Lead Tip #4: Tools That Help You Close Leads
One of my BIGGEST peeves with most lead companies is they completely drop the ball after you buy from them. They're not the slightest bit interested in whether you close their leads or not, just that your credit card isn't declined.
While this may be bad for their repeat business, it's rotten for your ROI, too. That's why it's crucial to look for a lead company that not only delivers quality leads, but arms you with tools that help you close them.
So what exactly should you be looking out for?
First, your lead company should provide a robust lead management system.
A lead management tool is absolutely essential for effectively working your leads. But watch out because not all systems have the same capabilities. You want your system to include at a minimum:
- Automatic importing. This liberates you from tedious data entry. It also makes juggling all your different lead sources headache-free. Look for a system that imports leads from all your vendors, as well as leads from your website and other online marketing campaigns.
- Built-in calendar. This helps you stay on top of your leads before and after the policy is written for stronger retention. Use this tool to schedule follow-up phone calls, meetings, renewals and important client events. Pop-up reminders keep you on top of it all.
- Control over your account. Some lead companies give you no control over how many leads you get. You have to cough up a fixed amount, whether you get 3 leads a month or too many to realistically handle. And when you can't budget your lead purchase you're spending in the dark.
Your lead management system should let you hop online to adjust your lead maximums, add or remove filters, and recharge your account 24-hours a day, giving you total control over your account.
Your system should also have strong search functions that let you sort all your leads and call up individuals in seconds. Having good reporting tools is also essential, but it's a future topic worthy of its own article.
What if you already have a preferred CRM tool? Make sure the company's leads are compatible with it.
Second, your leads should be quote engine compatible
Your leads should easily plug into a quote engine. A quote engine lets you send a detailed proposal complete with applications in seconds.
With this type of instant quoting you can quickly and professionally deliver the information that your lead went online for, and helps you beat other agents to the punch.
And Third, your company should offer autoresponders
Autoresponders are an indispensable tool for brokers who want to contact leads the instant they arrive but are often too busy to do it themselves. The autoresponder sends out a personalized message to your leads as they come in, and keeps touching them with emails for months at a time.
If you've always wanted a drip marketing campaign to pick up sales from your older leads, autoresponders not only let you do it, they do all the work for you automatically.
Your lead company should be committed to helping you succeed even after the sale. Lead management, quoting and autoresponder tools not only help you do that, they free up your time so you can be working - and closing - even more leads.
Jeremiah Desmarais is the Vice President of Marketing and oversees the educational and marketing efforts at ProspectZone. ProspectZone is a leading provider of internet leads to the mortgage industry, and the creators of Smart Leads™. He and his team are recipients of 3 awards in 2006 from the Web Marketing Association, Marketing Sherpa and the Interactive Marketing Association for their marketing and design initiatives online. He is author of several white papers and has been a contributor to national trade publications as well as a guest speaker at various national events and workshops. He is a member of the Society of Industry Leaders. Reach him at jdesmarais@prospectzone.com or 1-800-980-0902.
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