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Before you purchase annuity leads and pre-qualified appointments, read this blog to avoid making any ill-informed decisions about online marketing companies.

Being an independent agent and financial advisor can be a tough business, especially if you do not have a steady flow of new clients delivered on a weekly and monthly basis. The biggest obstacle for any independent agent is, "How do I generate new business?"

The easiest way to look for new ways of generating more prospects is to search the Web looking for marketing companies that promise to deliver annuity leads and pre-qualified appointments. However, prior to purchasing anything from these companies, here are a few simple tips that will help you to conduct your own research to determine if you are working with a legitimate company.

Check the domain name of the marketing company you are considering.

Many domain names can be cross referenced with websites such as GoDaddy.com. Simply go to one of these sites and enter the domain name to see how long the domain has been registered for. If the report shows that the marketing company is only registering the site for a year at a time, that is a red flag that indicates the company you are considering is not in it for the long haul, and you should be suspicious.

Be leery of marketing companies that only deliver your appointments by email.

I realize it may seem convenient that the company you are using is emailing you your new “annuity lead” or “pre-set appointment” information, however this is very amateur and a cheap way of providing you with your information.

Only trust marketing companies that store your information with personalized online calendar systems. The management of data can be very expensive, and a lot of fly by night marketing companies cannot afford the expenses involved with this type of programming and data management.

Don't be fooled by “postcard returned marketing.”

Most marketing companies will send out a self return marketing piece. The post card says one thing, the consumer returns the card and then the consumer is contacted with an outbound call from the marketing company to see if a local agent can conduct a review of the consumer's investments. Often, the agent is unwittingly walking into a bait and switch appointment.

Don't be fooled by this type of marketing. Only use a marketing company that employs the services of an inbound call center. An inbound call center for a marketing company can be expensive, however, this will help to ensure that the information is more credible because the prospect is proactively contacting the marketing company to receive more information.

Only trust marketing companies that record your appointments being scheduled.

We live in an age where electronic storage space is unlimited. It is 100 percent conceivable that any and all marketing companies have the ability to record the conversations of your annuity leads and annuity appointments being scheduled.

Only trust marketing companies that will provide you with the recorded conversations of this information. There are a number of marketing companies that will provide you this information.

Obtain a personal reference or referral.

Talk to someone you trust that has tried one of these marketing companies and try one based on their recommendation.

Hopefully the information provided will help you to make smart decisions on how you choose your next marketing program.