How To Pick an Online Lead Service

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Someone just ran a test with Hometown and this info was reported:

Hi Test,
Thank you for visiting HometownQuotes.Com for your free Health Insurance quotes. Over the next 24 hours, we will help you find the best local agents for all of insurance needs.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]To view the agents you were matched with just click here. These agents will contact you shortly with accurate quotes. Ehealth Insurance, one of our partners, can provide you with instant, online quotes. To view online quotes click this link to visit Ehealth insurance. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If you want to increase your savings even more, you may wish to apply for local quotes forLife Insurance Quotes as well.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Simply click here to save even more money today.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thanks again,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]HometownQuotes.Com Customer Service[/FONT]

View my matches
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Visit Ehealth for quotes[/FONT]


They DID NOT find local agents as 4 of the 6 brokers were NOT LOCAL.

Very heavy emaphasis on EHealth.

And then...I got this email that Hometown (or somebody) decided to sell my name to Netquote! Customerservice@netquote actually sent this email:

You received this email because you recently requested an insurance quote from one of our partners.
First Name: Last Name:
Application Type: Health Insurance
Date Submitted: 3/21/2009
NetQuote Application ID: #xxxxxxxYou've Been Matched to Insurance Agents
View your list of matched agents:


AND....One of the brokers that Hometown sold the lead to said he was in my hometown, despite the fact that name and phone number did NOT show him as being local.



HOMETOWNQUOTES...Something is fishy...​

 

[Justin Bilyj]

Its not only HQ, its pretty much all of them...
I will paraphrase what I read somewhere else, that lead companies noticed a 50% drop in leads coming in lately due to the economy and wanting universal healthcare (idiots think its gonna happen overnight?), and so the lead companies have started losing massive profit, which makes them cut the leads up more by affiliating with every lead house, and redirecting the leads to ehealth, calling them to pitch for themselves or for the Live Transfer Agent.
I think this is fine, everyday I notice tons of new agents rewriting the same posts with the same questions. IF the new agents can survive with the quality leads we have today, then more power to them, if not, it thins the pool out a little

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Update...I received word that the person who ran the Hometown test a few days ago was not only contacted by Netquote...but also was just contacted by Preciseleads.com (or someone who got the lead from them).

I think I understand why some folks are leaving Hometown.

Oh yea...This post (and all of my posts) are based on observation and opinion.

 

[somarco]

This is not in defense of HTQ or any other vendor for that matter. I have not used HTQ for several months, but not because of the actual or perceived selling and reselling of leads.

Any lead vendor that uses affiliates finds it impossible to police the actions of the affiliates unless it becomes so blatant as to cost the vendor lost revenue. Affiliates can and will offer incentives to generate leads. They can and will sanitize the lead information so no one knows if they are getting an insurable lead or not until contact is actually made with the lead.

Affiliates (and vendors) know that half (or more) of leads will never be contacted. Some folks just never answer their phone or return calls. Knowing they will sell at least half that will never be charged back creates a situation where vendors and affiliates alike can game the system in their favor.

Affiliates can also sell and resell their lead to multiple vendors, particularly those who really don't care if the lead is resold.

And, some lead vendors will buy leads from other vendors then resell them.

Mix in the phone mills who will make up to 50 calls per lead and is it any wonder why the prospect is becoming more difficult to contact, much less sell?

Even so-called "exclusive" leads fare no better.

The agent and prospect are caught up in a trap and I don't see much changing any time soon.

 

[MikeLevy]

Tried the same thing. Didn't see the mostchoice link.

Valid question you raise.

Send me more info on this and I will track it down. We do search engine only generation. We caught a Netquote affiliate pretending to be us and got a consent injunction against them. I want to make certain this isn't happening again.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

I think I hate affiliates.

 

[Justin Bilyj]

A no affiliate rule would be great! ONLY organic search results, with nothing that says dental or vision in it, or a price less than $100.

 

[Jeff]

Send me more info on this and I will track it down. We do search engine only generation. We caught a Netquote affiliate pretending to be us and got a consent injunction against them. I want to make certain this isn't happening again.

I submitted a test LIFE lead to one of insuranceleadz.com's sites and a MostChoice link was at the top of a list of 6 sites on the Thank You page. I know there are different opinions on the definition of SEO generated leads. This would not qualify in my opinion.

 

[STIBROKER]

We caught a Netquote affiliate pretending to be us and got a consent injunction against them. I want to make certain this isn't happening again.

as well as one of your guys putting in over 3000 fake leads with NQ....real fun times....

 

[rbrewer]

I need some help, Has anyone had any luck with buying life leads? I spoke with preciseleads.com and they said they are sold to only 3 agents. They charge $10.00 for first 30 to try, then go to $16.95 with minium of 30 leads.Can anyone give me some feed back? thanks for your help.