Insurance leads website

[Sam]

I am working on an insurance leads website and I am compiling a list of aspects that leads can be compared by. I would appreciate any additions that you can think of.

Thus far, I have:

1. Price per lead.
2. Volume discount?
3. Method of generation.
4. Volume of leads.
5. Crediting policy.
6. Number of agents getting the same leads.
7. Available filters.
8. Method of delivery.
9. Agent website access.
10. Follow up features.
11. Marketing material.

Any others?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Ability to pause or put your account on vacation. Ability to block out certain zip codes.

 

[flatfive]

There are a few key considerations regarding quality of the lead that many people overlook:

For event driven leads, such as closing on a mortgage, turning 65, or having a baby; how far back do they reach for that list? In other words, do they mail exclusively to people will turn 65 in the next 3 months, or who have already turned 65 in the last 3 months? Perhaps they mail to everyone who turned 65 in the past year? You can imagine how different the quality of those leads are even though they can all be described as "new retirees." I'd pay a LOT more for people who turn 65 in the next 3 months. It's all about how many respondents are truly in the buying mode and how many are just curious or misled by the mailer.

How quickly are the leads distributed? If a company gets back 150 leads, how quickly do they get categorized and inserted into the database? Some companies do this daily, some weekly and some less frequently than that.

Maybe this is covered by your number 3 and/or 11, but you want to know exactly what the prospect is responding to so you understand their expectations. There is a big difference between someone who thinks they are sending for a free booklet talking about changes in Medicare with no agent visit, and someone who knows they are requesting information about something they would have to pay for and will be contacted by an agent.

They key to a good lead is reaching the prospect while whatever prompted them to return the lead is still fresh on their minds. With a strong lead, you spend much less time establishing the need since they have themselves expressed the need by returning the lead.

It can be difficult to get this comparison, but a good way to look at this is to assume we have a qualified prospect, Joe Smith. Which lead company can get Joe Smith's name in front of me the fastest? You might be shocked to find that a lead program you thought was great is 2 or 3 weeks later than a competitor in getting that name to you. I'll take a fresher lead any day even if the lead is otherwise weaker in terms of prequalification.

 

[Sam]

Flat, that is excellent advice. I know it isn't really your market, but do you have any comments for internet driven leads?

 

[flatfive]

No, I really haven't tried internet leads enough to comment on them. I did notice another thread here about using shared leads that had some very good tips. Many of the tips apply to using leads in general, but perhaps it is all the more important with the internet leads. The biggest factor being pointed out in that posting that I can attest to with a huge database to back it up, is that you need to pounce on your leads immediately and try to be the very first person in contact with them. That changes the dynamics in a HUGE way. Once they start getting called by multiple agents, they start to feel like they have been thrown to the wolves, so you need to get to them quickly and tell them they can feel free to ignore other calls that are sure to follow. You gain a certain credibility just by being first since it suggests you are the better business person, and that you are the person who was intended to reply to their inquiry. All the others the others can be labeled by you as people who "are part of the mass marketing effort that can't be avoided." hehe

 

[TAB]

Good advice...thanks..

 

[centurybenefits]

I am working on an insurance leads website and I am compiling a list of aspects that leads can be compared by. I would appreciate any additions that you can think of.

Thus far, I have:

1. Price per lead.
2. Volume discount?
3. Method of generation.
4. Volume of leads.
5. Crediting policy.
6. Number of agents getting the same leads.
7. Available filters.
8. Method of delivery.
9. Agent website access.
10. Follow up features.
11. Marketing material.

Any others?

I have found that if you put in some good text content along with your quote/lead form you will rank higher on the search engines. I would also like to know why all of my posts are getting spammed if anyone knows please let me know

 

[benhhill]

Most agents want to try on the shoe to see if it fits before buying it. You might offer a trial run before asking someone to sign a contract.

 

[dfielder]

I am in the process of putting together a site that provides federal employees who are ALREADY PAYING FOR LIFE INSURANCE THAT DOUBLES IN PRICE EVERY 5 YEARS. My site would educate them on their current cost plus the increase. Once they realize how bad the group plan is, we give them an option for a local agent to help them replace that insurance.

Premiums have averaged 600-1500 annual premium term. Have not even tried to sell these people Universal or whole life.

Very good lead in that they are already paying, it's going to go up and it creates the interest.

How many of you would want that type of a lead and what would be a fair price for exclusive leads?

 

[somarco]

The phone & email address should be verified before the lead is made available. At least one vendor does this automatically. No disconnected/non-working phone numbers or bum emails.

Of course it doesn't mean the lead isn't bogus, but at least those items are internally cross referenced against something like WhitePages before being distributed.

A filter I use, and very few vendors have it, is currently insured. It adds to the cost and decreases the number of leads I get but significantly reduces my effort.