Generating insurance leads on the Internet is an ever-changing symphony of movements that requires our orchestra of marketing and website assets to be finely tuned to meet consumer expectations. Any wrong note will send even the most committed consumer running for the doors. As InsWeb engages consumers for 15 minutes or more to complete an extensive quote form, our experience shows that there are two notes that consumers do not want to hear during the “shopping sonata”: Social Security and driver’s license number.

With the proliferation of the Internet as a tool for managing personal finances, Americans have become wary of providing any type of personal information over the Web. In fact, according to a study by USAToday, people are more afraid of having their identity stolen than they are of losing their jobs. This explains the devastating lead volume drop-off we experienced in the past when we requested Social Security and driver’s license numbers in our auto insurance quote form. Even under the less invasive guise of making the field “optional,” the consumer abandonment rate was still overwhelming. In those leads that were submitted, we discovered that consumers were providing invalid Social Security numbers in order to obtain what they really wanted: a selection of quoting companies and agents.

We’ve learned from our participating agents that consumers are willing to supply their Social Security numbers, but, only during the final application process when working directly with the agent or company. Appropriately, collecting such personal information is easier after the agent follows-up the lead and effectively establishes trust with the consumer. During your introduction, it serves your best interests to volunteer your professional designations including your license number to support your credibility.

Since AgentInsider’s launch, we have listened to your feedback and responsively developed the program to truly become an integral part of your marketing initiatives. Although AgentInsider™ does not collect Social Security and driver’s license numbers, the motivated leads still provide over 30 points of consumer information for auto leads, and over 90 points of information for homeowners leads. With more than enough information to quickly generate a competitive quote and cross-sell proposition, AgentInsider™ leads are supported by a guarantee that the contact information of the consumer is accurate.

As you open that next AgentInsider™ lead and begin to work it, remember that although it may not contain every data element that you would like, the lead does contain enough information to generate a sale. Furthermore, by keeping the lead cost down, even though it may take a couple extra leads to book a policy, you will quickly find that the overall acquisition cost and ROI is far more effective than any other traditional insurance lead source.