The problem with most online leads is, what we call, the "target value" of the lead. What does that mean? Well, simply, you do not really have much information on the prospect you are calling (besides their name, phone number...) In other words, where did this lead come from? What motivated the prospect to search for insurance? Does the prospect just want information? Did they just happen to stumble upon a convincing banner ad and decided to request information on insurance only to quickly forget about it two minutes later? Was the prospect called by a calling farm? What keyword did they use to request the insurance lead? That is a lot of important information that will be missing or just be non-existent when you get your insurance leads. Most insurance lead suppliers will either have no idea of the origin of lead or will not want to or be able to share the information with you.
What makes a good insurance lead?
Well, first of all, a good insurance lead comes from a prospect who is truly interested in the insurance they are inquiring about. Interested meaning that they have a general sense that they need to cover a need for insurance in the very near future. Another good aspect of a lead is the "target value" of the lead. What were they looking for? Yes, we know they may want life insurance, but what kind? And I am not just talking about products here (whole life insurance, universal life insurance, term life insurance....) In other words, is this for a senior, a child, a parent, a grandparent a sick relative..? All that information is very important in your approach to a prospect and should be available.
Other aspects to good leads are the origin of the lead. Were they acquired through PPC ads, banners, partner sites, social networks...? The way the leads were acquired can make a huge difference in the quality of the prospect you will be calling or e-mailing. The closer the lead is to the decision, the higher the quality.
A good lead certainly does mean that the prospect gave you a phone number. We actually have not found that this makes much of a difference in the quality of the lead. Sometimes a valid e-mail address is sufficient.
Where can an agent or broker get quality insurance leads?
There really are only two main ways to get quality insurance leads. The first is to buy them from a company that supplies more than just basic information and the second is to acquire them through your own marketing methods. Which is best? Both can be as good. It really all depends upon your marketing abilities and willingness to spend time generating your own leads.
The benefit of buying leads is, of course, that an agent can spend more time calling on prospect instead of marketing. If the leads are of high quality then that may work just fine. The benefit of generating your own insurance leads is that they will tend to be more targeted leads and you will have more control over a specific market you want to reach.





