Lead Closing Strategies Blog

In our March newsletter we featured tips for leaving a persuasive phone message. Here’s the one we suggested would be compelling for individuals:

“Hi Nancy, Rob Robertson, ABC Insurance here. I understand you need health insurance coverage. I
just helped a family of four like yours find a plan that fell $89 a month below what they had budgeted for. I’m seeing at least 3 plans that look like they’ll be a perfect fit for you. Let’s go over them real quick; call me at 555-1234, and again it’s Rob Robertson.”

When you’re leaving a message for a business, the benefits change but the format doesn’t. You have to remember that you’re selling to a person who works for a business, and not a business. This person who requested info or a quote from you has needs to be
met, which you can help them with. Just tailor your message to that need.

“…I work with companies to lower their insurance
costs, and keep valuable employees with the (right elective benefits, plan options, etc.). I have at least 3 plans in front of me right now that look like they could be a nice fit for you. We can review them over the phone, or I can come in for a brief and productive meeting to learn more about the challenges you’re facing now. Call me at 555-1234, and again it’s Rob Robertson.”

In this script you address a business person’s need to save time, save money, and keep employees. Same script. Just different hot buttons.

Scott Sullivan is Vice President of Broker Sales at ProspectZone, where he uses his 4 years of industry experience and impressive knowledge of how insurance agents sell to forge strong relationships with successful agencies and insurance carriers nationwide. His team works with agents across the country and educates them on how to implement technology and lead generation into their daily routines. He welcomes feedback at ssullivan@prospectzone.com

Need some advice on how to close leads? Get your questions answered right here in the ProspectZone newsletter by our own sales expert, Scott Sullivan. Submit your sales questions to experts@prospectzone.com. One question a month will be selected and featured in the newsletter.

You have to be on your toes to keep your website ranking well for your insurance keywords. Google changes its formula all the time… and it’s cracking down on sites trying to “cheat” their way to the top.

Frowned On By Search Engines

Here’s a little story: Not too long ago, sharp webmasters had a bright idea… one that would give them a quick boost in search engine listings without all the work. They started slapping up the same keyword heavy content all over their pages and sites, hoping search engines wouldn’t notice. The plan was to sneak by with multiple rankings for the exact same keywords.

The search engines got wise — fast. They stopped crediting copycat content in their search indexes. Instead of raking in traffic, the webmasters were left with websites no one could find.

The story should end there: web marketers wise up and dump the duplicate content. But some people are still utilizing this strategy on their sites. Maybe they haven’t caught on to the impending penalty awaiting them from major search engines — but they’re in for a wake up call real soon.

If you’ve been copying and pasting identical content and you care about your search engine rankings, put changing it on the top of your to-do list!

When you’re done reviewing your site, you should have weeded out any unnecessary “fluff” pages. If a page’s only purpose was to regurgitate your content for search engine spiders, it’s got to go.

Unappealing To Visitors

Your visitors aren’t fans of duplicate content either. Whether you’re running copied content across multiple sites or just one, if your visitor notices they’ll head straight to the “back” button. You’ll look like you’ve either:

1) Lifted the content (even if it’s your own words), or
2) Don’t respect their intelligence — and their demand for quality information behind every link they click on.

Once you’ve cleaned up your site so it truly delivers unique content on every page, you’ll look more credible and trustworthy. Watch the number of quality leads generated off your site go up!

Don’t “Borrow” Content

Everyone had that teacher who was an ace at sniffing out student papers that “borrowed” a little too heavily from published sources. Major search engines are no slouch at spotting copied content either — and you’ll drop from their listings for it.

Your content has to be original if you want search engines to like your site. It doesn’t matter how pressed for time you are, or how much you want educational, keyword friendly content on your site – don’t borrow someone else’s. That goes for all the content on your site. Even if you want to post press releases or stories from your local news, you must re-write it using your words.

Staying ranked for your keywords is a balancing act… but if you want a search engine-friendly site, you’ve got to keep all your content original.

If every time you picked up the phone you could get a hold of a hot lead, selling insurance would be a no-brainer. But no matter how good a sales person you are, you will spend time quoting people who just aren’t ready to buy — yet.

A big mistake agents make is to throw these “cooled” prospects into the “follow up with later” pile… and never touch them again. You’re busy, and it’s tough to tackle that heap of dusty contacts. But if you don’t do something to stick in your leads’ minds, you can’t count on them remembering you when they’re finally ready to buy.

You have to touch leads repeatedly to make the sale… or risk losing out to another agent. So what’s the right number? And what’s the best way for a busy agent to squeeze follow-ups into their schedule?

And The Magic Number Is…

“Seven.”

Whispered by marketing execs and experts around the country, seven is considered the magic number of times a person must see your message before they’re ready to buy. Some people go so far as suggesting 10 touches are needed before money exchanges hands.

This doesn’t mean you have to log in seven phone calls to every lead you get. Your marketing materials can do the touching for you, whether it’s a letter thanking your lead for the opportunity to quote them, a promotional postcard, an email autoresponder or a copy of your newsletter with a note saying, “I thought you’d be interested in this.”

Each time your prospects’ eyes land on your message, you’re building the connection between your name and “insurance” in their minds. You never know when one of them will suddenly decide it’s time to purchase a policy, so your message better be in front of them again and again!

A basic rule of thumb: for the first four to six weeks, touch your prospects once a week. After that, touch them once a month. Expect your campaigns to last a year or more — buying insurance isn’t a snap decision for a large percentage of people.

Create A Follow Up Campaign… And Stick To It!

The biggest challenge you face when it comes to following up leads is finding the time to do it.

If you’re already mailing out postcards and newsletters, adding new names to your list is simple — all you have to do is reevaluate your timing. Make sure you’re touching people the most during that first month and a half, and then slow down to a monthly schedule.

If you don’t have the time and money to invest in a mail campaign, consider email autoresponders. This handy tool sends personalized emails to all your incoming leads for you. You only have to set it up once, and your prospects will be subscribed to your persuasive marketing messages for weeks, months or even a year at a time.

Most importantly, your follow-up campaigns must be consistent. If you stop and start touching leads (and it’s tempting to do when your agency is overflowing with work) you won’t see a payoff. Establish a follow up routine, stick to it, and then you can count on commissions from your older leads during both the crazy and slow times.

Jeremiah Desmarais is the award winning Vice President of Marketing at ProspectZone. He and his team have won 3 awards in 2006 for their marketing initiatives that touch ProspectZone’s client base and carrier relationships on a daily basis. He is author of several white papers, and has been a contributor to the Agent’s Sales Journal, Health Insurance Underwriter as well as a guest speaker at various carrier events and workshops. He is a member of the Society of Industry Leaders. He welcomes feedback at jdesmarais@prospectzone.com

When your prospects think of insurance, you want them to think of you. When their friends and colleagues ask if they know a good agent, you want your name to be on the tip of their tongue.

How do you grab that coveted “top-of-mind” position and hold on to it? By being different — and by beating people’s expectations.

You’re Not The Same As The Next Guy — So Prove It

Face it: Your prospects don’t spend their waking lives thinking about insurance. People tend to take an interest in insurance only when they need it. They see ads, they get direct mail, they may get cold calls. It’s easy to ignore these ads and sales messages when most of the offers — and most of the agents making the offers — seem pretty much the same.

When coming up with ideas for your ads and brochures, it’s tempting to get your inspiration from your competitors. Well Fred’s doing it, you think. He might know something I don’t about advertising… If I want to be as successful as him my ad should look the same.

But it’s just that kind of thinking that gets your ad lost in a sea of copycats.

To stand out, be different than the competition.

Being different doesn’t mean having a catchy slogan for your agency. It doesn’t mean spending a fortune on four-color printing for your next direct mailer. And it definitely doesn’t mean having a goofy or obnoxious TV commercial.

More than anything else, being different means going
the extra mile for your prospects.

Simple Things That Set You Apart

How do you give that extra push that puts you ahead of your competition? Here are a few ways:

Great Service. Think about the last time you got great service. Maybe the cashier at the store was extra-friendly and genuine. Or your mechanic threw in a little extra labor at no charge. Whatever it was, you’ll probably be a repeat customer. And you’ll probably tell your friends.

Your prospects want that same feeling. They want to feel important. It isn’t a matter of gratifying their ego. It’s a matter of respecting the risk and investment that comes with buying insurance. Your prospects want to know that you’re looking out for their interests, and that you’re taking the time to help them make the best decision.

Here are some ways to provide great service:

When their new insurance cards come in, deliver them by hand.

Ask them for their anniversary date and send them a card. When you ask them the date, also ask, “If I was to give you a gift, what would you like?” Just the fact that you’re asking shows you care. How many other agents do THAT?

Take Their Concerns Seriously. You can’t just put a policy in their face and expect them to sign it. They’re going to have questions. Answer them carefully. Most people don’t understand insurance — so take the time to explain it to them. Ask about their needs — medical and monetary.

High-pressure sales techniques might sell policies. But they don’t make friends. They won’t get you repeat business. And they won’t get you referrals.

Follow-up with your clients at least once a year. Don’t give them a sales pitch… just check in. See how they’re doing. Ask if anything’s new. It isn’t just friendly — it’s also good business. When people’s lives change, their insurance needs change. A friendly phone call could turn into your next sale.

If a customer is upset, talk to them over the phone rather than shoot out an email… even better, ask if they’d like you to visit them in person.

Give Something Back. Being a good citizen isn’t just a nice thing to do. Many of your prospects expect it of the people they do business with. Pitching in for a good cause is going to impress people a lot more than a full-page ad in the phone book.

Volunteer with a religious group or fraternal organization

Attend sporting events of your local schools

Stay on top of community events like “Clean Up Days”, and toy drives during the holidays and pitch in to help

Showing your support is a great way to meet prospects, get your name out among the public, and show your investment in the community. It shows that your interests go beyond just cashing commission checks.

What do these three simple things have in common? They put a human face on your agency. When you give people something extra, you go from being an agent looking to sell a policy to a professional looking to help people protect their interests.

You want to get your sales message in front of as many prospects as possible. And growing your own mailing list can take a long time. So doesn’t it make sense to rent someone else’s list? Not so fast.

Large Investment, Little Return

Renting an email list isn’t cheap. List rental companies charge up to 30 cents a name. That may not sound like much, but it adds up quickly — even with a small list of only a few thousand subscribers.

When you rent a list, you’re paying money to send your sales message to people who don’t care about you – and might not even care about insurance. To them, your message is junk mail. They’re unlikely to open it. It’s not just a waste of your marketing dollars. It also makes your agency look bad.

If your recipients hit the “This is Spam” button, the next message you send them won’t even make it into their inbox. And if too many of them decide that your message is spam, you could get blacklisted — meaning that Internet Service Providers could decide to block every message you try to send to their customers. How effective would your email marketing be if suddenly you couldn’t reach anyone with a AOL, Yahoo! or Hotmail address?

Remember, the only prospects that matter are qualified prospects — the ones who are interested in buying insurance. When you rent a list, you’re sending to people with no interest. Will it generate a few leads? It might. Will it cost you a huge chunk of change? You’d better believe it. With rented lists, the cost per name is small. But the cost per lead can be enormous.

Building Your Own

Building your own list takes time, but it’s completely doable. And your list will be worth a lot more than a rented list. The people on yours are qualified prospects that you have a relationship with.

You build your list by encouraging prospects to opt-in to receive your marketing message. They are expressing interest in your agency, and giving you permission to market to them. When your email shows up in their inbox, it is greeted with name recognition and interest. Its chances of being opened go way up.

How do you encourage opt-ins?

• Make it obvious. Put a link to your opt-in form on every page on your site. You’ll probably get better results from a stylized graphic link than from a plain “Join Our Mailing List” link.

• Make it simple. Your opt-in form should ask for as little information as possible to start the relationship. It’s tempting to ask for their address, their phone number, and their spouse’s name. But people hate long forms — and they really hate giving out their phone number.

  To start communicating by email, all you need is their email address. Getting their name lets you personalize the message. A zip code let’s you sort prospects by geography. That’s all you need to get started. You can ask for more information later, as your relationship grows.

• Give Them Something For Signing Up. To encourage people to opt-in, give them something of value. Free papers or reports are a popular way to do this. For example, your opt-in page could offer a free guide for insurance shoppers. To get the free guide, the prospect provides their email address. You can send the link for the download directly to their inbox.

Managing Your List

As your list grows, you’re going to see drop-offs and undeliverable mail. People change addresses and don’t bother to opt-in again. People enter wrong information into your form — intentionally or not. And some people will lose interest, and click the “Unsubscribe” link in your message (yes, ALL your marketing emails need to have an Unsubscribe link).

To compensate for the drop-offs, keep your list growing. Encourage your recipients to forward the message to their friends. Test different strategies on your website to encourage opt-ins. If you’re buying internet leads, add them to your mailing list as they come in.

Sending junk mail is easy — but it won’t help your agency. Building your own list will bring you much greater returns. You could be sending unwanted junk. Or you could be sending meaningful communication that turns prospects into clients.