All about Filters: Targeting Leads You Can Write
Have you felt the frustration of paying for leads you can't use? Do you wish there was a way to eradicate certain leads from ever reaching your inbox?
By placing filters on your referrals, you can control the type of leads you receive—allowing you to target the profitable leads you need to expand your business. Read on to learn what filters can do for you!
Understanding Filters
Essentially, filters are restrictions that you place on the referrals you receive. If a lead does not fit the characteristics you've chosen, the database will not match you with that particular lead, instead pairing you with referrals that fit your criteria.
While many agents choose to go without filters, not applying them can result in the receipt of unqualified leads—taking away from your business and your wallet.
An established, successful service offers an expansive list of filters to apply to auto, health, life, long-term care and home insurance leads—allowing you to receive the best leads in your area(s) of choice.
While InsureMe's list of filters is too extensive to include here, common filters for the abovementioned areas include the following:
- Claim frequency
- Number of at-fault accidents
- Pre-existing health conditions
- Tobacco restrictions
- History of previous insurance
- Income requirements
- Credit score
The more fine-tuned your filters are, the more precise your leads will be, providing you with the leads you need and weeding out the ones you don't!
Choosing Your Filters
Now that you're familiar with how filters work, how do you know which filters are best for you?
In order to select the right filters, you'll want to get a firm grasp on your agency's underwriting guidelines. Can you cover drivers with alcohol-related claims? Can you insure a homeowner who has poor credit? Starting with filters for the uninsurable will help you target leads you can write.
Once you've established filters for the uninsurable, you may wish to set filters for your particular niche. Perhaps you'd only like to receive auto leads from men over the age of 25, or life leads from folks earning a particular salary. You may use filters to tailor leads to your areas of interest—and funnel out the rest.
Troubleshooting
You've set your filters, and yet you're still receiving the occasional unqualified lead. What gives?
Truthfully, the occasional "bad" lead may crop up from time to time—no technology can keep 100 percent of consumers from fibbing on their applications. Even so, there are a few additional measures you can take to ensure that you receive only the best referrals:
Auto
If you seem to be receiving auto leads with poor credit—despite setting credit requirements—you may want to set a filter for leads requesting minimum amounts of liability coverage. Statistically, folks with poor credit tend to shoot for the state-required coverages.Home
You can clean up your homeowner's leads by raising the dwelling coverage or filtering out certain geographic areas, thereby eliminating leads from certain zip codes.Life
Setting a filter for an increased death benefit is likely to yield more leads from insurance-savvy consumers, most of whom will fall at the good end of the credit spectrum.Health
Take advantage of filters for minimum and maximum body mass index (BMI) and pre-exisisting conditions to receive the most qualified health leads.
When filters are used correctly, all agents should enjoy success with their leads—as long as their customer service is up to par and their rates stay competitive!
See What Filters Can Do For You!
Find out how thousands of agents use filters stay successful with insurance leads. Contact your customer relations manager or log in to your online account to apply your filters today!
This information was provided by InsureMe, the leader in online insurance leads for the insurance industry. Since 1993, InsureMe has helped thousands of insurance agents succeed in the insurance business by providing top quality leads that are both detailed and affordable. For more information on InsureMe leads, please visit our agent Web site at agent.insureme.com
