Federal Financial Group LLC?

[Norske57]

Sorry about the delay in reporting back my friends, ok so I logged on to the Webinar and listened to alot of information delivered in a fairly quick pace which doesn't give you alot of time to let all the info sink in. They then hit you with the $287 processing fee and upon accomplishing $30k in premium its returned. Understandable but I dont like the carrot and stick approach. The weekly sales scenario, from what I gleaned, goes like this: You call in get your leads emailed to you, call your manager before each appointment and after each appointment to discuss what went right/wrong ro sale or no sale. I understand they have to control the leads, but wow at a whopping cut in commission. I'm certain there are alot of reps out there making money with this and it does give you a solid track/script to follow. Nothing wrong with following a sales track, but if you're someone that's not comfortable with "big brother" looking over your shoulder on every call, then this may not be for you. I honestly did not hear anything in the presentation to make it sound hokey, cheesy or any such nature. The companies represented are good, however I will evaluate it further before I make a solid decision. My .02 worth

 

[unlimitedsigh]

The sale of Aviva USA will not effect FFG, it will be business as usual, just like it was when Aviva UK bought Amerus, when Amerus was FFG's primary carrier. Aviva UK needed cash and that is why it sold Aviva USA in December to Athene, name will change to Athene USA. Athene USA will continue to be an industry leader in IUL's and FIA's and FFG will continue to be their #1 GA.

Of course there will exist a single carrier for all of eternity that FFG can selectively only peddle that *one* company's products.

However, what it will affect is the purported "sale" of FFG to the carrier (Aviva) that had 'already been inked' and was 'just around the corner' with some profit-sharing system for the agents that was touted as all but retirement for new agents, lol

 

[rvanwoesik]

Of course there will exist a single carrier for all of eternity that FFG can selectively only peddle that *one* company's products.

However, what it will affect is the purported "sale" of FFG to the carrier (Aviva) that had 'already been inked' and was 'just around the corner' with some profit-sharing system for the agents that was touted as all but retirement for new agents, lol

We are not just contracted with Aviva. We also represent Allianz, ING, Genworth, Banner, Transamerica and American Equity. It will not effect the sale of FFG, Aviva was a potential buyer not the only buyer. No one has said it had "already been inked" the time of sale has always been based on reaching a certain level of sales, which will be 2014. Don't know where all your negativity is coming from but to be successful you have to believe in yourself and the companies you represent.

 

[unlimitedsigh]

We are not just contracted with Aviva. We also represent Allianz, ING, Genworth, Banner, Transamerica and American Equity. It will not effect the sale of FFG, Aviva was a potential buyer not the only buyer. No one has said it had "already been inked" the time of sale has always been based on reaching a certain level of sales, which will be 2014. Don't know where all your negativity is coming from but to be successful you have to believe in yourself and the companies you represent.

Because your post is nothing like what FFG's marketing director and local Xth-level recruiter like to espouse.

1. Aviva represents, or did, 90% of your bread-and-butter. I had heard this from multiple sources in the company, and I'm pretty sure it was referenced in the book I was told to read. Allianz pretty much rounded out the rest. A certain local regional guy all but said he didn't even bother with anything BUT Aviva, with few exceptions.

2. Aviva was mentioned as the de facto buyer. This was explained to me as largely due to the amount of business FFG does for them, 'keeping it under their roof.' See #1, and in part your previous post where you admit Amerus was the primary carrier. The secondary/tertiary carriers are all but not worth mentioning.

Side note - you are now saying the date is 2014. Odd. I was told late 2011. Then 2012. LOL. The best part is the deal with Aviva that, yes, was described as 'all but completed/signed,' was DURING the rumors surrounding the sale of Aviva in the first place. As if new hires don't read the news. Yes, I'm sure Aviva, hurting for money, would be looking to drop $50M (or whatever ridiculous figure was given) while they were courting buyers for themselves! What a joke. As if the mid-tier peons would know what the owner/C-levels were planning for the company - or just what they were TOLD (to tell prospective agents - womp womp).

3. In fact, I was told an offer from Allianz was turned down due to being too low and not some seemingly arbitrary multiple of annual production volume (possibly a legitimate company valuation, but that was not how it came across as)... because the owners were 'holding out for a better deal' for their 'shareholders' and turned down a multi-million dollar offer...

4. Success... what? I'm not sure what you are getting at, or what bearing it has on what FFG has to offer. Sure, one may be able to find success at FFG, as in anywhere, but I'm merely writing about how they promote themselves.

5. Have you read this thread in its entirety?



Is what I have to tell others here of my experience being courted by FFG purely anecdotal? Sure. But it is, as they say, what it is.

 

[[email protected]]

I can comment on FFG. I joined them late in 2010 and went to their annual convention in February, 2011. Conventions are at agent cost for convention ticket, travel, hotel, and some meals. FFG pays for convention facilities, outside speakers, some meals, and all other expenses over and above the ticket cost. That was a fantastic experience. I had been in the industry a number of years and been to many conventions, and that one had a lot more solid information and sales ideas than any others I have attended. It really got me off to a good start.

I am now a District Coordinator, supervising and training 8 agents while pursuing my own personal production. As a "free agent" I can write business with any company I want as long as I write through FFG any leads they have given me. FFG represents a number of companies in addition to Aviva, but IUL through Aviva is the primary focus. I think their fixed and indexed products are superior products, and in most cases flexible enough to help most people accumulate retirement savings, protect families against the death of the provider(s) for the family, provide for college funding, etc.

The training has been fantastic. Even with years in the business with major companies, I have learned a great deal. I was coachable enough to learn the scripts, and still use them today, as they have a proven track record. Yes, the commissions are lower than other companies, but that is not FFGs purpose. We can take a man or woman who is willing to work, and willing and able to learn, and give them the training necessary to be true entrepreneurs, owning their own business and providing very well for their families.

The leads are really good. Of course every lead is not a good one. There are some bad ones mixed in, but the majority of them are good, middle-class people who are struggling in today's economy. We show them a light at the end of the tunnel with a way to set aside some today which will grow at market rates, is guaranteed against loss, grows tax-sheltered, and can be distributed tax-free for retirement income. I am very happy to have found the FFG opportunity. If you have questions I can answer feel free to contact me personally.

 

[rvanwoesik]

Because your post is nothing like what FFG's marketing director and local Xth-level recruiter like to espouse.

1. Aviva represents, or did, 90% of your bread-and-butter. I had heard this from multiple sources in the company, and I'm pretty sure it was referenced in the book I was told to read. Allianz pretty much rounded out the rest. A certain local regional guy all but said he didn't even bother with anything BUT Aviva, with few exceptions.

2. Aviva was mentioned as the de facto buyer. This was explained to me as largely due to the amount of business FFG does for them, 'keeping it under their roof.' See #1, and in part your previous post where you admit Amerus was the primary carrier. The secondary/tertiary carriers are all but not worth mentioning.

Side note - you are now saying the date is 2014. Odd. I was told late 2011. Then 2012. LOL. The best part is the deal with Aviva that, yes, was described as 'all but completed/signed,' was DURING the rumors surrounding the sale of Aviva in the first place. As if new hires don't read the news. Yes, I'm sure Aviva, hurting for money, would be looking to drop $50M (or whatever ridiculous figure was given) while they were courting buyers for themselves! What a joke. As if the mid-tier peons would know what the owner/C-levels were planning for the company - or just what they were TOLD (to tell prospective agents - womp womp).

3. In fact, I was told an offer from Allianz was turned down due to being too low and not some seemingly arbitrary multiple of annual production volume (possibly a legitimate company valuation, but that was not how it came across as)... because the owners were 'holding out for a better deal' for their 'shareholders' and turned down a multi-million dollar offer...

4. Success... what? I'm not sure what you are getting at, or what bearing it has on what FFG has to offer. Sure, one may be able to find success at FFG, as in anywhere, but I'm merely writing about how they promote themselves.

5. Have you read this thread in its entirety?



Is what I have to tell others here of my experience being courted by FFG purely anecdotal? Sure. But it is, as they say, what it is.

1. Yes 90% or maybe more has been written with Aviva, my own is 100%. But tomorrow I could start putting clients with any of the other carriers available through FFG.

2. Aviva was mentioned as a de facto buyer, not relevant, what is relevant is that if the company is sold, contractually agents participate.

3. No when knows what the actual sale date will be, see #2.

4. How they promote themselves is what they are. No one is saying that it's easy but it is possible to achieve the results they promote.

5. Yes

 

[SusanE]

Hello,

Yes, the Facebook page is Federal Financial Group LLC - the one with 245 likes or so. And the Federal Financial Group LLC twitter account is @ffg_2 These give you some info on the current activities within the company.

Hope that helps. Federal Financial Group agents sell life insurance and annuities only. It's a fruitful opportunity and many agents really enjoy it.

Susan

 

[VolAgent]

This is the annoying outfit that robo calls, right?

 

[Rick.S]

We apparently have a fairly active Federal Financial Group (FFG) office in our area and FFG is doing their utmost to provide them with appointments. So I can give you the perspective from the targeted client point of view.

Several times in the last three years I have been referred to both individual prospects and small to medium sized business prospects that have had exposure to FFG telemarketing prior to our having met. They all report pretty much the same experiences.

The individual prospects have told me about repeated phone calls, both day and night, from telemarketers who apparently have not heard of the Do Not Call legislation. Some calls showed the caller ID as "unidentified" while others had a Salt Lake City area code. Often when the prospect picked up the phone no one was there. So FFG’s auto dialer must work faster than the number of telemarketers they have and no one at their end was available to pick up some of the completed connections.

When there was someone at the other end of the phone line the prospect was delivered a scripted message about receiving a scratch-off card with the potential for winning a Ford Explorer, $2,500 in cash, a Flat Screen TV or a vacation cruise just for allowing one of their representatives come to their home and make a 20 minute educational presentation to them. One of the things they were told was that the presenter would show them how they could avoid paying any taxes on their retirement savings.

The prospect was also told that there would be no attempt to sell them anything during this first meeting. The rep would only be there to deliver their scratch-off card and provide them with the free information. However if they were interested the representative could come back with the appropriate paperwork to complete the investment. None of the people I’ve talked to ever schedule an initial meeting with a FFG rep. so I can’t tell you if there really was no attempt on the rep’s part to close during this initial call.

When the prospect indicated that they may be interested in a meeting, the telemarketer went into a script which was the equivalent of a basic fact finder. The telemarketer began asking personal questions about income, investments, savings and home ownership among others. When this discussion of personal information began most prospects said they ended the call, often by hanging up on the caller who had shifted into an aggressive defense mode in an attempt to save the call. Then for the next week or more the prospects received repeated calls, sometimes multiple times per day, from "Unidentified Caller". When they did not pick up any of these secondary attempts the calls finally quit coming. Or so they thought. About three weeks later the cycle began again.

Business owners have told me stories about repeated calls from unidentified callers who wanted to speak to "the owner" or "a manager" but then quickly hung up when the gate keeper requested more information about the caller. This was followed by a series of immediate hang-up calls if the same person at the company answered each incoming call. One manager I spoke to said that they were getting at least 5 to as many as 16 hang ups in any given day for a period of about 3 weeks.

Another business owner reported that after about 2 weeks of hang ups they began to get calls after hours with the telemarketer calling back numerous times and leaving messages on all of the phones identified in the company directory system on their phone switch. When one of his staff unknowingly agreed to a meeting the telemarketer then began leaving messages on all of the voice mail boxes saying ‘Ms. X is very excited to be meeting with our representative next week at your offices in /city/ and I’m sure that it wouldn’t be any problem to meet with you just before or after he/she meets with Ms. X.’

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that I would want an appointment set, free or otherwise, with a person who has been harassed the way that these prospects had been.

One final piece of information I was given is the “Official Rules” of the FFG Scratch Card Promotion. In case you were wondering, the odds of winning a 2009 Ford Explorer, a flat screen TV or $2,500 in cash are each 6,599,835 to 1. The odds of winning a vacation cruise are 1 to 1.

“7-Night/Florida Vacation & Bahamas Cruise includes 2 nights in Daytona Beach, FL in a standard hotel room, 2 nights in Orlando, FL in a standard room,3 nights hotel accommodations in Freeport, Grand Bahamas in a standard hotel room, and passage on the Discovery Cruise Line both to and from the Grand Bahamas, but does not include ground or air transportation, meals or incidentals such as alcoholic beverages or gratuities or taxes. In order to redeem the Second Incentive, you must pay $215 per person ($165 port charge tax+ $50 refundable room guarantee deposit). Port Taxes must be paid at least 60 days prior to travel. Reservation request must be accompanied by the refundable room guarantee deposit. Travel must be completed within one year of receipt ofcard. Reservations are subject to availability and must be made at least 60 days in advance of travel. Sponsor is not responsible for risks and contingences of travel. Recipients subject to all rules of Discovery Cruise Line standard ticket contract of passage.”

Gee, I wonder if a tour of a Disney time-share condo complex in included in the package?

Contest ends on December 31, 2014, so you’d better hurry to set your appointment before it’s too late!!

 

[xrac]

We apparently have a fairly active Federal Financial Group (FFG) office in our area and FFG is doing their utmost to provide them with appointments. So I can give you the perspective from the targeted client point of view.

Several times in the last three years I have been referred to both individual prospects and small to medium sized business prospects that have had exposure to FFG telemarketing prior to our having met. They all report pretty much the same experiences.

The individual prospects have told me about repeated phone calls, both day and night, from telemarketers who apparently have not heard of the Do Not Call legislation. Some calls showed the caller ID as "unidentified" while others had a Salt Lake City area code. Often when the prospect picked up the phone no one was there. So FFG’s auto dialer must work faster than the number of telemarketers they have and no one at their end was available to pick up some of the completed connections.

When there was someone at the other end of the phone line the prospect was delivered a scripted message about receiving a scratch-off card with the potential for winning a Ford Explorer, $2,500 in cash, a Flat Screen TV or a vacation cruise just for allowing one of their representatives come to their home and make a 20 minute educational presentation to them. One of the things they were told was that the presenter would show them how they could avoid paying any taxes on their retirement savings.

The prospect was also told that there would be no attempt to sell them anything during this first meeting. The rep would only be there to deliver their scratch-off card and provide them with the free information. However if they were interested the representative could come back with the appropriate paperwork to complete the investment. None of the people I’ve talked to ever schedule an initial meeting with a FFG rep. so I can’t tell you if there really was no attempt on the rep’s part to close during this initial call.

When the prospect indicated that they may be interested in a meeting, the telemarketer went into a script which was the equivalent of a basic fact finder. The telemarketer began asking personal questions about income, investments, savings and home ownership among others. When this discussion of personal information began most prospects said they ended the call, often by hanging up on the caller who had shifted into an aggressive defense mode in an attempt to save the call. Then for the next week or more the prospects received repeated calls, sometimes multiple times per day, from "Unidentified Caller". When they did not pick up any of these secondary attempts the calls finally quit coming. Or so they thought. About three weeks later the cycle began again.

Business owners have told me stories about repeated calls from unidentified callers who wanted to speak to "the owner" or "a manager" but then quickly hung up when the gate keeper requested more information about the caller. This was followed by a series of immediate hang-up calls if the same person at the company answered each incoming call. One manager I spoke to said that they were getting at least 5 to as many as 16 hang ups in any given day for a period of about 3 weeks.

Another business owner reported that after about 2 weeks of hang ups they began to get calls after hours with the telemarketer calling back numerous times and leaving messages on all of the phones identified in the company directory system on their phone switch. When one of his staff unknowingly agreed to a meeting the telemarketer then began leaving messages on all of the voice mail boxes saying ‘Ms. X is very excited to be meeting with our representative next week at your offices in /city/ and I’m sure that it wouldn’t be any problem to meet with you just before or after he/she meets with Ms. X.’

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that I would want an appointment set, free or otherwise, with a person who has been harassed the way that these prospects had been.

One final piece of information I was given is the “Official Rules” of the FFG Scratch Card Promotion. In case you were wondering, the odds of winning a 2009 Ford Explorer, a flat screen TV or $2,500 in cash are each 6,599,835 to 1. The odds of winning a vacation cruise are 1 to 1.

“7-Night/Florida Vacation & Bahamas Cruise includes 2 nights in Daytona Beach, FL in a standard hotel room, 2 nights in Orlando, FL in a standard room,3 nights hotel accommodations in Freeport, Grand Bahamas in a standard hotel room, and passage on the Discovery Cruise Line both to and from the Grand Bahamas, but does not include ground or air transportation, meals or incidentals such as alcoholic beverages or gratuities or taxes. In order to redeem the Second Incentive, you must pay $215 per person ($165 port charge tax+ $50 refundable room guarantee deposit). Port Taxes must be paid at least 60 days prior to travel. Reservation request must be accompanied by the refundable room guarantee deposit. Travel must be completed within one year of receipt ofcard. Reservations are subject to availability and must be made at least 60 days in advance of travel. Sponsor is not responsible for risks and contingences of travel. Recipients subject to all rules of Discovery Cruise Line standard ticket contract of passage.”

Gee, I wonder if a tour of a Disney time-share condo complex in included in the package?

Contest ends on December 31, 2014, so you’d better hurry to set your appointment before it’s too late!!

Sounds like a wonderful company.