. That is not funny. Actually there were about 4 agents and 5 managers. More chiefs than Indians. 
AB
Thanks for the reply, so now if I was to go Indy right off the bat how would I go about doing that, what you are saying about offering more then one company makes alot of sense and I was under the impression Penn Life offered that, maybe I need to check that out a little further. Anyway if you could send me down the right path to go Indy I'd appreciate it. Is there any training at all for Indy agents?
AB=LP
You can go indy right away and this message board is probably one of your best sources of info. Easy way to check out how many companies Penn Life has is to check your state's website on their "agent lookup". In my state it is under the Dept. of Labor and Economic Growth area, Under the OFIS (office of financial and insurance services). I use this all the time to check on other agents that try to take my business or when I'm taking theirsIn my area the Penn Life guys have 1 annuity company - American Investors. They have Today's Options for MA and 1 FE company. 1 LTC as well. If I could start my 1st year over again, I would immediately start with FE & Medsupp mailers. That will help your income start quickly. If you don't have training on FE and Medsupp, don't be afraid to ask the company to fax a "sample" application to keep in your briefcase (very helpful). Know how to read a policy. If they have a policy now, you need to know how to read it to make sure you are replacing it with something better. Make sure that it's considerably better because in addition to getting them a better price or benefit, you are also giving them a new 2 year contestability period. FE companies that I would reccomend are Forethought, Monumental, Motorist, Lincoln Heritage for GI (guarantee issue, basically). I'm not saying that I wouldn't go captive to start out if I were you, but if you do, I would be gone as soon as I figured out how to sell the stuff. I had a mentor that really helped me at the beginning, and I would not be as far along as i am now if he wasn't there. One thing that I RESPECTFULLY disagree with some folks on this board is the idea that name lists are more productive than "lead cards". In my area at least, the countless hours spent on the phone were nowhere near as productive as having a stack of lead cards and hitting the road. Maybe it's my personality but I sell 35% of every lead card that I get back and I never called one of them. I have never set an appt. with any of them and you wanna talk about FREEDOM!!! I know that I have to see x amount of people a day but I don't HAVE to be anywhere at any given time. Love the insurance biz. Just hit the countryside and make friends over a cup of coffee. If you want any more info. you can pm me or email. I check the board almost daily too.
All in all if I had to do it completely alone I might consider Penn Life or something like that for 3-6 months max then beat it. There really is alot to know when you first start. You have to know how to sell annuities, FE, Medsupp, MA at a minimum. And by "know how to sell them" I'm mainly talking about how to make sure you are selling the best policy for the client and how to fill out paperwork properly. How to get the old policy cancelled properly (if there is one). Then there is MA. If you have hair now, say good-bye to it. *Sorry* I can't stand MA. Can you tell? It's like having to go get your Driver's License renewed EVERY DAY. Personal bias.
Anyway, good luck and feel free to email or pm if you want to talk further. It's a great business and I'm sure you'll find your niche and have a ball!!
