Building your Base: New ways to find and develop leads in insurance sales
Building your Base:
New ways to find and develop leads in insurance sales
By Mike McDonough
The insurance world is evolving quickly. Whether you’re selling B2B or B2C, tactics and approaches that were industry standards just a few years ago aren’t as innovative and effective as they used to be. With millennials becoming a larger part of the customer base and automated processes and templates altering your outreach opportunities, it’s critical to adapt your approach to stay relevant. Here are just a few tips for to bring your insurance sales strategies up to speed.
Upgrade your first impression
If you’re meeting with a potential client, you’re sure to look professional, have information ready, and follow up quickly. Today, your website or social media page is likely your first impression, but the goals for that initial interaction should remain the same. Invest in your website to make sure it’s reputable, easy-to-use and accurately gathers follow-up info. Today’s insurance shoppers are going online to compare policies and find answers before reaching out. In fact, millennials are twice as likely to complete a policy purchase online compared to previous generations. For the best experience, compile your policy information into an easy-to-compare chart and place it where it’s prominent on your site. That way it’s easier for shoppers to find the right policy for their needs and convert to a customer – from the convenience of their phone or laptop.
Create a seamless experience
Potential customers should be able to reach out with questions using the same platform where they’re making contact and get the same great customer service experience. If it’s social media, follow up on comments and direct messages as quickly as you’d return a phone call. A live chat function on your website is a great way to provide instant answers if your office can support it. What you don’t want to do is to make someone on a computer pick up a phone to call you. This is a barrier that could lead to abandonment of the process by a prospect. Imagine meeting in person, and when your client asks for pricing information, you tell them to send you an email to get the answer. By adding an extra step or making your information impossible to access through certain channels, you might be taking yourself out of contention for their business before you ever get a chance to talk.
Avoid overdependence on automation
With new email scheduling and delivery services, it may seem like a good idea to send out mass mailings to reach more of your potential client base at once. However, when you’re targeting businesses and more sophisticated consumers, this can land you in the spam folder faster than it gets you a meeting. Businesses should be approached based on their individual needs. If a business is seasonal, try to connect with them before their busy season and once again 60-90 days later. If they operate daily, reach out once or twice a month to see how their business is going and to remind them of your offerings. When you contact a potential client, always have new information available that’s tailored to their needs and how you can help them reach their goals. If you’re sending an email, send it from a personal account and tailor the subject line to their business needs. Be specific in your content. Say “If you invest in this, you will be able to do this.” Also, the best days to contact a potential B2B client is on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, either right before, or right after the lunch hour. By paying attention to details and putting in personal touches, you’re likely to see a better return on your reach, even if the reach itself is smaller.
Your customer base is changing and if your tactics don’t evolve, you could be missing out on potential clients. Instead of investing in newspaper ads and mailers, spend your time and resources making real connections with your existing customers and start-up businesses through social media or by visiting them at a brick and mortar location. People trust their friends and family over ads, and they’re better at avoiding advertising than every before. So instead of buying sponsored content and email lists, take time to send personal messages, comment on their social media posts and make real connections with people. Too many companies see new mediums as ways to advertise to people, instead of communicate with them. By spending time building relationships and following the suggestions above, you can create an approach that’s valuable, memorable, and novel – instead of just noise.
