Like that box of chocolates, though, real-time leads are not perfect. Before you spend your money and energy pursuing them, think about whether you are prepared to handle the drawbacks.

Real-Time Leads Are Expensive

If you’ve bought a box of gourmet chocolates recently, you know just how much they cost. Real-time leads, too, can be very expensive. This is especially true if the leads are exclusive, that is, if they are sold only to your company. You may find yourself paying $10.00, $20.00 or even more for a single lead. That’s quite an investment for something that might not pay off.

Real-Time Leads Are Not Always What You’re Looking For

At some point, almost every person has bitten into a delicious-looking piece of chocolate candy only to find that the filling is one of his or her least favorite flavors in the world. Just like that candy, not every real-time lead is as good as it initially appears. After talking to the lead, for instance, you may find that he or she doesn’t qualify for your services, or that you can’t come to terms on payment, or that he or she is just shopping around and isn’t ready to buy at all.

Never knowing what you’re going to get means taking the bad along with the good – but taking the “bad” chocolates can be a bitter bite to swallow when you think about how much you’re paid for them.

Real-Time Leads May Go to Waste

Have you ever purchased or received a box of chocolates that you simply couldn’t finish? Maybe each and every one of them was delicious, but you just couldn’t eat your way through them before they started to go stale. Again, the same thing happens with real-time leads. As many as 50% of these leads don’t receive a timely call. Again, you’ve wasted your money paying for something that basically ends up being thrown away.

Before you arrange to purchase your next batch of real-time leads, take a moment and think about the philosophy of Forrest Gump. Is that “box of chocolates” really worth the money?

Aged Leads Value - Next Wave Marketing Strategies

Marketing gurus have traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on the importance of making contact with a lead as soon as possible. In spite of this advice, insurance agencies are learning that aged leads can be just as profitable, if not more profitable, than brand new leads.

Practice Makes Perfect

First, while it is true new leads are more likely to convert than aged leads, it is also true that aged leads are much less expensive to purchase. This means you can recoup your investment with a far lower rate of closures. This means that an agency can afford to take a few risks, such as using aged leads to experiment with new ideas for marketing campaigns and training sales staff with aged leads.

Aged Leads Are Still Quality Leads

Second, many people equate “aged” leads with leads that are out of date. This is inaccurate. When you purchase a set of aged leads, all of the contact information should still be good. Most lead generation companies will credit your account for leads that have outdated or incomplete contact information.

How Leads Age

There are several reasons why a lead might be considered aged. In spite of the best efforts of sales staff, some new leads simply fall through the cracks and are never contacted. These people are often still looking for insurance and will often be very receptive to contact with your agency.

Another reason why a lead might age is that some people take longer than others to make up their minds about major purchases. Some agencies do not have the time, the staff, or the patience to nurture leads through a long decision-making process. By the time you get the aged lead, the prospect has had plenty of time to think about his or her options and may well be ready to purchase an insurance policy.

Finally, the prospect may have been ready to purchase insurance but was not impressed by the agencies that initially responded to his or her query. If you can step into the picture with a policy that suits the prospects needs, you have an excellent chance of closing the sale.

If your agency has been bypassing aged leads, you might want to consider making a trial purchase. The number of conversions may surprise you.

1. Invest in a Reputable Lead Generation Service

Lead buying is a great way to ensure lead quality. Lead generation services work in two ways. Some practice cold calling telemarketing to identify leads who are interested in the product or service you are selling. Others use online lead generation. They usually have a web page with general information about your goods or services along with a short form the potential customer can fill out if he or she would like to be contacted for additional information and a free quote. Either way, the best lead generation services send you these leads in real time, as soon as they are identified.

2. Follow Up with Leads Promptly

Once a lead has been identified through telemarketing or online lead generation, it is important to follow up with that lead as quickly as possible. Leads can become “stale”–lose interest or buy from a competitor–in as little as a single day. There’s no point in investing money in lead buying if you can’t follow up with your leads quickly.

3. Pursue Multiple Contacts with Leads

A single phone call may not result in a sale. That doesn’t mean the lead quality is poor. People who are making a major purchase often require a little time and persuasion. Don’t flood your lead with advertisements, but do keep in contact with him or her through email newsletters, traditional mail flyers, phone calls to notify him or her when you are offering a special deal, etc. The more the lead learns about you and your company, the greater the chance he or she will convert to a paying customer.

4. Use Sales Tracking Technology to Spot Trends in Your Conversion Rate

You may find that sales spike in the day or two after you send out an electronic newsletter or make a second phone contact with the lead. Identifying these trends to discover what works–and what doesn’t–will help you spend your advertising dollars more effectively.

5. Keep in Touch with Customers

Don’t forget about a lead when he or she converts to a customer. Follow up to make sure he or she is happy with your products or service. If the customer is happy, ask him or her to refer friends and family members to you. A satisfied customer can be an excellent source of lead generation.

Just identifying leads for your business is not enough; it’s what you do once those leads are identified that will determine whether or not your marketing campaign succeeds.

Most consumers, even those who wouldn’t fit the traditional branding of “tree hugger” have become more aware of the environment these days.  Of course, at the end of the day this is to the betterment of our planet and our quality of life, but the fact remains that it’s adversely affected the automotive industry to some degree.

While gas-chugging SUVs were popular back in the heady years of the late 90s and early 2000s, increased environmental awareness coupled with the rising prices at the gas pump has correspondingly increased the desire for gas conservation.

Subsequently, the desire for smaller, more gas efficient cars has skyrocketed over the last decade.  In addition to this desire, there has also been considerable development in the hybrid auto market to satiate the demand for more eco-friendly cars.  As you may already be aware, a hybrid car is one that runs off of both electricity and gasoline, thus being more ecologically friendly while also saving gasoline.  These cars tend to be more expensive than the traditional oil-burning models, though, and many consumers feel excluded from the hybrid market because of this.

The good news for insurance salesmen is that you can help individuals who are thinking about purchasing hybrids but are unsure about footing the cost by alerting potential hybrid customers of insurance discounts that come with purchasing hybrid cars.  This is because many companies have determined that those who buy hybrids are less likely to have accidents and file claims.

Not only that, but the popularity of hybrid cars is expected to rise.  J.D. Power and associates have estimated that 5.2 million hybrid – and battery powered electric – cars will be on the road by 2020.  As of 2010, hybrid cars account for nearly 2.2% of total market share.

In addition to benefits given to automobile owners who decide to go green, agents who sell home insurance should be aware that there are also insurance discounts given to home and business owners who decide to go eco-friendly.  There are lots of cuts available for those who decide to get energy-efficient upgrades to homes and businesses.  One reason for this is the increasing concern that climate change may have on the world and companies want to reward individuals who take steps toward lessening their individual carbon footprint on the planet.

So if you’ve got a client on your hands who is considering going green but is worried about the corresponding costs associated with doing so, be sure to make them aware of the insurance discounts that could help them waylay those costs.  Going green is good for everybody – the insurance agent, the buyer, and also the planet!

Next Wave Marketing Strategies getting-life-insurance-leads

If you’re selling life insurance, your career depends on coming up with quality life insurance leads. Luckily, there are many different ways to cultivate such leads. Here are the top six:

1. Hire a Telemarketing Firm

A telemarketing firm places cold calls to potential customers. When they find a respondent who agrees to talk to a life insurance agent for further information and a free quote, the telemarketing company notifies you immediately so that you can follow up with the lead. This method of lead buying has proven to be very effective, especially if you follow up with leads as soon as you are notified of their interest.

2. Use the Internet

If your company has a web page, and you should, place a brief form on the landing page. Anyone completing the form fills in basic contact information and agrees that you may call them to discuss your life insurance plans. This type of lead generation can be a big timesaver, since you only contact people who have expressed an interest in what you are selling.

Another way to use the Internet is to establish a Facebook Business Page where potential clients can leave questions and comments about your insurance policies. Again, speedy follow-up is the key to making a sale.

3. Cold Call Small Businesses

Small businesses of 100 employees are fewer are often looking for cost-effective benefits they can offer their workers. Do a little online research prior to making your call. Try to find out the name of the person you need to speak to. Having a name will get you much further with a receptionist than merely asking for the person in charge of employee benefits. Also, try to find out if the company already offers life insurance through a competitor. If so, prepare to make them a better deal.

4. Advertise

Internet and print ads can be remarkably successful at lead generation. To ensure that your campaign draws potential customers, hire a copywriter to come up with compelling text. In general, life insurance leads respond well to offers of discounts, free products such as a book on financial planning, and ads that inspire a mild degree of fear or anxiety (“Who will take care of YOUR family if the worst happens?”)

5. Face to Face Networking

No amount of technology will ever take the place of human-to-human contact. Attend networking events whenever possible. Always carry plenty of business cards that contain all of your contact information. Prepare a brief–thirty second or less–speech about the benefits of carrying enough life insurance. If you’re speaking to someone who isn’t interested or who already has life insurance, ask that person if they know of anyone who is seeking life insurance. Referrals can be a great source for life insurance leads.

6. Read the Paper

One way to find leads without lead buying is to simply follow your local newspaper. Many newspapers, especially those in small towns, routinely print news about weddings, births, and other life transitions. Make a note of the names of the people mentioned, look up their contact information online, and contact them to offer counseling about their life insurance needs and a free quote. People who have had a big change in their life circumstances often haven’t taken the time to think through how the change will affect their insurance needs.

Generating leads for life insurance is not difficult. All it takes is an advertising budget, a little time, and a little creativity.

Many businesses turn to lead providers to get a list of high quality leads. High quality leads are leads who have had contact with the lead provider and have expressed an interest about being contacted by your company to discuss the goods or services you offer. Your sales staff saves time, because everybody they contact is already willing to talk to them about what they have to offer.

One drawback to lead buying is that it can be expensive. Also, not all companies who advertise themselves as lead providers are reputable. When you are deciding whether or not to work with a company that generates leads, take a few moments to think about the following factors.

1. Read the Fine Print

Find out what, exactly, you are being offered and how much it will cost. Beware of hidden service feed. It’s also best to avoid companies that make extravagant claims, like a 100% conversion rate.

2. Ask Where the Company Gets Its Leads

The answer you want to hear is that they generate fresh leads from their own website or through telemarketing. Less encouraging answers are that they buy their leads in bulk from another company, or that they recycle leads, selling the same lead to dozens of clients. Both of the latter practices lower lead quality. Before you put any money down or sign a contract, make sure you will be getting exclusive leads, or leads that are specifically generated for your business and have not been sold to your competitors.

3. Ask How the Leads Are Delivered

Many companies deliver leads in bulk once or twice a day. It’s better to find a company that relays each lead to you in real time as soon as the lead requests additional information about your goods or services. Pursuing leads is a matter of “striking while the iron is hot.” Lead quality decreases for every hour that goes by without making initial contact.

4. Evaluate Their Customer Service

When you are lead buying, take a few minutes to evaluate the customer service of the company you are thinking about hiring. If the company is hard to reach or unable to give you clear information over the phone, or if the associates are rude, you’re probably wiser looking for another lead provider. How the company treats you gives you a pretty good indication of how it treats the leads with whom it has contact. If the leads have a bad experience with the lead providers, they’re likely to generalize that experience to your organization as well, which can hurt sales.

5. Check Them Out

Before making any final agreements, check the lead provider company out with your local Better Business Bureau. It’s also a good idea to ask the company for a list of references who are willing to vouch for their services.

Lead buying can be an effective marketing tool, but it’s important to be sure that you’re working with a reputable company that focuses on lead quality rather than quantity.

Given the current political climate surrounding the matter, health insurance is all the buzz in both the insurance agencies and the Senate floor.  Most people are unhappy with the current state of their health insurance, and hundreds of thousands of Americans are completely uninsured.  What makes it even worse is that even basic health insurance polices can be prohibitively expensive for people who don’t have jobs that provide appropriate benefits.

The high level of unemployment in the United States also contributes to the large portion of the public that is operating either with inadequate health insurance or none at all.

With this on the mind, many clients simply give up on health insurance altogether.  As a insurance agent, your job is both to sell insurance and help clients get the insurance they need at a price they can afford.  Many people write off health insurance as a luxury, instead preferring to put their money into automotive or home insurance.  While auto and home insurance are also necessities, it may help you while working with clients to remind them that health insurance could potentially save their lives and the lives of those that they love.

People with health insurance are much more likely to go see a doctor or a dentist if there are any problems with their health.  It’s an oft-quoted cliché, but it really is true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Going to see physicians regularly helps in determining if any problems are starting to occur with an individuals’ health and can put that person back on the path to wellness before a small problem becomes something much more expensive and hazardous to the health.

In contrast, people who do not have health insurance often live with worsening problems until it overwhelms them and they end up in the emergency room.  Having an affordable health insurance plan can assist in keeping people in good shape and out from under the doctor’s scalpel.

Additionally, statistics by the American Cancer Society show that the prevalence of insurance has a lot to do with whether or not a person dies of prostate cancer or not.  Those that have insurance are more likely to go in and get screenings, and thus appropriate medical action can be taken if problems are detected.  Those without insurance are much more likely not to realize that there is a problem before it is too late.

With this in mind, try to find your uninsured clients health insurance packages that cover them at a fair cost and will get them the preventative care they need in order to ensure that they live long and healthy lives.

It’s no secret that the economy is in terrible shape these days.  Many people are either unemployed or underemployed, and are looking for ways to make ends meet.  One of the more unscrupulous ways that people have decided to find money to pay bills is by engaging in acts of fraud.

Insurance fraud in particular has become a big problem in recent years, since many people consider it a way to get money without stealing. Of course, insurance fraud is a form of theft, but since it lacks the traditional guise of physically taking something that belongs to another person, many people don’t see it that way.

And, as such, people have been taking fraudulent measures with insurance in order to make a quick buck in these hard times.  One of the most popular ways to commit insurance fraud actually comes at the behest of small businesses.  If you happen to have insurance clients who own small businesses, you should discuss the following with them and be sure they’re aware if somebody is trying to hit them with a fraudulent claim.

The fraudulent claim that’s gained a lot of popularity in recent years is slip and fall claims.  This is one of the most basic forms of insurance fraud – essentially, an individual manages to injure themselves somehow on the property of the small business and files a claim in order to extract insurance money from the business owner.  Many small businesses, in their haste to avoid legal battles, choose to hand out payments to people who file slip and fall claims rather than perform due diligence against fraud.

While it may seem “simpler” to many small business owners who have an angry client on their hands to simply pay out insurance money, remind your small business owner clients that this is not a good idea.  Fraudulent slip and fall payments only make the overall insurance premiums higher, so they’ll reap it the next time there’s an insurance hike.

If you think that the rise in slip and fall fraudulent claiming sounds more like hearsay than anything else, there’s a considerable amount of evidence behind it – the National Insurance Crime Bureau has noted that slip and fall claims have risen as much as 57 percent over the last two years.  In addition, the first half of 2010 saw 997 questionable slip and fall claims alone.

So, in order to gain a reputation as a reliable insurance agent, you should definitely speak with your clients about the likelihood of fraud and what kind of diligence measures should be taken in order to lessen the amount of fraud payment.  Nobody wants to pay more on their insurance – insurance should be used as a means only when it’s necessary for the client, not for when somebody decides it would be a quick way to make a dollar!

nextwavemarketingstrategies.com searching-tax-leads

When the economy is in a slump, people tend to have increased trouble with debt. And as everyone who has ever had tax problems would acknowledge, one of the worst entities to be in debt to is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS can be merciless about collecting taxes and penalties it believes it is owed, spurring people to look for help and advice.

If you deal with tax settlement issues, one of the best ways to capture leads is to open a Twitter account. Each account holder is entitled to a profile page where you can post the website for your business. Twitter is a type of social media that allows followers to post status updates of no more than 140 characters each. These updates, commonly referred to as tweets, can be a valuable source for finding new leads. You can also use updates and information to help leads find you.

Before you start using social media as part of your marketing, decide in advance which words or phrases you will use as lead triggers. For instance, you may decide to focus on the phrases “tax help,” “tax settlement,” “IRS problems,” “back taxes,” and “IRS debt.”

Once you have chosen your lead triggers, go to Twitter’s home page and look at the section entitled “Trending Topics.” These topics are the current hot topics that have the attention of many readers. Do any of the trending topics match or come close to matching your triggers? If so, join the conversation by posting a brief statement about tax settlement and referring readers to a website where they can get additional information.

If none of the trending topics match your triggers, don’t despair. You can use the search function to look for tweets that include the keywords you have selected. Respond to these tweets in the manner described above.

Since identifying leads in real time is important, you can also request to be notified by cell phone each time the keywords appear in a tweet. You can then immediately respond to the user with (brief) helpful advice and the address of your website.

Another way to find leads is to initiate an online conversation about tax settlement issues. Briefly inform readers about your company, about tax settlement issues they should be aware of, and about any specials or deals you may be offering. (“Free book on dealing with IRS. [Your website]“) You’ll soon gain followers, and, with proper nurturing, those followers may become dedicated customers.

Social media is the wave of the future. Make it a part of your marketing plans, and watch your number of leads, as well as your percentage of conversions, increase dramatically.

Nextwavemarketingstrategies.com Tax-Settlement-Leads

If you’re in the tax settlement business, lead generation may be difficult, but it is not impossible. There are several ways to go about finding tax settlement leads.

1. Purchase Debt Leads from a Reputable Company

Many companies on the Internet sell tax settlement leads. These leads range from expensive (a lead who called within the past 24 hours in response to the company’s advertisement) to relatively low cost (Internet leads aged 31-90 days old). Typically, the higher-priced leads are the ones that are more likely to convert to customers, but the less expensive leads can be a good deal because, if your sales force can convert only one or two of them, you’ll likely earn back the money you spent on the purchase.

2. Develop a Quality Business Website

Work with a web designer to design a quality site for your business. The site should contain your company’s name, physical address, email address, and telephone number, helpful content about tax settlement, and an online form that potential clients an complete if they would like you to contact them with further information. This type of website allows you to generate your own leads rather than pay a third party to do it for you.

3. Use Social Media

Another way to generate debt leads is to set up a Twitter account and a business page on Facebook. Once your accounts are set up, offer brief regular posts tax tips. You can also use your social media accounts to advertise any specials you may be offering and to spread word about company news, such as the publication of a new book or manual. As you gain a following, you may also gain some clients.

4. Advertise

Direct advertising is a reliable means of lead generation. Depending on your budget, run ads with local newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television stations. Display your phone number and email address prominently. Ads are particularly effective when they offer “freebies,” such as a free consultation or a free subscription to your company newsletter.

5. Review Tax Lien Filings

If a person falls behind on property taxes, the IRS will file a tax lien, meaning that the property cannot be sold or transferred until the lien is satisfied. People who are the subject of tax liens often require help with tax settlement issues. Many states allow you to review tax lien filings online by the county where the lien is located. In states that don’t publish this information online, you can go to the county recording office or the lands records office in your county to obtain information about new lien filings. Such information is public. Before you contact a lead, however, check to make sure he or she is not on the “Do Not Call List.”

When the economy is slow, many people run into trouble keeping up with taxes. If your business is debt settlement, finding leads should not be difficult.