10 Reasons Why Every Agent MUST Have A Website

How often do you catch yourself saying, “No, I don’t have a website: I’ve been meaning to”? If you’ve ever thought about how your business could benefit from a website but still haven’t made the leap online…here are 10 essential reasons why EVERY agent absolutely, no-ifs-ands-or-buts has to have a website!

1. Your prospects assume you have one. These days consumers expect businesses that are serious about doing business to be on the web. A website is a convenient, often interactive source of product information, business hours, contact information and more. A website demonstrates credibility and builds trust between you and your prospects. Need more proof that the internet is becoming an indispensable part of your prospects’ lives? On any given day there are about 94 million U.S. adults online – and they’re not just checking their email. In fact, 56% of men and 33% of women go online for their financial information (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2005).
   
   
2. Your competition hopes you don’t have one. In a tight market a website really makes a difference. Think about it: When a prospect has the choice between your one-dimensional yellow page ad and a website that allows them to compare custom plan rates and features, who are they more likely to choose? A website attracts online insurance shoppers that are increasingly tuning out offline media– a market that you could be leaving entirely to your competitors if you don’t have one.
   
   
3. Improve your professional image. Even if you’re a one-man shop or a small office of three, a website can make you look like a large, professional operation. Not only do you get a personal domain name that you can plaster all over your print materials, you’ll also get to replace that free consumer email address with your own business’s for added branding and credibility (Ex: rrobert@xyzagency.com).
   
   
4. Generate exclusive leads. A website can be an excellent source of your own exclusive leads. And we’re not just talking about people who check out your site and give you a call. When your website is enhanced with a quote engine like Norvax’ QuoteBuilder, online shoppers enter in their personal information to view quotes – and you get the lead immediately delivered to your inbox.
   
   
5. Expand your market. Don’t limit your market to how far you feel like driving in an afternoon. A website is integral to reaching a statewide or even multi-state market right from your office. It doesn’t matter where your prospects live anymore. You can communicate with them instantly via the Internet, with your website serving as a virtual office complete with proposals and applications.
   
   
6. Less phone time educating prospects. A lot of an agent’s time is spent on the phone, going over rates and discussing the details of specific plans with each and every prospect. A website that provides prospects with carrier rates, plan specifics and basic health insurance information means the less time you have to spend educating and the closer your prospects will be to buying when you talk to them.
   
   
7. 24/7 office. When you have a website, your agency never has to shut down for lunch breaks, evenings or weekends. Online insurance shoppers do their searching at all hours of the day. If you’ve got a website with a quote engine, prospects can view and compare personalized plans and rates side by side whenever they want.
   
   
8. Save paperwork and postage. It’s not cheap to send out those heavy packets of carrier information. Plus they take days to reach your prospect - enough time for them to lose interest or be lost to a competing agent. A website lets prospects browse carrier information immediately, when their interest is highest. Plus, downloadable carrier applications are the fastest way to get an application in a prospect’s hands. Some carriers even offer e-applications which can be completed and submitted entirely via the Internet.
   
   
9. It sells policies for you. One of the most convenient features of a fully interactive website is that your prospects can find your page, run their own quotes, print out applications and apply – all online. Great for shoppers who need less assistance selecting insurance, you won’t even know you’ve made the sale until you get the check in the mail.
   
   
10. It’s affordable. A great website doesn’t cost an arm and a leg anymore. You can get a website that integrates instant quoting and lead management for less than five dollars a day. If your website makes you just one extra sale a month it pays for itself. Plus, these days a website is easy to set up. You can get one with a lead-generating, time-saving quote engine up and running in less than 48 hours.

The bottom line: If you want an easier, faster way for you and your customers to send and receive information, proposals and applications, then you’ve got to get a website.

Interested in getting your own site? Learn more here.