How to Get Sales as an Insurance Broker, Agent, or Insurance Company in Nigeria

Insurance in Nigeria is tough.

Low trust. Price-sensitive customers. Heavy regulation. And a market where most people only think about insurance after something goes wrong.

That means one thing.

Insurance in Nigeria is not won by brochures or pricing tables. It is won by distribution, education, and relentless follow up.

When you strip everything down, there are only three ways any insurance broker, agent, or insurance company in Nigeria generates sales leads:

• Inbound

• Outbound

• Referrals

Every channel fits into one of these three. There is no fourth option.

Way 1: Outbound Lead Generation

You go to the market and create demand.

Outbound is when you do not wait for customers to find you.

You go to them.

You identify the right people, reach out directly, start conversations, and follow up until a decision is made.

In insurance, outbound is calling, visiting, messaging, bidding, and following up on purpose.It is proactive. It is measurable. And in markets like Nigeria, it is often the fastest way to generate real sales.

In Nigeria, outbound is not optional. If you wait for people to come to you, you will wait a long time.

Outbound is especially effective for:

• SME insurance

• Motor and fleet cover

• Health and HMO plans

• Corporate and group policies

a) Manual field sales

This is still the backbone of insurance sales in Nigeria.

Agents visit:

• Offices and small businesses

• Markets and trade clusters

• Homes and gated estates

It works because:

• Insurance is still poorly understood

• Trust is built face to face

• Objections are handled immediately

The downside is obvious. Growth is limited by how many agents you can manage.

b) Corporate bids and tenders

A huge but underutilised channel.

Insurance opportunities are published by:

• Banks and corporates• Schools and universities• NGOs and donor-funded projects• Government agencies

Platforms like Trembi Bids help teams:

• Identify relevant insurance tenders

• Centralise opportunities

• Track submissions and outcomes

This removes guesswork and turns bidding into a repeatable outbound engine.

c) Automated outbound using Outbound sales platforms

This is where scale finally becomes possible.

Instead of agents manually sourcing contacts, tools like Trembi Sales AI:

• Find verified phone numbers and emails

• Identify real decision makers

• Reach out via email, SMS, and WhatsApp

• Follow up automatically

Agents stop chasing leads. They focus on advising, closing, and renewals.

d) Roadshows, activations, and events

Nigeria thrives on physical engagement.

• Market activations

• Trade fairs

• SME events and conferences

These work only if:

• Contacts are captured properly

• Follow up happens fast

• Conversations are tracked

Most insurers lose money on activations because leads die after the event.

Why outbound breaks down for many insurers in Nigeria

• Leads live in WhatsApp chats

• No shared visibility across agents

• Follow ups depend on memory

• No data on what converts

Outbound without systems becomes chaos.

Way 2: Inbound Lead Generation

Inbound is when customers come to you.

They find you through content, ads, referrals, or word of mouth after already thinking about insurance or a problem they need to solve.

Inbound works by educating first, building trust over time, and responding fast when interest shows. It is slower than outbound, but cheaper at scale and more sustainable in the long run.

Inbound is slower in Nigeria, but when it works, it lowers acquisition costs and improves trust.

a) Education-first content

Nigerians don’t wake up wanting insurance. They buy when they understand the risk.

Content that works:

• Simple explainers

• Real claim stories

• “What happens if…” scenarios

Education builds credibility before the sales conversation even starts.

b) Social media

Social media is not for selling policies directly. It is for building familiarity.

What works:

• Short videos in plain language

• Real-life examples

• Answering common objections

What fails:

• Hard selling

• Copying bank-style ads

Trust first. Sales later.

c) Online advertising

Google Ads and Meta Ads work in Nigeria. But they are expensive if mismanaged.

Without fast response and qualification:

• Cost per lead skyrockets

• Leads go cold quickly

Speed matters more than creatives.

d) Traditional media

Radio still works. Especially outside major cities.

It performs best when:

• Linked to a WhatsApp number or form

• Supported by outbound follow up

On its own, it builds awareness. It does not close deals.

How Trembi supports inbound

Trembi helps insurance companies:

• Run ads across Google and Meta

• Capture inbound leads in one place

• Track which channels actually convert

• Respond instantly via WhatsApp, SMS, or email

In Nigeria, the fastest responder usually wins.

Way 3: Referrals

The highest quality leads in Nigerian insurance.

People trust people.Not brands.

a) Manual referrals

Satisfied clients refer:

• Family

• Friends

• Business partners

These leads convert well but are unpredictable.

Most insurers rely on hope instead of structure.

b) Structured referral platforms

Platforms like Trembi Referrals turn referrals into a growth engine.

They:

• Incentivise customers and partners

• Activate communities and influencers

• Push offers to warm audiences

This allows insurers to scale referrals beyond their immediate network.

The Real Problem Facing Insurance Companies in Nigeria

It is not demand. It is execution.

Outbound is scattered. Inbound is slow to respond. Referrals are unmanaged.

The insurers that win in Nigeria:

• Combine outbound, inbound, and referrals

• Track everything in one system

• Measure what converts• Fix what does not

Outbound creates speed. Inbound builds credibility. Referrals build trust.

The winners do all three. On purpose. Every single day.