Lead Providers: How Good Are They?
I’ve only purchased leads from an independent provider once in my insurance career and it was a total bust. Since then, I’ve wondered if there is some equivalent to a “consumer reports” on leads firms. Somebody out there must be keeping track of who provides the best value for dollars spent, right?
Well, there is http://www.leads360.com/about-us/. It’s hardly non-biased, but at least it provides some inside and comparative information that you can’t get when called by a telemarketer.
First, it’s good to know that not all lead generation providers work the same. Most online annuity and life insurance lead generation services guarantee quality leads and high closure rates, but before signing up with one, it might be prudent to examine them to see if how they do what they do – and what they charge for it – is right for you.
When you’re dealing with these services, keep in mind two factors: quality and quantity, or value and volume. Is the service turning over a select amount of prospects that have first been scrubbed, polished and combed through, leaving behind only the diamonds? Or is the service simply providing a heap of downloaded names and addresses that resulted from persons checking a random box on some website somewhere that indicated that they were intersted in “information” about “insurance” many months ago?
In the first example, you’re getting value. In the second, volume. Both have their benefits and trade-offs. Value prospects do not come cheap and you may still not get passed “Hello.” On the other hand, a stack of inexpensive shot-in-the-dark contacts might contain one or two quality buyers. Even the best lists may not produce prospects much warmer than you could get from a cold call.
Here are a few of the Internet’s leads generation services, some offering value, others volume. Maybe one of them can help you find your next big buyer.
All Web Leads 1-888-522-7355
• Basics: All Web Leads provides top-quality health, long-term, annuity and senior health insurance leads. Their leads are generated as a result of insurance seekers stumbling onto one of the many websites All Web Leads maintains and submitting their personal information to request a quote. They never reuse old leads, and they have a generous return policy for bad leads.
• Filters: All Web Leads appears to refine their contact registry pretty well. Geographic locations are free, and for an additional cost, you can receive a comprehensive picture of each person: demographics, preexisting conditions, income and other details.
• Pricing: Because you pay per lead, pricing is rather steep. One quality annuity lead, for instance, will set you back $39.14. A long-term care insurance lead costs $14.50, a senior health lead, $10.02. Pricey, yes. But if their leads are as reliable as they claim, the expense might be worth it.
• Perks: Ranked number one for conversion rate by the Leads360 Lead Industry Awards.
Insurance Leads 1-877-801-4717
• Basics: Insurance Leads is a subsidiary of All Web Leads, so most of the information is simply repackaged to look like one of their competitors.
• Filters: Identical to All Web Leads.
• Pricing: Identical.
• Perks: All new customers receive 50 percent off a leads package when another one is purchased at full price.
Agent Recruiting Network 1-877-226-0361
• Basics: Agent Recruiting Network (ARN) offers a whole host of marketing strategy solutions, including selling direct mail leads. They also provide direct mail and email service packages.
• Filters: All lists are “cleansed, validated, managed and refined on a daily basis.”
• Pricing: ARN has several packages to choose from. For a flat $350, you receive up to 3,500 records. You can also buy records by the thousand, but depending on the package, you must promise to buy so many thousands. The Bronze package, for instance, costs $80 per thousand, but you’re locked in to buy between 3,501 and 10,000 records. The premiere package is the Diamond. You get a thousand records for as low as $55 — but you’re obligated to buy over 50,001 of them.
• Perks: ARN has fast turn-around for agents in a hurry. Within 24 hours of purchasing a leads package, you receive an Excel spreadsheet loaded with contacts via email. If you buy a direct mail service package, postcards are sent out within seven business days.
Leadbot 1-800-959-1580
• Basics: Leadbot provides producers with organically generated life insurance and annuity leads. They use advanced search engine marketing and website analytics to discover the most motivated prospects, so you can rest assured that the leads aren’t completely cold.
• Filters: All prospects are between the ages of 30 and 79 and have a death benefit worth at least $100,000.
• Pricing: You pay per lead and can customize the type of lead you want. For example, a 45+ prospect in your state goes for $22. If you want a prospect who resides in your county, the price bumps up to $26. But if you want exclusive contact with this highly motivated, geo-targeted individual, the bill rises to $45.
• Perks: The prospects are “real-time,” meaning that you receive the contact information only of prospects whose interest in buying an annuity is at its hottest.
ParasolLeads 1-888-778-0410
• Basics: ParasolLeads sells only organic leads generated by their in-house online marketing specialists. You get exclusive rights, and they never resell leads. They also provide search engine optimization (SEO) services, meaning they’ll analyze your business or personal website to ensure that it’s reaching your target clients.
• Filters: Besides geo-targeting, ParasolLeads provides full customization of their leads at no additional charge.
• Pricing: All leads are exclusive, so the prices are steep. A Medicare supplement lead, for instance, will set you back $35. A life insurance lead, $45. And a long-term care insurance lead goes for 55 big ones.
• Perks: How does an A+ in Online Reliability sound? The Better Business Bureau recently conferred this honor on ParasolLeads, which guarantees every lead 100 percent. It’s clear that customers are satisfied.
First Annuity Source 1-888-478-0288
• Basics: First Annuity Source specializes in setting appointments. They receive their leads from a third-party vendor that allegedly maintains around 5,000 websites that gather information from prospective buyers.
• Filters: If filters are in place, their website doesn’t elaborate.
• Pricing: You must contact them for details, which should raise a red flag.
• Perks: According to their website, all of their appointment setters have degrees in either economics or finance, so they should be conversant in personal wealth management issues. Also, you’ll have access to the voice recording of every conversation between an appointment setter and prospect.
The Leads Are Free 1-800-498-6581
• Basics: The leads aren’t exactly free, but it’s a catchy name nonetheless. The Leads Are Free is a membership club, meaning you pay for leads packages on a monthly basis. Every week you receive up to 500 leads via email — 100 per day — which you can choose either to contact yourself or, for an additional charge, allow their call center to handle for you.
• Filters: Not with this much volume. Contact registries include only the basics: name, address, phone number and the like.
• Pricing: Packages are separated into “premium” and “regular.” The premium package, which includes 100 leads a day and call center service, costs $129.99 a month. The regular package, at $99.95 a month, also includes 100 leads a day but no call center service.
• Perks: Lots and lots of leads.
Please note that neither Designs In Life Insurance Marketing, LLC, nor Insurance Designers of American (IDA) endorses or recommends any of these lead services. Lead services are constantly merging, getting bought out, or closing down, as well. This information is current as of this date but subject to change at any time.
