Referrals are an important source of new business for most insurance agencies – your potential clients trust recommendations from people – especially those who they know. But, how do you go about getting more referrals? Here are some ideas that have worked for many of your peers.
Implement a system to gather online reviews. Online reviews on Google My Business and Facebook are powerful forms of social proof that are becoming increasingly more important.
-
- Decide where you want to gather reviews for your agency.
- Claim and fill out your profile completely on key review sites.
- Collect the links to your agency’s profile on your selected review sites and include them in a follow up email after they have purchased insurance coverage with you..
Attend in person networking events. Despite all that is happening online, there are still some old-fashioned networking opportunities happening – BNI, rotary, chamber of commerce, as well as other less formal, local business community groups. While the exact process varies, expert networkers agree on the following winning strategies:
- Engage fellow networkers on what they do and what their value proposition is. Avoid making it all about you.
- Actively make introductions between fellow networkers.
- Use the first meeting as an opportunity to set up a future date to meet to learn more about each other and discuss how you might work together in the future.
Find referral partnerships. Teaming up with real estate professionals, attorneys, car sales people and others can be excellent referral sources, as long as both parties benefit from the relationship.
Don’t forget the Ask. The importance of the ask cannot be overstated. Despite providing WOW service, your best referral source may not think to send business your way. Whether asked in person, in your email signature or in your newsletter, clients will likely need some motivation to go out of their way to give you a referral.
Bottom line. An effective referral strategy for your insurance agency can be an essential source of quality leads. Having a consistent stream of referrals can make client acquisition much easier than trying to go it alone. With a consistent and thorough approach wrapped into your day-to-day activities, your agency will be well on its way to getting more referrals.