Cold Knocking

[Norwayguy]

According to the letter of the law, if I door knock a senior at at 4 pm and they say tomorrow at 1pm would be perfect for an appointment, I would have to give her the form and say sorry I have to wait 24 hours, so I can't see you till 4 tomorrow.

With some of the DAs in California I can see you getting charged. However I think it would be hard for a jury to find you guilty, Yes you technically violated the law but you did follow the spirit of the law.....Make sure you have some friends handing out jury nullifaction notices in front of the courthouse

 

[nfl72]

There is another thread going on and on about why are insurance salesmen so lazy. That thread parallels this thread to a certain degree. I don't believe all salesmen are lazy. I think many of the better salesmen grow lazy! They become successful at what they do and learn to realize that time doing things they want to do such as spending time with the kids, and family is much more important than pounding the pavement 4o hours a week and then doing office work at night just to catch up grows very old in a hurry.

I believe that the vast majority of people trying to make a living door knocking will be out of the business in a very short order. Yes, a few people make a living at it but overall it is a daily grind that wears many a good man down. I see nothing efficient about walking door to door, trying to find someone to talk to. Then when you do you schedule an appointment for the next day, you go back the next day only to get stood up. We all know a good salesman can put you under the either. When they come out, they cancel. FE IS MOSTLY ONE STOP SHOPPING IN MY BOOK!!!. Yes I go back from time to time, but I certainly don't make it a priority or even a goal for that matter.

I purchased 40 TM leads from a lead supplier, not PHR, about 3 weeks ago that I had never used before. They came in over a 10 day period of time. In the last three weeks I worked all day Wed and about half a day on Thursday, with scheduled appointments. I had about 23 ftf appointments set up. I got stood up 3 or 4 times. when I did get stood up I punched in addresses of some of the 40 I couldn't get to commit to a meeting. If they were within 10 minutes I made the drive, hoping they would be home, but mostly trying to keep busy.

I wrote 6, 7 and eight in that order. I wrote all but three sit downs I had scheduled. I do expect to write 2 of them this week. Out of the 40 leads I have never spoken with 7 or 8 of them. I would expect to get a couple of them but after the freshness wears off the closing ratio drops dramatically.

When Quito died the last words out of his mouth were not "I wish I had spent more time door knocking!" I believe this thread is very misleading to agents that come here looking for guidance. This business is tough enough while working mailers or TM leads. Trying and expecting to make a living door knocking will lead to an early grave for most.

I am 59 years old and have been selling all my life. I have worked final expense for 4 or 5 years, maybe more. I tend to lose track of time. You can make a living working a ton of hours in this business and you can make it by working "smarter not harder". I prefer the latter.

 

[rousemark]

There is another thread going on and on about why are insurance salesmen so lazy. That thread parallels this thread to a certain degree. I don't believe all salesmen are lazy. I think many of the better salesmen grow lazy! They become successful at what they do and learn to realize that time doing things they want to do such as spending time with the kids, and family is much more important than pounding the pavement 4o hours a week and then doing office work at night just to catch up grows very old in a hurry.

I believe that the vast majority of people trying to make a living door knocking will be out of the business in a very short order. Yes, a few people make a living at it but overall it is a daily grind that wears many a good man down. I see nothing efficient about walking door to door, trying to find someone to talk to. Then when you do you schedule an appointment for the next day, you go back the next day only to get stood up. We all know a good salesman can put you under the either. When they come out, they cancel. FE IS MOSTLY ONE STOP SHOPPING IN MY BOOK!!!. Yes I go back from time to time, but I certainly don't make it a priority or even a goal for that matter.

I purchased 40 TM leads from a lead supplier, not PHR, about 3 weeks ago that I had never used before. They came in over a 10 day period of time. In the last three weeks I worked all day Wed and about half a day on Thursday, with scheduled appointments. I had about 23 ftf appointments set up. I got stood up 3 or 4 times. when I did get stood up I punched in addresses of some of the 40 I couldn't get to commit to a meeting. If they were within 10 minutes I made the drive, hoping they would be home, but mostly trying to keep busy.

I wrote 6, 7 and eight in that order. I wrote all but three sit downs I had scheduled. I do expect to write 2 of them this week. Out of the 40 leads I have never spoken with 7 or 8 of them. I would expect to get a couple of them but after the freshness wears off the closing ratio drops dramatically.

When Quito died the last words out of his mouth were not "I wish I had spent more time door knocking!" I believe this thread is very misleading to agents that come here looking for guidance. This business is tough enough while working mailers or TM leads. Trying and expecting to make a living door knocking will lead to an early grave for most.

I am 59 years old and have been selling all my life. I have worked final expense for 4 or 5 years, maybe more. I tend to lose track of time. You can make a living working a ton of hours in this business and you can make it by working "smarter not harder". I prefer the latter.

Sorry, but I know several agents that make well into six figures and have never bought a lead in their career.. Their prospecting consists mainly of cold canvasing and referrals. Just becasue it does not work for some people, or some cannot stand to do it, that doesn't mean that others do not enjoy it and are very successful at it. Many will tell you that running leads is much harder than canvassing becasue of all the time you spend setting up appointments, driving long distances between appointments and being stood up. My best friend in the business is semi-retired and canvasses 20 hours per week..Leaves the house at 10AM and quits at 8PM two days per week. He normally writes around 3K per week in life premium (not all FE). To each his own.

 

[wln417]

I couldn't find any specific info on what happens if you violate this law.

What could happen? Get pinged by the insurance commissioner? A company might cancel your contract? Continued violations would result in losing your license?

 

[nfl72]

Phone time? It might take 2 hours to schedule 8 to ten appointments for Wed and Thursday. The 2 hours spent on the phone are the most productive hours of the week. Without them you have to door knock. Its extremely difficult to door knock and write 8 policies in a day and a half.

If your friend would buy leads from time to time he would be home by 6 instead of 8 and write 5 instead of three

 

[InsKid]

I couldn't find any specific info on what happens if you violate this law. What could happen? Get pinged by the insurance commissioner? A company might cancel your contract? Continued violations would result in losing your license?

I'm sure the letter of this law is violated all the time.

Most carriers just provide the form but don't require it back and the form doesn't have the name or appointment time of the senior, so an agent could keep a file and say he gave them out without anyway to prove that he did. The form is not signed and dated, so it would always be the agents word against the senior.

It would be very difficult to inforce.

 

[wln417]

All I did was let people know what the law is. Obey it. Find ways around it. Doesn't matter to me.

Forewarned is forearmed.

 

[rousemark]

Phone time? It might take 2 hours to schedule 8 to ten appointments for Wed and Thursday. The 2 hours spent on the phone are the most productive hours of the week. Without them you have to door knock. Its extremely difficult to door knock and write 8 policies in a day and a half.

If your friend would buy leads from time to time he would be home by 6 instead of 8 and write 5 instead of three

So you spend 2 hours on the phone prior to your field day and he spends 2 more hours on his field day. ..... Some how your way is less time? Just curious, do you average 5K per week for a total of 250K annually? Sounds as if you are guaranteeing that if he did your way, he would increase his production to 5K.. Even if he did increase production would he make any more after you factor in lead costs.. He has none now.

If the same thing always worked the same way for everybody.. Nobody should buy more than 10 leads per week and write $200K per year.. That is the way JD does it so it should work for everybody according to your logic.

 

[nfl72]

I spend about 2 hours a week on the phone scheduling appointments. Last week I worked Wed from 9:45 until 5:15. On Thursday I left my home at 11:30 and got home at 6:15. I wrote 8 policies during that time. 105, 53, 36, 49. 47, 63, 34 and 48.

When I go out for 2 days I expect to write between 6 and ten. If I don't I am not a happy camper. Very very few agents can turn those kinds of numbers going door to door, working 2 days a week. And I believe the ones who can would do better by working 5 or 6 pre set appointments per day. That is my opinion.


Door to door salesmen are a dying breed. I have done it in the past and it is very hard work. I believe it is a pretty safe bet that the over whelming majority of top producers in FE don't work door to door very often.

 

[rousemark]

I spend about 2 hours a week on the phone scheduling appointments. Last week I worked Wed from 9:45 until 5:15. On Thursday I left my home at 11:30 and got home at 6:15. I wrote 8 policies during that time. 105, 53, 36, 49. 47, 63, 34 and 48.

When I go out for 2 days I expect to write between 6 and ten. If I don't I am not a happy camper. Very very few agents can turn those kinds of numbers going door to door, working 2 days a week. And I believe the ones who can would do better by working 5 or 6 pre set appointments per day. That is my opinion.


Door to door salesmen are a dying breed. I have done it in the past and it is very hard work. I believe it is a pretty safe bet that the over whelming majority of top producers in FE don't work door to door very often.

I ave no doubt about that.... But then the majority of people period, are adverse to cold knocking doors.. My friend loves doing it.. With me, it falls more in the category of a necessary evil.. I am doing it today.. Will let you know when I get done what happened.. I am sure, it will be nothing like the day you had.