by Michael Levy

For 10 years, I worked with many types of leads as a producing agent. When I began my career, I used return-mail generated leads, but eventually switched to telemarketed leads. I continued to branch out and try new lead sources; unfortunately most left me frustrated. Finally, I began to have success with the Internet-generated lead. In my opinion, these leads have proven to be the best. I am still intimately involved in the Internet lead generation business, but no longer as an agent. I now limit my time to generating these leads.

Respond Quickly
It's imperative to call the lead immediately and as many times as necessary to get in touch. The faster you call them the more interested they will be. Check for new leads often. Also, do not be surprised if it takes many phone calls (four or more) to get in touch with a lead. People are often hard to get in touch with these days and they are prone to screening calls through voicemail.

Leave a Voicemail that Creates Urgency
Give the lead a good reason to call back by leaving a strong voicemail message. Good reasons include anything that will instill a sense of urgency, such as saving money or an approaching deadline before the increase of policy fees or rates, age nearest, etc. Always tell them that you specialize in what they have asked for. A high-quality voicemail message that you have practiced to perfection is paramount.

Sound Good on the Phone
Have you ever tape recorded your phone calls and listened to them? If you haven't, you may have cost yourself a lot of money. It is almost impossible to sound your best without hearing yourself and making the necessary corrections. Record all of your calls and review them as often as possible at the end of the day. Learn what sounds good and what does not. Use this information to craft the best answers and responses to objections.

Note: Almost all states require only one-party notification when it comes to taping phone calls. That means you can tape the conversation without the lead knowing. It isn't wrong and is invaluable for your own training and harmless to the lead. After all, the only person who will ever hear it is you, and what you are saying is what you are most concerned with.

Add Value, Then Meet
Become a consultant and give immediate value. Be prepared to provide some initial information over the phone. Ask the lead enough questions about what they are trying to accomplish so that it's justifiable to ask for an appointment (many agents have been trained to set an appointment first before quoting prices).

The key is to start with a simple needs analysis over the phone, give a quick quote that can be further refined and then explain that to give a better quote you need to do a full needs analysis. Furthermore, this analysis will be most efficient if done in person. This brings us to one of the most important tools in the business.

Use Your Office
It's ironic that so many agents and agencies have beautiful offices and yet when it comes to meeting clients, they drive outside the office for the initial meeting. The result is that the leads never get to see an impressive office that was built with them in mind. Agents assume that going to the lead's home or office makes it more likely for them to get the appointment and the sale. It's just the opposite, if they come to see you, you will make the sale 90% of the time.

If they don't show up or can't come to you, you can offer to make a "special trip." This raises your chances of success over setting an initial appointment at their house or office. To those of you who haven't tried it before, this may seem counter-intuitive. To those who use this strategy right now, you are probably nodding your head in agreement!

If used properly, these tips can be very beneficial to your business. Getting a lead does not mean that you will be getting a sale handed to you. Your hard work and effort is the driving force behind your success.

Michael Levy is the chairman and founder of MostChoice.com, a national inbound-only lead service for insurance, mortgage, and real estate agents. Mike was one of the first Internet.