Top 5 CRM tools for insurance Brokers & Agents to "wow" their clients (2023)

As an insurance insurance professional, the way the way you treat your clients is everything. You are selling security and peace of mind. In order for a lead to choose you, they must trust you above all else. On the business side, landing more clients and generating predictable revenue depends on your sales and marketing systems.

A good client relations management (CRM) tool can help you instill trust in your clients, manage communications, and solve policy issues. While using a CRM can be life-changing, many brokers and agents don’t even know what it is. They are still using email threads and contact books to keep track of their clients… or it just floats around in their head.

If you want to grow, or even scale, your insurance business to decouple the hours you work from the income you take home, you need a CRM. In this article, I will break down my Top 5 CRM tools for insurance professionals (with 2 bonuses at the end!) For each CRM, I will give an overview, pricing, pros & cons, and who should/shouldn’t use it.

Here is a list of the CRMs we will cover. Click on one to jump to it 👇

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1. Salesforce

Salesforce is one of the most popular and widely used CRM tools available in the market.

Since it’s founding in 1999, Salesforce has been perfecting its sales forecasting, lead management, and customer analytics.

They offer a range of pricing plans, starting $25/month per user, but only bill annually, so you must be ready to invest in 12 months minimum.

They also offer a customizable plans that can scale with your business.

Overall, Salesforce is a comprehensive CRM tool that is suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries.

If you want to learn how to build a sales team, one of my favorite books, Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler, who were partially responsible for helping Salesforce scale past $100M revenue in the early 2,000.

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Pros

• The “goat” - Salesforce is often the gold standard in CRM & sales software
• Customizable and scaleable - Fits to your business and grows with you
• Wide variety of solutions - Never get stuck by software limitations
• Automations and custom dashboards - Stay on top of your processes
• Built for teams - Collaboration tools and async is at the forefront

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Cons

• Annual billing - must invest annually, make sure you want it!
• Expensive for teams - Each plan bills per user
• Steep learning curve - The customization tools make it difficult to learn
• Complex & Cluttered - lots of features, dense capabilities.

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Salesforce Pricing

Salesforce does not offer monthly billing. While it seems like their pricing is reasonable, know that you will have to invest in the software for a minimum of 12 months.

Make sure you use your free trial!

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Essentials - $25/month per user per month

• Simple, effective, all-in-one solution

Professional -  $75/month per user per month

• Deeper insights & automations for teams

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Free Trial

Yes - 30 days

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Who should use it

Brokers & agents who are:

• Looking to scale.
• Building teams with sales professionals
• Wanting to track deep metrics and use automations

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Who should try something else

Brokers & agents who are:

• Just starting out
• Unfamiliar with CRM tools
• Looking to hit the ground running
• On a tight budget

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Summary

Overall, Salesforce is the "goat" of CRM tools, but it requires extremely competent salesforce systems developer to use it to it’s fullest potential. It's like the LeBron James of software, who famously spends over $1 million per year on bodywork.

While it's comprehensive and customizable, it has an annual billing policy that's a bit stubborn. So, if you're on a tight budget or just starting out, you might want to try something else.

But if you're ready to invest and want to build a sales team and build a dream team like the ‘96 Bulls to take over the insurance world, you should definitely use Salesforce’s free trial as much as you can.

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2. HubSpot

HubSpot is another software powerhouse that prides itself on being an all-in-one solution for sales and marketing.

Hubspot was founded 7 years later than Salesforce, and focused more on marketing and content than sales team optimization.

While Salesforce has more powerful automations and reporting, Hubspot is more beginner-friendly.

Companies usually switch to Hubspot to have one central “source of truth”, instead of having multiple software subscription for different purposes.

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Pros

• All-in-one solution - HubSpot offers a range of marketing, sales, and customer service tools
• Easy-to-use - The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate
• Powerful integrations - HubSpot integrates with a wide range of other tools and platforms
• Monthly billing available - Don’t have to invest in 12 months up front

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Cons

• Expensive - Paid plans can be expensive, particularly for small businesses
• Limited reporting and analytics - The reporting and analytics functionality is not as robust as some other CRM tools, like Salesforce
• Limited customization - The platform may not be as customizable as some other CRM tools

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Hubspot Pricing

For individuals and small teams:

Starter - $50 per month (billed monthly), or $30 per month (billed annually)

Professional - $1,781 per month (billed monthly, or $1,600 per month (billed annually)

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The products included in their CRM bundle are:

• Marketing Hub
• Sales Hub
• Service Hub
• CMS Hub
• Operations Hub

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Free Trial

Yes - 14-days

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Who should use it

Brokers & agents who are:

• Looking to scale.
• Building teams with sales professionals
• Wanting a seamless, user-friendly, all-in-one system
• Not wanted complex automations and customization

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Who should try something else

Brokers & agents who are:

• Just starting out
• Unfamiliar with CRM tools
• Looking to hit the ground running
• On a tight budget

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Hubspot vs Salesforce

Now that we’ve covered the 2 heavy hitters, Salesforce and Hubspot, let’s give a comparison.

In one corner, we have HubSpot, the all-in-one solution for sales and marketing. It's like the friendly neighborhood superhero - easy to use and doesn't require a PhD in computer science. But watch out for its weakness - it may not be as customizable as some other CRM tools.

In the other corner, we have Salesforce, the OG of CRM tools that's been around since the 90s. It's like the wise old grandpa who knows all the secrets to sales success. But be warned, it has a steep learning curve and can be complex and cluttered like grandpa's attic.

Before you choose one of these competitors, make sure you are really ready to build a well-oiled machine of a business, and make sure you have a big budget!

These are best for insurance brokerages and agencies looking to scale. So, if you have a handful of clients, and are still a one-man-show, consider a simpler option, which we will explore later.

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3. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is most similar to Salesforce, but is a bit more affordable and ready to go out-of-the-box.

While Zoho may not be as scaleable as Salesforce, it is far more budget-friendly and is a great fit for mid-sized businesses.

Zoho seems best for insurance brokers and agents that have a few salespeople, and want to supercharge their sales processes, but aren’t quite ready to build out an entire specialized team and allocate a large budget towards sales.

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Pros

• Affordable - Zoho CRM is one of the more affordable CRM tools on the market
• Easy-to-use - The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate
• Customizable - Zoho CRM is highly customizable and can be tailored to meet specific business needs

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Cons

• Limited integrations - Zoho CRM may not integrate with as many other tools and platforms as Salesforce or Hubspot
• Limited reporting and analytics - The reporting and analytics functionality is not as robust as Salesforce or Hubspot
• Limited customer support - The customer support may not be as responsive or helpful as that of Salesforce or Hubspot

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Zoho Pricing

Standard - $20/user/month

Professional - $35/user/month

Enterprise - $50/user/month

Ultimate - $65/user/month

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Free Trial

Yes - 15-days

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Who should use it

Brokers & agents who:

• Are ready to jump into a powerful CRM
• Have a medium-sized budget
• Wanting a user-friendly, all-in-one system
• Not needing complex automation development

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Who should try something else

Brokers & agents who are:

• Just starting out
• Are running a one-man-show
• On a very tight budget
• Are looking to scale massively
• Are building a large sales team

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Summary

Overall, Zoho is a scaleable CRM for mid-sized business owners who don’t want to deal with the complex setup of Salesforce, and don’t need as many marketing tools as Hubspot offers.

If Salesforce is a formula 1 car, Zoho is a corvette. The two are similar, but Zoho is less expensive in the long run, and easier to get running in the beginning.

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4. Pipedrive

According to Josh Herzig, head of Business Development at AIU, Salesforce's complexity is comparable to “being inside the cockpit of a jet airliner”.

Tens of thousands of salespeople, managers, and marketing experts prefer simpler options that allow them to focus on their job: selling.

Pipedrive prides itself on being as scaleable as Salesforce without needing a fulltime IT department to setup and manage it.

It is also much more affordable than Salesforce and Hubspot.

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Pros

• Ease of use - Pipedrive is easy to use and navigate
• Affordable - “you can get the same features for less than half the price”
• Scaleable - Used by entrepreneurial dreamers all the way up to Fortune 500 giants
• Great customer support - Pipedrive offers 24/7 support across ALL plans

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Cons

• Limited reporting and analytics - Pipedrive may not allow you to create deep data reports and analytics

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Pipedrive Pricing

Essential - $20/user/month

Advanced - $35/user/month

Professional - $60/user/month

Enterprise - $120/user/month

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Free Trial

Yes - 14-days

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Who should use it

Brokers & agents who:

• Are ready to jump into a powerful CRM
• Have a medium-sized budget
• Wanting a user-friendly, all-in-one system
• Not needing complex automation development

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Who should try something else

Brokers & agents who are:

• Just starting out
• Are running a one-man-show
• On a very tight budget
• Are looking to scale massively
• Are building a large sales team

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Summary

Pipedrive is very similar to Zoho CRM. They are both more user-friendly than Salesforce.

For brokers and egents looking to scale, Pipedrive and Zoho seem like much better options than the bulky, headache-inducing Salesforce.

The decision between the 2 would most likely come down to personal preference.

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5. Freshsales

Freshsales is CRM tool that is less focused on data gathering and business intelligence, and more focused on attracting and managing leads.

Similar to Pipedrive & Zoho, Freshsales takes a more minimalist approach to CRM, and strips away many of the complex features smaller businesses don’t need.

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Pros

• Affordable - Freshsales is one of the more affordable CRM tools on the market
• Customer-centric - Freshsales CRM processes customer data to predict how you can attract more customers
• Easy setup - Don’t worry as much about switching to this platform

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Cons

• Limited reporting and analytics - The reporting and analytics functionality is not as robust as tools like Salesforce
• Limited customer support - The customer support may not be as responsive as Pipedrive

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Freshsales Pricing

Growth - $18/user/month

Pro - $47/user/month

Enterprise - $83/user/month

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Free Trial

Yes - 21 days

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Who should use it

Brokers & agents who:

• Are ready to jump into a powerful CRM
• Have a smaller budget
• Wanting a user-friendly, all-in-one system
• Not needing complex automation development

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Who should try something else

Brokers & agents who are:

• Just starting out
• Are running a one-man-show
• On a very tight budget
• Are looking to scale massively
• Are building a large sales team

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Summary

Freshsales is an affordable, customer-centric CRM that focuses on attracting and managing leads.

It is most comparable to Zoho & Pipedrive.

While it has limited reporting and analytics functionality it is a good option for brokers and agents who want a user-friendly, all-in-one system and are not needing complex automation development.

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One-man-show: ClickUp or Notion

So far, I’ve reviewed CRMs designed for medium-to-large businesses.

But, many insurance agents and brokers out there are running a one-man-show.

They don’t have the time or energy to set up a complex CRM system, and don’t plan to hire a full ales team any time soon.

So, this is for you 👇

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Most people would say, “Braden… ClickUp is a project management tool, and Notion is a document & wiki database… what gives?”

To that, I would say, “maybe… but they are amazing for everything else, too.”

ClickUp and Notion are extremely versatile tools. You can manage projects, create wiki docs, store SOPs, and, yes, even create a powerful CRM database.

I’ve used both of these tools many times in the past as CRMs. While it may not have deep data capture and automations, they are incredibly user-friendly and cost-effective.

They are also great for all your other business processes in accounting, project management, content creation, and more.

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ClickUp & Notion Pricing

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Both platforms have free plans, but Notion’s will get you a bit farther than ClickUp’s.

I’ve been using the free version of Notion for years, and haven’t needed to upgrade. When I’ve used ClickUp, on the other hand, you’ll hit a roadblock pretty quickly that will make you upgrade to the “Unlimited” plan.

Both bill per user per month.

Both give the option of annual or monthly billing.

Both have affordable plans, starting at $9 - $10 per user per month.

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Who should use it

Brokers & agents who are:

• Looking for one software for everything
• Just starting out
• Not wanting complex analytics and data capture
• a one-man-show

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Who should try something else

Brokers & agents who are:

• Looking to build a sales team
• Want to scale their operations
• Are well-versed in sales strategies
• Are okay with using multiple software solutions

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Summary

If you have 1-5 people on your team, there is no need to get a fancy CRM with deep data gathering and automations.

You need something versatile and user-friendly.

ClickUp & Notion are 2 of my favorite tools for running a small business.

Unless you plan to scale up your operations and form a sales team, I suggest you start with ClickUp or Notion.

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My Final Advice

Small teams should start with ClickUp or Notion for a versatile and user-friendly option.

Once you begin building out a sales team, do a free trail of Zoho, Pipedrive, and Freshsales to see which user interface you prefer.

Also, if you want to focus on driving inbound leads, but want and all-in-one software for your content, landing pages, CRM, and lead forms, try out Hubspot. Many people switch to Hubspot looking for an all-in-one sales and marketing tool, but some leave due to a lack of customization.

Finally, although it’s the “goat”, avoid Salesforce unless you are rapidly growing and have the budget to hire business intelligence experts.

No matter what, this process will be trial and error.

For that reason, use your free trials! Don’t jump on the first one you see before you check them out. Once you dive into the right platform, you will know it.

Good luck out there.

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