Getting Started.

[newtnee]

My wife and I are getting started in selling for farmers insurance. She has experience in sales in real estate and insurance but I need some pointers on how to help her. I have done door hangers and tried to get some of my friends to at least get a policy comparison but have not had much luck. What can I do that will get the ball rolling. She does have clients and not sure how many but under her contract she needs to get a certain amount of policies each month.

 

[xrac]

Read the posts about Farmers and advice her to find a different company.

 

[Agent5913]

I really dont think that was a nice reply. Search around some, lots of nice people here that actually will help and have correct grammer. You just found one of the ones, well..

Good Luck.

 

[briko3]

You mean Grammar?

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

I have done door hangers and tried to get some of my friends to at least get a policy comparison but have not had much luck.

If you can't even get your friends to help you out, you're in for a long, uphill battle.

 

[newtnee]

Interesting replies. I have had some of my friends sign up but some of them are just being difficult. As for the reply about finding another company. Well for now she is doing this and it's slowly working. So that's not going to happen. All I wanted was some advice on how to better help. I don't think that depending on friends to get started is the answer. You have to be able to sell to strangers as well. She has had some luck on referal from some of her current clients.

 

[VolAgent]

Interesting replies. I have had some of my friends sign up but some of them are just being difficult. As for the reply about finding another company. Well for now she is doing this and it's slowly working. So that's not going to happen. All I wanted was some advice on how to better help. I don't think that depending on friends to get started is the answer. You have to be able to sell to strangers as well. She has had some luck on referal(sic) from some of her current clients.

Exactly what do you think friends are for? Their real purpose is not to sell them, although it is a nice perk, their real purpose is to give you favorable introductions to their friends and family so you can sell them. That way, you don't have to sell to complete strangers, a mutual friend introduced you.

The sooner you and your wife figure out the value of referrals, how to get them, and how to leverage them, the happier you and your wife will be with her new business.

 

[newtnee]

This has happened to some point and worked out well. But what I asking about is working outside the circle of friends or will I be banging my head on the wall? Or are referals the only way to go?

 

[VolAgent]

This has happened to some point and worked out well. But what I asking about is working outside the circle of friends or will I be banging my head on the wall? Or are referals the only way to go?

Yes and no. You will be banging your head against the wall, and you will get results. But the results won't be near as easy to achieve.

A suggestion would be to find an Allstate or State Farm agent in town that she can swap business with. There will be some situations in which she is not competitive and vice versa. Also, there will be some lines she has that they don't, and again the reverse. In this area overnight rental cabins are big business, but State Farm won't insure them. So a local agent is always sending that business to Farmer's. While Farmer's is generally uncompetitive on auto, so he sends it to State Farm. Works out great for both of them.

Don't forget cold calling and direct mailers. No where near as good a return on time and money as referrals, but if referrals can't keep you busy...

 

[newtnee]

I don't know how many clients she has so far but I am guessing somewhere between 30 and 40. Each one buying at least 2 or 3 policies. Also she has been working out of our home which is out in the country. We have found an office in town on a main street. With good visibilty abnd will be moving into it soon.