As an insurance agent, there is nothing more important than keeping a steady flow of leads in your sales pipeline. The moment you run out of leads is the moment you will begin to wonder what the future holds.

While there are many ways to generate new business, most are not as effective as relying on referral partners.

Insurance professionals rely on referrals from many people, but none have as much to offer as realtors.

Of course, there is one major problem with this: attracting enough realtors to ensure a steady flow of business. Things may start out slow, but over time you can expect to see an uptick in activity. This is particularly true if you follow this advice:

1. Give your referral partners something in return. Wouldn’t it be nice if realtors would hand your name out to every buyer or seller they work with? Unfortunately, this is not the way things work. There is entirely too much competition for this. Not to mention the fact that many realtors have existing relationships.

With a competitive referral bonus program in place, realtors are much more likely to push your offerings. After all, they are getting something (a cash payout) in return.

2. Show them why you are the best. Here is something you need to remember: a realtor will not put their good name and reputation on the line just because you sound like a nice person.

You need to prove why you are the best insurance professional around. For example, are your home insurance rates better than the competition? Do you provide something in terms of customer service that others do not? Don’t just talk a big game. Show potential referral partners what you bring to the party.

3. Give and take. Rather than ask a referral partner what they can do for you, turn the tables by asking what you can do for them. This is the best way to set yourself apart from the competition. When you are willing to give, you have a better chance of receiving something in return.

Try this: after striking up a conversation with a realtor, offer to send his or her contact information to your mailing list or email contacts. When you do something like this, you have a better chance of the realtor returning the favor down the road.

By following this simple advice, insurance agents and brokers can attract more realtors as referral partners.