreed. Or set up systems to bring you [exclusive] leads on autopilot.

The Digital Insurance Agent....
 
One thing that needs to be addressed is the type lead you are looking for.

Mortgage Protection leads are most often generated through direct mail and they can cost $50 or more. I have door knocked mortgage protection leads that I could not get on the phone but the lead was almost always generated through direct mail. I haven't found a more effective way for this type of lead. I know one agent in Atlanta that when she is out driving looks for new home construction and door knocks the new homeowners.

Medicare Supplement leads are generated in several different ways: direct mail, calling a turning 65 list, going to Senior expos and even door knocking with a list. One agent called on businesses and got the seniors on Medicare A to leave the major medical and apply for Part B, all while offering them an F plan to cover their medical costs. He was very successful with this niche.

Final expense leads have even more options like TV leads, direct mail and door knocking. I noticed that some agents cross sell Medicare Advantage and Final Expense, so leads from either area are even more valuable. There was one agent that went to the mall early every morning before his day started. Why? Senior mall walkers, and he got to know all of them. He didn't sell a lot of insurance at first be he got to know dozens of fit seniors who liked and trusted him and had to money to drive to the mall to walk around every day.

Business to business like AFLAC is almost all cold calling. It a tough row to hoe but if you have an "in" to business owners you might be golden. Perhaps look for a joint venture with a P &C agent, who covers commercial buildings. You could cross sell like the medicare agent mentioned above, but B2B can be brutal but lucrative over time.

If you sell high end life or annuities then you'll have to contact wealthy Americans and they can be tough to reach through some of the methods above. I have had only hit and miss success but Brett Kitchens claims they have broken the code.

If I were just starting to sell insurance or move into a new field I would go with a lead vendor and become a referral machine with every client. This will help you build a book faster and referrals are basically free leads. I once knew a final expense agent that had six months of referrals but he still bought leads every week. If he had a lead that was a considerable drive, he always called the referrals in that area so he didn't spend his day driving all over the State for one prospect. Plus he gave away the AM/AM free AD&D life plan so he always had a few in the pipeline.

If you go with a lead vendor, what I have learned is this: lead vendors can be some of the scummiest bottom feeders on earth. Be very careful and here are a few red flags if you buy leads:

1) Credit Cards? We don't need no stinking credit cards.
Most companies take credit cards because it's easier on them and you. The reason a firm may not take a card is that credit card charges can be disputed and reversed for fraud. Here on the forum, you'll find lead vendors that agents have used and like. Try them first!

2) Websites are for geeks and mass marketing, we're a exclusive club

If the vendor doesn't have a website or a company email (just gmail), it's not a deal breaker but a red flag. If they don't have website or a company email then they could be a lead re-seller for another vendor. That's OK just be on the look out.

3) Hurry and get your territory cause there's gold in them there leads!

If the vendor makes exaggerated claims like huge response rates on direct mail (like 4% or more) be careful. Most direct mail, unless it is very targeted, returns 2% or less. The question is how does the vendor get this wonderful response rate... "black magic?" You'll often find these vendors want you you do a much bigger mailing so you'll be so busy writing business you won't have time to poop. They'll talk about "full appointment books, six leads a day or even that they are so effective you'll probably have to tone down you're marketing."

4) Don't you want to be the richest agent in town?

If the vendor requires a huge purchase (direct mail is about $600 per 1,000) watch out. If someone wants you to "invest" more than a $1,000 then take a beat. Ask a lot of questions like why you can't do a smaller test. I talked to a great lead vendor yesterday and one of his clients had fallen for a competitor's pitch for a guaranteed appointments and the cost was $23,000! The "vendor" claimed they would set highly qualified annuity appointments for $100 each for his twelve agents. After several months, they have set one. (by the way they didn't take credit cards)

My advise is find a very successful agent that is doing what you want to do with the type of insurance you want to sell and copy him. Maybe you could even work with him and learn from a master.

One last thought: know your customer. Where do they hang out? What is really important to them? How can you meet them on a favorite basis? Is there something you can give them that no other agent can? You might just find a hidden niche.
 
To me, leads are like craft beer.

You can make your own, or you can buy it. Once upon a time your choices in beer were limited, either you drank mass market crap (Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite, etc.) or imports (which were limited as well). Then people started brewing their own beer at home to get the beer they couldn't find in the store. Some of those people then went on to start their own breweries. Now, you can pretty much buy any time of beer you want. So many homebrewers have given it up. They don't want to invest the time and energy into making beer when they can just buy it. Sure, it can be cheaper to make your own, but it still takes time, energy and knowledge from doing.

Leads, especially anything social media and internet are much the same. There are those that love to make beer, and there are those that love to create leads. For most people, they really just want a cold one when they want it. Much with leads, if they can find quality leads at a reasonable price, many people would rather just buy them and be done with it.

So if you are going to do down the road of making your own leads, which many have. Make sure you are willing to invest the time, energy and money into it. You will have a learning process and it will take time on an ongoing basis.
 
somarco said:
Seems a bit argumentative to me.

Let us know how that works.
Click to expand...

In a way that's the whole point.

My half baked thinking on the matter is rather simple. Now your thinking about it to argue with me. The more you try to think of reasons why you DON'T need life insurance....the more you realize you do.

It's reverse psychology in a way. Of course, this being Florida, I'll end up getting shot. Any one know of a good agent?
 
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