We’ve already covered how networking delivers higher-quality leads. Today, we want to build a specific part of your referral team of professionals who already serve your ideal clients: CPAs, attorneys, and financial advisors.
They’re the gatekeepers of the clients you want: business owners, families with assets to protect, high-income earners, people starting or exiting businesses, retiring, getting divorced, or building wealth.
Most of these clients trust their CPA, lawyer, or financial advisor way more than they trust a random ad on Facebook, so how do you tap in?
Why These Referral Partners Work So Well
CPAs
They see the backend of every financial move and know when a client is:
- Starting or selling a business
- Complaining about group health costs
- Taking significant distributions or bonuses
- Nervous about taxes
The clients experiencing these instances are perfect prospects for insurance agents to bring ICHRAs, executive bonus life insurance, or tax-advantaged policies to these clients’ attention. Clients often see CPAs as conservative, so when they refer someone to you, it carries serious weight with the client to take you seriously and listen to what you have to say.
Attorneys (especially estate planning or business law attorneys)
They know when:
- A sales agreement needs funding
- A family wants to protect generational wealth
- Someone’s dealing with probate or a messy estate
- A divorce just hit the scene, and life insurance ownership needs a reset
These attorneys will refer their clients to someone who can provide intelligent, thoughtful solutions for their clients’ issues that the attorney can’t address.
Financial Advisors
These folks are your cousins in the planning world, and many are involved in some insurance products. You can be their resource for:
- Life insurance needs in financial plans
- Income replacement or LTC coverage
- Fixed annuities when the market’s bumpy
- Business protection strategies
Financial advisors want to avoid involving themselves in insurance products. Proving yourself to be a solution for insurance needs, helps the advisor and their client.
How to Start a Conversation Without Sounding Salesy
Our “Networking Like a Pro” article discusses this aspect quite well. Still, simplifying it really boils down to offering to build a mutually beneficial network with these professionals. This mention of a network opens more doors than you’d expect.
And yes, this works via email or LinkedIn if you’ve researched your option extensively, confirming they’re the professional partners you want your agency to be associated with in the community. Here’s a solid script you can customize:
Subject Line: Quick intro?
Hi [Name],
I’m an independent insurance advisor here in [City], and I work with many [business owners/families/pre-retirees—insert niche]. I’m building a local network of CPAs, attorneys, and financial advisors to better refer my clients when they need help outside my lane.
Would you be open to a quick 15-minute intro chat sometime next week? No sales pitch—just a connection.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
What to Say in the Meeting
This is where agents mess up by showing up and talking about all the products they sell – don’t do it. Ask about their business and their clients. Find out:
- Who they serve best
- What kind of problems do they solve
- What makes an excellent referral for them
Then—and only then—share:
- The 2–3 most common client problems you solve
- Why do people choose you over other agents, keeping this short and specific
- That you’re happy to be a resource answering insurance questions for their clients
You’re not pitching but positioning yourself to help the client get a good solution. You can offer a simple document they can give to clients to make it easy for them to refer you.
Nurture the Relationship, and Don’t Be Transactional
Relationships take time, so don’t ghost them after the first meeting, but stay in touch to stay top of mind:
- Send a thank-you email and a recap of how you might collaborate
- Email over a helpful article or client guide they can use
- Touch base every month or two with a quick, “Hey, just checking in to see how I can help support you this month?”
As our networking article shows, be the first to refer someone to them. That gets you remembered.
Real-Life Case Study Examples
Our previous article on case studies and testimonials shows the power of these items on prospects, but they’re also quite impactful on potential networking partners. These tools are relatable as they show attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors how you’ve already helped people just like their clients.
It’s proof of what you can do and makes your value to help their clients very real and powerful. Case studies and testimonials show you using your tools to solve problems, and there’s no better commercial than this for what you do.
These partnerships don’t always happen quickly, but they click faster when everyone sees their mutual benefit, and the case study and testimonial make this much easier to see.
Networking is a powerful tool for generating leads, but targeted networking to find professionals like attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors working with the people you most want to meet is just business you don’t want to pass on.
You don’t need to chase these opportunities to grow your book. Agility Market Managers are “boots-on-the-ground” resources providing agents and agencies local intelligence on the best grassroots and networking opportunities agents need to reach the next level in lead generation.
For assistance with your insurance product(s), contact the market manager near you or the Agility product specialist directly. You can also contact Agility at (866) 590-9771 or email [email protected] to reach the agent support team about this assistance.
Sometimes, the best leads come from people who’ve already built trust with your future clients, so start building your local referral crew of CPAs, attorneys, and financial advisors who “get it.” You’ll be surprised how much business starts coming to you.
