One problem every agency faces is finding a way to direct prospects to their Web site. As we've pointed out in these pages, the Internet is national (or global), but most agents sell locally.
Consumers have a difficult time finding local agency Web sites via search engines, online Yellow Pages, or Internet agency locators. A branded and well-promoted national agency site finder could be a solution (see our editorial in April's Sounding Line), but none exists today and the prospects aren't encouraging. Until that day arrives (if ever) City-Quote offers a solution -- at least for 1,000 or so agencies.
The City-Quote Solution
Most agency Web site URLs are based on the agency name, which, in turn, often reflects the names of the owners or founders. That's good for customers of the agency. If they can remember the agency name, they can remember the agency Web site name. But it's bad for prospects who are shopping for an agency or specific insurance coverage. They're not likely to be able to guess site URLs based on proper names or remember them from print, radio, mailings, TV, or Internet advertising.
Kevin and LeAnne Hale, of Hale Insurance in Nashville, began thinking about the consumer "find-a-site" problem several years ago. It occurred to them that though typical agency site URLs are hard for consumers to guess and remember, a generic name associated with the consumer's city would be easy to guess and remember. So, for Nashville, for instance, www.nashvillequote.com would make sense to consumers who saw it and easy for them to remember. And if that could work for Nashville, why not for every city and town across the country?
So the Hales proceeded to register more than 1000 URLs, all based on the combination of a city (or state) name and the word "quote." So, as a result, they now also own bostonquote.com, boulderquote.com, and so on.
Turnkey services
Having a guessable/memorable URL, though a good first step, doesn't solve the broader problem for agencies; namely, how to field a high-quality sales-oriented site. Graphics, site design and building, hosting, educational content, needs analysis, and comparative quoting all must be planned, acquired, and managed. That can require time busy agency principals don't have and it can be expensive -- with an unpredictable outcome.
Knowing that site building is a significant hurdle for many agencies, City-Quote provides a complete turnkey service, providing the content, functionality, and marketing material an agency needs to get started with a successful marketing and sales site. To see an example of a City-Quote site in action, take a look at www.nashvillequote.com.
City-Quote offers two significant benefits to agencies. The first is a workable URL for the agent's sales and marketing Web site. The second is the site itself, a complete, turnkey package and associated marketing materials to promote it.
Enhancement, not replacement
According to Kevin Hale, City-Quote sites are not intended as a replacement or substitute for existing (or potential) agency sites. City-Quote sites amplify and drive traffic to the agency's main site. By having two sites, one with a generic, memorable/guessable name and the other with the local brand the agency has built over years, the agency gets both new sales traffic and repeat service traffic.
The City-Quote turnkey package will evolve over time. Today it provides on-line, comparative, personal lines quoting, exclusive rights to the city's domain name, customized logos and graphics, copy for media spots, and the help of a national media buyer. Hale is in the process of expanding City-Quote quoting services into commercial lines and health insurance. Specialty markets and brokerage services may appear later on as well.
Possible issues
City-Quote isn't for everyone. Some agents and consultants are dead set against the idea of providing comparative (or any) quoting on agency Web sites. The rates may not be accurate. The prospect may use the function incorrectly and come up with a quote that is much too high (or low). Consumers that seek out comparative quoting may be lower quality risks and provide lower retention rates.
All the objections have merit. But I also think we don't yet understand enough about selling insurance on the Internet to make categorical judgments. For those who want to test the online quote waters, but don't want to do it from scratch, City-Quote offers a good alternative.
Does the idea of having two Web sites -- one for prospects and one for customers with the former linked to the latter -- make sense? It makes sense to me, and it addresses the national Internet/local agency dilemma. In the screen shot (left), for instance, you'll notice that the local agency's name is mentioned (lower left corner) as the provider of the NashvilleQuote service. That's good. Perhaps an unfortunate oversight, but
I found the Hale Insurance name unclickable and thus unlinkable to the agency's Web site.
City-Quote site design is based on insurance consumer research reported by Forrester Research, the IIAA, and others. Most consumers want to comparison shop, but they want to complete the sale with the help of an agent with a local, physical presence. City-Quote sites are not intended to allow the consumer to complete the entire sales transaction unattended. City-Quote sites are basically fixed in design, and some agencies might find that too confining. If so, City-Quote won't be a good fit.
Nevertheless, City-Quote offers worthwhile customer benefits (see screenshot). But I'm not sure that the "Less Hassle" benefit (see screenshot) communicates the correct message. In short, the wording "No agent involved until YOU choose" seems to suggest that as soon as an agent gets involved, hassle begins. If that's the case, why would a customer choose to involve an agent?
Are City-Quote sites the complete answer? Can an agency sign up with City-Quote and watch their book grown effortlessly? No. Even with the right URL, site graphics and content, and general marketing material, an agency must still promote the their City-Quote site.
In Nashville, the Hales have covered their SUV with "nashvillequote.com" graphics, so it serves as a mobile billboard. They also provide branded drinking cups to community events -- a help for the event and advertising for their site. The City-Quote solution gives an agency a good starting point, but the agency must still do the marketing work.
Whether or not City-Quote is appropriate for you, it would be worthwhile to visit www.city-quote.com to see what you can learn about agency sales sites.
©Copyright 2001 by Sound Internet Strategy. All rights reserved