The CRM for Insurance Agents: A Step-by-Step Guide

Marketing, Sales, Technology Trends

More than 90% of companies with more than 11 employees use a CRM to manage their business better. This includes insurance agencies – yet a targeted CRM for insurance agents can be hard to find and can be even harder to implement.

Independent insurance agents using the Partner Platform agency management system are looking for a CRM that fits their agency-specific needs. They’re looking for a CRM that:

• Builds a meaningful pipeline and tracks it in a single system
• Uses shared information to deliver meaningful coaching to producers
• Better manages companies by providing insights into why “Company A” responded to a quote while “Company B” did not
• Increases understanding of lead sources and win percentage

…all within the unique constructs of independent insurance agency operations. When confronted with this challenge, we suggest agencies take the following steps to bring the right CRM into their agency.

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1. Identify the right system

Independent agencies are unique in how they sell and manage new business.  Your CRM system should reflect how you do business and provide structure for greater efficiency and improved results.

 A quality CRM experience starts with a system that integrates with your agency management system. Once you have an integrated CRM, the next step is to ensure customizable workflows, dashboards, and reporting, along with high-quality training and support. With full system integration, customization, and continued support, your agency has a solid base for successful CRM usage.  

2. Audit and clean your data

Up to 30% of data stored in CRMs is considered “not useful” to the businesses that use it. That useless data usually stems from database neglect, with agencies declining to clean data before transferring it to their CRM. If you start with clean data, you’ve already saved dozens of hours of backtracking and deleting or editing incomplete or outdated information. Save yourself the headache and get ahead of data cleansing.

Learn more about the power of data and how to leverage it in your agency

3. Structure data to work for you

Think about how you want to use your CRM to align processes with sales activity. Do you want to look at producer progress? See how one industry responds to messaging versus another sector? Are you looking to identify lead sources and win percentages?

Your answers will determine your CRM structuring: naming conventions, critical data fields, and reporting, among other areas. Identify these structures at the onset to avoid confusion and eliminate backtracking to rename misallocated information or find lost data.

4. Identify prospect segments and test how best to reach them

Data segmentation and grouping is the hallmark of a CRM. Identify segments within your data and begin organizing. Segments include prospects in the same geographic location, businesses by industry, current versus lost customers, and a host of others.

Once you segment your data, you can determine and implement targeted outreach tactics for each group. The more segmentation you have, the easier it is to understand how different groups respond to tactics. Segmentation can also help you identify niche markets so you can pursue clients in those markets and communicate your value.

See what steps to take for successful insurance prospecting in your agency

Gain the Prospecting Tools and Training You Need with Partner Platform

Get the customization, integration, and training you need to get the most out of your CRM with Partner Platform.

Our integrated experience means all you need is a single data transfer to access our agency management system and Producer Results Manager CRM among other tools. This all-in-one system provides data and training consistency, ensuring your entire agency is connected within one solution, improving your selling process and results.  

Discover more about our sales and marketing solutions here. And, get in touch at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6 to connect with our team.