RESEARCH YOUR PROSPECTS ON THE WEB
by Barry Klein
The World Wide Web, among other things, provides a fantastic research tool. This article by Barry Klein discusses how to use this source to get information on your Commercial Lines prospects that you can use to close the sale.
When researching a prospect, the first place to start, of course, is the prospect’s own Web site, assuming they have one. Surely, you didn’t need to read this article to know that, right? What if you don’t know if they have one, or what the URL (Web site address) is? Believing that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, why not call them up and ask? Or have someone else do it. “We’re thinking of doing business with your company, and we’d like to look at your Web site first, if you have one. Can you tell us what it is?”
If they have one, they’ll probably be happy to tell you what it is.
SITE-FINDING 101
If, for some reason, you don’t want to do that, here’s an easy way to find their site. Go to the Google search engine, at http://www.google.com. Put in the company’s name and the city, and press Enter or the Google Search button. If you’re at a computer, try this: Put in Johnson Plumbing Fayetteville. There are companies called Johnson Plumbing all over the country, and your first guess at a URL would probably have been johnsonplumbing.com, which would have been the wrong one. Save time and let Google do the work (note that I didn’t suggest using a state. You have no way of knowing whether Johnson used AR, ARK, or Arkansas on its site, but you can be reasonably sure that it did include the city).
SITE MAPS
Some sites are small, and others are very large. If it’s more than a small “brochure-ware” site, look for a site map. Most larger sites have them, and it’s a great way to see the whole site at a glance, and to navigate quickly to the section(s) you want. Even if you don’t read the whole site, digesting the site map will give you a good feel for it.
Pay particular attention to any section that says News, Press Releases, or any variation of these. Being able to ask about recent acquisitions, new product releases, or similar items shows your prospect that you care enough to have done your homework before you even begin.
That same Google search that found the prospect’s site (if it did) will also find plenty of other sites that refer to your prospect. Check them out; they’ll contain interesting information. There will often be at least one city directory, which (among other things) will show you who their local competitors are, as well as their neighbors.
THE 'WHOIS' SEARCH
Now let’s get more technical. Let’s say that the prospect’s Web site is pottysafe.com (I made that up). Their product is a plastic device that securely attaches to a toilet (I made that up) to help children learn to go potty (I didn’t make this up; I have grandchildren). Sounds great, and innocuous, right? As rule of thumb, always look in the database of all Web sites to see who owns any specific Web site. Here’s how to do this, and why you should:
Every Web site is listed in one of several databases. Originally, there was only one database, called “whois” (who is) and developed by the original registrar, Network Solutions. Today it’s still the largest, but also contains data from many of the other registrars, although sometimes it will refer you to the other registrar’s whois directory. You can find this main directory at www.networksolutions.com/ cgi-bin/whois/whois. Enter the URL (without the “www.” part), press the Go button, and you’ll often get some very useful information.
Many smaller, home-based businesses don’t include an address, but you’ll usually get that from the whois search. You’ll probably pick up the phone and fax numbers, too, if they aren’t on the Web site. Occasionally — and this is why I recommend making this a standard research item — you’ll find that the business is related to some other business that isn’t mentioned on the site.
If our PottySafe site was originally registered by Emerling Ladders (I made that up), the fact that they used to be in the wooden stepstool business is important to know. If you didn’t know that, and the underwriter does (underwriters do research, too), it raises a question of whether you’re being deceptive or incompetent, neither of which is good.
FROM SEARCH TO META-SEARCH
You’ve probably noticed that Google is my favorite search engine, and it might be yours. Whichever engine you favor, however, there will be times when it doesn’t find what you’re looking for. You might try a different one, of course. Why not take the step up from a search engine to a meta-search engine?
A meta-search engine gives you one search screen field, and simultaneously carries out that search using multiple search engines. Many meta-search engines let you choose which ones to use. Then it takes the results from all of them and collates them into one set of links, which are then displayed. Metacrawler.com is a good one, dogpile.com is another.
In addition to all the free information you can find on the Web, you can also buy information. Before you get deeply (financially) involved with a business you don’t really know, consider whether you should make the small investment to order a credit report on them. ChoicePoint, Equifax, and many other credit companies let you order business credit reports over the Web for a fee.
CONCLUSION
We’ve had a lot of fun surfing the Net, checking out all our favorite sites to find out whatever we can about our prospect. Now it’s time to use that information. Gather up your background information, grab that blank commercial survey questionnaire — don’t forget your business cards — and go out and sell something!
G. Barry Klein, CPCU, CLU, is a former insurance agent, software author, and technology proponent for both agents and carriers. He also maintains the industry reference site, www.ultimateinsurancelinks.com. This article originally appeared in Rough Notes magazine and is reproduced with permission.