Not writing any health business. Whats happening?

[Crabcake Johnny]

If you're new in this biz you'll have a very hard time getting off the ground trying to focus on group deals. Group business is something you get into when you already have other business on the books, you're extremely knowledgeable and have money coming in from other sources.

I'll pick up a group deal if it presents itself. My goal is to write individual cases and that's how I market my business. If you're going B to B and you run into an owner who does not currently have group, has 5 employees and says he's thinking about getting group, run - don't walk out of the store. You have a better chance of landing on the moon then having that owner actually get group coverage. If he currently has a group plan and is pissed off about the rate or his broker then you might have a shot.

The bottom line? Forget about group if you're new.

Yesterday I signed up the owner of a small bar. No group and he doesn't plan on getting it. He just needed a plan for himself. Today I'm with the owner of a small flower shop. She runs it with two college girls - no group and she doesn't plan on getting it. That's my target marketing - micro business owner who simply need their own plan.

 

[midwestbroker]

Ok, so I was a little lazy and sorry if I am repeating info.

In major markets (metropolitans) there are usually brokerages that all they do is focus on small and large group.

We have numerous agencies here that do just that. They have all the insurance carriers under their belt. They also offer both sides, P&C and life and health. One stop shop.

Unless you are friends with the owner, you really do not stand a chance.

However, most of them do not mess with individual insurance, so talk to them. If they do not offer individual, then you might be able to team up with them when they are insuring a business for P&C and the owner wants an individual policy.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I think that's a great idea once you're established. This is something I don't think will pay off if you're new. First of all, a savvy established brokerage isn't gonna refer their individual cases to a brand new agent. Secondly, those arrangements give new reps false hope that all this business is gonna come pouring in and they stop their focus on marketing.

I've hired far too many reps over the past 2 years who simply hate marketing and instead they want to build some type of referral network. In reality, they basically sit around waiting for their phone to ring.

Note this as the truth and it cannot be disputed: If you're new in this business and want to make consistent weekly money selling individual health insurance you have two and only two choices:

1) Have from $500 to $1,000 a week in marketing money to buy leads.

2) Cold call 2 to 3 hours per day which includes telephone cold calling, B to B, doorhanger or flyers

If you don't have money for #1 and you're not willing to do #2 my stong advice is immediately get another job. You will destroy your finances by sticking with this.

 

[midwestbroker]

I agree John. You have to make them comfortable with you before they will send you leads. After all, their repuatation is on the line as well.

I have 2 of those brokerages I deal with. This year they have got me 1 sale.

 

[NHB_MMA]

If I'm reading you post right you hit 23 places in three hours? That's horrible - far too spread out of a territory.

Golddoor may be spending too much time bullsh*tting, perhaps. And sometimes that is not wasted time, because someone might initially put up a little sales resistance, but if you can strike up a conversation you might persuade them to take a second look (those would be excellent prospects if they in fact changed their mind) or work them for referrals.

On the other hand, maybe he's working rural territory. It takes more time and gasoline, but people are generally more friendly and receptive and they're not bombarded with solicitors every single day.

 

[supergirl]

You should be going into 80 to 100 businesses per day.

OK Guys, I need help. This is my second week doing B2B. Today, I was only able to hit 2 real estate offices and 10 businesses in a little over an hour. My second hour, I rode around looking for high business areas that were not chain stores; I was only able to hit 8 stores. I live in Houston and went to an outskirt town that I thought would not be saturated, but the businesses I am targeting are few and far between. I have read the posts and obviously I am not being as productive as I need to be. I was thinking that maybe I should telemarket and once I set up some appointments try to hit businesses near there.

Does anyone know of mentoring group I can contact? I have read the posts and followed them, but it seems as if I am missing something. Thanks for all your help and advice. By the way, are there any other lady agents on this board?

 

[James]

You should be going into 80 to 100 businesses per day.

OK Guys, I need help. This is my second week doing B2B. Today, I was only able to hit 2 real estate offices and 10 businesses in a little over an hour. My second hour, I rode around looking for high business areas that were not chain stores; I was only able to hit 8 stores. I live in Houston and went to an outskirt town that I thought would not be saturated, but the businesses I am targeting are few and far between. I have read the posts and obviously I am not being as productive as I need to be. I was thinking that maybe I should telemarket and once I set up some appointments try to hit businesses near there.

Does anyone know of mentoring group I can contact? I have read the posts and followed them, but it seems as if I am missing something. Thanks for all your help and advice. By the way, are there any other lady agents on this board?

Yes, telemarketing is a good way to go. I believe this thread and others have everything you need. Such as Library sources that will give you all the contacts you can handle. Telephone scripts that will work, you may have to tweak them to suit your personality. Its just a matter of doing it, that is where most fail, they simply don't plan and if they do they don't do the plan.

This is what I advise, go out to your library, hopefully they have online resources as others have already linked too, go ask your librarian, the one that sits at the Reference Desk. You'll want Criss Cross and the Business Section, they'll have Polk or others depending. If they have online resources that's great. List businessses such as you're doing now, micro small businesses of 1-10 people. Some how, however is best for you list names, addresses, phone numbers, size of group and various other things that you think will be helpful.

That is the easy part, now study a simple phone script. Remember you don't want to sell on the phone just get an apointment to meet owner or whomever and show them your ability to help them with the Health Insurance or whatever you're peddling such as DI or LTC.

Now I highly advice you set out a 5yr, 2yr, 1yr and a 6 month goal that you can obtain or what you would like to obtain. After that come up with a strict Day to Day Scheldule at least two weeks in length. Now you have to stick to your scheldule, when you wake up and go to work wherever that may be do your Daily To Do List! Of course your DD List should reflect activities that your scheldule dictates. You see this is because as a independent rep you have no one to demand you to do activities, you have to be your own boss and in everycase if you don't plan and create your own work scheldule you'll fail to do it!

That is the first half in a nutshell, of course the second half is just as important. Such as the actual apointments and follow ups. Yet though if you do a do-to-list and actually make the calls you'll have apointments, then you simply come back and get instructions.

Now that'll be $2,995.00, please no personal checks, a Money Order or Bank Check will be fine.

 

[supergirl]

Now that'll be $2,995.00, please no personal checks, a Money Order or Bank Check will be fine.

Would you take an IOU? :lol:

Seriously, thanks for your guidance. I will let you know of my progress.

 

[James]

Now that'll be $2,995.00, please no personal checks, a Money Order or Bank Check will be fine.

Would you take an IOU? :lol:

Seriously, thanks for your guidance. I will let you know of my progress.

For you, anything.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

MONDAY MORNING:

This is what you do:

8am
9am
10am
11am
12pm
1pm
2pm
3pm
4pm
5pm
6pm

You log what you did each hour of the day. Then you log this:

1) Number of contacts made (either B to B or cold calling)
2) Number of leads generated

You do that every day this week. If you cannot find a way to generate 3 to 5 quality leads per day you will have a difficult if not impossible time making money in this business.

You are working for yourself so work HARDER then you would for some company. You are not working while at Office Depot or arranging your office.

Don't repeat things that don't work. If you live in an extremely small town and it really does take you hours of driving to hit 15 business then stop doing that. Go to telemarketing. You hate telemarketing? You need to sit down with yourself and do a reality check:

*Can't go B to B and make it effective
*Hate telemarketing and can't make myself do it everyday
*Don't have $500 to $1,000 a week to market

It might be time to switch careers. There are other methods of marketing like doorhangers but you need to put out thousands a week to write a few deals. That could happen if you hired one or two kids to help slap them up with you like I do.

Here's my hanger: (uploaded) We get up about 2,000 a week. Doorhanger math is very easy:

.005 (yep, half of 1%) return. 2,000 gets me 10 leads and I'm good for 2 deals out of those. 2,000 hangers at 3 cents a pop is $60 and obviously I make a lot more than $60 writing two deals. If it wasn't so physically exhausing putting them up or easier to hire trustworthy kids I'd plaster them up 4 hours a day.