Called on a DM Lead Today
- Thread starter rousemark
- Start date
tikibarrister
Guru
- 505
FE salesmen always amaze me.
You contact someone by mail. They reply by mail. And then you're surprised when they expect the information to arrive by mail.
Let's be honest: if the card said "fill this out and a salesman will knock on your door" you'd get a 0% response rate. It's only by leaving that part out that people respond at all...so why be surprised if they don't want a knock?
BTW, it's not their fault someone's charging you $35 for the lead and it's ridiculous to think they should know that anyone is.
- Thread starter
- #13
When I got the third reply from a retired state trooper, I called on him and asked why he kept sending them in if he had no interest, he told me he had nothing else to do. I told him to quit, it was costing me or some other agent $35 every time. He was shocked that it cost the agent and said he would not send any more in.
- 4,304
One time I knocked a lead. The wife answered the door and said he's upstairs asleep, then added, "I don't know why he keeps sending these. He's a life insurance agent himself." I was paying per thousand mailer rates, so it didn't matter, other than wasting my time. I chalked it up to the fact that he was 78, mostly retired, not an FE guy, and either curious or just wanting to reminisce. I can't imagine he would send it in if he knew the agent had to pay for the lead..
- 26,125
Are you doing this more or less F2F or by phone?
I got in the insurance business in 1972 and have heard and seen it all. My first week in training school this is what we were told to do. If a guy says, "I'm not leaving a bunch of money to my wife so she can marry some bastard and live high with my money." You look him in the eye and say,"maybe she won't marry one the next time." I have never used this.
- 4,304
A variation is when a husband says, "she can just remarry after I'm gone." As a young agent, I was at a friend's home to talk to him about insurance, and his wife actually said that! When she left the room, I looked him in the eye and said, "Mike, I'm sure your wife would be a good catch for any man. But you've got 4 kids! How many men do you know who'd be willing to take on an entire family?" When she came back out, he was signing the app. (And they're still married 30 years later!)
In my initial training class, they told us about an agent that would answer, "So, you want your wife to be a prostitute?" The husband would say, "What are you talking about??!!!" Answer, "Well, if you won't leave enough money for her & the kids, so she has to get in bed with another man, what would you call it?" Up to that point he'd never been shot. I don't know about after!
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- #18
If you will seach the forums you will see that I posted a story where my little staff manager did just that.. I got into the business in 1971
I have at least 1000 level term policies. The initial guarantee period expires on a few each month. I try to contact those and some of them call me. It's always my fault they outlived their coverage but most buy something new. I have developed relationships with several P&C agents,1 Edward Jones guy and 1 Guardian lady. They give me Medicare leads. Plus most locals that know me will call me about Medicare. I sell a few every month. I have a few FE clients who tell their family and friends about me. That usually results in a few sales a month.
I have never made lots of money. Gross 6 figures yes but not net. It don't take what it use to to pay the bills. Did some debt consolidation last year which lowered my bills to a level that I can pay all of them with my entitlement check. New sales and renewals are a plus. Fish and hunt more than I ever have. Me and a friend caught 72 mullet in 3 hours yesterday on a rod/reel using a gold hook. Life is good right now.
- 26,125
Sounds pretty familiar.
except instead of fishing and hunting it is wineries, live music, breweries and the California coast.
