How does Beacon compare to other telemarketing firms?
To start, we are exclusive to the insurance industry – we only work with commercial insurance agents, brokers, and carriers. Beacon does everything other firms do (generate x-dates and appointments), but takes it to the next level. We want to emulate what an insurance agency would do if they were running an in-house operation. Developing x-dates and appointments is the foundation for a marketing program, but it’s the constant follow up work and how the data is actually managed that determines if the program will be a success. The main difference with Beacon is how we are paid – our clients don’t have to pay in advance, by the hour, or by results. What good is it to pay by the hour or by the result if the product is never delivered? Our clients have complete control over the pace of their programs – they can increase the production or stop at anytime. If we don’t perform, you stop paying, it’s that simple.

Where does Beacon get their data (x-dates)?
Suspect lists are included with the price of the programs and generated from the top list vendors in the country. Clients can also provide the raw suspect lists for their programs if they think the information will be from a better source. Beacon develops each x-date and appointment from scratch on behalf of the client. Our callers will contact each business to generate a new x-date so the prospect will be familiar with the agency in the future when calls are made for appointments. Unlike other firms in the industry, Beacon does not work with a master database of x-dates. Some clients have a database of x-dates that have been generated internally or from other firms – Beacon can take on those lists to call strictly for appointments. Beacon can also help take on lists that might be outdated and will ‘clean up’ the information to get new x-dates with updated renewal dates and contact information.

Where are the calls made?
Beacon houses all of their marketing reps in-house and does not outsource any of the calls to off-shore call centers to lower the cost of doing business. Clients can contact their dedicated marketing reps anytime in our office. Getting to know your marketing rep personally is a huge asset – it’s just like being able to walk down the hall in your own office to communicate with the person making calls for you.

Are clients locked into a contract and is there a refund policy?
Since Beacon clients don’t have to pay in advance, they aren’t locked into a contract and will never be in a position to where they have to ask for a refund. Clients have the ability to stop at anytime, as long as they give 30 days notice to quit. Our goal is to partner with a select group of insurance agencies that are looking for a long-term relationship. With our exclusive billing model, we have to continue to earn our keep month in and month out.

How is the data managed and how are the leads and appointments delivered?
As we develop the leads and appointments, they will be emailed directly to the client on a daily basis. In addition to the emails, Beacon clients can access their data 24/7 through our Lighthouse system. All data is stored on our secure servers and different levels of access can be granted. If Beacon is doing seperate programs for different producers within an agency, the agency owner/manager can log in to view all of the projects and the status of each project individually. When the producers log in, they will only see the data that applies to their specific project. This is a great tool for managing marketing programs for multiple producers – regardless if they are in the same office or different branch/location of the agency. Upon request, we can send exports of the data in Excel/.csv formats at anytime. This will allow clients to upload the data into their agency management systems for future marketing/sales.