Current Securus or EFES Agents Only Please

[GAInsuranceGal]

I have an opportunity to work with both organizations and I am curious to know what are your experiences with either company you represent. Please give me the good and the bad of each because I truly value the comments of the agents on this site.

As stated in the title of this post:

Please only reply if you are an agent that is currently working for either Securus or EFES. (If you are a recruiter, marketer, or CEO of these companies, please do not reply. I would like honest feedback from agents that are out there with prospects every week.)

Thanks so much.

 

[jdeasy]

I know a lot about EFES, a little about Securus.

In my opinion EFES is the best IMO out there for the producing FE agent.

They have a fixed lead cost that can be reduced with production.

They offer a protected area. {really not such a big deal because others not with EFES will still be mailing in the same areas}. You just won't be competing with another EFES agent.

You don't pay for your leads until 10 days after receiving them. {That's not such a big deal either since you will still pay for leads every week once you are rolling}.

You get your leads all in the same area. I get mine by county. Some agents get them by zip code. The minimum order is 15 per week. Some agents get as many as 40 per week. The leads are available every Sat. morning.

The companies you can write thru EFES are; RNA, Americo, AmAm, Monumental, Oxford, Foresters, AmCon, UHL, Presidential, {that's off the top of my head, there may be more?}

Excellent training and support. The EFES University has almost all of the top agent's presentations recording and also appointment making scripts, door knocking scripts and tips plus every manager has a call once a week for agents to ask questions or just gripe. They have twice weekly "Plug and learn" calls where you can listen to agent in the field from all over the country sharing their stories and there is a question and answer section at the end of them. Those are all recorded also so that you can listen later if it's played at an inconvenient time for you originally.

Personally, I have listened to every presentation at EFES University. I have listened to every single plug and learn call since they started doing them. If it's not on live when it's convenient to jme I listen to the recording later. The training and support that I have received from EFES is the foundation of my business.

The bad of EFES? I don't have personal experience with this but the word is that it is not a good system for recuiting agents under you. Especially is you are not diectly under one of the regional directors. I don't know it that is the case but I know some top producers that left EFES and that was their reason given.

EFES is also not for the part time FE agent or for someone that wants to dabble in FE as a sideline to their other business. They do have a broker program for that, but do not get on the lead program unless FE is your career.

It does take EFES a while to get rolling in a new area for a new agent as far as getting you 15+ leads per week. If you go into inta an established area they do know how much to mail. They also have to learn about you and how you will work and produce. They will not continue to blindly mail an area if they are not seeing any business from the agent.

What I know of Securus is that they have some of the best FE agents in the country working for them. They also have a fixed lead cost but it doesn't get lowered with production. You do have to pay for your leads in advance with them and I do not care for that model.

The agents I know that left EFES for Securus did so for recruiting purposes. So, they must have a better deal for the person wanting ti build an agency.

 

[GAInsuranceGal]

Thanks so much, JD; I truly appreciate it!

 

[quackattack99]

JD, what is the cost per lead with EFES? Thank you

 

[coloradoseniormarket]

JD did an excellent job of covering the topic. I am contracting with EFES because I am not interested in building a group of agents under me.

Securus will increase your commission level based on production but the lead costs remain level. You own the lead for a specific period of time (six weeks I think) then it can be repurchased for a lower cost. This can be good or bad - if you get to your leads quickly it isn't a problem but you are also able to purchase a number of older leads at a greatly reduced cost.

You will have a problem talking to anyone at the Securus main office- they don't have the staff to answer phones for questions or problems. You will be working under a district manager and farmed off to another agent manager working under them. This can be an issue - if your agent manager is an *** or lazy, you are pretty much on your own.

I didn't like the Securus push toward agency building as the way to make the most money. In truth it is; but not everyone is cut out to be an agency manager or a manager for a group of subagents.

With any situation, what you do is pretty much what you make of it; some do well and others fail miserably. Research the forum there are quite a few threads on the subject.

 

[jdeasy]

JD, what is the cost per lead with EFES? Thank you

I do not know what the starting cost is now. It is also different by directors and commisssion levels.

The last I knew Travis was stating agents at 90% contracts and $20 leads. I heard another director was starting agents at $24 leads.

I don't fool with that end of the business so my numbers may be off.

You can get your per lead cost down to $11 with production. That's the best price offered. It is very hard to get to that level, but not impossible. I have been at that level for over 3 years.

On Travis' team most of the agents pay $15 per lead. Most of his team are good producers.

I asked Ryan a year ago what the average EFES agent pays for leads and he said it was $19.

That's a pretty big range. If you want to know for sure ask whoever the marketer is what level you would be at to start.

 

[quackattack99]

Thanks JD, I really appreciate your feedbanck.

 

[GulfCoastIns]

I'd really like to hear what Reardon has to say to this topic, there's no denying JD has an awesome thing going at EFES but it is also my understanding that HIS experience is not always the norm... Just my 2 cents

 

[jdeasy]

I'd really like to hear what Reardon has to say to this topic, there's no denying JD has an awesome thing going at EFES but it is also my understanding that HIS experience is not always the norm... Just my 2 cents

That's true that everyone will have a different experience. But, there is on basic fact about working with EFES and whether or not it's for someone. To date there has not been even one agent that could not make it with EFES but did make it in FE with another IMO. Not one!

This business is not for everyolne and everyone cannot do this business. I know that's contrary to what the marketers all claim but it's the basic truth.

Reardon will tell you that he had success with EFES because he did. he left for greener pastures and there is nothing wrong with that. Personally I've been successful with every IMO I've been involved with and i'm sure that will continue when/if I leave EFES.

I am a free agent. I don't have any agents under me so I could go to any organization I want. I chose to stay with EFES because I believe they offer the best value for me.

Are they perfect? No way! They do some things that I fully disagree with. One in particular is their release policy. Or, I should say their non release policy. That sucks! If I were to ever change my mind about recruiting and wanted to bring in agents that would have to be addressed. If they would agree up front to realse my downline at my request then I would not bring people on.

I am in a pretty good disagreement with them now over crediting quarterly payers. Still, I look at everything on balance. The good for me uotweighs the bad, by far. That is what every agent needs to look at. Not what the IMO does for someone else or doesn't do for someone else.

I will always say, however, that if you can't make it in FE working with EFES then you just can't make it in FE.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I know I’m not supposed to post in this thread (according to the person who started the thread) but I wanted to touch on something that should be pointed out. This is with no bias.

Any “Lead Program” who promotes “team building” and “managing” to agents as way to initially recruit you is a big red flag to me. IMO, this is the major flaw within most organizations. I love when I talk to agents, who want to build a team. They just quit their job at the Verizon store, got an insurance license, and are going to make themselves rich on overrides on “unsuspecting agents.”

And the bad news is… most of you will end up being the “unsuspecting agents.” These marketing organizations fill agents heads with “Delusions of Grandeur” to get them to commit and contract and pay fees. They make their profits from recruiting, under the cloak of “Lead program.” I correlate it to the “Gold Rush” it was not the miners who got rich during the gold rush. It was the suppliers and shop owners who spun the dream of fortune to the miners selling supplies.

If you want to be successful and make money selling final expense you must give 10-12 face to face presentations a week. To be able to do that you must have a consistent, steady flow of fresh leads. If you call to get information about a lead program and the conversation gets changed to you becoming a manager and team building you should hang up. You are not special! They tell that to everyone who calls in. That is the business plan for them. Recruit, recruit, recruit… That may be an indication that providing you a steady flow of leads may not be their top priority.

I would not sign a contract under anyone within any agency unless they were successful at doing what you're going to be doing. If your up-line cannot prove they have had sustained success in selling final expense, why contract under them? Look to associate with people who are going to make you better, and have something real and tangible to offer you. Someone should not be your up-line because they called in a week earlier then you did…