Who Has A Website or Blog?

Alston

Guru
1000 Post Club
I'm looking for agents who would like to get free leads in exchange for linking to my website. I have a lead generation site that generates leads for about 2 dozen personal and business lines of insurance.

A link on your website that promotes insurance quotes for states that you don't work in and/or lines of insurance that you don't offer can generate leads I can send to other agents. You'll get cash or free leads in exchange for the valid leads you send me.

Your visitors will see a disclaimer that indicates that another agent will service them if they live outside of your servicing area.

Also, if you don't have a questionnaire on your site, your visitors can use the questionnaire on my site. They will see your name and number on my site and you will get any "round-trip" leads for free.

Please send me a private message if interested.

What kind of success are you having with your site? Do you have any promotional tips? I'll post some of my tips later if this thread gets any activity.
 
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A link on your website that promotes insurance quotes for states that you don't work in and/or lines of insurance that you don't offer can generate leads I can send to other agents. You'll get cash or free leads in exchange for the valid leads you send me.

Your visitors will see a disclaimer that indicates that another agent will service them if they live outside of your servicing area.

Also, if you don't have a questionnaire on your site, your visitors can use the questionnaire on my site. They will see your name and number on my site and you will get any "round-trip" leads for free..

I don't know, but there is just something that does not pass my 'smell test' about this... and not just Alston's endeavor but the whole "let's make money on leads" thing.

This is my opinion and my opinion only. I think a site of a professional becomes cheapened... if not even sleazy... when there are Google ads on it and/or when there is a "get a free quote even if not in my territory" function on the site.

My site gets a lot of traffic because I wrote a hard-hitting monograph that people (for some weird reason) seem to like and pass along to friends. To be honest, I don't want people to think I'm pimping for Alston or InsureME or anyone else. If someone fills out my form, they get ME... not ten other agents they never heard of. I get people from other states contact me... and I personally call them and refer them to someone (often from this board) whom I know will do a good job for them.... or I refer them to someone like John who knows 'everyone" and who will refer them a 'good' agent. (Of course that 'good agent' will reciprocate to me when he has a lead he can't help.)

And more than once that out-of-state prospect was so 'touched' that I called them and took the time to find out about their situtaion that they referred ME to a friend or relative in CA. Of course I always ask for that. So I don't WANT to give away 'leads' even if I can't service them directly. Everyone knows someone in CA... and I want to be that someone's agent if I can. It won't happen if ten other agents call the prospect.

And another thing. Our name, our reputation, and our integrity are on the line every day. What is someone going to think of you if they fill out the form and get some sleaze-bag agent? Sure, the prospect may be 1,000 miles away... but you can bet they have a friend or relative in your area or close by.

And just how MUCH money are you going to really make from an affiliate program? Is it worth what you get? And how much is Alston (or others who do this) going to get? If you want to make Alston and/or the lead generation companies rich, that is your business, but as for myself, I just don't see the upside compared to the downside.

I'm not telling anyone that they should or should not participate in this plan. I'm only saying why I don't do it.... and I only hope that those considering it will think about it and not be lured by promises of what I think will be false riches.

Leads are the life-blood of our industry. Why give them away for pennies when you can make dollars on them? I don't understand it.

Al
Adams-Blake Insurance Solutions
 
Al:

Please take this as constructive criticism. Try to say what you need to say in less than a page or two. Most of us just skim long posts. The only thing we needed to know was at the end where you said you weren't interested.

Rick
 
I don't know, but there is just something that does not pass my 'smell test' about this... and not just Alston's endeavor but the whole "let's make money on leads" thing.

This is my opinion and my opinion only. I think a site of a professional becomes cheapened... if not even sleazy... when there are Google ads on it and/or when there is a "get a free quote even if not in my territory" function on the site.

My site gets a lot of traffic because I wrote a hard-hitting monograph that people (for some weird reason) seem to like and pass along to friends. To be honest, I don't want people to think I'm pimping for Alston or InsureME or anyone else. If someone fills out my form, they get ME... not ten other agents they never heard of. I get people from other states contact me... and I personally call them and refer them to someone (often from this board) whom I know will do a good job for them.... or I refer them to someone like John who knows 'everyone" and who will refer them a 'good' agent. (Of course that 'good agent' will reciprocate to me when he has a lead he can't help.)

And more than once that out-of-state prospect was so 'touched' that I called them and took the time to find out about their situtaion that they referred ME to a friend or relative in CA. Of course I always ask for that. So I don't WANT to give away 'leads' even if I can't service them directly. Everyone knows someone in CA... and I want to be that someone's agent if I can. It won't happen if ten other agents call the prospect.

And another thing. Our name, our reputation, and our integrity are on the line every day. What is someone going to think of you if they fill out the form and get some sleaze-bag agent? Sure, the prospect may be 1,000 miles away... but you can bet they have a friend or relative in your area or close by.

And just how MUCH money are you going to really make from an affiliate program? Is it worth what you get? And how much is Alston (or others who do this) going to get? If you want to make Alston and/or the lead generation companies rich, that is your business, but as for myself, I just don't see the upside compared to the downside.

I'm not telling anyone that they should or should not participate in this plan. I'm only saying why I don't do it.... and I only hope that those considering it will think about it and not be lured by promises of what I think will be false riches.

Leads are the life-blood of our industry. Why give them away for pennies when you can make dollars on them? I don't understand it.

Al
Adams-Blake Insurance Solutions

Nice looking site you got there Al. Did you design that insurance site yourself?
 
Al:

Please take this as constructive criticism. Try to say what you need to say in less than a page or two. Most of us just skim long posts. The only thing we needed to know was at the end where you said you weren't interested.

Rick

You could have PMd me on this... which would have been the proper and genteel way to handle it. But you wanted to make a point in public.... maybe embarrass me... or maybe pick a fight.... "constructively, of course." So let me do the same and ask you to take this "constructively"... KMA.

I will write the way I write... as long or as short as I please. You have the option to not read anything I post. Indeed, I rather hope that you exercise that option.

Al
 
You could have PMd me on this... which would have been the proper and genteel way to handle it. But you wanted to make a point in public.... maybe embarrass me... or maybe pick a fight.... "constructively, of course." So let me do the same and ask you to take this "constructively"... KMA.

I will write the way I write... as long or as short as I please. You have the option to not read anything I post. Indeed, I rather hope that you exercise that option.

Al
Just as you posted awhile ago about one word posts, I was sincere in making the constructive.

I certainly haven't been nasty to you personally. Others have questioned if you are indeed in insurance but I certainly have not done anything like that.

If you want to think you're being picked on, so be it. By the way, please post what KMA means. I'm apparently not as computer literate as you and I know you would not make any personal attack as I would have report your post to a moderator. Aside from a little sign language, I only speak English. If you have something to say, just say it.

Al, you and I had a disagreement about coverage awhile back. You chose to take it personally. You chose to take my criticism of a very long "letter" you posted personally. Then you called me out.

You owe me (and likely others on this forum) an apology for the personal attack. How about it? How about a public apology for what you just did?

Rick
 
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Nice looking site you got there Al. Did you design that insurance site yourself?

I'm flattered... but are you kidding? Who has the time for that? I used a $50 utility for the Mac called Rapidweaver. It took me about two days to write the content. I stole (fair and square!) the question-form from John P. I also got some of the 'resource' content from a few other sources (with permission). It was a full two days of work... and that was that.

The simple blue theme I use is just one of the many templates that Rapidweaver has. With RW you pick the theme and the rest is basically a "fill in the blanks" methodology and it generates all the 'stuff.' A 10 year old could do it. My website is a "quick and dirty" effort. One of these days I'll get around to making it really "good" by hiring a pro. The pros take a year and a day to finish something and RW let me have most of the site up and running in a few hours.

I'm sure there are some excellent "rapid website development' utilities for Windows as well. I know a lot of folks who are using a CMS (content management system) like WordPress for their websites. I use phpNUKE for our Jaya123 site. It's ugly has hell, but again, I didn't want it good... I wanted it Tuesday!

Al
Insurancesolutions123.com
 
Al, you and I had a disagreement about coverage awhile back. You chose to take it personally. You chose to take my criticism of a very long "letter" you posted personally. Then you called me out.

I have no idea what you are talking about.

I sometimes take things on this board personally... we all do. But I try to remember that this is just a web board and no one here is 'god.'

I might have called you a lot of things... but 'out' is not one of them.

Again, I don't know what your issue is.... and to be honest I'm not all that interested.

Studies have shown that the collective memory of any Internet 'community' as prolific as this one is about 48 hours. Everyone forgives and forgets. No mater how big the online food-fight, after about two days everyone is friends again. It's true.

You owe me (and likely others on this forum) an apology for the personal attack. How about it? How about a public apology for what you just did?
Fine. If you felt personally attacked by something I posted, I apologize. I'm not sure for what... but I have no ego here. You've got the right to post what you want about me or anything else... and you seem to exercise that right quite often. I feel I have the same right... but maybe not.

I don't care. This is a web board... not real life.

It's all good.

Al
 
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Fine. If you felt personally attacked by something I posted, I apologize. I'm not sure for what...

Al, if you are going to apologize, then just do it. When I apologize, I do it like a mench.

I also asked you what KMA means. If you have something to actually say, have the balls to say it.

Rick
 
Al, if you are going to apologize, then just do it. When I apologize, I do it like a mench.

I don't don't know where you are coming from, nor do I know where you are going with all this. Can't we just get along?

I also asked you what KMA means.
It's a version of KOTC :laugh:

OK, maybe I went too far with you, given what I perceive are some anger management issues you have.

Rick, I'm sorry if you are upset. But you have a way about you of pissing people off... even better than me... and I thought I was the best at it.

You come into a public venue and tell me my posts are too long when it really should have been a private message. How am I supposed to take that? I'm really supposed to CARE what you think of my literary style? Well I don't, so I told you to 'kiss off." And I'm not REALLY sorry for it, because you had it coming. But I am sorry that you've gone off the deep end on this. I just wanted to let you know that you were really out of line... constructive or not. And I did. And now you are even more pissed than you were earlier. I didn't see that coming... and I AM sorry for that.

Give it up. Walk away. It's just not worth it. We don't know each other, we don't work with each other, we don't live near each other, we're probably never going to meet each other.... and we're probably never going to agree with each other.

Let's just agree to disagree on everything from here on out, and just co-exist.

I'm sorry for what I said, I'm sure you are sorry for what you said (although I can't remember that either) and so let's just both be sorry for ourselves and for each other (making us a sorry lot!) and move on and enjoy our lives.

We good with that? (I just know someone will post "Get a room!" and we probably deserve that!)

Al
 
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