- 11,280
You should probably make a doctors appt tomorrow. You don't sound well.
Baby Boomers
- Thread starter insurancechamp
- Start date
You should probably make a doctors appt tomorrow. You don't sound well.
- 1,007
Frank, rather than purchasing leads from a vendor you do realize its possible to develop your own internet leads right? While cold calling 67-78 year olds may work for you and others there are many ways to market to seniors. Be creative and never solely rely on one lead source.
Cheers
G
Guest
Guest
Let me add a few more points to what I posted above.... in no particular order. I turn 64 in a few days so I have a few credentials as a BB.
First of all, my generation was extremely well educated. Public schools were rather good in the post-war years in most areas and a huge percentage of us attended a 4-year college (there were not nearly the number of 2-year programs as there are today.)
Most of us read and write very well and many of us are very knowledgeable about the classics of literature, art and music. It would serve you well to read a book on art history, and know the basic characters of major classic novels (rent the movies of them!) and learn to use and write proper grammar.
We're a group that respects education and rather expect that those we do business with have (or sound like they have) at least as much education (formal or otherwise) as we do.
We didn't invent rock and roll, but we enhanced it and made it into an art-form. Knowing something about rock of the mid 60s to mid 70s would be an advantage. You should know "The day the music died" and why we all hate Yoko Ono and you should have some knowledge of our poet-Laurette, Robert Allen Zimmerman, as well as the work of Holland–Dozier–Holland.
We grew up on TV... most of us can't remember not having it. Thus we are very visually oriented. The downside is that we are judgmental based on visual stimuli. We are a dot-connection group. We like things to be rational and logical and we will go to great lengths to construct a paradigm where they are. Thus, if you show up to our house with dirty shoes, or a badly fitting suit or a junker car or big diamond pinky ring, we're going to connect the dots to you being a loser. It's a generational character flaw.
For the most part BBs are both politically independent and basically apolitical. I think we all burned out with politics in the 60s Vietnam War protests and Watergate after that. However, I believe that the vast majority of BBs are moderate to liberal. If you start babbling about how much you hate Obama or food stamps or child-labor laws or the usual conservative Fox News tripe, you will probably be tuned out and turned off. (And you should know who said "Turn on, tune in, drop out.)
This is important and will be a great sales lesson for many of you. Most of us are more analytical than our parents. We're not the generation invented the computer but we perfected it and made it a mass consumer item. We learned at an early age that if we do this and do that, something will happen. If we don't, we get an error message! It is part of our psyche. Paint us logical pictures that we can connect the dots with.
I don't think we are deductive as much as we are inductive. Don't start with the big picture and drill down... i.e. why life insurance is so terrific and how it works.and move down to a micro level on why it is good for me.
Instead start small... at my micro level (after all, we're the "me generation") and build up to the big picture... i.e. (I work, I die, my kids need money, I don't have any, there is product called life insurance and it will do X, Y, and Z and it's terrific... can you hear the whole symphony orchestra!!") Remember this. My generation always started with the hated vegetables but we always had a dessert. Don't start with the chocolate cake and end with the peas! It won't work well with us.
As much as so many of you hate social security and medicare, they are Holy to us. I can't convey to you how serious we take cuts or eradication of social security benefits or especially Medicare. I'm not going to rationalize it or explain it (not sure I can) but you will have to accept it. So if you walk in and talk to us about your "forget government assistance" political philosophy, you're going to be thrown out on your butt. If you hate Social Security and Medicare, fine. Keep it to yourself because they are sacred to us. It is what it is.
Please, don't patronize us. We may be old and look old, but a huge number of us are actually in good physical and mental health and feel only a third our age. Talk to us as your equals and perhaps not as your parents. That will go a long way in establishing rapport.
But there is a limit. We look to our advisors to... advise! We're not looking for new best friends. Keep a professional "distance" until we suggest a closer relationship.
For example my stock-jock is 39. I'm old enough to be his dad. However, we've become good friends... we have pizza almost every Friday and talk stocks, sports, and women (our wives don't know this... yet!)
But he is not going to become a "best" friend... that is reserved for people more in tune with were I am in life and where I came from. Still, don't get hung up on age, but by the same time understand that we are the client and you are the advisor and it is good to keep a certain distance.
It is best not to be a "yes" man. We all Vance Packard's books... The Pyramid Climbers and The Status Seekers in college (you would do well to read them as well) and we can smell an a$$-kisser a mile away.
We're really big on honesty and transparency and we want you to (as we used to say) "Tell it like it is" or "Sock it to me" (and you should know where that came from too!)
You younger guys/gals call it "Keepin' it real." Same thing. Just tell us the truth, not what you think we want to hear. We're really not as stupid as you probably think we are. (However we don't think you're nearly as smart as YOU think you are! :-) )
Hope this helps some of you to approach and make sales to the BB generation.
Al
I can be found here, not from under a cloak like so many others.
First of all, my generation was extremely well educated. Public schools were rather good in the post-war years in most areas and a huge percentage of us attended a 4-year college (there were not nearly the number of 2-year programs as there are today.)
Most of us read and write very well and many of us are very knowledgeable about the classics of literature, art and music. It would serve you well to read a book on art history, and know the basic characters of major classic novels (rent the movies of them!) and learn to use and write proper grammar.
We're a group that respects education and rather expect that those we do business with have (or sound like they have) at least as much education (formal or otherwise) as we do.
We didn't invent rock and roll, but we enhanced it and made it into an art-form. Knowing something about rock of the mid 60s to mid 70s would be an advantage. You should know "The day the music died" and why we all hate Yoko Ono and you should have some knowledge of our poet-Laurette, Robert Allen Zimmerman, as well as the work of Holland–Dozier–Holland.
We grew up on TV... most of us can't remember not having it. Thus we are very visually oriented. The downside is that we are judgmental based on visual stimuli. We are a dot-connection group. We like things to be rational and logical and we will go to great lengths to construct a paradigm where they are. Thus, if you show up to our house with dirty shoes, or a badly fitting suit or a junker car or big diamond pinky ring, we're going to connect the dots to you being a loser. It's a generational character flaw.
For the most part BBs are both politically independent and basically apolitical. I think we all burned out with politics in the 60s Vietnam War protests and Watergate after that. However, I believe that the vast majority of BBs are moderate to liberal. If you start babbling about how much you hate Obama or food stamps or child-labor laws or the usual conservative Fox News tripe, you will probably be tuned out and turned off. (And you should know who said "Turn on, tune in, drop out.)
This is important and will be a great sales lesson for many of you. Most of us are more analytical than our parents. We're not the generation invented the computer but we perfected it and made it a mass consumer item. We learned at an early age that if we do this and do that, something will happen. If we don't, we get an error message! It is part of our psyche. Paint us logical pictures that we can connect the dots with.
I don't think we are deductive as much as we are inductive. Don't start with the big picture and drill down... i.e. why life insurance is so terrific and how it works.and move down to a micro level on why it is good for me.
Instead start small... at my micro level (after all, we're the "me generation") and build up to the big picture... i.e. (I work, I die, my kids need money, I don't have any, there is product called life insurance and it will do X, Y, and Z and it's terrific... can you hear the whole symphony orchestra!!") Remember this. My generation always started with the hated vegetables but we always had a dessert. Don't start with the chocolate cake and end with the peas! It won't work well with us.
As much as so many of you hate social security and medicare, they are Holy to us. I can't convey to you how serious we take cuts or eradication of social security benefits or especially Medicare. I'm not going to rationalize it or explain it (not sure I can) but you will have to accept it. So if you walk in and talk to us about your "forget government assistance" political philosophy, you're going to be thrown out on your butt. If you hate Social Security and Medicare, fine. Keep it to yourself because they are sacred to us. It is what it is.
Please, don't patronize us. We may be old and look old, but a huge number of us are actually in good physical and mental health and feel only a third our age. Talk to us as your equals and perhaps not as your parents. That will go a long way in establishing rapport.
But there is a limit. We look to our advisors to... advise! We're not looking for new best friends. Keep a professional "distance" until we suggest a closer relationship.
For example my stock-jock is 39. I'm old enough to be his dad. However, we've become good friends... we have pizza almost every Friday and talk stocks, sports, and women (our wives don't know this... yet!)
But he is not going to become a "best" friend... that is reserved for people more in tune with were I am in life and where I came from. Still, don't get hung up on age, but by the same time understand that we are the client and you are the advisor and it is good to keep a certain distance.
It is best not to be a "yes" man. We all Vance Packard's books... The Pyramid Climbers and The Status Seekers in college (you would do well to read them as well) and we can smell an a$$-kisser a mile away.
We're really big on honesty and transparency and we want you to (as we used to say) "Tell it like it is" or "Sock it to me" (and you should know where that came from too!)
You younger guys/gals call it "Keepin' it real." Same thing. Just tell us the truth, not what you think we want to hear. We're really not as stupid as you probably think we are. (However we don't think you're nearly as smart as YOU think you are! :-) )
Hope this helps some of you to approach and make sales to the BB generation.
Al
I can be found here, not from under a cloak like so many others.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Thread starter
- #24
insurancechamp
Expert
- 41
Awesome Post Al very good reading. thanks
- 7,066
Gee, I never thought of that. For the last eighteen years I thought there was only one way of finding new clients. I may decide to stay with this insurance thing for a while.
- 151
Just keep in mind that if you use this type of strategy, you are putting yourself in harm's way with CMS. Door to Door solicitation is strictly prohibited in sales of Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. You could lose your contract over it.
Additionally, if you gain a client through Door to Door for something else (like maybe Final Expense) and later sell them an MA or PDP, that could still potentially come back to bite you.
It is a very risky thing to do, so be aware.
G
Guest
Guest
How is the restaurant doing? Baby boomers are the original "I had my nails done today. What did I make for dinner? Reservations!" generation.
Are you serving goat-chops?
(Don't knock it. I spent a week at Club Med in Martinique (in the Caribbean) where they had "mixed grill" for lunch each day. They served the most wonderful chops which we all thought were lamb. We took a drive around the island (it is small) and never saw one sheep, but tons of goats. They admitted they were serving goat chops. They tasted just like lamb. Nobody cared. BBs love "exotic" food and are big on food fads. Right now in my area cupcakes are "out" and mini-pies are "in.")
If you want to take a (sub)urban BB to lunch, I suggest an "ethnic" restaurant, perhaps an Asian-fusion place where there are lots of veggie plates but meat/fish as well. Here is where I take my clients to lunch. Not too expensive and a wide selection of dishes.
- 25,036
Being a Baby Boomer I think Al is maybe half correct.
Which highlights the impossibility of defining a generation that started with the return of WWII veterans and ended with many of those first Boomers going to Vietnam. Then one half calling the other half baby killers. War was a big part of our make up. Either through family, environment (TV News) or personal experience. The leading edge grew up with crew cuts, the tail end grew up with long hair and bell bottoms. The old boomers are retiring the young boomers are 15 - 20 years from retiring (if lucky). The difference between the different regions of the country was much greater.
1946 = President Harry Truman may have been listening to Frank Sinatra or Bing Croby
1964 = President Johnson could have been listening to The Beatles or Simon and Garfunkle (
)
Donald Trump and Keanu Reeves are both baby boomers.
I think it is going to be pretty had to define baby boomers.
Which highlights the impossibility of defining a generation that started with the return of WWII veterans and ended with many of those first Boomers going to Vietnam. Then one half calling the other half baby killers. War was a big part of our make up. Either through family, environment (TV News) or personal experience. The leading edge grew up with crew cuts, the tail end grew up with long hair and bell bottoms. The old boomers are retiring the young boomers are 15 - 20 years from retiring (if lucky). The difference between the different regions of the country was much greater.
1946 = President Harry Truman may have been listening to Frank Sinatra or Bing Croby
1964 = President Johnson could have been listening to The Beatles or Simon and Garfunkle (
)Donald Trump and Keanu Reeves are both baby boomers.
I think it is going to be pretty had to define baby boomers.
- 3,384
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Howard
New Member
I have built a nice business using this EXACT approach!
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