Have you ever wondered how insurance companies go about marketing their insurance policies? Aside from a company Web site, advertisements in the classifieds, and commercials? Many insurance companies get leadsprospective clientsby telephone marketing.

Many insurance companies use what are known as call center phone systems. These systems call prospective clients in various different ways. There are five basic call center phone systems that insurance companies can use when marketing their insurance policies, but they cover two main ways of marketing to prospective clients. Insurance companies can use auto-dialing systems when an actual insurance agent is calling prospective clients but uses the phone system to dial the client's number. Insurance companies also use broadcast marketing methods, when prospective clients are called but are not addressed by an actual insurance agent; rather, they are play a prerecorded message.

While these telephone calls may sometimes feel like telemarketer harassment, they're actually great marketing tools for insurance companies. Using these marketing tools can help insurance companies gather information about people residing in a certain area, i.e., demographic information, which will help them better plan their marketing strategies for that region.

These telephone calls can be beneficial to the prospective client, as well. Prospective clients who receive these telephone calls aren't being harassed; they're being given the opportunity to find out more information about a particular insurance company, more information about how that particular insurance company can help with their insurance needs, and even schedule call backs for the times when they really are interested, but just don't have the time to talk on the telephone.

So, the next time you get a telephone call from an insurance company, don't be so quick to hang up. Remember, they are simply marketing their productinsurance policiesjust as other businesses market their products. If you aren't interested, let the insurance agent know; or, if you're in the middle of dinner, schedule a call back.