Monumental Mail Drops

[jdeasy]

Newby and I were discussing this yesterday. I remember doing a mailer a few years ago that was getting back only 2 out of a 1000 and was costing me $200 a lead. They were great leads as I had desined it myself and people sending it back knew it was for life insurance and knew they were agreeing to be contacted by an agent.

Some people say they would pay $200 per lead if they are that good. I won't. As I told Newby, one person that wants insurance that doesn't qualify all of sudden turns it into $400 leads.

I pay now $165/wk for 15 leads. Yeah, some of them are junk but I have averaged over $4000 ap per week for over 3 years now.

No way I would want to change that dynamic. I admire people exploring different options, but there is really no reinventing the wheel in this market.

The $255 reply cards are used by almost every organization simply because they work and are effective. That's what appeals to this demographic. The people we would love to see for FE are not the people sending in reply cards. Those folks have an agent.

You can't re-invet the FE market. If you want to see more afflent people in nicer homes and neighborhoods, get into a different field.

Newby and I are both into FE and both of us are in the same area. We are not really in competition with each other though because Newby serves the higher end market of preneed and he does other lines as well. When he does a mailer for FE he put an income filter on it and he gets very little medicaiod people.

Newby is amazed at the business I do in the places I do it.He tells me the areas he works and I never get responses from those areas.

If you want to work that clientelle, then do it from Newby's angle with preneed first.

 

[Rearden]

It works but honestly I don't think 80% of sales agents know how to market direct mail...

There has to be a better way. And there's a reason EFES and Securus and every other lead-subsidizing organization mails out these generic mailers.

 

[Jake07712]

Jdeasy: $165/week for 15 leads is really great. I pay a lot more than that, and probably get as much junk as you get, (maybe more).
In general all that the mailer is designed to do is generate a response. Some of the FE lead programs have lowered their minimum age to increase the number of responses, and the prospects are hard to reach, and, if they are too young, have no urgency to get insured.

 

[jdeasy]

Jdeasy: $165/week for 15 leads is really great. I pay a lot more than that, and probably get as much junk as you get, (maybe more).
In general all that the mailer is designed to do is generate a response. Some of the FE lead programs have lowered their minimum age to increase the number of responses, and the prospects are hard to reach, and, if they are too young, have no urgency to get insured.

I pay $11 per lead and I get 15 per week. That's where the the $165 comes from.

It is what it is. people can complain or take it for what it is. It's not a problem to find resons to not not do business.

 

[theinsuranceman]

The $255 reply cards are used by almost every organization simply because they work and are effective.

Really? They are effective for EFES mgr.'s to maker a profit on when selling these leads to new agents, more profit when they resell this lead again 2 mos. later to the next new agent.

If these leads were effective for agents wouldn't the success rate for FE agents be higher? These leads are better for the marketers of these leads than the agents working these leads.

 

[Rearden]

Greg -- the mailers DO work if the system is worked consistently and correctly.

However, I argue it's probably the most inefficient system time-wise to utilize, and probably better for the IMO than the agent, as the IMO doesn't carry as much financial risk with a higher-response campaign.

But, bottom-line, they're an easy way to keep response high enough to lower lead costs for the lead-subsidizing IMO, while roping in enough higher-quality prospects to make it even out in the long-run.

As far as I know, EFES doesn't pawn off old leads to new agents. Unless you know something different than what I know?

The $255 reply cards are used by almost every organization simply because they work and are effective.

Really? They are effective for EFES mgr.'s to maker a profit on when selling these leads to new agents, more profit when they resell this lead again 2 mos. later to the next new agent.

If these leads were effective for agents wouldn't the success rate for FE agents be higher? These leads are better for the marketers of these leads than the agents working these leads.

 

[jdeasy]

The $255 reply cards are used by almost every organization simply because they work and are effective.

Really? They are effective for EFES mgr.'s to maker a profit on when selling these leads to new agents, more profit when they resell this lead again 2 mos. later to the next new agent.

If these leads were effective for agents wouldn't the success rate for FE agents be higher? These leads are better for the marketers of these leads than the agents working these leads.

EFES does not make a profit on leads. They lose money on the leads. You must be talking about your organization. Everyone knows that your group does profit from selling leads.

As far as the $255 mailers. Everyone uses them, not just EFES. MSPM also uses them for agents doing their own mail.

Your attempt at recruiting by trashing other IMO's is just more bottom of the barrel tactics from you.

I've been at this forum for 4 years. You have been recriting from the day I signed up here. You recruit at every other venue that's available, yet, not once has any agent anywhere spoke up for you. Good or bad. Not one time has any agent gotten on this forum and said they work with you.

Nor has any agent ever gotten on here and praised Sr Life. Not one, ever. No "field underwriters" either.

 

[GAJ638]

The $255 reply cards are used by almost every organization simply because they work and are effective.

Really? They are effective for EFES mgr.'s to maker a profit on when selling these leads to new agents, more profit when they resell this lead again 2 mos. later to the next new agent.

If these leads were effective for agents wouldn't the success rate for FE agents be higher? These leads are better for the marketers of these leads than the agents working these leads.

I agree. I have a box of those $255 leads from 5 years ago. A few years ago in a dry spell I called a lot of them again. A lot of disconnected numbers. (moved suddenly?) The ones I did talk to, a lot of them said....yeah I sent that in. A lot of people send in so many they dont remember what they sent!