How To Close 16% Of Insurance Leads (Tips From Agent Mark Jameson)

Have you ever wished you could get a glimpse behind the scenes of how top insurance agents sell policies and close leads?

It’s your lucky day. We’re pulling back the curtain to share sales process tips from Mark Jameson, one of the top agents in the U.S. with his carrier. (At the bottom of the article, you’ll also have a chance to learn how Mark moved from a 7% close rate to a 16% close rate in six weeks!)

6 Tips From Mark Jameson

1. Call immediately and call often.

Don’t waste a second. If a lead doesn’t answer, call again, and make sure to follow-up if you can’t immediately get in touch. Emails right away are also important, as most leads are online at the time of the request and may not answer an unknown number. Truly, just call! And email! The name of the game here is “get the prospect on the phone!”

2. Follow-up in multiple ways and at multiple times.

Follow-up calls and emails are key to an agent’s success, Jameson says, adding that multiple times and methods are sometimes necessary. You may need multiple calls and/or emails (10 touches are sometimes required to achieve a single sale!), so don't be afraid to talk to your leads—it’s not going to hurt you if they say no.

3. Ask leads and customers about all lines of business.

Don’t just stick with one policy when you have an opportunity to bind multiple policies. Remember that multiple lines means greater customer retention for you. (You can also check out the EverQuote article, Insider Tips For Insurance Cross Selling, for eight more actionable steps on insurance cross-selling.)

4. Treat others as you would want to be treated.

Let prospects and customers hear the smile in your voice no matter what type of day you are having. Treat them as if you are always happy to talk to them—almost as if they are your friend—and be genuine.

5. Always monitor your agency's key performance indicators (KPIs).

In the hustle and bustle of running a business, agents can easily lose track of important performance indicators such as contact rate, quote rate, bind rate, and lead source ROI. If you're not keeping track of your KPIs, it's nearly impossible to assess what areas of the business that you specifically need to address. (Tweet this!)

6. Create processes to help you with the difficult parts of running a business.

From handling inbound service, to finding the time to call and follow-up with existing quotes, to making new sales and providing world class customer service—being an excellent agent can be exhausting!

To help manage all the things that go into running a successful agency, Jameson relies on processes. He schedules set times for calls, creates calendar reminders, and makes lists of hot leads and hot service work that should be completed first. He also knows that every task cannot be completely done at the end of every day—there will always be something that carries over to the next day. As frustrating as it is, not all answers can be provided on the same day—we just have to accept it and pick up again the next day.

How To Close 16% Of Insurance Leads—Get Mark’s Defined Sales Process For Free

These six tips from Mark will help you grow your agency, but there’s more. You can download Mark’s defined sales process for free! In it, you’ll learn the steps Mark and his team take to handle leads by phone, voicemail, and email from day one through months out.

¹There are both federal and state laws that address calling and texting of consumers for marketing purposes including, among other things, the use of auto dialers and/or artificial or prerecorded voice. It is important that the calls or texts you place are made in compliance with these laws, and that you properly honor opt-out or do not call requests. Failure to follow these laws can result in claims seeking significant monetary damages.