- 8,707
Dude the term you want is underwear agent
Advice on Virtual Agency
- Thread starter TurboDog
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #12
TurboDog
New Member
Its not a good look for me, but you're spot on. I have no problem going out and meeting the folks in the community. I've been doing it the old fashioned way for years. I just need a smarter more efficient way of doing things. Time to give the car and the Bostonians some deserved rest.
I recently started with Efinancial. The good side is using the ALISS CRM through them is only $60 a month. No set up fees. If you terminate it early I think it's around $175 if under one year. Leads are leads. Ask about any lead company and you'll get some people saying their great and some saying they suck. Then ask a few months later and some of those same people will switch their opinion. Efinancial's leads normally run $28 a piece for exclusive but only $20 if you contract through them. I'd recommend having a few different lead companies though.
To answer the "Virtual Agent" question it's an efinancial term. They have what they call wholesale agents and virtual agents. The virtual agent program reduces your commission by about 10% on the companies that require a medical exam. But the good thing is all you do is sell. You have an assistant at Efinancial who will scrub your apps going into new business, follow up with underwriting, paramed exams, the client, outstanding delivery requirements etc. It's a nice smooth service and you also have the ability to schedule next day parameds online through ALISS as a virtual agent. They call it virtual agent because you have the same set up as one of their agents in the call center. Good is they also have top companies. Bad is you get a reduced commission. If all you want to do is sell and have someone handle all of your other admin stuff I think it's a good deal. If you don't mind handling these on your own then you may want to look elsewhere and get a higher commission. I can't speak for any of the other companies you mentioned.
I'd recommend checking out all of your options. It sounds like you already have an idea of what you want. Now it's just finding the right place to do business with. Ask a lot of questions. I knew when I was looking I wanted someone to handle the back end admin stuff. I like selling but I get bogged down in all the other things. So to me it was worth the trade off in commission. I also knew I didn't want to drive out on appointments anymore. Everything I did had to work to where I could work out of our office on the same property our house is on. I didn't want more than that 30 yard commute in the morning. I also wanted high tech. The good thing about going independent is you may be able to find it all in one company or by going through a couple different companies.
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Ahh, the age-old argument. How can I make more money? Or at least, how can I make things easier on myself?
Home as Captain Underwear? Or on the road as Captain 'Hope you are there when I arrive'???? Both work, just amazing how many people like the greener grass on the other side of the fence..... till they get there and have to start mowing it.
Dan
Home as Captain Underwear? Or on the road as Captain 'Hope you are there when I arrive'???? Both work, just amazing how many people like the greener grass on the other side of the fence..... till they get there and have to start mowing it.
Dan
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How true. As the saying goes be careful what you ask for, you just may get it. I remember once thinking that having someone set all my appointments up would be great and solve all my problems. Until they started booking my appointments an hour apart back and forth between two cities that were an hour apart. Had they booked one in the moring and the other in the evening it would have worked out, but no. Or the great appointments when you show up and the people say I told her we weren't interested. Like you said Dan, it all works. It's just personal preference as to how people want to work it.
- 7,066
Truer words were never spoken.
Like you I've been there, done that and even have the t-shirt, several of them.
After having tried "everything" I have settled into a routine that works for me. I "do it all" now. I generate my own leads, set my own appointments, sell some in my underwear and some fully dressed.
I have tried several telemarketers and appointment setters and have come to the conclusion that no one can represent me better than I can myself. I experience less hassle that way and end up making more sales while spending less time and without the kind of hassle you mentioned.
Now when I set an appointment it is to get a signature and pick up a check.
However, working the senior market makes it much easier to generate my own leads and set appointments. Plus, it is typically a "one call sale".
Hmmm, I've never tried showing up to my clients house in my underwear. What kind of closing ratios do you get with that?
Don't you love it when someone takes what you say out of context?
A few years ago I did the virtual agent gig and was impressed with the potential that was there at the time. I got involved with Only Financial at the time and they had a great setup for selling from the home in multiple states. I recovered all of my initial startup costs very quickly. I was licensed in six states and agreed to take a certain amount of leads per day. The best leads they had at the time were actually application requests. I no longer do this but wonder every day why I didn't continue. I think most of the marketing groups are now doing it a little different than OFG did. I would say go for it with tenacity and you will probably be surprised with the results. You will spend large amounts of money on leads but you will also have high closing ratios and no face to face/stand up headaches.
Gulliver
Gulliver
- 10,275
Gotta love high closing ratios.
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