How many leads does your IMO train you to buy? VS AP per week. Are you efficient?

[WinoBlues]

A

I think you're misquoting JD again...where is this quote you speak of can you show me?

Again, you appear to be a good guy. I am not knocking you. I don't know you. I don't recruit. I am not an FE only guy.

 

[Jose Arteaga]

No argument there.

What is your advice for FE agents New or Old?

 

[Jose Arteaga]

A


Again, you appear to be a good guy. I am not knocking you. I don't know you. I don't recruit. I am not an FE only guy.

For not an FE guy weird place you decide you want to hang out don't you think lol ?

 

[WinoBlues]

What is your advice for FE agents New or Old?

Not being a recruiter and being an independent it probably would be different than some here.

Take a crap load of notes, make them clients not customers, listen and have conversations. Have your phone ring regularly with in bound sales / consult calls.

Do not assume the guy that is recruiting you cares more about your family and bank account than he does about his own. Don't put all of your best contracts under one person. Run it as Your business not as part of someone else's business. Regularly clean up your BoB. The cleaner your book is the easier it is to farm.
Not being an FE guy I guess none of this applies to FE guys. Sorry.

 

[WinoBlues]

For not an FE guy weird place you decide you want to hang out don't you think lol ?

Odd thing is that I find some FE stuff actually applies to SIWL, Real Life Insurance, little 'burial plans and impaired risk.

That and several of the guys on here help me out from time to time.

 

[rousemark]

Not being a recruiter and being an independent it probably would be different than some here.

Take a crap load of notes, make them clients not customers, listen and have conversations. Have your phone ring regularly with in bound sales / consult calls.

Do not assume the guy that is recruiting you cares more about your family and bank account than he does about his own. Don't put all of your best contracts under one person. Run it as Your business not as part of someone else's business. Regularly clean up your BoB. The cleaner your book is the easier it is to farm.
Not being an FE guy I guess none of this applies to FE guys. Sorry.

It only applies to FE guys if they want to maximize the potential return for all those leads they are paying for. The lead can be more than just a door opener for one sale.. It can be the door opener to multiple sales if an agent will work them the way you work.

 

[Newby]

At first I was happy to see another big producer on here, but then you started making false statements like the one I quoted #7

You and I both know that only the top 3% of FE agents can write $4,000 per week off of 25 DM leads per week. I believe you are FOS!

Sadly, I have seen other agents come on here and exaggerate the facts and actually build their agency from those falsities - meanwhile most agents suffered the consequences of believing the lies!

I'm surprised at your reaction. And I would say some of the difference in results might be that your state (Florida) is a tough one. But I just looked at our leader board to make sure I'm not crazy. Most of our top producers do take 25 leads weekly. We have a number of guys averaging $4000 weekly that only take 20 and just a couple that take 30. We have ONE agent that takes 35 and he is counterbalanced by JD who really does just take 15.

But our average $200,000+ producers are taking 25 leads weekly.

Some variables that might be affecting this is:
1. They ALL run only new direct mail leads. No other type of lead. And no B leads
2. Almost all of them set their own appointments. I think everyone agrees that using an appointment setter is going to take more leads. Our 35 lead guy uses an appointment setter. Appointment setters are always going to skim the cream off the top more than the agent paying for the leads will. There are some benefits to using an appointment setter. But premium per lead is definitely not one of them.
3. We are heavily in the mid-west. We turn agents away that are in way over saturated areas. We always have. They will wreck your lead pricing and I always figured they have less chance of making it so we don't take them on if they are in a bad area unless I think they just interview really well. We have one strong guy in Florida currently but he has more lead shortages than any of our other agents. So that can hold him back.
4. (This one gets dismissed as recruiter pitch here on the forum but I think it's important piece of the puzzle) Many of our agents DO focus on the lower priced companies. We are the #1 agency with Oxford and KSKJ. We are one of the top agencies for Trinity, Family Benefit and SNL. And we do it with a relatively small number of agents. Our agents focus on the lower priced companies. Good or bad, that is a fact. And I think if every agent in the country took the same number of leads but had 15% lower rates on what ever companies he sells the most of, he would sell more policies.

Here's another tid-bit that might be hard to believe. One agent that is consistently at or near the top of our weekly board which usually takes $8,000 or more to hit (sometimes much more) runs 20 gift-card leads (Wal Mart style lead). He hits huge numbers running what most of us consider the weakest direct mail lead you can find.

Travis has always stood firm that any agent taking 20 direct mail leads weekly should be averaging $4,000 AP per week. He has never changed his opinion on that. My opinion is that many can do that but more of them need 25 leads. We have never had any agent taking more than 35 and only one or two have ever wanted that many.

But the bottom line is: a good FE agent taking 25 new direct mail leads per week, setting his own appointments and selling reasonably competitive companies should be able to average $4,000 AP or better. But these guys are going to be in the top 10% industry wide. These aren't just average agents. Anyone doing this IS a superstar in the industry. They are working smart, working long days and work their azzes off.

 

[VolAgent]

But the bottom line is: a good FE agent taking 25 new direct mail leads per week, setting his own appointments and selling reasonably competitive companies should be able to average $4,000 AP or better. But these guys are going to be in the top 10% industry wide. These aren't just average agents. Anyone doing this IS a superstar in the industry. They are working smart, working long days and work their azzes off.

By your own admission, you are cherry picking where in the country. And even in what I just quoted, you said these guys are in the 10% nationwide.

I believe that is really everyone's issue. 4k on 25 is fine, IF you avoid the tougher areas AND you're a better than average agent.

For the average agent, it should be something to strive towards, but never held out as the standard for all the reasons I mentioned in my earlier response.

 

[rousemark]

. And I think if every agent in the country took the same number of leads but had 15% lower rates on what ever companies he sells the most of, he would sell more policies.

.

With a 15% decrease in premium, to make the same money he is making he would have to increase his policies (production) by 17%. so it kind of a wash.

 

[Newby]

By your own admission, you are cherry picking where in the country. And even in what I just quoted, you said these guys are in the 10% nationwide.

I believe that is really everyone's issue. 4k on 25 is fine, IF you avoid the tougher areas AND you're a better than average agent.

For the average agent, it should be something to strive towards, but never held out as the standard for all the reasons I mentioned in my earlier response.

I agree but I think most agents have more problems with their mind set too low than too high. Most people are capable of more than they settle for. I don't mean getting recruiter pitched. I mean they are better off knowing what other people like them do in the real world.