If you're selling life insurance, your career depends on coming up with quality life insurance leads. Luckily, there are many different ways to cultivate such leads.

Here are the top six:

A telemarketing firm places cold calls to potential customers. When they find a respondent who agrees to talk to a life insurance agent for further information and a free quote, the telemarketing company notifies you immediately so that you can follow up with the lead. This method of lead buying has proven to be very effective, especially if you follow up with leads as soon as you are notified of their interest.

If your company has a web page, and you should, place a brief form on the landing page. Anyone completing the form fills in basic contact information and agrees that you may call them to discuss your life insurance plans. This type of lead generation can be a big timesaver, since you only contact people who have expressed an interest in what you are selling.

Another way to use the Internet is to establish a Facebook Business Page where potential clients can leave questions and comments about your insurance policies. Again, speedy follow-up is the key to making a sale.

Small businesses of 100 employees are fewer are often looking for cost-effective benefits they can offer their workers. Do a little online research prior to making your call. Try to find out the name of the person you need to speak to. Having a name will get you much further with a receptionist than merely asking for the person in charge of employee benefits. Also, try to find out if the company already offers life insurance through a competitor. If so, prepare to make them a better deal.

Internet and print ads can be remarkably successful at lead generation. To ensure that your campaign draws potential customers, hire a copywriter to come up with compelling text. In general, life insurance leads respond well to offers of discounts, free products such as a book on financial planning, and ads that inspire a mild degree of fear or anxiety ("Who will take care of YOUR family if the worst happens?")

No amount of technology will ever take the place of human-to-human contact. Attend networking events whenever possible. Always carry plenty of business cards that contain all of your contact information. Prepare a brief--thirty second or less--speech about the benefits of carrying enough life insurance. If you're speaking to someone who isn't interested or who already has life insurance, ask that person if they know of anyone who is seeking life insurance. Referrals can be a great source for life insurance leads.

One way to find leads without lead buying is to simply follow your local newspaper. Many newspapers, especially those in small towns, routinely print news about weddings, births, and other life transitions. Make a note of the names of the people mentioned, look up their contact information online, and contact them to offer counseling about their life insurance needs and a free quote. People who have had a big change in their life circumstances often haven't taken the time to think through how the change will affect their insurance needs.

Generating leads for life insurance is not difficult. All it takes is an advertising budget, a little time, and a little creativity.