Messages

[CT Insure Guy]

My time and headache also has a price. I'll take a slightly worse ROI and have a life.

I won't argue that...being more "hands on" has it's downfalls. I have plenty of free/play time (I played 18 holes today!) but I have to field more service calls and be more involved with clients during and after the sale. I really haven't found it to be a bad thing though, just annoying once in awhile. Back in the Schmega days, I never dealt with service but had to shower 5 times a day and always felt like even the "good plans" were garbage. I suppose a hands on, with a little more automation, with be the perfect balance.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Again, when I can make six figures without a hassle I'm not gonna add a hassle. If you have time to call back 40, 80, 150, etc...leads over and over then you need more fresh leads.

My ROI on shared leads in 1/12 without chasing anyone. At $8 on average that's $96 to return $700+ - move on - buy another batch - call it a life.

Maybe if I hammered the phones over and over I'd see those 20% closing ratios....but I don't have the mental energy.

When I sold cars I saw salesmen trying to grind it out with every up - at the desk just hammering away at dead wood. They'd leave the lot and it would be a flurry of follow-up calls trying to get 'em back in.

Me? Cut 'em lose and grab a fresh up. No - no way in the world I'm leaving multiple voice mail messages. Works for me

 

[CT Insure Guy]

Me? Cut 'em lose and grab a fresh up. No - no way in the world I'm leaving multiple voice mail messages. Works for me

Hey, no arguement there, if it aint broke don't fix it! Like I said, it also has to do with peoples personality...ask NewMindFashion, he'll tell you I'm certainly not the "typical Insurance salesman"...LOL.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Right, and Jesse doesn't even make calls - he pays someone to do that. And you know you're writing a crap load of business when Connecticare sends you to the Bahama's.

 

[CT Insure Guy]

Right, and Jesse doesn't even make calls - he pays someone to do that. And you know you're writing a crap load of business when Connecticare sends you to the Bahama's.

Well Jesse makes some calls, but he's never been a real a pounder of the phones for sure. More credit to him for being able to make great $$ by using a part time telemarketer and being a great "massager" of existing business. Plus he has helped me immensely since I started!

 

[Frank Stastny]

Leaving voice messages is a horrendous waste of time and effort. Calls are almost never returned

I totally agree. In the senior market I get more return phone calls by not leaving a message and people seeing my number on caller ID than if I actually left one.

There are way too many prospects out there to waste time trying repeatedly to get to talk to someone who obviously doesn't want to talk to me. I'm calling to help them, if they don't want the help there are plenty of others who do.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Again, if you find yourself when enough time on your hands to pick up the phone and call leads from 4 days ago then you have too much time on your hands. But more leads or get a part-time job. I heard delivering pizza's was great.

 

[somarco]

Well . . .

Just a couple of observations and comments.

Constant Contact is not an autoresponder. Never said it was. Not sure where that came from.

I use CC after calling, sending proposals, emails, etc to those I have contacted and those I have not. I also put existing clients on my mailing list.

The thing about CC is it helps me to keep in contact with those who want more information and weed out those who do not.

Two days ago I sent out a newsletter to 340 clients & prospective clients. 10 emails were non-existent, 4 opted out, 51 opened and read and 8 clicked through to links.

Some of those who opened the email are folks I have never talked to (they never answered the phone or returned voice mail) and some are folks who are still trying to make up their mind.

FWIW, I took an app 2 weeks ago on a lead from October. She never returned my calls, never responded to emails (but she did open my proposal and most of my emails).

Turns out she is a business owner and travels a lot. She was paying close to $900/mo for BX coverage. When we finally connected it turns out she grew up less than 2 miles from where I live now. Her new coverage is under $400 per month and she thinks I hung the moon.

This sale came from gentle persistence.

Currently I call several times, email proposals and use CC but I do not physically mail anything via USPS.

That will change very soon. Just toying with what to include and what to leave out.

Jesse. Haven't heard from him in months. I always appreciated his input and counsel. The forum has not had his insight in quite some time and that is too bad.

Whether he calls or uses telemarketers really isn't the issue. The point is, he call.

Do repeat emails work?

Sure.

Eventually.

With some.

But for the most part they are either deleted without opening or they are opened but never really absorbed. I can't tell you how many clients I have picked up who said they never got my email, including some who I called within minutes of them opening it.

I have closed people who never responded to email, had already bought from someone else (including those who actually had an agent come to see them).

Email is nice but not a substitute for the human touch.

Closing ratio's mean nothing to me. They don't put money in the bank. The only thing that really matters is how much I invest to find a new client and my ROI.

It also matters that I develop clients rather than deals.

Clients offer referrals. Deals don't.

CT guy, contact me sometime. I would love to connect and pick your brain as well as find out how Jesse is doing.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

What it all comes back to - and it always does come back to this - is use the system that works for you.

I can get caught up with saying "this doesn't work" and really it needs to always be followed by "....for me."

For newer agents on this board - they need to find a system that works for them - not the system that works for TX, Somarco, M&M or me.

Saying someone's system is "wrong" or "doesn't work" is odd when it producers great results for that particular person.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

For newer agents on this board - they need to find a system that works for them - not the system that works for TX, Somarco, M&M or me.

Agree...and disagree.

You need to have a model AND marketing plan to be successful. Those can be individual things.

Newer people can either waste a LOT of time and money in a learning curve, or if they're smart - they'll learn from experienced people who've already made those mistakes...