Knowledge and Desire - the Ingredients Needed to Sell Insurance on the Web

    Let's take the latter first. Desire. I have designed many agency web sites. Some have done well. Some have not done so well. The designs were basically the same, so something was different between the agencies. What I found over time, was that the site which had success also had agents which saw the potential in it - and who were willing to invest substantial amounts of time, and modest amounts of resources in making sure their web sites worked. That meant that these agents did some things on a regular basis:

1. They were working with search engines to make sure their web pages were submitted regularly.
2. They were always trying to improve their placement in the search engines by looking at the competition's pages, changing their emphasis and code to get more viewers, and adding pages and products that sold well on the web.
3. They were always doing other types of advertising to get visitors to their site (such as adding their site to the yellow page ad they had; mailing out stuffers to existing clients; putting up posters; doing e-mail campaigns, etc.
4. They were hungry to read more about computers and the Internet to see if they could learn other ways to improve their web site and add features that people would use (such as loan calculators, an insurance glossary, a question and answer area, etc.)

   In short - the agents that have been able to sell from their web sites had something that cannot be done "automatically" - and that was the DESIRE to make their sites succeed. Of course, that desire involved time - their personal time. But I know of no other way to really get your agency web site "pumped up a notch". It has to come from "within".

The other thing you must have to make sales from your agency web site is KNOWLEDGE. Firstly, you need a good web site that is designed in such a way so as to foster sales. If you don't know what that means, I would suggest you read my book (details below) before making ANY investment in getting your site up and running. If you already have a web site, I still suggest you read my book to find out whether your current web site can work for you or not! Chances are, your site is NOT designed well (95% of the sites I look at for customers are NOT built in a way that will bring customers in), and will actually hinder sales. You need to know why customers going to a search engine, and entering "California SR 22 filing", will pull up my web site. And you need to know why someone going to a search engine and entering in "California contractor license bond" will find my site. Go ahead and try it... there are REASONS why consumers will and will not find your agency - and if you will take the time to gain that knowledge the Internet will work for you. Even if I were to design a web site for you - which would be a good one - over time, changes and additions would have to be made after you study the competition, to move you up in the search engine rankings and make you more findable.

One of the things you will learn when you get knowledge is that there are VERY FEW agencies that have either the knowledge or the desire to make sales. That is good news for YOU! The competition is relatively small which makes the Internet one of the very few places where the smaller agent can compete with the bigger one and WIN! Stir up the DESIRE. Get the KNOWLEDGE. Once you have both, there is no stopping you!

In my book, "Selling Insurance on the Internet" I give you a nuts and bolts plan for an agency web site starting from ground zero to the end of the sales process. You can get that book using the order link below.

Or if you want information on how to get a quality agency web site (including a home page and quote forms for up to 12 lines of coverage for only $500.00 complete), hosting services for your web site (starting at only $5.00 a month), or any other facts about your agency site, contact me (502-445-2382) and I will be glad to consult with you and hopefully stir up your "DESIRE" - as always, at no charge!

(Gary Savelli is President of Internet Sales of Basic West Insurance Agency in San Francisco, CA, technology convention speaker, twice winner of the "idea of the year" award at the AAACO Convention, and professional html computer programmer. Gary's book "Selling Insurance on the Internet" originally published by IIAA/Rough Notes is available at his website for only $25.00 at: Selling Insurance on the Internet Book Purchase".)