Hi [FNAME],

It's autumn again and we get nearer and nearer to the hectic holiday season.  With the pronounced change in seasons comes colder days, earlier nights, and for some a general sense of slowing down.

Inevitably, the number of leads decreases as the number of potential shoppers decreases, but we assure that we are continually working day and night (which falls before 5:00 here) to see to it that we can provide you with a nice, steady volume of the highest-quality leads in the business.

As the volume slows down, I suggest you use this time to evaluate and tweak your sales methods for internet leads.  There may be a bit more time to experiment and quantify the results for different methods.

I spoke with an agent last week who mentioned that he started an internal office contest on November 1st.  Three teams of two people each to work the leads.  Each one came up with their own methods and own experiments.  Whoever closed the highest percentage of leads was taken to lunch by the other two teams.  I hear its a lobster lunch too!  Isn't it amazing how hard we work to get a free lunch from our co-workers?  It's great motivation and a great learning tool.

The most important lesson that I think will result from this experiment will be that different things work for different people.  Allow your staff to get a little creative and they just may surprise you.

So enjoy the crisp air, fall foliage, and your time with family and friends this fall.  But also use the slight down time as a catalyst to a great 2006.

Till next time,

Matt McWilliams
Vice-President, Customer Relations
615-794-5870

[FNAME], As you hopefully saw, we now offer health insurance leads, in addition to our originals home, auto, and renters, and recently launched life leads. To sign up for health leads click here and you can choose the zip codes and filters you want. Like all of our leads, you can customize the health leads to what works best for you.

Areas are indeed going fast and we are selling them the fairest way we know how: first come, first serve.

So get signed up today!

From a State Farm agent in Kansas

I make sure to look at four basic things in a lead, when trying to learn something about a person.  Occupation, Street Address, and Age are the most common ones and I will touch on those briefly before moving on to the least common, but sometimes, most telling piece of information. 

Occupation - Obviously a person's occupation is important because you know what the heck this person does for 8-10 hours a day.  Did you do the same thing 15 years ago?  If so, tell them!  I can almost always find something in common with a prospective client's profession.  Either I have done it, my spouse did, or I have a close friend (or client even) in his or her profession.  I have yet to meet a taxidermist though. 

Street Address - Do you know someone who lives near them?  Were you able to help a neighbor save on his or her insurance?  Use that information to your advantage!

Age - I have 3 staff currently.  Two are under the age of 30 and one is in his mid-40's.  I try as much as possible to delegate the leads to the person that can most relate to the lead.  Not to say that I can't, but quite frankly, I handle my peers a lot better than my son's peers (he is a senior in college...)

And the last thing...

The Email Address - You can learn a lot by examining a person's email address quickly.  Of course , if the email address is fred@yahoo.com, that does not tell you a whole heck of a lot.  But if the email address is tennisguy42@yahoo.com or ratherbefishing@aol.com, you have now learned something about them that you cannot learn any other way (at least on paper)   Take a moment to ask about his tennis game or his favorite fishing trip.  I have used this little trick to start some interesting conversations, and close a lot of deals!

Do you have a tip that you would like to share?  Simply send an email to agenttips@hometownquotes.com and if your tip is chosen, you will receive $50 in free leads!

We have added Group Health Insurance leads to our line-up.  In carrying on our tradition of the highest quality leads possible at affordable prices, I wanted to let you know that as a special introductory offer, we are cutting our base Group Health lead prices by 20% from now until March 1,
2006 (3 months worth) for any agent that signs up before Friday, December 11.

If you are interested in signing up click here to apply as an agent for your area.  Right now, for Group Health leads, we have almost every area of the country open for all agents, and regardless of what the car salesman says, inventory is not running out.  But, why miss out on the special introductory offer?  So, apply today and either myself or another representative will contact you shortly to discuss things in more detail.