Help Center
Insurance Lead Generation Help Center
Clear answers to common questions about buying, receiving, working and measuring insurance leads, inbound calls and live transfers.
Getting Started
What is an insurance lead?
An insurance lead is information about a consumer who has shown interest in coverage and may be contacted by a licensed agent. It can arrive as a web form, an inbound call or a live transfer. See web leads vs calls vs transfers.
What is the difference between a lead and an inbound call?
A web lead is a record your agent has to contact. An inbound call is a consumer who dialed a number and is already on the line when they reach your agent.
What is a live transfer?
A live transfer is a consumer who is screened by an intake rep, then connected to your agent while still on the call. See how insurance leads flow.
Which lead format is best for a new agent?
It depends on your schedule and skills. Calls and transfers need you to be available to answer. Web leads need quick response and steady follow-up. Our new agent guides help you decide.
How much lead volume should an agency start with?
Start with only as much as your team can work quickly and thoroughly. Increase volume once your contact rate and close rate hold steady.
How should agencies test a new lead source?
Set a fixed budget and test period, track every lead in your CRM with its source, use the same follow-up process, and compare results on cost per acquisition.
Pricing & Budgeting
What determines insurance lead cost?
Vertical, lead format, state, qualification, exclusivity, volume, consumer intent, delivery method and seasonality. See the Medicare lead cost guide for an example.
Why do different insurance verticals cost different amounts?
Advertiser competition, the size of the eligible audience, commission levels and seasonality all differ by vertical.
How do I calculate my maximum affordable lead cost?
Work out the net revenue each opportunity produces after expected conversion, chargebacks and operating costs. The Lead Cost & ROI Calculator does this for you.
What is cost per acquisition?
Cost per acquisition (CPA) is your lead spend divided by the number of sales it produced.
Why is CPL not enough to judge a campaign?
A cheap lead that rarely connects or closes can cost more per sale than an expensive one. Compare sources on CPA and ROI.
How should I budget for a lead test?
Choose an amount you can afford to learn with, fix the test length, and judge on CPA. See building your first lead budget.
Lead Quality & Types
What makes an insurance lead high quality?
Genuine intent, proper consent, accurate contact details, freshness, exclusivity where promised, and fit with what you sell. See the lead quality guide.
What is an exclusive insurance lead?
A lead or call sold to only one buyer.
What is a shared insurance lead?
A lead sold to more than one buyer, so several agencies may contact the same consumer. Compare them in exclusive vs shared leads.
What is a real-time lead?
A lead delivered to you immediately after the consumer submits it.
What is an aged lead?
A lead sold some time after it was generated. It's usually cheaper, but harder to reach.
What information should a lead vendor provide?
Lead source, consent documentation, exclusivity terms, timestamps and the qualification criteria used. Use our vendor checklist.
How should I evaluate lead freshness?
Compare the submission timestamp with the time the lead reached your CRM, and ask whether leads are ever resold.
Calls & Live Transfers
What is an inbound insurance call?
A call a consumer places to a tracked number, which is then routed to an available agent.
How does a live transfer work?
An intake rep confirms interest and basic criteria, then connects the consumer to an available agent while they're still on the line.
What should be screened before a transfer?
Usually basic campaign criteria such as interest, state and product fit. Agree on the exact criteria with your vendor in writing.
What happens if no agent answers?
That depends on the routing setup. Calls may go to another agent, an overflow queue or be lost, so agree on rules for unanswered calls up front.
How should an agency staff live transfers?
Staff to the hours and volume you've agreed with the vendor, keep agents available during those hours, and track answer rates.
Are inbound calls better than web leads?
Neither is better for everyone. Calls suit agents who are ready to answer. Web leads suit teams with dialing and follow-up capacity.
Delivery & Technology
How are insurance leads delivered?
Typically by posting into your CRM, by email, or as calls routed to your phone system.
What is CRM lead delivery?
Leads are sent directly into your CRM so they appear instantly with their data and source.
What is an API post?
A real-time transfer of lead data from the vendor's system to yours through an API.
What is a webhook?
An automatic message sent between systems when something happens, such as a new lead arriving.
What is call routing?
The rules that decide which agent or queue receives an incoming call.
What information should agencies track in their CRM?
Lead source, timestamps, format, agent, attempts, dispositions, quotes, sales, revenue and cost. See the insurance CRM guide.
Conversion & Follow-Up
How quickly should an insurance lead be contacted?
As soon as possible. Measure your own response time and work to shorten it. See speed-to-lead.
What is speed-to-lead?
The time from a lead's submission to your first contact attempt.
How many follow-up attempts should an agency make?
Most agencies make several attempts over one to two weeks, then move leads to nurture. See the follow-up guide.
What is contact rate?
Leads contacted divided by leads received.
What is qualified conversation rate?
Qualified conversations divided by contacts.
How should agencies compare lead sources?
On contact rate, close rate, cost per acquisition and persistency, using the same definitions for every source.
Compliance & Consent
What is TCPA?
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a federal law restricting certain calls and texts, including those using autodialers or prerecorded messages. This is educational information, not legal advice.
What is DNC?
Do Not Call: the National Do Not Call Registry and internal lists of consumers who asked not to be called. This is educational information, not legal advice.
What is consent documentation?
Records showing how and when a consumer agreed to be contacted, such as a consent certificate from a web form. This is educational information, not legal advice.
What is a Scope of Appointment?
A CMS-required record of the Medicare product types a beneficiary agreed to discuss before a sales appointment. This is educational information, not legal advice.
What is a TPMO?
A Third-Party Marketing Organization: under CMS rules, an entity that markets Medicare plans on behalf of plans or agents. This is educational information, not legal advice.
Are insurance calls recorded?
Many are. CMS requires certain Medicare marketing and enrollment calls to be recorded, and many agencies record calls for quality. Recording-consent rules vary by state. This is educational information, not legal advice.
Medicare
How do Medicare leads work?
Consumers interested in Medicare coverage respond to advertising, then arrive as web leads, inbound calls or transfers to licensed agents. See Medicare leads.
What changes during Medicare AEP?
From October 15 to December 7, beneficiaries can change Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, so volume and competition rise. See the AEP guide.
ACA
How are ACA leads different from Medicare leads?
ACA leads are usually under-65 consumers shopping Marketplace coverage, often with subsidy questions and strong Open Enrollment seasonality. See ACA leads.
Final Expense
What are Final Expense leads?
Consumers, usually older adults, interested in small whole life policies to cover end-of-life costs. See Final Expense leads.
Auto Insurance
What are Auto Insurance leads?
Drivers shopping for auto coverage, delivered as web leads or inbound calls. See Auto insurance leads.
What lead formats are commonly used in each vertical?
Web leads, inbound calls and live transfers are used across Medicare, ACA, Final Expense and Auto. The mix depends on each agency's sales model.
Questions about working with FMG
For states served, exclusivity, minimum orders, replacement terms and pricing, contact our team directly so we can give you accurate, current answers.
Contact us / Request pricing →Want the full picture first? Visit the insurance leads overview.
Educational information only; not legal advice.