Life Insurance Leads, Insurance Leads, and the Online Lead Generation Business

I've long wanted to write an article about Internet Leads (Life Insurance Leads, Health Insurance Leads, Homeowner's Insurance Leads, etc) and why they are a waste of money, time, and a drain on the Insurance Industry. Thank you ezinearticles for this powerful resource in communication!

Insurance Agents all over the USA are getting solicitations every single day for one new lead program or another. The newest scam is Internet Insurance leads. Internet leads or leads generated on the Internet are 90% bogus junk…a diamond in the rough (in the forum of a good lead) occurs about once every 20 leads.



That's roughly $400 to get to that good lead - not to mention the biggest expense, labor and time spent on the other 19 leads.

Where are these companies going wrong, then, with their lead generation? Why don't these leads turn into clients? This article will attempt to address these questions.

Interested in knowing which "insurance lead" generating companies I am talking about? Just type in "life insurance leads", "health insurance leads", "mortgage leads" on google, yahoo, or MSN…they are DOMINATING the rankings!

The first problem is the way that these companies are generating leads.



Some are using pay per click (PPC), some use aggressive (technical) techniques to get ranking in a "natural search" and some pay other webmasters to generate leads and send them to the lead company. NONE of them really know much about the Insurance Business…only how to generate leads.

Pay Per Click - There are several companies like adwords.google.com and www.overture.com that will place your link at the top of the page instantly if you're willing to outbid other pay per click participants. On Google, the going price for the key word "life insurance" is about $20/click! The lead generating website will then take that lead and farm it out to about 4 different insurance agents.



All of which will pay roughly $20 for that lead apiece. So the $20 investment there that was made for that click is multiplied by 4 = $80! And what does the client get? 4 agents calling them and trying to outbid each other. All using a variety of tactics, sometimes shady, sometimes legitimate, and sometimes downright outrageous…but that's another story!

Aggressive (Technical) Techniques - Another way that these lead generating websites get their site noticed is by getting ranked highly in natural searches.



A natural search result is the links and description of a particular website that is found past the pay per click sites, about 4 sites down. Go to google.com and type in "life insurance quote". The first 3-5 sites are pay per click, then under that you find the natural search results. Google, msn, yahoo, and the like are getting better at weeding out the spam here, but it still persists and will probably always persist as long as there are SEO (search engine optimization) experts that are getting paid! What I'm getting at here is that these lead generating websites are getting to the top of natural searches NOT by knowing all there is to know about insurance - but by being really really good at technical stuff like SEO, link exchange, and artificial means of gaining prominence.



Lead Brokering - The third and most shady way that these sites are getting these leads to sell is via other websites. Other websites that have prominence and "traffic" can get onboard with companies (commission affiliate brokers) that sell leads at wholesale prices to these lead generation companies. Why is this shady? Because these leads are generated by whatever means possible…SPAM, HACKING into other peoples sites and redirecting them to the affiliate site, buying of dead .coms and redirecting those visitors to the affiliate area, and on and on.



Roughly 1 tenth of the sites that are at the top of a search for any given term know anything about insurance or have any content of value for the consumer!

Another problem with the leads is that they are not screened well (although many companies boast that they screen the leads very well - which, in my experience is just not true!). In my research, 90% of the leads from these Internet Lead Companies either left bogus contact information, they were not truly interested in obtaining insurance, they simply wanted a "quote", or would apply only to say "nahh, I can't afford it" when the policy came in (as applied for!).



This is where the most waste comes in…manpower. Even with meticulous follow-up, the best rates in the business, a dedicated assistant and staff, and all the technological resources and underwriting resources at my fingertips - even this could not make this type of lead program work.

So what does work and where is the Insurance Industry going with all this? I believe that people are shopping on the Internet. They'll even go to these lead generating websites, type in their info, and get an eager agent to call on them in hopes of a sale.



The client, in this way, gets quotes! But that Agent RARELY gets a sale. The Agent, then, is spinning their wheels and focusing their resources on a wild goose. The client, if they do truly want to buy, then takes those quotes and finds an agent in the yellow pages or strikes up a conversation with a friend who then refers them to that trusted agent friend of theirs.

Therein lies the answer! Insurance is sold within circles of trusted friends and associates. It is certainly not sold over the Internet to any great degree and it never will be.



My advise is to stick to the old fashioned way of marketing - through Optimist Clubs, Rotary Clubs, LOCAL lead groups like BNI, asking folks "what do you do for a living" in hopes that they'll ask you what YOU do, and so on.

The insurance "leads" companies out there rest easy, though…knowing that they can always say that their leads are worth the money, that they're generated with the purest of intentions, and that they'll refund your money for bad leads. The truth is that these companies commonly blame bad leads on the agent's inability to sell or the quality and competitiveness of the companies that these Agents show these clients.



They more often than not refuse to credit you for bogus leads - often saying that there IS enough contact information (in the form of an email address which never gets answered by the client).

This scenario also leaves the door wide open for fraudulent claims in quoting. Think about it - if 4 agents get the same lead, what gives one agent the edge over the other Agent? Some competing agents will do just about anything to get that sale or outbid the other agent. Outbidding the other agent leads to false claims and unattainable premiums based upon a client's true rating! There are so many variables like accurate underwriting, backdating, A+ or better company usage (or not!), and outright lies that harbor corruption.



Any of these factors can be abused in order to lure the client to fill out the application. And that client is more likely to take the policy once it comes in (after months of waiting) just to be done with the ordeal. Bottom line - the agent with the best quoted price wins, not the agent who quotes the client accurately and with good companies.

So if you're and Agent and you are thinking about buying insurance leads over the Internet, be forewarned. You will spend your time on wild goose chases, you will fill the pockets of these lead generating companies, and you will do the industry a disservice by supporting these companies who are using technology, not expertise in Insurance, to win YOUR customers - customers that can just as easily be obtained by traditional means.



If you are a "client" and you are looking for Insurance of any type, contact me and I can refer you to as many Independent, trustworthy, licensed, Insurance Agents in your area as you'd like at NO CHARGE!

By: Ashley Brooks, CLTC

Ashley is the marketing vice president for the Family Life Insurance Brokerage Business and has a background in Health & Financial Underwriting, Insurance Plan Design, and "best deal" shopping. Brokerage Services carries only A rated (or better) companies in their product portfolio and has been serving the needs of Independent Insurance Agents since 1977.



More Information about Mr. Brooks - Life Insurance Agent

Visit and subscribe my blog and RSS feed - Life Insurance Information

Team up with Ashley for Life Insurance Lead Sharing - Life Insurance Leads

A Refinance Mortgage? Colorado Companies Are Ready, If . . .

You wanted a pre-approved loan in minutes, but are you really ready for the final approval? Prepare for the big day the right way.



Not just paper work



Are you applying for a refinance mortgage? Colorado companies are ready to approve your loan if you've done your homework. Many people who apply for a refinance mortgage online overlook the fact that there are several requirements to meet before their loans are approved. This disregard leads to many delays and frustration on both the borrower and lender.



It is unfortunate that many borrowers do not do extensive research before they try for a refinance mortgage. Colorado lenders have noted that several borrowers make the same mistakes that delay the processing and approval of their applications. Though obviously their fault, many prospective borrowers blame the delay on the refinance mortgage Colorado company that's only trying to help them. Borrowers need to realize that if they want their loan, they have to at least do something about it.



After all, getting a loan is a two-way process -borrowers prepare everything for review, evaluation, and assessment, while lenders review and assess.



Working together



If you're applying for a refinance mortgage, Colorado refinance experts will be dealing with you. This is to make sure that you understand what to expect and what you should be prepared to do until your loan application is approved. The company agent will peruse the documents you have prepared to support your refinance mortgage Colorado application like Sherlock Holmes with a magnifying glass.



Online refinance mortgage, Colorado loans and other lending institutions have to look at a lot of credentials and documents, and all of these must be ready when needed.



Speeding up the loan decision



When you have chosen your refinance mortgage Colorado company, check out the list of requirements needed to support your mortgage application. Print out the list and go through your documents. Place the supporting documents in a waterproof folder to literally save it from a rainy day.



Having the documents ready eases the tension and eliminates the time spent looking for a piece of paper.



When you are given the forms to fill up during processing, be honest about the additional information required from you. Incomplete or falsified information increases the chances of disapproval or takes longer. Act immediately on requests for additional information from the processing officer. Be ready for negative remarks on your credit report. When this happens, bear in mind that the processing officer is only filling up your forms and these are required fields.



Don't hesitate to let the appraiser into your home. Postponing the house appraisal delays the process and extends the agony of the wait.



Refinance mortgage is about the future



Getting the refinance mortgage is not about the speed of the loan decision. Rather, it's about a better chance to cope with mounting debts and savings from lowered interest rates. People who have successfully managed their refinance mortgage, Colorado refinance experts say, have carefully thought out their decisions and relied on the actual statistics of the refinance calculator.



If you think the monthly bill is beyond your means, seek a lower refinance mortgage. Do not forget what goes with payback time.

What is a Fixed Rate Mortgage?

As the term implies, with a fixed rate mortgage the mortgage rate is fixed for a set period of time, so no matter what movements occur in the lender's standard variable mortgage rate, the borrower's arrangement is fixed and, therefore, so are the monthly fixed rate mortgage payments.

A fixed rate mortgage would suit someone who likes to know where they stand. A fixed rate mortgage, as suggested by the name, is a mortgage where equal repayments are made every month.



Fixed rate mortgages allow you to easily manage and plan your monthly expenditure - because the payment will be the same every month and you won't be affected by any rises in the base rate. If the interest rates rise above the fixed rate on your mortgage, you will see the real benefits of the fixed rate mortgage.

A fixed rate mortgage makes it easy to plan ahead, because as the name suggests, the interest rate on your mortgage stays fixed.



This means that as a fixed rate mortgage customer, even if the Bank of England Base Rate changes, the interest rate on your mortgage remains constant over a fixed period of time. This makes your budgeting easier, because you can plan ahead knowing exactly how much your monthly repayments will be.

The fixed rate period can be anything between six months and five years, but it's always best to refer to a financial services professional before deciding what period of fixed interest rate to choose.



The biggest advantage of a fixed rate is that irrespective of fluctuations in interest rates, your monthly repayments remain the same throughout the period of the fixed rate - usually six months to five years.

A fixed rate mortgage is suitable if your mortgage repayments take up a large proportion of your income as it protects you from rises in interest rates. However, you would not benefit from any reduction in the lenders standard variable rate.

Fixed rate mortgages generally incur a penalty if redeemed within the fixed rate period.



The advantage of a fixed rate mortgage is that you know exactly how much your mortgage will cost, and for how long. If interest rates on your mortgage rise, well the fixed rate will not. Conversely, however, when mortgage rates drop, your fixed rate mortgage will not drop with them.

The key benefit of a fixed rate mortgage is that you are able to accurately budget your repayments for a set period of time.



In addition, fixed rate mortgages are an excellent option, if it becomes apparent that interest rates may be rising over the coming years, as you can protect your mortgage repayments against rises by choosing a fixed rate mortgage.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author's biography remains intact:

Lead Generation Systems

You want your business to succeed, but you need to figure out how to get quality leads. Lead generation systems are in place to help you find quality lists of potential customers. They are automated systems designed with one thing in mind - to deliver information to you about potential customers so you can work on turning the names into new clients.

What makes a good lead generation system

A good system requires very little manual effort from your end and is able to run itself intelligently. It has the ability to ?autopilot? its functionalities.



It should also create a positive "relationship of trust" by giving your target market the perception that you are ?the? authority in your line of business.

A good lead generation system also produces predictable results with no surprises. It should be able to generate names, addresses, and even e-mail addresses of the people who respond to and/or are interested in knowing more about your product. It should be able to generate clear statistics about the people who respond to your offers and whether or not you have permission to contact them.



There are plenty of lead generation systems available: direct mailing, buying leads from lead brokers and leads companies, buying leads from Internet search engines, advertising, and using referrals. The best system for you depends on the nature of your business and the lifestyles of your target market.

Rewards

When you do find the lead generation system that works for you, you will be rewarded with a larger customer base. They say it is easier to keep a customer than to find new ones. So, while you are trying to generate new leads, make sure you don?t ignore your current customers.



It may take hard work and money to get those initial clients and customers, but once you do, your business will grow.

Lead Generation provides detailed information on Lead Generation, Sales Lead Generation, Mortgage Lead Generation, MLM Lead Generation and more. Lead Generation is affiliated with Insurance Leads.