Selling insurance can be challenging, particularly when you consider selling in your local community. Yet, if you do it the right way, you will find that local leads can actually be more responsive to your sales calls. Those that can generate more insurance leads online are very profitable but don’t forget to neglect local. Here are a few things you can do to help increase the number of local leads for your insurance business.
Leave no stone unturned
Far too often, insurance agents try to find the one great way to generate local leads. Remember, there is usually not one way that is guaranteed to work; rather, there are many ways that often work. Don’t limit yourself to just one method, and for sure don’t spend all your time trying to consider what the best way to generate leads is. Instead, get out there and employ every method you can; you’ll find that the end result is success.
Network, network, network
When it comes to selling insurance, you need to understand that clients will almost always purchase insurance from someone they know as opposed to purchasing it from a complete stranger. This means that you need to make every effort to get out and meet people in your community.
There are a number of ways to network. Try going to Chamber of Commerce meetings. Or, perhaps there is a local organization for business owners to get together on a regular basis.
Don’t forget to participate in local events such as fairs, breakfasts, and so on. If your community ever holds events such as parades, consider sponsoring a float or setting up a booth to hand out trinkets (with your name and number printed on them). The more you get out there and let people see your face, the more leads you will generate.
Encourage referrals
Statistically speaking, people are more likely to buy insurance from you if they were referred by a friend who had a good experience with you. And, since most people live in the same area as at least some of their friends and family members, local leads quite frequently come by word of mouth referrals. This means you need to encourage existing clients to tell their friends and families about you.
A great way to do this is to establish some sort of referral rewards program. Whether it’s a gift card for each referral, or something like entering the client’s name in for a drawing for a larger prize, doing something that will encourage people to talk about you is a surefire way to generate more leads in your community.
Sponsor a youth sports team
If you really want to catch the eye of people in your area, get your name and number plastered across the jerseys their kids wear to participate in sports. Paying a little bit of money to provide uniforms for a child’s sports team is one of the best uses of advertising dollars. Remember, not only will the kids wear the jerseys to actual games (where parents and friends will all be watching), they will wear them to school, to dinner, and pretty much everywhere else, too. So look into helping sponsor a youth sports team.
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Conclusion
Generating local insurance leads is probably one of the best ways to spend your advertising dollars and efforts. By using some of the above tips, and doing other things to spread the word in your community, you will soon see your insurance business grow.
