Every successful business starts with a list of people with the potential to become clients, join your team, or refer others to you.
Most startups begin with “friends & family”—those people from your warm network of contacts who believe in you enough to write that first check. But as your business grows, you can’t rely on personal connections alone. You need to reach beyond that circle to find your ideal market—the people who truly need what you offer and are ready to act on it. Learn more in our article How to Identify Your Ideal Client Profile.
That’s why getting good at building and managing your list is so important—it’s the foundation of building your agency. There are a few types of lists you'll want to understand:
Warm Lists – Friends, family, and people you already know
Cold Lists – People you don’t know personally but may fit your ideal client or recruit profile
Paid Leads – Bought from carriers, lead vendors or marketing platforms.
Aged Leads - Resold by distributors / IMOs and lead vendors.
Warm Lists #1
Start by importing 50-100 of your contacts from your phone using the WealthSmyth Importer App (available on Apple App Store and Google Play).
Warm List #2: Lists with LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($119/mo)
LinkedIn Sales Navigator (which offers a free trial) lets you search for potential clients or recruits by role, location, or company. To save time, you can create lists and automate personalized connection requests and outreach messages with tools like SalesFlow.io—helping you reach more people without spending all day sending messages.
Cold List #1: Life-Licensed Agents from the National Registry (Free)
Many states make life insurance agent contact info publicly available. You can find these agents on the state websites below to start building a cold recruiting list.
Cold List #2: Life-Licensed Agents from Prophog ($399/mo)
Prophog is a lead platform built specifically for insurance and financial services. It lets you filter millions of licensed agents by state, license type, experience, and more. You can purchase targeted lists to build your cold outreach campaigns quickly—whether you're looking for new recruits or potential business partners. It's a fast, focused way to reach the right people in the industry.
Cold List #4: Lists with Data Axle ($1250/mo) or UpLead ($99/mo)
If you're looking to purchase high-quality cold leads beyond your network, tools like Data Axle and UpLead let you search millions of B2B contacts with filters like job title, location, license type, and industry. These platforms give you verified emails and phone numbers, making it easier to connect with the right professionals—whether you're recruiting agents or prospecting for clients. They're especially useful if you want to build a clean, targeted list without wasting time on outdated info.
Paid Leads
Paid leads are contacts you acquire directly from lead vendors or marketing platforms. These are typically generated through ads, online forms, or search traffic and sold to agents who are ready to follow up within minutes of the lead coming in.
EverQuote, QuoteWizard, and SmartFinancial offer paid leads for life insurance, annuities, and final expense. These leads are often more recent and may show higher intent but they come at a premium, typically $25–$100+ per lead.
🧠 Pro Tip: Always ask how the leads were generated, how old they are, and whether they’re exclusive or shared. High-intent leads work best when followed up immediately.
Aged Leads
Aged leads are non-exclusive, older inbound contacts that can be 30, 60, or 90+ days old. They have been previously sold (often multiple times) and are now being resold at a discount.
In many cases, carriers like Corebridge, Mutual of Omaha, and Foresters sell aged leads to IMOs and agencies, who then resell them to agents at a markup. This is a significant revenue stream for many distributors — and a major cost for agents.
IMOs like GFI and PHP Agency offer aged leads to new agents for $15–$50 per lead, depending on the product and how long ago the lead was generated.
💡 Pro Tip: Aged leads are great for building outbound skills and testing call scripts. Don’t expect high conversion — but if you work them with discipline, they can still produce results.