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I've purchased internet leads for four years and as winter time closes in I'm already back to purchasing some. I have seen agents get man-handled on leads and still have a lot of people emailing me as they struggle with them. Here's my guide to success with shared leads.
1) Put in a quote for yourself and see who calls. You want to know who you're up against and how fast some agents are calling. If you're getting one or two calls instantly and they're brokers like you I would not recommend that souce.
2) If you can't call people as soon as you received the lead you'll have a tough time. You really want to be the first to call. You also want to choose sources that allow you to put your leads on hold. You don't want to get leads when you can't call them.
3) Fantastic follow-up is absolutely key. I load up everyone's email addresses in my Constant Contact manager and all my leads can get reminder emails without me doing a thing. I close a lot of internet leads weeks after I get the lead. Everyone else has stopped calling and following up.
4) You absolutely have to educate people when you get them on the phone. You have to let them know that makes you unique. What seperates you from the other people who will be calling?
5) Make sure you mention the companies you work for and give them a varity of quotes. After a needs analysis it's imperative that you explain why you're recommending a certain plan. That kills your competitors:
Ex: "Ok Tina, since you want maternity I'm recommending Aetna. They have an immediate benefit. Assurant has maternity but it's a 9 month wait. Blue Cross has maternity on their HMO but it's triple the rate. I like Golden Rule's rates but they don't even offer it."
Ex: "Ok Tina, I'm recommending Assurant due to your pre-exisiting condition. You'll get a condition specific deductible so at least you'll be covered. Golden Rule will block coverage for your condition and take away prescription coverage. Blue Cross and Aetna will decline."
Now you've shut the door on everyone else who's gonna call.
6) ASK FOR THEIR BUSINESS! I can't believe how many agents are just information factories. They give the client a ton of info and advice then get off the phone. I always say "I know other agents will be calling but I am a local broker and would very much love to have you as a client. I'll make sure you get the right plan and give you fantastic customer service through the life of the policy.
7) Ask a lot of questions. Client who won't talk aren't interested. Avoid talking the entire time. Most agents make the mistake of talking and talking about themselves and the plans. You want to do that but after you ask them a lot of questions about pre-ex conditions, why they're shopping and what they're looking for. To the client, questions show you're concerned about what they want. Just talking shows them you're just a salesman.
8. Eventually, you have to close them. I've seen a lot of my agents never even attempt the close. Instead they're waiting for the client to say something like "Ok, sign me up." Ummmm, no. After I go over the plan and make sure it's what they want, the next statement is "Ok, I just need some basic information so I can get your application going."
What should you be bringing to the table?
*You're a local broker while most other people calling are out-of-state and don't know the market.
*You're going to not only fit the client with the right price but also with the right underwriting decision. Because "after all Mr. Smith - what good does it do to fill out an application only to find out the rate has changed or certain conditions are excluded?"
*You want to make sure every aspect of the plan works for them. Offer to run network searches for their current doctors
1) Put in a quote for yourself and see who calls. You want to know who you're up against and how fast some agents are calling. If you're getting one or two calls instantly and they're brokers like you I would not recommend that souce.
2) If you can't call people as soon as you received the lead you'll have a tough time. You really want to be the first to call. You also want to choose sources that allow you to put your leads on hold. You don't want to get leads when you can't call them.
3) Fantastic follow-up is absolutely key. I load up everyone's email addresses in my Constant Contact manager and all my leads can get reminder emails without me doing a thing. I close a lot of internet leads weeks after I get the lead. Everyone else has stopped calling and following up.
4) You absolutely have to educate people when you get them on the phone. You have to let them know that makes you unique. What seperates you from the other people who will be calling?
5) Make sure you mention the companies you work for and give them a varity of quotes. After a needs analysis it's imperative that you explain why you're recommending a certain plan. That kills your competitors:
Ex: "Ok Tina, since you want maternity I'm recommending Aetna. They have an immediate benefit. Assurant has maternity but it's a 9 month wait. Blue Cross has maternity on their HMO but it's triple the rate. I like Golden Rule's rates but they don't even offer it."
Ex: "Ok Tina, I'm recommending Assurant due to your pre-exisiting condition. You'll get a condition specific deductible so at least you'll be covered. Golden Rule will block coverage for your condition and take away prescription coverage. Blue Cross and Aetna will decline."
Now you've shut the door on everyone else who's gonna call.
6) ASK FOR THEIR BUSINESS! I can't believe how many agents are just information factories. They give the client a ton of info and advice then get off the phone. I always say "I know other agents will be calling but I am a local broker and would very much love to have you as a client. I'll make sure you get the right plan and give you fantastic customer service through the life of the policy.
7) Ask a lot of questions. Client who won't talk aren't interested. Avoid talking the entire time. Most agents make the mistake of talking and talking about themselves and the plans. You want to do that but after you ask them a lot of questions about pre-ex conditions, why they're shopping and what they're looking for. To the client, questions show you're concerned about what they want. Just talking shows them you're just a salesman.
8. Eventually, you have to close them. I've seen a lot of my agents never even attempt the close. Instead they're waiting for the client to say something like "Ok, sign me up." Ummmm, no. After I go over the plan and make sure it's what they want, the next statement is "Ok, I just need some basic information so I can get your application going."
What should you be bringing to the table?
*You're a local broker while most other people calling are out-of-state and don't know the market.
*You're going to not only fit the client with the right price but also with the right underwriting decision. Because "after all Mr. Smith - what good does it do to fill out an application only to find out the rate has changed or certain conditions are excluded?"
*You want to make sure every aspect of the plan works for them. Offer to run network searches for their current doctors
