Agents Are Selling Insurance Nationwide - Without Leaving Home

If you’re still dependent on field sales to build your book, you’ve probably got a wish list that goes something like this:

I wish I didn’t have to waste so much time driving to appointments.
I wish I wasn’t limited to just my local area.
I wish my agency didn’t grind to a halt when I’m on the road.

The list goes on and on. Good news for insurance agents: You can eliminate appointments entirely; you can increase your market and your sales volume and you can put an end to unproductive time.

How?

By using technology to switch over 100% from field sales to phone and Internet sales.

It’s a move many insurance agents are making to get their time back for selling, marketing and being with their families. And by increasing their market to include multiple states, they are also increasing the number of policies written.

Here’s how they do it:

Adopt the necessary technology. You may already have your marketing dollars earmarked for 2006, but if you want to increase your efficiency and save yourself a lot of headache, agency automation tools are worth a look right now.

Most agents start out with tools that automate the repetitive, manual tasks that bog down office work. Their ace in the hole: a quote engine that reduces quoting time to seconds and creates email-ready proposals.

Also important is a lead management system that allows you to automatically import leads and track them. When buying compatible Internet leads, the lead pops up in the management system as soon as the prospect submitted their request for a quote online. Now you don’t have to waste time entering in prospect information into a contact management system and can get your proposal into a prospect’s hands in just a minute.

Adding a website that integrates the quote engine gives you and your prospect 24/7 access to carrier applications, rates and information. Some carriers even have e-applications that a prospect can complete and submit entirely online. Your prospect will be able to get quotes from not just one of your carriers, but all of them, and they only have to submit their information once.

Forget unproductive call backs. When you phone, you can direct your prospect to open your proposal and you can review rates and plans together. Emailing an application is just as easy as passing it over the kitchen table. No appointment necessary.

These tools allow you to communicate directly and quickly with your prospect, and the availability of information eliminates meetings and costly mailings.

Choose the carriers and states you want to work. After automating your office operations and increasing your accessibility with a website, you are ready to expand your market. Choose the carriers and states you want to include on your quote engine and get appointed with them. Remember, you can only quote the carriers and states your quoting company is partnered with, so make sure ahead of time they have a selection that works for your agency.

Buy Internet leads for your expanded market. Begin buying Internet leads for the extra states you are authorized to quote. It doesn’t matter how far away the leads live; they all have access to rates, applications and information on your website. If they have reservations about working with an agent outside of their state, all you have to do is let them know that you are just a phone call or email away. Prove how accessible you are by purchasing a 1-800 number and display it prominently on your site.

The bottom line: When you’re on the road you can’t work leads as they come in, and you’re not there to answer your customers’ questions.

When you can run quotes, email proposals and send applications all from your desk, you are more available to your prospective and current customers. And you’re free to market to more states and handle them all with equal speed and efficiency.

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