TL;DR
Pull agencies from map listings and carrier agent locators, then separate independent agencies from captive ones, because they buy differently. Email the agency principal.
Find insurance agencies with ManyPIInsurance agencies buy agency management software, marketing, lead generation, websites, staffing and training. There are a lot of them, and most want to be found. The first thing to get right is which kind of agency you're looking at, because it decides who can buy. Vendors ask how to reach agencies in r/sales, and agents trade notes in r/InsuranceAgent.
Independent or captive?
Independent agency | Captive agency | |
|---|---|---|
Represents | Several insurance carriers | One carrier |
Who decides | The agency principal or owner | The agent, within the carrier's rules |
Core software | Chosen by the agency | Often provided or required by the carrier |
Good fit for | Agency software, marketing, staffing, lead generation | Local marketing, websites, community sponsorships |
An agency's website usually tells you which it is. Captive agents carry the carrier's brand prominently. Independents list the carriers they work with, often as a row of logos.
What independent and captive agencies can each buy.
Where to find them
Source | What it gives you | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Map listings | Agencies in an area, with website, phone and reviews | Catches both kinds |
Carrier "find an agent" pages | Captive and appointed agents by location | Every large carrier has one |
State insurance department licensee search | Licensed agencies and producers | What you can search by varies by state |
Licence status and lines of authority, across states | Free, but searches by licence number or NPN, so it's a check rather than a way to build a list |
Who decides
At most independent agencies, the principal, the owner, decides on software and anything with a contract. Larger agencies have an operations manager who runs the systems, and producers (the salespeople) often choose their own prospecting tools. Start with the principal for anything agency-wide.
Signals worth acting on
Hiring producers or customer service reps. Growth, and more seats for whatever you sell.
A new office or a merger. Systems get combined or replaced.
New lines of business on the website, such as an agency adding commercial insurance to personal lines.
Reviews that mention slow responses. An opening for service and communication tools.
What to say
Hi [Name], I saw [Agency] is [specific signal: hiring two producers / now writing commercial lines]. We work with [independent or captive] agencies on [what you do], mainly [the problem in their words]. [A proof point you can back up.] Worth a short call?
Doing it with ManyPI
Disclosure: ManyPI is our product.
Map Search lets you draw an area on a map and pull the insurance agencies inside it from OpenStreetMap, then save them and use Save and enrich to look for the principal's email. For a sharper list, describe it in a sentence, for example "independent insurance agencies in Ohio with 5 to 20 staff that write commercial lines, with the principal's email", and the agent researches it on the live web. Every email is checked before sending, and follow-ups stop on reply. The lead generation page covers the setup.
An insurance agency search typed into the ManyPI agent.
Some agencies are one licensed person working from home. They're closer to individuals than businesses, and in some countries that changes the rules on emailing them. Our guide to B2B cold email laws by country covers where that matters.
Written by
Ole Mai
Founder / ManyPI