"HOW TO"---an FE "Seminar?"

[Rearden]

He's probably making one now.

I made one around six months ago but have kept it private to my agents.

I've done about sixty of these seminars in 2015 with various levels of success.

There were many where I sold nothing, a majority where I sold an app or two, and a handful of seminars where I sold 3500-7000 in AP.

The key like every other lead generation program is to do LOTS of activity as results vary from seminar to seminar.

The advantage to doing seminars is that they cost next to nothing.

All you need is the cooperation of the activity director, a $15 Wal-Mart raffle card, and some discounted and slightly "aged" baker's dozen donuts from WalMart to get the ball rolling.

Can a new agent do this and begin to quickly generate income? Absolutely. The problem is that most people are scared of public speaking, and the lead time tends to be along the lines of direct mail (about four to six weeks from booking to presenting).

P.S.: Hat-tip to SPUR CITY for sharing the seminar concept with me.

 

[YaWatever]

WOW SIXTY dang. I have sure missed something---i had never even HEARD of a FE Seminar and thought I had stumbled on to something new!

(Like being a college Freshman--and finding all your secret thoughts were laid out 500 years ago)

Curious--of SIXTY-

WHERE do you do them?

How many were zeroes--did they have something in common to avoid?

Other than above--what "collateral" did you use if any?

Was there anything they particularly WANTED or did not want to hear?

What was the best way to move them to action?

Did you get many cancellations?

(The place that gave me the idea was just due to residents being all low income--and other agents that have come there did not take Direct Express!)

THANKS man geez this is about the best response(s) I ever got THANKS!!!!

 

[Rearden]

Zeroes - probably 15 to 20.

They ALL had in common uncooperative activity directors that wouldn't dispense the flyers or communicate to their residents the activities. Having an activity director DIALED IN to what you are doing is CRUCIAL to your seminar's success.

Building on that, you can optimize attendance when you distribute flyers the night before.

I do them at senior residences. They are all over the place. The key is figuring out how to find them and contacting the person in charge.

No collateral - just a lead, I mean "drawing" slip for them to fill out.

All you need to do is spend time talking about different plans to cover final expenses. My seminars rarely lasted past 10 minutes. I'm there just to sell the interested ones, anyway, versus the "plate lickers."

Cancellations are in line with normal final expense business procured through purchased leads.

There was much less business with Direct Express than you'd imagine. In line with purchased leads; maybe even less.

I did a seminar in Louisville several months back and unfortunately could not catch the "big fish" prospect I generated from the presentation.

Luckily I have contacts with effective closers (hat tip JD) who took the leads and did somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500AP to 3000AP with them.

Just wanted to give you an example of what the best-case scenarios look like.

Realistically, you should expect to average somewhere between 1 and 2 final expense applications after averaging blanks, average seminars, and outstanding results.

WOW SIXTY dang. I have sure missed something---i had never even HEARD of a FE Seminar and thought I had stumbled on to something new!

(Like being a college Freshman--and finding all your secret thoughts were laid out 500 years ago)

Curious--of SIXTY-

WHERE do you do them?

How many were zeroes--did they have something in common to avoid?

Other than above--what "collateral" did you use if any?

Was there anything they particularly WANTED or did not want to hear?

What was the best way to move them to action?

Did you get many cancellations?

(The place that gave me the idea was just due to residents being all low income--and other agents that have come there did not take Direct Express!)

THANKS man geez this is about the best response(s) I ever got THANKS!!!!

 

[YaWatever]

Wonderful thank you

 

[SPUR CITY]

P.S.: Hat-tip to SPUR CITY for sharing the seminar concept with me.

Anytime my man!


I'M ALWAYS glad to see someone benefit from my experiences. I've gotten beaten up enough in Senior Centers & in the field to help agents learning curve and help them avoid pitfalls.

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Good advice so far. SpurCity has done these. Reach out to him. Sounds like a great opportunity. Watch for ownership issues. Which the coordinator will be aware of.

Hey, thanks Wino.

 

[Newby]

Public speaking definitely isn't my favorite thing but I also do these seminars and have no problem since it's a subject we can talk so easily about.

I agree with the keep it simple. It's really just like a one on one presentation. Do a drawing that they sign up for (I give Dollar General Store Gift Certificates at the FE ones.)

I've never come up snake eyes. There is always a few who need help. One I did recently followed a New Your Life Green-Pea agent who spoke to them a month earlier and got everyone a decline. That one made my work easier.

The staff at the building are great prospects too. They have been the best ones in my experience.

I only do three to four per year of those and then about six for Medicare. But if you traveled around and asked the building administrators you could book a lot of them.

 

[WinoBlues]

Zeroes - probably 15 to 20.

They ALL had in common uncooperative activity directors that wouldn't dispense the flyers or communicate to their residents the activities. Having an activity director DIALED IN to what you are doing is CRUCIAL to your seminar's success.

Building on that, you can optimize attendance when you distribute flyers the night before.

I do them at senior residences. They are all over the place. The key is figuring out how to find them and contacting the person in charge.

No collateral - just a lead, I mean "drawing" slip for them to fill out.

All you need to do is spend time talking about different plans to cover final expenses. My seminars rarely lasted past 10 minutes. I'm there just to sell the interested ones, anyway, versus the "plate lickers."

Cancellations are in line with normal final expense business procured through purchased leads.

There was much less business with Direct Express than you'd imagine. In line with purchased leads; maybe even less.

I did a seminar in Louisville several months back and unfortunately could not catch the "big fish" prospect I generated from the presentation.

Luckily I have contacts with effective closers (hat tip JD) who took the leads and did somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500AP to 3000AP with them.

Just wanted to give you an example of what the best-case scenarios look like.

Realistically, you should expect to average somewhere between 1 and 2 final expense applications after averaging blanks, average seminars, and outstanding results.

Do you go back and do seminars for the same places later? Seems that would build the "go to guy" referrals.

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Do you go back and do seminars for the same places later? Seems that would build the "go to guy" referrals.

Same question to Matt and Scott and JD.

Also do you pick up other business such as MS or life insurance?

 

[Newby]

Do you go back and do seminars for the same places later? Seems that would build the "go to guy" referrals.

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Same question to Matt and Scott and JD.

Also do you pick up other business such as MS or life insurance?

On my FE ones I've done the same building several times. I don't think it would be good to do it more than every six months though. You would have a whole room full of plate-lickers (no I don't serve them meals but I love the term plate-lickers.) There isn't much cross selling in those low income high rises unless you do their MAPDs maybe. But I've been referred to church groups, Silver Sneaker groups, etc. from being known as a guy who will speak to groups of seniors. They've always called me. I've never instigated one.

I did an LTC seminar to an affluent assisted living center years ago. That was a bust for me for LTC and I prepared way too much for that one but thinking back it would have made a great life insurance and med sup seminar group. Lots of healthy spouses and adult children at that.

 

[HoosierLife]

This is an interesting idea that I've never given much thought to.

Does anybody have something that they could give the administrator at the old folks home to peruse and then call us back to schedule something like this?

I'm probably in 2-3 of these type of buildings a week. Many times more than that. If the presentation didn't really last any longer, it couldn't hurt.

I just don't know how you would transition from presentation to sitting with each person individually to close them.

 

[Newby]

This is an interesting idea that I've never given much thought to. Does anybody have something that they could give the administrator at the old folks home to peruse and then call us back to schedule something like this? I'm probably in 2-3 of these type of buildings a week. Many times more than that. If the presentation didn't really last any longer, it couldn't hurt. I just don't know how you would transition from presentation to sitting with each person individually to close them.

You take each door prize card and talk to everyone to see if they are interested in reviewing. If not many...now's the time. If a bunch, you set appointments.