Boy the First Year in This Business is a Butt Kicker!!

[Guest]

Congrats! You are not in the quite popular "first year failure club"

 

[wappahso]

This is simply true, great analysis.. There were times that I thought about giving up but hard work always pays off.. Good Job

 

[ccIowa]

Congratulations on your successes!

Now keep that success rolling.

From what I've seen and LIMRA statistics report you have a couple more critical points to cross... around 18 months and the 4th year.

By 18 months most people have completely tapped out their resources for finding people to sell to. Plus they aren't anywhere even close to being on track to earn $100,000 like their sales manager said they should be. Their more likely on track to earn around $24,000.

After the 4th year many tire from the constant feast and famine roller coaster and the endless amount of work it takes to secure an appointment. Plus the average guy still isn't making $100,000 a year.

Bottom line the ones who make it understand how to do one very important thing...

Leverage

That's what you should put your sites on next, how to leverage the things you do to produce greater results.

Far too many people buy leads only to waste most of those leads. They go through enormous numbers to secure even a single appointment and then they only close 1 out of 3 of those appointments.

You need people to sell to. When you attract the people most likely to buy your stuff to you, you leverage your time.

Plus it's easier to close those people so you also leverage your earning power.

You want to build your business so you can live in it long term from both a financial perspective and a quality of life perspective and leveraging will make things a whole lot easier for you.

So find the sources who can help you:

• get the people most likely to buy your stuff coming to you
• keep the qualified leads you buy in your sales funnel
• get the qualified leads you connect with to want to talk to you
• close more of your appointments
• get outside sources to refer you

Keep up the great work and enthusiasm!


​

 

[ABC]

My first 3 years in the biz I worked a night job.

I am now in my 11th year and I still fight for every deal. I will say I have a steady flow of referrals every month but I still prospect almost daily. The economy is not help matters either.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

You need people to sell to. When you attract the people most likely to buy your stuff to you, you leverage your time. Plus it's easier to close those people so you also leverage your earning power.

You want to build your business so you can live in it long term from both a financial perspective and a quality of life perspective and leveraging will make things a whole lot easier for you.

So find the sources who can help you:

• get the people most likely to buy your stuff coming to you
• keep the qualified leads you buy in your sales funnel
• get the qualified leads you connect with to want to talk to you
• close more of your appointments
• get outside sources to refer you

Keep up the great work and enthusiasm!

"Now keep that success rolling"?​

Sorry man, but this type of generalized advice it totally worthless.​

It's like a guy that knows a hundred different positions to make love in...but doesn't know any girls.​

Spare us this dung...please.​

 

[Frank Stastny]

"Now keep that success rolling"?​

Sorry man, but this type of generalized advice it totally worthless.​

It's like a guy that knows a hundred different positions to make love in...but doesn't know any girls.​

Spare us this dung...please.​

That is the funniest thing I have read in a long time.

All of the "dung", as you so appropriately labeled it, is straight out of somebody's book. It is all theory with no substance to it.

I don't know about you but it is pretty obvious to me that she is not a producing, successful insurance agent. She may have tried at one time, followed her own advice, and then failed miserably. Having failed at that she has now decided to become an "adviser", or whatever, and thinks she can position herself here to make money off of new, inexperienced agents.

I am "holding back" big time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All those who would give that advice to a new agent and then say "I have told you how to do it, good luck" please raise your hands.

I only see her hand in the air.

 

[ccIowa]

Oh my... ruffled feathers and all!

Personally, I'm sick and tired of agents getting told the same drivel.

Make more calls, hold more appointments, close more sales. Oh, that's new and helpful.

Everything you're told to do does exactly one thing... It triggers a negative response in your prospect. If you want different results you have to do things differently.

That means you have to do what you need to do without setting off that trigger.

So you think it's all some theory I read in a book. Well, everything you need to know probably is in a book somewhere if you can find the right books and then figure out how to apply what those books say in a way that works for you.

However, here's something that has worked very well for me. I don't call anyone anymore, but I sure did when I was first starting out. Before I made a call I always sent a pre-approach letter campaign. I secured an appointment with 28% of the letters I sent.

Do any of you ever so experienced top dogs ever get that kind of an ROI from your letters?

Here are the specifics for my direct mail campaign:

• I sent the letter in a plain hand addressed envelop with a regular stamp. This wasn't a big burden because I only intended to send 20 a week.
• I hand wrote a very brief letter (3 sentences in fact) on plain paper that spoke about a particular challenge I knew they were likely to have.
• I planned a 3 letter series before I ever started.
• I told them in letters 1 & 2 to expect the next letter in a week.
• I included an articule that talked about their challenge with each letter.
• In the final letter I let them know I would be calling them to get their thoughts on the information I'd sent and tell them how to get more information depending on their personal interests.

Once the last letter was sent I would then call each letter recipient in week 4 and this was the result:

• Each person took my call.
• Each person thanked me for the articles.
• 28% wanted to meet with me immediately.
• 98% of the people I met with bought.
• I kept the remaining people who showed some interest in my sales funnel and over time most of them bought too. Even if took a couple years.

And no, I don't sell insurance I happened to end up with a bunch of agents as clients who were able to get similar results from the things I shared with them.

And no, I didn't come here to feed off a bunch of newbies. There are enough people here already doing that. I came because I actually want to help some people avoid the emotional trauma I see. Plus I want to learn a little more information for marketing.

And in spite of your disdain from me I recognize the experienced agents have a wealth of knowledge that I can learn from.

Now I'm sure what I've just shared will unleash more snarls from the crusty crowd who already knows everything there is to know. Go ahead if it makes you feel better.

It's worth it to me if I can help even one person see the folly between what you're told to do and what actually works.

 

[xrac]

Oh my... ruffled feathers and all!

Personally, I'm sick and tired of agents getting told the same drivel.

Make more calls, hold more appointments, close more sales. Oh, that's new and helpful.

Everything you're told to do does exactly one thing... It triggers a negative response in your prospect. If you want different results you have to do things differently.

That means you have to do what you need to do without setting off that trigger.

So you think it's all some theory I read in a book. Well, everything you need to know probably is in a book somewhere if you can find the right books and then figure out how to apply what those books say in a way that works for you.

However, here's something that has worked very well for me. I don't call anyone anymore, but I sure did when I was first starting out. Before I made a call I always sent a pre-approach letter campaign. I secured an appointment with 28% of the letters I sent.

Do any of you ever so experienced top dogs ever get that kind of an ROI from your letters?

Here are the specifics for my direct mail campaign:

• I sent the letter in a plain hand addressed envelop with a regular stamp. This wasn't a big burden because I only intended to send 20 a week.
• I hand wrote a very brief letter (3 sentences in fact) on plain paper that spoke about a particular challenge I knew they were likely to have.
• I planned a 3 letter series before I ever started.
• I told them in letters 1 & 2 to expect the next letter in a week.
• I included an articule that talked about their challenge with each letter.
• In the final letter I let them know I would be calling them to get their thoughts on the information I'd sent and tell them how to get more information depending on their personal interests.

Once the last letter was sent I would then call each letter recipient in week 4 and this was the result:

• Each person took my call.
• Each person thanked me for the articles.
• 28% wanted to meet with me immediately.
• 98% of the people I met with bought.
• I kept the remaining people who showed some interest in my sales funnel and over time most of them bought too. Even if took a couple years.

And no, I don't sell insurance I happened to end up with a bunch of agents as clients who were able to get similar results from the things I shared with them.

And no, I didn't come here to feed off a bunch of newbies. There are enough people here already doing that. I came because I actually want to help some people avoid the emotional trauma I see. Plus I want to learn a little more information for marketing.

And in spite of your disdain from me I recognize the experienced agents have a wealth of knowledge that I can learn from.

Now I'm sure what I've just shared will unleash more snarls from the crusty crowd who already knows everything there is to know. Go ahead if it makes you feel better.

It's worth it to me if I can help even one person see the folly between what you're told to do and what actually works.

Your method is very similar to the Krumroy method that Robert Krumroy taught years ago. Out of curiousity what do you sell?

 

[Guest]

Your method is very similar to the Krumroy method that Robert Krumroy taught years ago. Out of curiousity what do you sell?

Hmmmm....... No answer yet, xrac. Methinks, M&M and Frank hurt her feelings.

Or ruffled her feathers.

 

[ccIowa]

Sorry, I didn't notice others had posted on this thread.

Let's see... Robert Kumroy? I'm not familiar with him either although it sounds like I would like the guy.

I don't know if there are any totally new ideas in marketing and sales.

I do know there are a lot of people out there who can help you take those ideas and make them work in your business.

I really want to thank you guys for your skepticism though. It's really helpful.

Now, I see that you view ideas or suggestions from a frame of reference of who else has an idea or suggestion like that. Makes perfect sense.

Xrac wanted to know what I sell. I didn't come here to sell anyone anything. I came to learn. Plus I haven't had an opening for a new client for over a year now and I'm not expecting one any time soon.

I'm working on something under the radar though. And I figured this would be a great place to do some research in preparation for marketing that program elsewhere later.

Anyway to answer the question: I show my clients (all are in service industries including Life Insurance, the area most of the agents I work with are in) how to get highly qualified prospects contacting you giving you an unfair advantage you can't get from sales training alone or pre-packaged marketing materials.

When my clients came to me they were in a completely different frame of mind than you guys. They'd tried all the things the insurance companies gave them and were pretty beaten up.

You guys have obviously had great success with the same tools and doing the same things. That's interesting.

So I'm wondering did you make any adaptations or did you just follow the program step-by-step?

My sense is you made adaptations that worked for you.

Want to set me straight on that?