Is Anybody Making Real Money Out There?

[somarco]

Nothing works better than posting to your Facebook page and aggressively waiting for the phone to ring.

I post nicely, not aggressively.

And yet, the phone rings . . .

 

[Markthebroker]

I post nicely, not aggressively.

And yet, the phone rings . . .

 

[DayTimer]

And yet, the phone rings . . .

Dang robocalls ... my car warranty expires two or three times a week.

 

[Markthebroker]

Dang robocalls ... my car warranty expires two or three times a week.

 

[Chazm]

It's natural to ignore information that suggests your reality may change

At worst, I am merely expecting more of a change than what we actually get. In that case I've still built an agency using modern digital methods and dominate those agents who are still doing cold calling and using note cards for a crm.

If, however, I am right then I still have a successful modern agency meanwhile agents who buy leads and blast them with calls today will be gone.

Either way I win and those agents who are coasting and using yesteryear methods will at be struggling to stay in business.

You do you. My choice is clear.

I wish you all the best of luck

I don’t cold call and I use a CRM. But you continue to talk about call centers kicking the small time agent out of business. It’s not happening. Both can coexist.

 

[DayTimer]

I don’t cold call and I use a CRM. But you continue to talk about call centers kicking the small time agent out of business. It’s not happening. Both can coexist.

As a matter of fact, the so-called "small time agent" has a distinct advantage over call center agents and Mark's post nails it: There is a level of service the "small time agent" can offer that not only doesn't cost the consumer any more dollars, but actually saves the consumer by delivering solutions with less on-going worry and stress, and may provide benefits the call center agent doesn't even knows exists.

A call center agent may be able to sell a term policy for mortgage protection. The small-time agent, on the other hand, can design a plan that not only provides for the protection needed, but also allows the client to pay the mortgage off in as little as 10 years, and to do so without the client spending any more money than he or she is already spending. The first is a customer service order take, the second is a trusted financial advisor.

Also, there are still a fair number of Americans who when they or their family are in need of help and service would rather call @jdeasy's cell phone and have him stop buy than call a 1-800 number and press "1" for India or "2" for China.

 

[sshafran]

When I was very new - the advice was this: Medicare Advantage was going away - you better sell supps because its more stable, blah blah.

I kinda ignored that and my business was 80% supp, 20% mapd.

Over time, it was proved to be wildly wrong. Now you can barely talk to someone and not get asked about "all the extra benefits" that they hear about on TV.

Point being - the wise ones said MA would die - that Plan N would be the MA-Killer - and it didn't happen.

Now, indy agents have adjusted and many of us work in a similar way to a call center - small scale. But that adjustment has taken time. And technology keeps making it easier (both for us and clients).

I still remember doing an e-app in 2012 on the iGo platform. It was a tech savvy senior, so it worked. But man was it clunky compared to enrollments today. I can now send you a text, you click the link, enter a code and type your name, and now you have a new MAPD. 5 minute enrollment. Wow.

The smartest agents will take some of the tech from "the call centers" and marry it with a strong local presence (marketing) and much better local knowledge (expertise) that the surface knowledge of the guy in a call center who just got a license. Now the call center can't compete with that.

I just want to own my tiny slice of the coast where I live.

And if you do this long enough, you certainly can do over 250k even if you don't have the fastest growth. And you can do it on your terms. One of my favorites is Dan Kennedy. Dude made millions and if you wanted to contact him you had to *send him a fax.* seriously. The lesson there (as I ramble and ramble) is that I can set my business up in a specific way to work when I want to, and not work when I don't. One of the best things I ever implemented was my daily voice-mail message. The short of it is this: "Today is - X - I'm available from x-time to x-time, etc." It immediately sets a professional tone *and* it allows me to work hard and focused from 11-3 then leave for the day if that's what I want to do.

So my point(s):
- Yes, you can make a lot of $. If I can, anyone can. I've *never* been a "top producer" but I'm quite happy with Medicare income 10 years into it.
- Call centers won't kill us. But we can (and should) learn from them.
- A large book of business - or even an aggressive marketing campaign - does not have to monopolize your time/life. Do business on your term but most can do more. I have 3 new t65 enrollments tomorrow all scheduled between the hours of 10 and 3. I quite literally plan to not work much more than 10-3 and may even try to grab lunch with with a friend in between my 2nd & 3rd. That will make 12 new for February and I've not worked more than about 6 hours daily. Even though those are decent numbers so far... I think the process could be tweaked even more with even better results. Could I have written 15 by the end of Friday in the same amount of time? I believe, yes. And therein is the (enjoyable) challenge: write more, work less.

 

[Travis Price]

The smartest agents will take some of the tech from "the call centers" and marry it with a strong local presence (marketing) and much better local knowledge (expertise) that the surface knowledge of the guy in a call center who just got a license. Now the call center can't compete with that.

Yep.. AnnuityCowboy must have never worked in a call center. That job, even as an agent, is a meat grinder. They beat the hell out of you about numbers.

All you have to do to beat a call center is offer the same convenience and 20% more knowledge.

Also, to the argument of Medicare.gov... if you've never called them to shop, they aren't salespeople... They're government employees. They show you 28+ plans and want you to make a decision based on just a tidbit of information.

The plan finder is clunky and does the same thing. I can't tell you how many layups I've had because someone says, "I tried to go online, but I just didn't understand it."

 

[shonceman]

Yep.. AnnuityCowboy must have never worked in a call center. That job, even as an agent, is a meat grinder. They beat the hell out of you about numbers.

All you have to do to beat a call center is offer the same convenience and 20% more knowledge.

Also, to the argument of Medicare.gov... if you've never called them to shop, they aren't salespeople... They're government employees. They show you 28+ plans and want you to make a decision based on just a tidbit of information.

The plan finder is clunky and does the same thing. I can't tell you how many layups I've had because someone says, "I tried to go online, but I just didn't understand it."

After the sale is where the individual agent can really shine. I had a client text me just a few minutes ago asking me (again) what she needs for a claim on her hospital income policy. Last fall she had a claim where she had trouble getting the proper documentation from the hospital. I got multiple calls from her, a couple of them involving 3-way calls with clueless hospital employees, and hours of my own time helping her get the proper docs to get the claim paid. Would the call center agent go through all that (especially when the client was angry and yelling on the phone)?

 

[TheAnnuityCOWBOY]

I hear you saying the exact same shit as other professionals from past disruptions. This industry is ripe for technology disruption.

How do you guys find time for service when you're cold calling?

It is a mistake to compare yourselves to run if the mill call centers. Those will also be out of business as well.

The system of the future will require far fewer agents. Automated systems will be the drivers of production, rather than humans. The fact finding, educating, and enrollment process will be automated with agent assistance for that human expert touch where/when needed.

This type of system will have immensely better customer service than any individual can offer.

Mark my words kids.