Any Home Service/Debit Agents Out There ?

[CMS]

Re: Any Home Service/debit Agents Out There?

What is your demographic?

I started out working the under 65 market from middle to lower income households. Now my focus is on above age 65 from middle to upper income households.

 

[shonceman]

Hi, I just discovered this thread. I've been active in home service as a primary focus for 20 years. I've been agent & sales manager with 2 of the major players, but I've spent more years working as an independent, trying my hand at worksite marketing, final expense, Medicare, and even some ordinary. These days I'm about half home service & half final expense (though not marketing in the typical way.) I work primarily in the southern sections of Dallas.

Every summer I decide to quit home service! Yes, heat's part of that, but people's attitudes seem to be different as well (or maybe just mine?). But as soon as it drops below 95, guess what? My resolve returns, my attitude gets better, I dress a little better, work a lot harder, and sales start coming back!

Guys will tell you not to chase, but a lot depends on the type of contract you're on, and the idiosyncrasies of the community where you work. Not writing at times you don't want to collect is great advice, which should be heeded. But reality is that when you've been blank, you'll probably write some apps that in your gut you know better, but you'll do it anyway!

The way out of all problems in home service is really just two things: 1) ABP - always be prospecting. Referrals from clients, the single mom who takes your money at McDonalds, the guy you see a couple doors down working on his truck, etc.
2) STP - See The People! Don't shortcut. Don't get lazy. Don't knock off early. Collect when you're supposed to. Be there when you said you would. See your mail pays & bank draft customers at least once a year. Do some canvassing every day (focus on the neighborhoods where you already have business). The more people you see each day, the better you'll do on all your numbers.

I'm glad you're on the forum. Agents who are truly committed to this business, especially in home service or final expense, are rare. The support you can get from agents like those on this forum is invaluable.

 

[rousemark]

Hi, I just discovered this thread. I've been active in home service as a primary focus for 20 years. I've been agent & sales manager with 2 of the major players, but I've spent more years working as an independent, trying my hand at worksite marketing, final expense, Medicare, and even some ordinary. These days I'm about half home service & half final expense (though not marketing in the typical way.) I work primarily in the southern sections of Dallas.

Every summer I decide to quit home service! Yes, heat's part of that, but people's attitudes seem to be different as well (or maybe just mine?). But as soon as it drops below 95, guess what? My resolve returns, my attitude gets better, I dress a little better, work a lot harder, and sales start coming back!

Guys will tell you not to chase, but a lot depends on the type of contract you're on, and the idiosyncrasies of the community where you work. Not writing at times you don't want to collect is great advice, which should be heeded. But reality is that when you've been blank, you'll probably write some apps that in your gut you know better, but you'll do it anyway!

The way out of all problems in home service is really just two things: 1) ABP - always be prospecting. Referrals from clients, the single mom who takes your money at McDonalds, the guy you see a couple doors down working on his truck, etc.
2) STP - See The People! Don't shortcut. Don't get lazy. Don't knock off early. Collect when you're supposed to. Be there when you said you would. See your mail pays & bank draft customers at least once a year. Do some canvassing every day (focus on the neighborhoods where you already have business). The more people you see each day, the better you'll do on all your numbers.

I'm glad you're on the forum. Agents who are truly committed to this business, especially in home service or final expense, are rare. The support you can get from agents like those on this forum is invaluable.

Welcome to the forum.. There are many agents on here that are committed to Final Expense but I agree there are few committed to Home Service.. Not that many years ago, there were dozens of Home Service companies.. Now they are consolidated into just a few major players. In the 70s and early 80s, I could count around 40 Home Service agents working out of small town where I live.. Today, there are only about 7 or 8. That contributes greatly to the fact that the percentage of lower and middle income families that do not have individual life insurance than ever before. The insurance companies abandoned them for higher margin areas of the business.

 

[shonceman]

I wonder if I can resurrect this thread! We didn't really get any takers on agents still active in home service. I'm still active, but there's a reason. In 2005 I left one of the major home service companies. Without saying what happened, a decision was made that cost me quite a lot of money. I was very upset, and there was no remedy short of a lawsuit, so I gave notice to my district manager with the statement, "I'm now your competition!
I had done FE previously, so I jumped back into it. Only this time I was finding much greater resistance to setting up bank drafts. Out of what felt like necessity, I went on a search for a company that would allow me to work as an independent, but collect premiums in cash. I came across a relatively small carrier in Texas who were surprised that I wanted to collect, but said "I think our system can still generate a collection report", so I contracted with them. I still write mostly bank draft & mail pay business with them, but have a couple dozen home service clients as well. In the meantime, a new player has come into our market that does both home service and FE (in different divisions - requiring 2 contracts), but are not captive. I've been using them a lot as well for a little over a year. Very pleased with them so far.
I guess what I've come to realize is that even though I do business in other ways, I'll never get completely away from home service. It's in my blood, and I actually enjoy it most of the time. I like being the family and neighborhood insurance man.
So is there anybody out there like me, that was trained in home service and still dabbles in it? C'mon, I know some of you collect premium after the clients bank draft goes south, right?

 

[richink]

I have been In the insurance business for 13 years most of that time with a captive company. In 2009 my company was bought and merged and I went independent. Even though now I have a pc office too I still run a debit I started from scratch. The best obviously is referrals, but I still door knock. When I first went independent I did some lead running for some final expense companies leads were a lot of run around a so I decided to stick with what I know
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I wonder if I can resurrect this thread! We didn't really get any takers on agents still active in home service. I'm still active, but there's a reason. In 2005 I left one of the major home service companies. Without saying what happened, a decision was made that cost me quite a lot of money. I was very upset, and there was no remedy short of a lawsuit, so I gave notice to my district manager with the statement, "I'm now your competition!
I had done FE previously, so I jumped back into it. Only this time I was finding much greater resistance to setting up bank drafts. Out of what felt like necessity, I went on a search for a company that would allow me to work as an independent, but collect premiums in cash. I came across a relatively small carrier in Texas who were surprised that I wanted to collect, but said "I think our system can still generate a collection report", so I contracted with them. I still write mostly bank draft & mail pay business with them, but have a couple dozen home service clients as well. In the meantime, a new player has come into our market that does both home service and FE (in different divisions - requiring 2 contracts), but are not captive. I've been using them a lot as well for a little over a year. Very pleased with them so far.
I guess what I've come to realize is that even though I do business in other ways, I'll never get completely away from home service. It's in my blood, and I actually enjoy it most of the time. I like being the family and neighborhood insurance man.
So is there anybody out there like me, that was trained in home service and still dabbles in it? C'mon, I know some of you collect premium after the clients bank draft goes south, right?

Sounds like my story, I'm still out there beating the bushes as they say. Who did you contract with liberty bankers?

 

[shonceman]

Yes, Liberty Bankers. They've become my primary company since my original post. Good company, great leadership. I still write some with that first company I went with, mostly because they give me leads. But trying to use them for debit, although not a "square peg into a round hole", still wasn't a great fit!

 

[richink]

Yes, Liberty Bankers. They've become my primary company since my original post. Good company, great leadership. I still write some with that first company I went with, mostly because they give me leads. But trying to use them for debit, although not a "square peg into a round hole", still wasn't a great fit!

I just back from a convention with liberty bankers Todd stone and everyone else is super nice

 

[shonceman]

Wow, you made the trip! Congrats! How long have you been writing for LBL?

 

[richink]

Wow, you made the trip! Congrats! How long have you been writing for LBL?

Since 2010. In Mississippi they didn't start the home service till about june of 2010 and under the name of their sister company The Capitol Life, they do ordinary side under liberty bankers, but because of my proximity to Louisiana I slip down there and write some debit business there too, and there they are liberty bankers.

 

[shonceman]

Since 2010. In Mississippi they didn't start the home service till about june of 2010 and under the name of their sister company The Capitol Life, they do ordinary side under liberty bankers, but because of my proximity to Louisiana I slip down there and write some debit business there too, and there they are liberty bankers.

Are you writing pc business on the debit, too? Do you have companies that allow collections? I'm happy that we can do the contents policy now. I'm PC licensed, but I don't think I'd have time to really focus on that. But back in my Independent Life days (before American General took over) we sold dwelling fire & nonstandard auto on the debit.