How Much Do Insurance Leads Cost?
How Much Do Insurance Leads Cost?
Have you ever answered the phone and heard, “How much does insurance cost with your company?” Think of all the ground that must be covered before you can give an answer. Internet leads is very similar. Instead of credit scores, medical histories and policy types you’re dealing with filters, volume and lead types. Keep that in mind when considering how much insurance leads cost.
There is one principle that reigns true for both; the more profitable the client can be the better the pricing.
Lead Type
The more scarce the lead the more it costs. While the supply of people looking for auto insurance quotes online is abundant, the same can’t be said for life insurance or annuities. Expect lower prices across the board for P&C leads vs. financial products.
Taking multiple lead types from the same vendor can often lead to better pricing because, in their eyes, it makes you two customers instead of one.
Filters
Filtering also makes a big difference. Eliminating prospects who don’t fit your ideal profile works for some, but keep in mind everyone wants to cherry pick. That leaves lead companies with a bunch of their clients fighting for the “best” leads and struggling to find takers for everything else. If this is your plan, be prepared to pay more. The wider net you’re willing to cast the better deal you can expect to be offered.
Volume
The number of leads you’re willing to take is another thing lead companies look at. They can’t be profitable if every agent only buys a few leads a day. They need to sell every single one of the thousands a day they generate. An agency taking 50 leads a day is a vital client them, whereas a single agent taking 3 leads a day, frankly, isn’t. Consider where you fall on that scale; pricing will be strongly correlated.
Discounts
Lead vendors can vary greatly when it comes to promotions and discounts. Just like you search for discounts when quoting a policy, do some research into your own situation to make sure you’re not paying more for leads than you have to.
Are you a member of an agency organization or captive to a large carrier? Group discounts are common in the world of leads. Ask the higher ups of any affiliations you have if any deals with vendors are in place or if you can be compensated for buying leads. Remember to also ask vendors if they have any deals in place with your affiliations.
Can you take leads at night or on the weekends? These are often the best prospects, yet vendors have a hard time finding agents to take leads outside of normal business hours. Ask if you can get a discounted rate on these as it’s a great way to increase activity at a lower cost while being a valuable client to lead companies at the same time.
Free Stuff
Lead companies notoriously offer promotions to sign agents up. Whether it’s extra credits in your account, matching deposits or decreased pricing you can expect some kind of icing on the cake when you move forward with a new vendor. It’s always a mistake to focus more on the promotion than the product, but factoring them into the cost of an initial trial is basic accounting. Shop around and don’t be afraid to ask vendors if they’ll match their competitors’ offers.
Be the same kind of shopper you want your prospects to be. Know your situation and the nature of what you’re buying. Working leads is a game of margins and you can’t control your costs unless you understand them.
Bottom line, there isn’t a clear answer to the question “How much do insurance leads cost?”. The best way to find out is to submit a pricing & availability request form to a reputable provider, or pick up the phone and call one in order to get an idea of pricing based on the types of leads you want, how many you want, any specific geographies you are looking for, etc. To connect with a reputable insurance leads company, click here to view our list of favorite lead vendors.