SIMA Leads
- Thread starter agentjhc
- Start date
Hi, JHC,
The SIMA Leads Co-Op is starting next week. We are testing with a few agents now and ironing out the kinks in the process. It has taken longer than we thought- we thought we would be up in August- sorry about that. We decided to add a couple new companies after vetting them out.
The SIMA Leads Co-Op started when we did a survey to find out which leads companies were performing the best. PM me if you'd like a copy of the results of that survey. We chose the best companies, according to agents, to partner with. We will be offering Exclusive Search Gen leads from companies that specialize in lead origination - including an option whereby we will be setting up 3x SHARES of those same leads - matching members within SIMA only. So, the best search-gen exclusive Medicare leads (no affiliates, no re-marketing, no telemarketing, etc), lightly shared (not 8x like some companies), and only among agents just like you (no high volume contact centers to compete with).
We will be watching results, listening to members, and rewarding the leads companies agents like the most with the largest share of our Co-Op business.
We use SIMA to match members by territory; members can "stake a claim" until they have matches in their area. Pricing is by bid region- we have 4 regions. Fair share leads are around $11-$13 per lead. A few bucks more than "retail shared" but we have found there to be about 3-6 times the close ratio.
We will also have "retail shared" leads for agents who would like to save a few bucks. Some agents do well with these, and so we'll offer them.
Finally, we will also be offering Aged Leads at a discount, and T-65 and T-67 lists, also at a discount.
This is an INDEPENDENT leads program. SIMA (Senior Insurance Marketing Association - Information, Training, and Social Networking for Senior Insurance Agents) is not owned by an FMO or carrier, and we do not operate a downline. We have over 1,700 members, all of whom joined SIMA free of charge.
Thanks for your question! Mark from WI.
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Hi Vic,
I don't get out here much to the forum, but someone mentioned to me that there was a question about our leads program. Just saw your question too. Thanks!
SIMA is the Senior Insurance Marketing Association. It was started a couple years back by Mike Gattorna and I. We know that there is this great agent forum out there, and I also own NOLHA.org (for all of Life and Health) but I thought that the Senior business had enough about it to warrant a forum just for agents specializing in that market. We thought we would make it a forum where agents use their own real name, like LinkedIn. We think there's a place for that. So, Mike and I started SIMA.
We are a free, open, social network for agents who sell Senior Insurance business. Agents can sign up for free and attend webinars, get discounts, read senior insurance news, or connect with other senior marketers in their area.
Recently, we set up SIMA PRO, which provides a deeper level of training for the agent who focuses exclusively on the senior market. Agents can either pay $179 per year for that OR they can apply for a "scholarship" from one of our two FMO sponsors (Ritter or Senior Marketing Specialists) by agreeing to contract with one of them.
Agents also told us they need a good spot for leads. After some research, and a great deal of setup (a lot more than I thought), we are launching the SIMA leads program for all members next week. PRO members will get a slight discount.
Thank you for your question! Please PM me here or via [email protected] if you have any further questions.
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- 15,319
For full disclosure, this isn't the 1st time SIMA has been involved in leads. Hope this works better than the other tries.
Rick
Rick
- 484
What would be the benefit to buying exclusive leads through sima vs buying them directly from the lead vendor?
- 323
Wait, so you guys at SIMA asked a bunch of agents for suggestions on lead vendors, and PARASOL came up?
I dunno if that's such a good idea, bro...
I dunno if that's such a good idea, bro...
- 15,319
Keep in mind that 1/2 of the ownership is not now nor has ever been an agent. I've known this person for a few years and my impression has been that believes bad leads are generally because agents don't work them to death.
The other owner is a terrific guy but he hasn't retailed insurance for years.
Just my opinion.,
Rick
- 323
Hmmm... It's interesting. That's probably the same reason Parasol would give you for why their leads aren't successful!
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What exactly is SIMA all about ?
I mean I have a college degree, but I can't figure out what they are about ?
I think this is fair since they asked for my full name to be a member.
I mean I have a college degree, but I can't figure out what they are about ?
I think this is fair since they asked for my full name to be a member.
Full disclosure, SIMA tried a previous leads program using ONE vendor, Hometown Quotes. In the end, they could not provide the volume we required, although most members who tried the program were happy with the service they received. We parted ways gracefully and I would recommend HTQ for Home/Auto- but they reduced their emphasis on Senior leads.
We spent a lot of time vetting these new vendorS... with an S... and will do our best to provide volume discounts and quality management in a one-stop senior leads shopping environment.
We will also provide a way for members to "feed back" about the program openly. This is a co-op that we all within SIMA-net.com want to work well.
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Ah, Rick Rick Rick, ever since my old quote engine days I have cherished our precious interactions.
True true, I am not now nor have ever been an agent. I am however a 25 year life/health insurance tech guy. I have been VP of E-business for American Medical Security (now part of UHC), and Internet Director for Fortis Health, now Assurant. I was one of the first employees of Norvax and helped to build the industry's quote engine and leads company. I was with Quotit and was a VP with Word & Brown. In the last few years, I have run a Marketing Services company who serves call centers and carriers with leads programs. SIMA and NOLHA were sidelines to keep close to agents and to offer them a free networking opportunity. We made a few bucks on banner ads, and now have a few other things we are offering because I believe they make a lot of sense.
Regarding leads, I've bought hundreds of thousands of leads from just about every vendor one can name, and I've led call centers to work those leads to their conclusion. I know that while leads are NOT a panacea, that some companies are better than others. Our agent survey about leads helped us learn about which companies agents thought did a better job with 1) lead quality and 2) service... it was pretty surprising what a large gap there was between two groups of vendors - the exclusive search-gen types (which we will offer, including shared versinos of same), and the retail-shared big-box houses (which we will also offer at a discount).
I respect agents and their challenges, and with NOLHA and SIMA we have tried to give them a way to connect professionally in an accountable, identified environment. It's always been free to join both organizations.
Most know my partner in SIMA, Mike Gattorna. Mike has sold Senior business for many years, and is a solid trainer and a great guy.
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SIMA (SIMA-net.com) is the Senior Insurance Marketing Association. We're a free network for agents to join and connect with other agents who serve the senior market. We offer free webinars (including a great one today on Selling Final Expense by Phone), discounts on products and services, senior market news, a library of online training materials, an E&O program, and more. We used to have a banner here on the forum; Sam helped initially to get us started as did a few FMOs who told their agents about us.
Join for free if you like. Email or PM me with any questions you have. There's no catch here. We have 1,700 members and nobody has ever canceled their membership. We receive a lot of good feedback about SIMA and we try to offer value for free. Even SIMA PRO is free with scholarships from Ritter and Senior Marketing Specialists (you have to agree to contract with them for one product).
And, yes, we do ask for FULL NAMES to be a member of SIMA. It's a small thing that I believe makes a difference. I love this Forum but I find sometimes the anonymity can create some negativity that is not always productive.
