Finding New Insurance Leads When the Well Runs Dry
Every independent insurance agent goes through a dry spell every now and then. It seems like things always happen in spurts. Either the phone is ringing off the hook and everyone is working overtime or the agent and the office staff is finding ways to look busy when nothing is really happening.
1. Close the office.
• Yes, you heard it right, close the office! But before you do, quickly make a brochure relevant to a regional or seasonal event you can tie to your products and have a face-to-face marketing event that includes everyone.
• Lock up the office and have everyone including yourself introduce yourself to business, commercial, and residential neighbors where allowed by law. (Don’t trespass any “no solicitation” zones!)
• Some staff members may be terrified of face-to-face marketing, but find other ways that they can be useful in passing out brochures, like finding public bulletin boards.
2. If you haven’t yet, try an online lead program.
• Don’t pick the first one you see, do your research and find one that has good reviews.
• Check independent insurance agent forums for ideas and leads, but beware of spammers that post in forums. You should be able to discern the good from the bad by reading carefully.
• The better online lead programs may be somewhat pricier than ones you can get for pennies, but like with anything else, you get what you pay for.
3. Reward your staff for their hard work.
• An agent is only as successful as his best employee, so make sure you collect a highly loyal and trustworthy crew.
• You can obtain them by respecting them, rewarding them, and thanking them when they do great work.
• If you have a very slow day in the middle of the week, close the office with a sign and take them to lunch. No agent has ever lost a brownie point from buying their staff lunch!
Slow times can be cause for anxiety, but if you can see positive opportunities where other agents see only negative roadblocks, you will find yourself to be much more successful than the other agents.
