The Best Leads for My Business

May 26, 2021 | Lead Generation

Every company starts somewhere. The first step is realizing that your business needs to generate leads, as an older blog on our website explains. The next step is figuring out which prospects are best for your business. Think of “leads” as your target audience. When you generate leads, what type of leads do you want? In other words, what type of customer are you trying to reach?

This seems simple enough, but when you begin to research the types of leads you can target, it can quickly become overwhelming and confusing. To figure this out, you must first understand the types of leads. There are new leads, working leads, nurturing leads, unqualified leads, and qualified leads. Let’s get into what each of these represents.

New Leads

When a potential customer represents himself or herself as a new lead, it means you’re working with someone who doesn’t have much background information on your company, if any. It’s also possible that this person is new to insurance and unaware of everything he may need to know. But one thing is for sure: this is someone who has expressed a slight interest in your company, which could go a long way because interest is what sparks information, which could spark a sale.

This interest could be expressed by calling your company to learn more about what is offered or entering his or her email on your company’s website. A new lead will also see you as an expert in your field, so this is a great chance to present this person with the correct information to create further interest by answering any questions he may have. If you’re working with a new prospect, it’s best to present them with information that is easy to understand and a good representative of your company.

Working Them

When a potential customer represents themselves as a working lead, you’re working with someone your company has already had an active conversation with. This is someone who, after expressing interest, has continued to be in contact with your company. For example, this could be someone who has graduated from entering her email on your website to signing up for regular emails and following you on social media.

Although this prospect may not result in a sale, it opens up an avenue for you to continue to contact this customer so she can learn about your company’s offerings.

Nurturing Them

Nurturing leads represents a lot of opportunity for growth both for the customer and you as a business. If a potential customer becomes a nurturing lead, it means that the customer isn’t interested in working with you at the moment but is open to working with you based on his or her possible needs in the future. Although it may sound weird to target yourself toward those who aren’t ready to start with you immediately, this is an opportunity to grow your relationship with the customer. You can provide this customer with information that could spark his interest later.

This information can be intermittent or in bulk – weekly emails, a business card showing how the customer can contact your company again, or even quarterly newsletters.

Unqualified Leads

An unqualified lead is probably one you want to avoid and is likely not the best option for your company. When a customer represents himself or herself as unqualified, the customer isn’t interested in what your company has to offer, and this also means that the customer will not be interested in what your company offers in the future. If an unqualified prospect ends in a purchase, it becomes something else, whether a nurturing lead or a qualified one, which we will get into.

Qualified Leads

When a customer represents himself or herself as qualified, the customer has wholly expressed interest in your company and knowledge of what your company represents. This could mean the customer is knowledgeable about insurance plans or your company’s core values and goals.

This customer is also ready to purchase with your company. Qualified leads are essential because a good portion of customers are returning customers. If you have established trust with your qualified lead, it is likely that she will become a customer of yours again or could become an advocate for your company.

The best lead for your company is the prospect that flows well with your company. The best lead will also end in some sort of sales opportunity, whether seeing a service or giving information to the customer. What your company defines as sales is up to you. Think about what your company is trying to achieve when generating leads.

Are you trying to educate people who don’t know about their options with insurance? Do you want to market yourself to those who know your services and want to work with you? Or do you want someone who is in between? Each lead is different, but determining who you want to market yourself to is an excellent way to generate leads.