Experienced a similar thing, of course nowhere near the volume that you are using and with different lead vendors. Precise and NQ, both had the same issue, both were being sold affiliate leads that were generated during AEP, and then passed along as fresh leads. (crooked affiliates maybe...?)
When contacting the lead they were befuttled, and after hearing the same story over and over that they haven't looked for anything to do with M'care since "Open Enrollment", it became clear what the issue was. The lead companies say that they are attempting to track these back to the affiliate to establish a pattern so they can eliminate the affiliate... duh, it wouldn't take much tracking since I seemed to do the work for them. All they would need to do would be contact these same leads and verify this info for themselves... but then they really aren't interested in solving the problem are they. Just sounds good as lip service and as a way to try and preserve a client. NOT>
Cancellation of two lead vendors took care of the problem.
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"Trying to find bad affiliates" is BS. As a vendor, you set up your system to sample 1 out of every "X" number of leads per affiliate and patterns will emerge.
You can simply look at the last "100" leads from any particular affiliate and patterns will emerge without even having to call them.
You can simply look at the last "100" leads from any particular affiliate and patterns will emerge without even having to call them.
I think the guy who looks at those affiliate leads and runs that dept name is Stevie Wonder.
It is obvious that if they don't find the bad affiliates that they can latch onto some unsuspecting agents credit card for a few bucks. Besides, if they weeded out the bad affiliates maybe they would have none left, nor nothing left to sell. hmmmmm, therein lays the problem.
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Issue is, what's the incentive for vendors to catch all of this junk?
1) Sell junk and agents cancel
2) Sell quality and agents cancel
Now, obviously not all agents cancel with quality - but too few stay to turn a good profit. Turn-over in this industry is simply too high.
1) Sell junk and agents cancel
2) Sell quality and agents cancel
Now, obviously not all agents cancel with quality - but too few stay to turn a good profit. Turn-over in this industry is simply too high.
I would think differently on this, that with quality leads the cancellation rate would be considerably less. Like any commodity, if we find a reliable product and trustworthy point of delivery, we tend to further that relationship. Now here is the question; how could we compare? Who has consistently delivered quality leads w/o affiliate junk smattered among the so-called quality leads..?
There is the needle and the haystack next to it, and somewhere in there is the company who has delivered quality leads w/o the junk affilate infiltration, but we can't seem to find them any more than we can find that darned needle. Or we could just say it doesn't matter if they are crap or not, same result. No way to prove either point of this philosophical discussion. Maybe some of each is correct, and no doubt the turnover is too high, by a long shot.
There is the needle and the haystack next to it, and somewhere in there is the company who has delivered quality leads w/o the junk affilate infiltration, but we can't seem to find them any more than we can find that darned needle. Or we could just say it doesn't matter if they are crap or not, same result. No way to prove either point of this philosophical discussion. Maybe some of each is correct, and no doubt the turnover is too high, by a long shot.
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You would think that would be the case, but it's not. And it's one of the many reasons leads are the way are now.
I'd love to post all the reasons why the average agent can't close quality leads but I don't have 6 hours. Lack of training, lack of motivation, no sales process, head's not really in the game, etc...
Too many agents fail. Providing true quality leads is expensive. You need a lot of agents buying decent volume and sticking with your services.
That's a fantasy. Most agents cancel regardless so not only are the lead expenses high, but so is agent turn-over.
