The Affordable Care Act changed healthcare for Americans but no longer are people fined for not having coverage. It's hard to tell how our healthcare system will evolve in the next few years but it's clear that people will continue to buy private healthcare plans, even when they are offered healthcare through their employers. So, how do you find these people?
Generating healthcare leads is no different from generating any other kind of lead. The golden rule for lead generation strategies is that you need to meet many people and all the time, even more so than you do with auto insurance, which people swap around more often than they do their health insurance and life insurance. Medical records need to be transferred, doctors need to be switched … the list of reasons people stay with their health insurance is endless, plus people get locked in with one carrier for the year, at open enrollment, unless they lose their insurance or they have a qualifying event. You need to have a very specific type of personality to succeed in selling health insurance: an outgoing one.
You'll probably still do an okay job even if you hate meeting new leads but chances are that you'll never be really successful if you don't generate leads consistently or at least buy more leads, especially if partaking in local events is not your style.
To sell health and life insurance, you have to want to help people with a very expensive expense that they will be tied to, possibly for years to come. If you're committed to the job, we have some tips to get you the right organic health insurance leads.
1. Active Listening
You'll need to listen closely while you speak with customers. You'll want to cull as much relevant information about their physical and mental health as well as the high-risk behavior they may exhibit. If you let people talk long enough you'll get important information without even asking. Bob's love of ATVing may come up or the fact that he hates wearing his helmet on his motorcycle. If you are lucky enough to have a property and casualty professionals in your circle this consumer may do well to switch those products (ATV, motorcycle and probably auto and home/renters). Not only will you be helping this new consumer save some money in switching, but you'll also probably get a referral from your friend if he/she gets a policy or two out of your introduction. Be multi-tiered in your networking strategy!
2. Buy Health Insurance Leads
Buying health insurance leads is the norm nowadays. Not only do ad tech companies do the marketing for you to generate health insurance leads, but you also have the option of taking live-transfer health insurance lead calls, which are the most likely to convert to sales. If you buy health insurance leads from SmartFinancial, you will be paired up with an account manager who will help you strategize and increase your success with the leads you buy. Not all leads companies are the same, so make sure you pair up with the right leads provider. SmartFinancial only provides quality leads and returns them as credit when they don't meet our strict requirements.
One of the fastest growing insurance technology companies in the insurance industry, SmartFinancial's lead generation is superior over other lead vendors. Quality health insurance leads are generated with a target audience in mind, using search engine optimization, video marketing and traditional advertising methods. You can generate insurance leads yourself or use your marketing budget and buy more quality leads than you can generate on your own, especially if you don't have much of an online presence. Reputable review sites will tell you which vendors you should and should not consider. Some insurance providers have cost-share programs with their insurance agents, so your cost may be cheaper than you think. If you're a captive agent, ask if your carrier offers reimbursement for insurance leads. Quality leads at a fraction sounds like a very smart plan!
Not all leads companies are the same, so make sure you pair up with the right leads provider.
3. Stay in Touch
Business cards don't cost much and they are an essential tool for lead generation. Sharp business cars will benefit you as you meet scores of new people, giving them easy access to you when they need help comparing insurance companies. When it comes time to buy insurance, people will be more likely to respond to someone who leaves behind contact information. No one will flip their phone open and put in a health insurance agent's number in it, no matter how wonderful you may be. VistaPrint has cheap rates for dozens of marketing materials you can use, business cards being the number one tool of choice and the least expensive. Even when you take the other person's card, make sure to offer yours. People suddenly find themselves in a situation where they need to buy health insurance. You want to be the first person they turn to.
Staying in touch is a lead generation strategy if you market your referral program with each prospect and each client. Offer a free cup of coffee for every referral that asks for a quote. There's no such thing as free publicity; you just have to choose your costs wisely! Referrals are much easier to close than fresh leads who may not know anything about you.
4. Give to the Community
Join a local service club, veteran's post, fraternal society, volunteer fire and rescue group. Be a part of the business associations, networking groups and other social organizations. Find clubs that suit your interests. All of these things will make you an integral part of the community and will bind you to people who will then want to work with you. Especially when it comes to taking care of one's family's health, people tend to want to work with people they know and trust. These events are a great place to share your contact information with a business card. Insurance agencies that are involved in the community are more trusted.
5. Ask for Referrals
Give your business cards to friends and family to distribute your contact information for you. Always ask for referrals from existing clients and the people you meet. Always follow up with referrals when you get them.
Be enthusiastic during these calls and make sure to thank the person referring you, even when you don't make a sale. You want this person to refer you again. Each lead matters. Offer incentives, like gift cards, for referrals who buy a policy from you.
6. Form Partnerships
Reach out to other businesses, preferably ones that are rich in clients. Offer your clients as referrals and ask for the same. Attorneys, travel agents, bankers and tax accountants can be invaluable resources for you. Many of your clients will also need these professionals' services too. Only reach out to those for whom you know you'll be able to reciprocate a referral. Set up a meeting during which you exchange your best leads with one another. A referral from another business associate is always valuable.
7. Infiltrate
Join freelancers associations and find meetups for contract workers who buy their own insurance. Writers, content editors and graphic designers often work without health benefits, which they have to purchase on their own. Find their local communities and you'll probably come upon a nice pool of prospective health insurance leads.
8. Go Live
Create an online presence and utilize social media to its fullest. Create memes about healthcare, share relevant articles and make lots of friends on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Also, post your own blog articles (see below, #9). Better yet, create a 2-minute video on everything you need to know before buying health insurance and circulate it in your community. Post the video on your website too.
9. Blog
Start writing valuable content about health insurance and healthcare with commonly used keywords. You'll likely get some traffic to your website. Post these articles on social media. Aside from blog articles, you should feature testimonials from existing clients to add to your credibility. Always include your URL on business cards. Make sure to hire an editor if you don't have the writing chops to pull this off. If your insurance agency website begins tap search engines for keywords like "buy health insurance " or something similar, you will get more inbound calls. Online marketing is very important. Either you have to do it or you need to buy insurance leads. Ideally, you'll do both!
10. Contact Stale Leads
Does your insurance agency have a list of old leads that you never got around to contacting or ones that ended up going nowhere? It's time to pick up the phone and check in with these potential leads whose circumstances may have changed. Whatever you do, don't give up! It may feel like cold calling when leads have gone cold, but these people may be open to switch health insurance providers.
11. Direct Mail Marketing
It's expensive, but a traditional marketing strategy is to use direct mail for lead generation. First, make sure to create a professional looking and well-proofread product to mail using local directories and lists that you may have to buy. Customer relationships take time to build so don't assume that you will do one direct mail marketing campaign and end up with many sales if you do not follow up. Make sure to tell the new leads that you offer a free consultation, during which you can discuss the insurance plans you sell.
12. Email Marketing
It's free and more people read their emails so starting a campaign is a great idea. You can generate leads by sending a monthly newsletter with informative content. Place everyone you meet on your email list but offer an unsubscribe option. You'll grow your list of potential customers in no time!
13. Lead Generation Strategies Require a Budget
Let SmartFinancial make meeting more leads easier and affordable. SmartFinancial uses all these methods described above, in addition to quality content with valuable information about coverage options. We generate leads that convert to new customers. We also offer free consultations on the progress of your account with shared leads, exclusive leads and live calls. When you buy leads, your account manager will help you customize filters to get the right potential customers.
