Q: How long have you been in the insurance business?
A: My one-year anniversary (with NetQuote) was on May 9, and I’ve been in the business for four years now.

Q: What types of insurance do you sell?
A: My agency focuses on auto and home.

Q: What is one of the secrets to your agency’s success?
A: Growing our business one piece (one product line) at a time – and being persistent with this growth plan.

Q: Why do you use online leads?
A: Direct mail is, what, 1-2% at best? And going to events takes a lot of time, so you can’t build a referral network overnight. You have to hit the road with a bang and go after people who are looking today for insurance – customers that are actively shopping and ready for a quote. Then we can keep our energy in check and just run with those (prospects) coming to us.

Q: What is your #1 tip for managing online leads?
A: Persistence is critical. You’re not going to close 100‰. You’ve got to be committed. It (the sales process) takes time and goes in cycles. Don’t give up (on a lead) before it’s time.

Q: Do you use an agency management, lead management, or rating system?
A: We use the EZLynx rater.

Q: Are you integrated with NetQuote?
A: Yes.

Q: Is this (NetQuote-EZLynx) integration beneficial?
A: It’s huge! There’s no data entry. We don’t have to retype in all those leads. We use the time that we save to respond more quickly to our customers and prospects.

Q: What is your #1 tip for growing your business?
A: Number one is selling your customer, and number two is retaining your customer. The key is making sure that you educate your customer about your business… your service offerings, applicable laws, what they’re buying, state-specific guidelines… all the in’s and out’s. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer, make that personal connection, and keep them (your customers) with you.

Q: Do you have any parting words of wisdom?
A: I have a story. In the 1800’s there was a gold miner new to the Colorado mountains. He finds a significant vein and starts digging, but the find goes dry. He gives up after only a short time and sells it in a local bar for one-tenth of what he bought it for. The new miner is patient and makes a major find, only six inches to the left of the original vein. It was one of biggest finds in Colorado history. So be patient, crunch away, keep plugging, be aware of potential dry spells, and be persistent!