If you’re in the insurance business, chances are that you’re always on the lookout for prospective customers you can help find the right insurance for their needs. Auto insurance is one of the biggest insurance areas, since just about everyone who drives has to have insurance of some kind. However, that also means that there are a lot of agents out there offering this kind of policy. If you want to out compete them, you’ll need to find people who are interested in what you have to offer. That means generating high quality auto insurance leads, then demonstrating to those people that you’re the best choice for the job. Here’s how to do it.
First, find a niche to concentrate on. This can seem counter intuitive. After all, you want to get every customer you can, don’t you? However, this market is big enough that a given niche should keep you well supplied with customers, and you’ll offer better service if you can concentrate on just one area.
One way to determine a good niche is finding out which carriers have good rates for a demographic that your area has a lot of. If you work with a carrier that offers great rates on commercial auto insurance for electricians, for example, you can concentrate on that small segment of the population. Focus your efforts on them and find the auto insurance leads that will make your business grow and help you match people to their perfect policy. You’ll be surprised at the difference it can make.
You’ll next need to get a list of companies in your niche – businesses are often a better choice than private individuals. One method is simply to buy a list. However, you can also go through the businesses in your area manually and find the best choices to contact. Remember that a smaller business is less likely to need a commercial insurance policy, and may not be the best target as an auto insurance lead.
Commercial auto policy leads will, in most cases, have several trucks and a number of employees. The average one man business won’t need what you’re offering. Of course, the biggest companies probably already have arrangements directly with insurers, and you may not be able to beat them. So, look for a company that has between five and fifty employees, for example. Make a list of these companies and write down a few notes about each. Don’t overdo it – just add enough that you’ll be able to remember them and personalize your communication.
Remember that it is important to know what you’re doing – you’ll need to talk to an underwriter and have a good, detailed list of questions. That’ll get you the information you’ll need to have when auto insurance leads call you to discuss their policies. If you have to keep going back and asking for more information, you’ll look like you don’t have the experience to serve your leads well. Fortunately, if you’ll just dedicate the time to learn what kinds of coverage your leads should have, you’ll come across as an expert, not a beginner.
The last step is to send out a well written letter that will convince your auto insurance leads that you’re the person to call. Give it a good headline, a personal voice (not mechanical or too legal) and focus on the prospective client. A good letter or postcard – not an email or telephone call – is vital to getting the most out of your auto insurance leads. Stay focused on the benefits you’re going to be able to offer your prospects, and don’t talk about yourself too much.
The fact of the matter is that most professionals aren’t aware of how to write a good marketing letter, even if they’ve been in the field for years. The quality of your letter can have a lot to do with how well your lead generation methods work. That means that the reader has to learn what he or she is going to get out of working with you – don’t just make it a sales letter for you. Put in some specific details that make it obvious that this letter is just for them, and be sure you have a company logo and contact information displayed somewhere obvious. Then, wait for their call!
