How Internet Insurance Leads Have Changed My Agency For the Better

The days of waiting for referrals to spring up or for walk-ins to appear in my office are over. Best of all, cold calling has gone the way of the dinosaur. When I started in financial services, I would cold call 5-8 hours per day and get my butt kicked all day long by people.

Since I started in 1996, the lead world has changed dramatically for the better. With the advent of the internet, lead aggregation sites can generate a continuous flow of leads for my property and casually insurance agency.

I can tell the lead provider the hours I want leads, the zip codes I want to target, and the type of client I want to speak with. I can download the leads into my contact management software and effectively drip on my unclosed leads. Often, the lead providers will follow up immediately with an email introducing my agency to the prospective client.

The beauty of internet insurance leads is that there is an immediate need and a commitment from the prospect to accept a call from the agent. In the old days, I would get 45 rejections for every 5 warm leads, and maybe 1 appointment, if I was lucky.

Selling Insurance: Are You Getting Your Prospects Attention?

Information Overload Has Reached A Critical Level.

Sociologists tell us that over the past twenty years, our lives have become much more complicated, more hectic and more harried than ever before.

We have more than 20 times the duties and responsibilities than we had 100 years ago. And we have 20 times more intrusions and distractions than we had even 20 years ago.

But cognitive scientists and behavioral psychologists have concluded that the human brain has not yet evolved enough to handle the onslaught of information vying for our attention.

Which has a Direct Impact on Selling Insurance.

Television, Radio, Internet, Email, Smart Phones, Instant Messaging, and Social Media have all accelerated both the quantity and the speed at which information comes at us. So our brains are overwhelmed with thoughts and information - all day long.

And it's difficult to shut it off, even when we are ready to sleep - which is why insomnia is now epidemic.

Consequently, we feel stressed, rushed, never "finished". And we find it difficult to slow down and relax, or to focus on one thing at a time.

So we are constantly "multi tasking" in order to get it all done.

But "Multi Tasking" is NOT as Productive as You Might Think.

Contrary to popular "wisdom"... a recent study at Stanford Research Institute has discovered that we really don't have the ability to "multi task" - because our brains don't actually hold more than one thought or focus of attention simultaneously.

What our brains are really doing is juggling multiple tasks, thoughts and attentions - quickly alternating among several, with the perception that we are doing them all at once.

But the result of all this juggling, is that we are not really paying enough attention to any one of them very well.

Each Task is Only Getting Partial or Temporary Attention.

So we jump to conclusions and assumptions, based on partial or incomplete information, or without careful thought regarding the ramifications of our decisions.

Consequently, we often make "bad" or wrong decisions - mistakes and errors in judgment or assessment - just like our clients, prospects, leads and referrals.

They Say "No" Before They "Know".

Which is why people often object to their need for the insurance or annuity you propose. Because they simply are not focused enough on what you say or ask them to read.

So they do not listen or read carefully enough to understand the need or the problem they have.

You think they process every word or thought you express - but they don't. It's simply a failure to communicate effectively - based on their mental inattention and distraction.

That's why it is absolutely imperative that you slow your communication down, and help people to focus on what they need to know. We all need to become more deliberate in both the way we listen to, and speak with, our clients and prospects. Which often requires repeating the same message or information several times - before we can be sure that they "get it".

Get Your Own Auto Insurance Leads

Stop paying for expensive and terrible auto insurance leads. Get your own everyday with social media.

Selling auto insurance is one of the most competitive industries out there today. Your only in this crazy Insurance business to make money and be successful. To be a successful agent selling auto insurance, you need to be a marketing specialists. The days are long gone, when you had a nice street corner agency and people would walk into you office all day long asking to buy insurance. The Internet has changed everything. People buy on line, and on-line leads companies are making a killing.

How to Make Money With Online Auto Insurance Leads.

To make money with online auto insurance leads, you need to be special. You need to stand out and be able to reach your contacts everyday, until they buy or shut you off. Your need to contact leads with unique emails within specific time frames. Learn how autoresponders can make life easy for you. There are a lot of online Insurance lead companies out there. All these companies will tell you that they have the very special and best leads. Well, to tell you the truth, all those companies get the same quality of leads. It's really up to you on how to filter the leads. The more you filter, the more you pay. And truthfully, the prospect usually enters data that makes his quote request look good. I recommend just buying the basic leads to get the least expensive leads. You can make money with these cheaper leads by cross-selling multiple products and contacting the people on a consistent basis. A lot of times, these prospects don't buy right away, but if you contact them with email autoresponders you will have a much better chance of making money on these online leads, more than any other agent.

Life Insurance Sales: Section 162 Executive Bonus Plans

Are You Selling To Small Business Corporations?

There's a big market for life insurance sales to small business owners with "C" corporation status - or LLCs filing as "C" corporations.

It's showing them how to use tax-deductible corporate dollars to fund tax-free retirement income for only the business owner himself - and if they choose, a few of their key people as well.

Because many small companies have set up 401k plans for all their employees.

But the "top-heavy" rules, strictly limit the "highly compensated" employees to how much they can contribute - based on what the "non-highly compensated" employees contribute.

So most of these companies can afford and want to contribute more than these plans allow for the benefit of their highly compensated executives - even if it's only the owner.

And since 401k plans have become the predominant qualified retirement plan for companies of all sizes - the market is relatively vast AND untapped.

But these sales are not complicated, or dependent on legal documentation, or subject to ERISA.

In fact, they're quite simple, and can be installed very easily.

They're known as a "162" Bonus plans - referencing section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Which essentially stipulates that bonus compensation is tax-deductible as a business expense - and that any such bonus compensation can be selective and discriminatory.

Which means that it can be paid only to otherwise highly compensated employees (i.e. executives).

That's why they are often referred to as "Executive Bonus" plans.

Here's How It Works:

The owner or executive owns the policy, but the corporation funds it with a tax-deductible bonus - paid directly into the contract annually or quarterly.

And that bonus money is taxable to the executive for the year in which it goes into the contract.

However, 100% of the growth on that money (every year thereafter), and 100% of all the money withdrawn during retirement can all be tax-free.

Which means that the owner or executive only pays tax on the money going in - but NOT on any of the money coming out - which can be two or even three times as much.

That's Why It Makes Sense.

Because taxation on the bonus is a relatively small concession to accept - in exchange for not needing to include ALL the other employees, and for the ability to withdraw all the growth tax-free.

Life Insurance Sales with Equity Index UL

Executive Bonus plans perform best using Equity Index UL policies (with favorable loan provisions) for obvious reasons:

1) an index like the S&P 500 can simulate a 401k portfolio - but without any market losses

2) cash value loan provisions under code section 7702 enable tax-free retirement income

3) the insurance contract itself is all that is needed to provide the benefits

4) these contracts are inherently adjustable and can be easily modified from year to year

5) plan design can be customized for each executive with various riders

Where Can I Get Direct Mail Final Expense Leads

Direct mail final expense leads will deliver a simple message directly related to funeral cost and/or the shortfalls of the current government death benefit of $255. These burial insurance leads can also focus on the fact that seniors who have life insurance coverage will be able to pass on tax-free income to their loved ones in the event of their death. The current cost of a funeral is much more than the $255 government benefit, so you will find that many seniors will respond inquiring about extra insurance to cover the difference in cost.

In most cases, you will send out 1000 mailers a week and receive between 15-20 leads back. This will make it so you can get out on the field and sell funeral insurance to these interested seniors. However, if you don't know how to sell final expense, you will definitely struggle to make sales so it's strongly advised that you get some sales training.

For those who don't already know this business, it's simple:

Change Your Life Insurance Selling Strategies in Today's Economy

Life insurance selling is becoming a tricky industry, especially with the increased unemployment rate and monetary recession. Most agents keep thinking that they will get through these tough times by just doing what they have been doing the last 10 years. Unfortunately, the economy is actually affecting who the actual buyers are and where these buyers are buying insurance.

Direct mail and cold calling just doesn't work today. People have been flooded with telemarketers and mailings. Now they have just stopped dealing with it all. When they need to get life insurance, they are getting online to see what's out there and get free quotes.

The main issue with life insurance today, is that people are having to cut costs. The majority of people feel that eliminating their life insurance is the best way to go, because they don't see the immediate benefit. I hate hearing about agents giving advice to people on how they need to cut other things like 401k's or deductibles or full coverage on their vehicles, just to get people to buy a product from them.

The best way to sell life insurance, if you sell p&c, is to market and cross sell to all your current customers. Typically adding a life policy to their household will reduce their home and auto coverages enough to justify at least a 10 year term policy. Contacting your customers with special email autoresponders is the best way to contact and cross sell life insurance to them. Set up an email chain that goes out to your customers twice a month, that tells stories of accidents and issues. Then follow up with a few resolutions on how you can make it work for them.

What is another option you could use for selling in the tight economy? The best thing I found was putting an ad on Facebook. If you can determine what demographics your life products sell well in, placing an ad in Facebook, and leading them to your website or Facebook page is a quick way to get a lot of leads. You basically set up a Facebook account and make an ad that show on other Facebook pages of people in certain demographics. If you target people in San Diego in the age group of 21-29, married, children, etc., then that's exactly where you ads hit. You just need to determine who can afford life insurance in today's economy.

Be inventive and see what all the new ideas are out there on how you can utilize the internet for your life insurance selling strategies.

How to Find an Insurance Agent Using Independent Reviews

Finding an insurance agent can be challenging. Understanding the insurance market is the first step to picking the right agent. The insurance industry is divided into companies that sell property and casualty policies such as auto insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and flood insurance and life insurers who sell disability, long term care, annuities, in addition to life insurance. Large life insurers include New York Life, MetLife, and Lincoln Financial and large property and casualty insurers include Allstate, Travellers, and Progressive.

Insurance brokers either sell policies exclusively for one company or work as independent agents who sell policies from many insurers. Almost all agents work on commission and commissions vary significantly insurer to insurer and policy to policy. When searching for insurance brokers read reviews to get a feel for whether an independent agent is truly objective or tends to push policies from one company over another.

Insurance agents in the life and annuity field often work with sensitive and confidential information. Getting a number of objective and independent recommendations for an insurance agent is critical to finding someone who you will get along well with. Take your time to read ratings for agents and learn as much as you can before you make this important decision.

Top 4 Advantages of Getting Auto Insurance Leads Through Your Website

Insurance agency business owners these days are looking to find ways to get auto insurance leads, given today's stiff competition. Indeed, the business atmosphere has changed dramatically over the last few years. There are new ways of doing things that are proving to be better at generating insurance sales. One of these is the creation of a lead generating and prospect generating website. I'm not talking about just a website that you probably have right now. I'm talking about a website that is optimized to generate leads on a daily basis, so you can quote and market long term. Getting internet leads through your website offers a number of advantages.

Advantage#1
The most important aspect in my opinion is to be able to put Opt-In Forms and Quote Request Forms. Most insurance agents only have their captive company sites or individual sites that just give basic information. I know for a fact that these sites bring in very little business if any at all. Insurance agents trying to get auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance leads, etc, need to have a site that has "get quote" buttons, and opt-in forms in several places on your site. Agents need to market their websites as lead generators and not just an electronic business card.

Insurance Marketing Strategies - Social Media Marketing In Your Insurance Agency

Social Media is at the top for leading insurance marketing strategies. What can this new viral type of marketing give you and your business?

Social media marketing is relatively a new tool that business owners use to market their products and services via the web. If used properly, this tool can help you enjoy long-term success. The benefits of this type of marketing are too many to ignore, and that's why this article aims to tell you just exactly what these are.

Popularity

Without a doubt, this type of marketing can easily make a business popular, given the fact that more and more people these days go online to shop. When you have an online presence, thanks to the employment of marketing strategies that are created primarily for the cyber-audience, you can expect your business to become viral and well-known in just a short amount of time.

Insurance Marketing Strategies With Low Competition

6 Important Steps For Insurance Agency eMarketing Success

Insurance Agency eMarketing remains a viable and effective method to increase insurance agency leads and improve an agency pipeline. eMarketing has been around for quite some time, well over a decade, though the tools have improved and infrastructure costs have declined since the advent of Cloud Computing.

1. Create a Plan: Who is your target market? What size companies? What target titles? What is the value proposition your agency ultimately wishes to convey?
2. Determine Topics of Interest: What types of topics will be of interest to your target contacts? What content is appropriate and compelling? If using webinars, video or vlogs, what speaker credentials will help convey your content in a succinct and professional manner?

How Are Loss Assessors More Beneficial Than Independent Agents?

Apart from the insurance companies, there are many independent insurance firms that provide assistance to the insured at the time of filing a claim for their damage. When a person experiences a loss or damage, he/she has a lot of questions, worries and confusions running in his/her mind. For an independent agent it is necessary to read the entire policy and then answer all the queries of the insured. At times, the agent gives his own suggestions or interpretations to the insurer about changes in the policy which can sometimes lead to an embarrassing situation for the agent. This is where loss assessors comes into play. They work in co-ordination with the insured and insurer to cover all the issues.

A loss brings along with it a lot of worries and stress. Person suffering it is under lot of anxiety and mental pressure. At this time he will call the independent agents to report his claim and get him out of this situation. Filing claim followed by all the documentation and paperwork is a very cumbersome job. This is actually the most important part of a claim and a loss assessor can very well handle it without any sort of pressure.

How Insurance Agents Can Guide Clients to Produce the Best Referrals

In our prior article, we told you about a Producer who got 10 referrals & quoted only 3 of them, selling 1. What went wrong? Bottom-line, he could have done some things a lot better at the time he asked for the referrals. Things, I call "guiding" to get the best referral, so you throw as few away as possible! Ideally, what we want are referrals that are:

1) in the right class,
2) of the right size, and
3) of the best quality.

So, how do you ask to accomplish all that?

I encourage Producers to use what I call the "Ideal Prospect Definition" sandwich.

* The Top Slice of Bread describes the quality we want
* The Meat of the Sandwich is the Class we are seeking
* The Bottom Slice of Bread describes the size parameters

Let me give you an example using the "Ideal Prospect Definition". Asking for the right class is the easiest part, and often, size is manageable too, but the example given in the story from last month explained the fact that 5 of the 10 referrals that Producer got had to be thrown away because he obtained referrals of poor quality. How do we deal with the quality of the referral? By really guiding, that's how!

Final Expense Agent Jobs Are Lucrative and It's An Easy Profession to Learn

Final expense agent jobs are flourishing currently, which means that those looking for employment should seriously consider this field. These jobs are a great way to make a good income - as are most insurance jobs - whilst also providing an environment where you can meet various people all through the day. There are various places online where you can learn about the ins and outs of the role and how to sell final expense insurance.

The basic requirements to start up in a final expense sales job are minimal - yet another reason why this career is so enticing to many. All that is needed is a license to operate in the state you live in, some knowledge on the industry and some companies on the books who offer great rates. Finally, a little presentation that you can make to clients always goes a long way to securing their signature.

When it comes to a final expense sales job, the visiting of the potential customer is key, as this is the time you get to sell your product. Some small talk plus a bit of sales banter is essential, and should it be done correctly there is every chance of making up to $500 on every deal. Just imagine the amount of money if you did this three times daily.

Insurance Selling Through The Internet And A Website

Can you really get internet leads through your website and succeed at insurance selling? These days, having a website is an essential for every profession. A website has the power to create a strong impact on your target market. It is invaluable in making your product or service known, not just in your local community but worldwide. It is simply a must-have for people who are looking to promote and inevitably expand their business.

If you are the owner of an insurance company, big or small, and you don't have a website yet, then you can be sure you're missing a lot. A website can help you generate a number of internet leads that you can use to solidify your business' hold on your target market. Now this website just can't be any regular website. To get leads through your site, you need to have opt-in forms, quote forms and something that people can get for accessing your site. Read on to know the reasons why it's almost a sure thing to get internet leads through your website.

First of all, the internet is today's hottest technology. In fact, as of now an estimated 15% of the planet's population or 970 million people are internet users. Can you imagine what a website would do to your business when it gets exposure via the internet? The number of potential customers you can make by selling your insurance online is just incredible.
Second of all, internet and website marketing is great because it's convenient, fast and cheap. People these days don't want to spend their energy on things that eat up a lot of their time and bleed their wallet dry. The internet is accessible and free. You can use tools to put up and design a website without shelling out anything, and offers information at a fast speed, allowing prospects to reach you and get responses right away.

Finally, the internet is the best way to build communities in this day and age. People of all ages turn to the internet to satisfy their need for interaction. Email lists, social networks, and info-sharing sites are a hit because they offer the opportunity to make friends and foster relationships, whether they are of the personal or professional kind. By tapping and connecting with your niche, you're sure to convert random visitors to loyal customers. Indeed, it's very possible to be successful at insurance selling by getting internet leads through your website.

Internet Insurance Marketing Strategies

The internet has changed Agents' Insurance Marketing Strategies.

Whether you like it or not, the internet is changing the way insurance agents are running their business and getting new business. Well, not only getting new business, but running their business with a customer base.

Here Are My Top Internet Insurance Marketing Strategies:

1. Special Website: If you get on Google and enter your keyword, you will notice the main Google Local listings (the ones with the red exclamation marks), and open those sites, you will notice a few things. Those sites have nothing to capture the interested lead. they may have information on the company or show the products and even have a place to get a quote. This is alright if you want to just have your agency name in lights. Now what if you could have a site that had an Opt-in form that would give the prospect something for free in return for their name and email. Make a special website that is not only useful for information, but use it as a tool to do quotes, and most importantly get searchers names and emails, through Opt-In Forms.

The Best Final Expense Sales Jobs

A final expense sales opportunity is an amazing way to get started in this highly profitable market, which initially can be very confusing to the person that is uninitiated in the ways of the industry. With all of the different companies to choose from, as well as the decision regarding whether to be independent or captive, the decisions can often be too much to work out alone. Another major concern for those looking to move in to the industry is whether they are getting appropriate pay for their efforts, coupled with the questions over how good the training package is they receive. In fact, with all of the jobs in the final expense insurance market, many simply pick a job and hope that it works out well.

There are sites online however that can teach the aspiring final expense professionals everything they need to know before entering the business. In fact, if everything said on these sites is taken in, most will find no need to join a business at all - instead they will often choose to start their own company and decide what benefits they get themselves. These benefits can include at least 40% extra income annually, plus the choice to work when desired and the opportunity to earn huge levels of commission on completed deals.

Insurance Sales: "Does This Make Sense?"

Proven Phrase Can Influence Insurance Sales

One of the best ways to psychologically engage a prospect, and help them to "sell" themselves, is to appeal to his or her "good" sense. It's a relatively simple technique, using any variation of "Does that make sense?" or "Does this make good sense?"

"Primer" Word Resonates Subconsciously With Prospects

The word "sense" is the operative or critical element here.

It's what rhetorical psychologists and "neuro linguistic" experts refer to as a "primer" word. And it works because the word "sense" automatically resonates with a reasonable person's decision paradigm - triggering a spontaneous and subconscious emotional response, based on pragmatic or rational information.

Which means that it forces the prospect to express an opinion or reach a conclusion based on obvious and reasonable information.

"Key" Words Influence "Key" Thoughts

How To Sell Insurance: Top Daily Tip

Most agents have not adjusted their marketing strategies to learn the new ways on how to sell insurance.

So many agents focus every day of the month on how they are going to get their 10-25 leads for that day. They will do their telemarketing, cold calling, door to door, 1000′s of mailings, buy leads, etc. They are spending so much time in their day, going after individual leads, that they don't realize that they are actually digging a long term hole. If you have to start every month doing the same routine and trying to get you 10-25 leads/day, and manually doing everything, the cycle will never end, and soon you will burn out. That happened to me. But then I met an agent a few blocks down. I saw that he had a nice small office and it seemed like a new car every month. I had to figure out what this little agency was doing. At this time, I had no idea, what I was getting into.

How To Be The Best at Life Insurance Selling

#1 Life Insurance Selling Strategies to be the best.

Learn the top strategies to be the best at life insurance selling.

You need to be a special Agent to become successful. The great thing is, is that this is the perfect time. Why? Technology is changing everything, and the majority of Insurance agents just aren't keeping up and changing their marketing strategies. The majority of insurance agents are spending 10-20 (or even more) hours a week networking, cold calling at night for several hours, going door to door, advertising in the phone book, and buying expensive internet leads.

So How Do YOU Do It?

How To Easily Get Free Auto Insurance Leads

Tired of paying for Auto Insurance Leads? See How you can Get Free Auto Insurance Internet Leads.

If your like most agents trying to sell auto insurance, you have or still are buying internet leads for all those online lead companies. I have seen only a few agents be successful with this lead source, because most people really don't understand what these leads are and how to close on those leads. It's no secret but it is a strategy. It is actually a long term strategy. I recommend that you keep doing it if it works for you, but there is another option for all of us auto insurance agents trying to make it.

My suggestion is to implement (not develop) a system within your agency, that will bring in free auto insurance leads into your agency 24/7 every day. For the agents that are successful with buying internet leads, keep doing it, but why not cut some cost and get free leads. For those of the other agents that have given up on buying leads online, check out these tips and strategies on how to get free leads and prospects coming into your agency every day.