Over the years our methods of generating leads for our agency have changed and a few have remained the same, but with a new approach. Listed below are a few good ideas for increasing your lead flow:
1. Ask for Referrals & Reviews
This is always a great way to generate leads for your agency. Years ago, when acquiring a new customer, we would give that new client several business cards to hand out to their friends and family. How many cards do you think the average person was willing to take? Was it three, five, maybe ten? What if you could reach their entire list of family and friends by asking for a simple Facebook post? Recently, one of our agents helped a client who later made a post on their Facebook page about the wonderful service they received from their insurance agent. That post lead to several additional phone calls to the agent, which of course, turned into more sales.
Tip: Create an email to your new clients thanking them for their business and asking for a referral on Google, Facebook, Yelp or other social networks.
2. Engage with Car Dealerships & Real Estate Agents
Reach out to your local car dealerships and ask if they need an insurance agent to assist their clients in purchasing car insurance. You might be surprised to find many dealerships would be glad to work with your agency. Remember, this will require access afterhours, but will make your car dealers very happy. Don’t forget your local Real Estate Agents!
Tip: Set aside at least one day a week to have lunch with local car dealers and real estate agents, you will find this is a great avenue for lead generation.
3. Create a Cross-Sell Program
When was the last time you ran a report in your agency management system for how many clients you have with auto no home or home no auto? You might be surprised at the actual number of clients who only have one policy with your agency. Creating an informative email campaign that reaches out to current customers can result in additional lines of business being written and increase your retention ratio. (Insert link to AB)
Tip: Look at purchasing a digital marketing solution like AgencyBuzz.
4. Purchase Leads
Some agents find that purchasing leads is a great way to help generate more business. Insurance related lead providers now have the ability to generate leads from advertisements on internet sites and provide your agency with a continual flow of leads. Remember some if not most of these purchased leads might be from outside of your local area. Make sure you have access to e-signature for email correspondence and online payment options. Be sure you follow up quickly for any online based lead.
Tip: Ask the lead provider about the quality of the lead and if they give the lead to multiple agents. Also set a budget on what you would like to spend monthly.
5. Free White Papers
Write an informational article for your website and ask potential clients to input their name, email and phone number to download the article. One example for businesses might be “Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Business from an EPLI Claim.” Business owners looking to prevent potential EPLI claims will be willing to download the article. This will give your agency not only a good lead for EPLI, but workers compensation and potentially other business-related policies as well.
Tip: Set a goal to provide new information on a quarterly basis and then move to a monthly basis.
Lead generation (and maintenance) can be a genuine challenge, and if you don't have room for more stress and task lists on your plate, don't worry. That's what consultants are for! Contact us for a free consultation call to discuss best options and tools for lead generation and pipeline maintenance for your agency.