Insurance World

What to Look for in a Lead Service

If you have a successful insurance company, but still believe there’s an untapped segment of the market that you haven’t reached, you may want to avail yourself of an online lead generating service. Insurance leads purchased from a reliable provider will not save a floundering insurance agency or make mediocre agents stellar sales people. But leads purchased from a service can certainly supplement the sales of an agency with a solid core of clients. Of course, no lead sells itself. Any contact you get, no matter how interested they may be in purchasing a policy, will take effort.

Here are some guidelines when considering an online insurance lead service:

* Be wary of any service that promises you extraordinary results.

* Make sure the leads you purchase are guaranteed against no call complaints.

* Leads should be from consumers who have requested a specific type of insurance quote (life, homeowners, medical, etc.).

* All phone numbers provided should be verified by the service.

* Fresh leads, sent within minutes of generation, are best.

* Companies that do not require a long-term commitment from you are preferable

* Go with a service that has no set up fee.

* Minimum purchases are a normal part of the business—the range is usually $500 - $750.

* Look for a service that has a track record—five years or more.

* A lead generating service that specializes in insurance and related products will best serve your needs.

* Examples of typical leads should be included on the company’s website.

* A service that is a member of the Better Business Bureau Online is preferable.

A solid lead should contain specific types of information regarding the potential customer. A lead is an outline for your sale, providing you with more than mere contact information.

Initially, the lead will be assigned a control number that will serve to identify it and that will be useful for your and the lead services’ tracking. It will also contain the lead type—life, health, automobile insurance, etc., along with the date the lead was received.

Contact information will include the person’s name, address, phone number and an alternate number. There should also be an e-mail address. For life insurance, there will be basic information about the potential client, including sex, age, height and weight. Any health problems and use of tobacco will be stated, along with information regarding the person’s housing—rent or own.

You may also receive data regarding the lead’s spouse, such as their age, weight, height and use of tobacco. Finally, there will be information detailing the amount of insurance and the type of policy in which they are interested. For life insurance you may receive two quotes, one for term and the other for whole life.

Other types of leads, such as health insurance, homeowners, or disability, will contain the same basic contact information but will vary greatly depending upon the type of lead it is. As an example, a good health insurance lead will provide you with information about the family members, including any health problems, use of substances and current medications.

When considering a lead generation company, be sure it is clearly stated how they get their leads, what will be in a lead and the profile of a typical lead. Companies that are an official partner with major search engines, such as MSN, Google and Yahoo, and that are recommended by high profile publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, often offer a good product. People that use the Internet are typically more educated and affluent than those who do not and thus leads from this source often make better prospects than those harvested from other places.

A lead generation company should also define what constitutes a valid lead. You should not be charged for a lead with bad contact information or that is listed in the National Do Not Call Registry. Also, a company should charge for the lead only—that is the person you will contact—and not the number of products you may sell that person.

Look for a company that will taper the number of leads you receive at a given time to meet your needs. If you have any questions or problems, ease in contacting the lead generating company, either through e-mail, chat or a toll free telephone number is a necessity.

Exploiting the Internet as an information center for your insurance business can help broaden your customer base and expand your market share, providing you with clients with whom you might otherwise never connect. Use it to your advantage.

There is no right answer when someone asks which boat insurance company is the best. There are so many choices available that it is hard to determine the very best. It really all depends on what the specific needs of the person wanting to insure the boat are.

Facing the facts, there are pros and cons about every insurance company that you will deal with. After all, insurance companies are in business to make money, not to pay it out. This means that they will do anything in their power to not have to pay for claims, as this is the way they make money. If they do happen to pay for a claim then they will raise the rates on your insurance to help cover the loss or they will simply cancel the policy, whichever best suits their needs. For an insurance company to cancel a policy they have most likely determined that the policy is too much of a risk to continue to prevent any further claims. Having a policy cancelled can make it difficult to get insurance elsewhere.

BoatU.S. has been insuring boats, and only boats, since they opened in the late 1960’s. They are said to offer some of the lowest rates and best coverage depending on the craft covered. Their web site offers free instant quotes.

National Marine Underwriters is another strictly boat insurance company. They offer insurance in the 48 contiguous states with some limited territory extensions from time to time. In business since 1983, they offer lower rates and comprehensive coverage for all risk factors.

Progressive Boat, a division of Progressive Auto is one of the cheaper boat insurance companies but they are said to not offer nearly as many services and less comprehensive coverage. They do offer free online instant quotes and their staff is said to be one of the most knowledgeable and friendly groups in the business.

American Boating Association is also an option in the boat insurance world. They offer competitive rates that are comparable to Progressive Boat but they are a little shy in the services area. Free instant online quotes are available. Quotes are also available by telephone but it you should expect a long wait on the line. Their staff is professional and friendly.

To determine the best boat insurance for you then go to a site that offers multiple quotes from several different insurance companies. This will provide you with the best basic information about several companies at the same time which will save you time versus calling all the individual insurance companies.

Many sites offer guaranteed rates if you accept one of the quotes they provide but this is not a widely accepted practice. Keep in mind that insurance companies are not necessarily bound to a quote they provide. Insurance companies will want to verify all information provided to them before making a policy available for purchase. This is required to protect against insurance fraud, which is quite commonplace in this world sadly enough.