InsuranceLeads.com Blog by Insurance Agent

If you've ever purchased leads from a bulk source before, you've probably come across the occasional assertion that a certain company's leads are “100% exclusive;” that is, they're advertised as being available only to one buyer, ostensibly with the intention that the individual prospect is only ever contacted by one agent in response to their interest in a given line of insurance. All it really takes to realize that this exclusivity can't possibly exist is a bit of experience on the internet, or in the offline world, for that matter. When people shop around for insurance quotes and look for information, they rarely if ever stay in one place. Prospects looking for insurance products are very likely to enter their information at multiple points of collection, whether it's an online questionnaire, a response to an email, an in-person survey, or any other venue.

As a result, leads sources that make promises about the exclusivity of their leads are, well, leading you on. They might not sell their leads to more than one client on their own end, but this does nothing to prevent other agents and brokers from accessing a prospect's information, and so the highly coveted exclusive label is forfeited as a matter of course. It can be tempting to buy into the idea of exclusive leads, but you're likely only paying a premium for a perk that doesn't actually exist –something that can cut a serious margin out of your profits, even if you convert at remarkably high rates. I didn't expect to see a claim of exclusivity when I joined InsuranceLeads.com, and I didn't find one, either.

The company is actually nicely upfront about their leads distribution policies, and when I've requested information on how many agents have received a given lead, I've been told, without any argumentativeness or sidetracking. While the leads at InsuranceLeads.com are shared among a small number of agents, the company does offer carrier and agency exclusivity in certain situations, so I can be sure that when I'm representing a certain product, I'm not the second, third, or fourth agent who has contacted a prospect with the same pitch. This policy helps keep leads fresh and interested without assuming any false notion of exclusivity. It's a transparent feature that I've come to appreciate during my use of the leads, as I'd rather have accurate and straightforward information than pay for lip service when it comes to trying to make a profit.

I've never gotten in touch with a lead I purchased from InsuranceLeads.com only to be told that another agent from my company had already contacted them, or that they'd already turned down the sale of the policy I have in mind for them. And in the end, that's really all the exclusivity I need. If I have a choice between working with an honest and transparent company with reasonable practices or one that sells itself based on unrealistic claims, I'll take the former any day.