The Closer Framework

The Closer Framework is a guide designed to reposition and reinvigorate your agency so you can actually scale your revenue with lead generation.

This framework was born out of necessity, and frustration. I've been consulting agencies for 12+ years, and I'd say 90%+ of them are not built to actually grow at scale the way they want.

Once you master the framework, you'll be able to unlock a new level of revenue for you, your family, and your team.

First: why agencies struggle with lead generation…

The first way to overcome a problem in your business is to recognize that the problem exists in the first place. The unfortunate reality is, many insurance agencies are not built to work leads. Here's why:

  • lack of documented sales process or training
  • too comfortable; they have a "referral-only" mindset
  • insufficient tech-stack and/or lead nurturing
  • they have "quoters" on their team, not "closers"
  • non-existent follow-up or phone sales skills
  • WAY too selective with lead quality

And the single biggest reason…most agencies are under-staffed (too small to call).

Many agencies are simply too small to do lead generation. There is no dedicated closer and everyone is wearing too many hats. Staff is regularly scattered between operational tasks and thus leads slip through the cracks, and ROI is never realized.

Closing sales is a mindset and lifestyle change

It's easy to forget this, but — you are not in the business of insurance. You're in the business of sales and marketing. Insurance is just the currency or end-product that pays you.

You cannot sell your end-product without marketing, and without sales. Once you understand and commit to that mantra, things will change for you and your business.

A lot of agencies think like small, ho-hum mom-and-pop business owners. That is a death sentence for your business.

Insurance is WAY to competitive for that mindset. There are agencies on every corner, waiting to take clients from you.

It's time to stop thinking like a sheep, and start operating like a lion. Lions don't wait for their prey to come to them…they go get it.

The fastest growing insurance agencies are undercover media companies

Its 2026, yet a lot of insurance agencies have zero presence on social media. Not a single video to their name. Most are reluctant to get on camera. When you're in sales, you should live on camera. Running a sales organization isn't a game for introverts.

Creating social media content (specifically video) is a non-negotiable for insurance agencies who want to separate themselves from the sea of other agencies.

What's more, paid lead generation (Meta, YouTube/Google, Cold Email) allows you to get out in front of your market and create demand that pre-sells prospects on your agency.

While many agents are chasing website rankings and writing blog articles that no one will ever read, the smart agencies are creating video, and running ads that push their personalities out to the algorithm.

Do you know who Alex Hormozi is because of his blog articles? Do you know who Gieco, Allstate, StateFarm, Progressive are because of SEO? No. You know about them because they advertise constantly, and they do it with video.

Creating the right environment for your team

Do you need to create a boiler-room style environment for your team? No. But having the right environment matters.

I'm a firm believer that your sales team needs to be separated from everyone else in your agency.

They need their own space. They are not the agency principal. They are not a CSR. They are a special breed who need to co-exist amongst other rain makers.

I used to sell 12-15 policies per day at AIG in the early 2000's. Sales was on a completely different floor than service. We had an attitude. We expected to win. We needed to be around each other and it was really effective. Competition breeds excellence.

Create a better offer

We all know that the average insurance consumer is shopping on price but that doesn't mean you can't differentiate your offer. Your offer doesn't need to be ONLY about price.

What other value can you bring to the table for your prospects and clients? Services from other professionals in your network (CPA, FA, Mortgage, local mechanic, etc.) are a good way to layer in other bonuses.

Maybe you donate a portion of your revenue to a meaningful charity.

There are other ways to juice up your offer if you get creative so it seems like a no-brainer to the client to go with you (even if you're more expensive).

Having a "closers" mindset

You have to be mentally strong to close leads. Not every lead is going to answer. Not every quote is going to close.

Yet you have to keep going, without making any negative assumptions. Sometimes you'll get 5 or 6 unqualified leads in a row. It happens. That doesn't mean ALL future leads will not be good.

If you call a lead and they don't pick up, that doesn't make it a bad lead. If someone has a claim, that doesn't make it a bad lead. A lot of people have claims. If someone tells you they are price shopping, that doesn't make it a bad lead. A lot of people are living check to check.

The nature of dealing with the general public is you are going to get good leads, and bad. You have to approach every phone call with the same energy and great attitude, no matter how the last call went.

The single biggest way to close more leads today

There's no other way to say it. Pick up your phone. Call the leads back faster — within 5 minutes if possible.

A recent Harvard Business Review study showed that companies responding within an hour are 7 times more likely to make contact and qualify leads, yet the average business takes 42 hours to respond.

Harvard Business Review

The Short Life of Online Sales Leads

Are you confident that your company is effectively handling potential customers’ online queries? Think hard. Our research shows that most companies are not responding nearly fast enough. Companies in financial services, automobiles, education, software, health care, professional services, and many other industries have increasingly turned to the internet to generate sales leads. Indeed, corporate spending […]

What's more, the study found that 78% of sales go to whoever responds to the lead first.

Poor follow-up and sales skills are the single biggest killers of financial growth for insurance agencies (and any other business).

In a perfect world, you would call the lead immediately and strike while the iron is hot, when they have the most interest. Waiting for even 20 minutes can significantly reduce the contact and close rate.

I see agencies all the time who simply don't pick up the phone fast enough (or at all). If you are only relying only on your automations and text messages from your CRM, you will lose the lead.

The phone is still the best sales tool that exists. Call your leads back as fast as possible and it will generate more ROI than you ever thought possible.