Giving back to the board

[midwestbroker]

I agree with Mel when you throw money in the mix, problems usually follow. That plus the fact that most of us only know each other from posting, and people get really brave over the computer, I see problems.

And what if we did not publish it? What about doing a PDF file that people could download?

We could do several depending on the market they want to serve, like individual health, senior market, life insurance, DI, etc.

 

[arnguy]

James, the insurance guy you are referring to is BURT MEISEL, not Brent Meisel. His full name is Irwin B. Meisel, but he goes by Burt Meisel. There is some great life insurance sales stuff written by him that you can obtain on the web by "googling" his name.

 

[James]

..

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

After doing a little research and making a few calls no agent would ever be able to put company-specific information into a book or manual and sell it. The companies would be on you like white on rice. You'd only be able to get away from a "how to sell insurance" general guide and at best simply list the insurance companies that offer appointments.

What I was thinking of doing was putting down all the individual health companies that appoint, all available channels for the appointments, commission structures and "do's and don't's" of contracting. That would be a no-go.

 

[natem2112]

After doing a little research and making a few calls no agent would ever be able to put company-specific information into a book or manual and sell it. The companies would be on you like white on rice. You'd only be able to get away from a "how to sell insurance" general guide and at best simply list the insurance companies that offer appointments.

What I was thinking of doing was putting down all the individual health companies that appoint, all available channels for the appointments, commission structures and "do's and don't's" of contracting. That would be a no-go.

And isn't it just sad that those who know...aren't allowed to tell?

And people wonder why our industry is in such bad light sometimes.

 

[Guest]

After doing a little research and making a few calls no agent would ever be able to put company-specific information into a book or manual and sell it.

Well, there might be some truth to this with regard to an agent, but an author or reporter would have zero liability. I've been in the publishing biz a long time and unless you published some kind of classified national security document, there is this concept of a free press. Of course you can't libel someone or a company either. However you CAN print the TRUTH.

If someone leaked the secret formula for Coke to you and you published it in your newspaper, the Coca-Cola company would not have much recourse against you. Yes they COULD sue the person who leaked it, assuming you told them, but in the end what would be their case? ARE any of you old enough to remember Daniel Elsberg and the Pentagon Papers?

If you were an agent I suppose you could lose your appointment, but my bet is that even a second-rate lawyer could get it back for you.

What I was thinking of doing was putting down all the individual health companies that appoint, all available channels for the appointments, commission structures and "do's and don't's" of contracting. That would be a no-go.

Sorry, but I fail to see the reasoning behind this statement. I don't believe for a minute that 'commission structures' would be considered as trade secrets by any court in any jurisdiction.

If you as an agent have agreed not to reveal the contents of a contract, well that is one thing. But if you leak it and the reporter or author prints it and does not rat you out, you would have nothing to worry about, nor would they.

Here. I'm going public and say that Kaiser pays $13.90 per member per month commission on some group business.

Let's see if they sue me. I want to see them prove in a court of law that I've caused them damage and that they can SHOW actual damages by this earthshaking revelation.

Al

 

[retread]

My 2 cents

I am a "noobie". I started lurking on this board two months before joining. Right away I saw the value of the advice of your contributors. I wanted more, and went to the library and bookstore to find one of those "Insurance for Dummies" books to no avail. In the meantime I began accepting offers off the 'net for "interviews" at UGA, NAA, etc. , but with a good deal of discernment and coupled with some sage advice from this board, continued looking. I interviewed at MetLife, Northwest Mutual, and Farm Bureau. Didn't like the idea of having to be a Swiss army knife. I wanted a niche market, and because of my age, decided it would be the senior market. This was not possible with the big boys.

In the meantime, I found a dedicated person like John P. locally through one of the members off this board. I told him I needed a mentor and training. He had been heavily involved in UA for many years before leaving them, so he knows the pitfalls of that type of organization. He happened to be set up to provide the kind of mentoring and training I was looking for to a small group of Independent agents selling Medicare insurance products. I went to a training session (one day) with him and was sold. Therefore, I studied HARD for a week and passed my state life & health exam. My first sale came in less than a week after my license came in the mail, and now I am off and running.

I am fond of saying how I raised my children: You don't give them everything. Let them make their own way, and the struggle adds to their sense of self achievment. Similarly, Gates and Buffet refuse to leave all their fortunes to their children. A tell-all book may be a great idea, but nothing beats digging up the info the hard way. It develops a sense of commitment. This is what I am told is needed if one is going to be successful in this business.

I discovered in the effort of chasing down info buried in otherwise boring and uninteresting posts, an appreciation of what this industry offered. I made the decision that this is what I wanted to do, and found the organization I needed to make it happen. I want to thank you for all of your member's input.

 

[Sam]

Are you saying that most of our posts are boring and uninteresting?

 

[Jenananda]

I think we can give back to the board by just being present and helping other agents do well in the industry. In the last four months I've recruited 15 agents and work very hard to help them. I'll try to be on this board more with my tips and tricks that are making me successful in UandiWin
Jen.

 

[midwestbroker]

So I had a Jerry McGuire moment and started writing a basic guide called

An Agent Guide to Health Insurance in the Senior Market

Still on my first draft and adding info as I go

I know that I have to finish my first draft and go through it, but any tips as I continue?