Well said and on the money!
Well said and on the money!
- 11,997
You're comparing two very different things. Even with you thinking $30 is too much for what you hear in that thread, I stand by everything I said.
You're not comparing apples to apples in price. Apples to apples you're paying more for your EFES leads than the cost of just the lead, you're paying with a piece of the action too. Most EFES agents that are doing well (or even ok) are paying more than $30 per lead when you consider what you're giving up in commissions to have access to those leads. That's like someone offering you an iPhone 4s for $350 and then you tell them you can get a better deal on one if you go straight to verizon; yes, you're upfront cost is lower, but your locked into a contract to pay more on the back end.
If you wouldn't pay $30 for a lead from a guy that said "Yes, someone can come to my house and talk to me about life insurance, but I don't need any", then you're leaving money on the table.
jdeasy, how many times have you walked into the house with someone saying "I'm not going to buy insurance today" and left with a check and the client saying how glad they are you stopped by because they know they needed to take care of that?
Hire your own..Or up your profit margin and do it yourself..I think a lot of people get into the Insurance business so they can say! "Hey, I made 2k last week working 8hrs.....That's cool I like people like that a.k.a "Way to service clients Bob Sugar".Any who, If you work it like any regular work week you can eliminate all the moaning on lead companies.Oh back to the point.. A telemarketing co. that sells leads makes sure their marketers have a script that confuses just to get someone to say "yes"..Live Transfer leads!! hmmm.. They give the option #1 first to speak to a agent Vs: #2 which is to be taken of the list because the consumer is so frustrated they want to get it out the way so you end up doing it..You are a professional "take me of your
list agent"...
list agent"...
- 5,305
What is the definition of a "good" lead, anyway?
Everybody I've sold a policy to already understands that death costs money. Lots of money. And they have some level of urgency and desire to shield their loved ones from the financial burden.
They've sold themselves on that already, before I showed up. What they aren't sold on yet is on how to solve that problem.
I dare say I've never built need with any of my clients. They already had the need.
The definition of a good lead, for me, is someone with a need to protect their loved ones from the financial burden of a funeral, and some means to pay for it.
Everybody I've sold a policy to already understands that death costs money. Lots of money. And they have some level of urgency and desire to shield their loved ones from the financial burden.
They've sold themselves on that already, before I showed up. What they aren't sold on yet is on how to solve that problem.
I dare say I've never built need with any of my clients. They already had the need.
The definition of a good lead, for me, is someone with a need to protect their loved ones from the financial burden of a funeral, and some means to pay for it.
- 483
Both Josh and Jas100 help further illustrate the points I made earlier...Stop looking from the bay and CAST your line.
Josh's post correctly states: "comparing apples to apples in price...(you're) paying more than $30 per lead when you consider what you're giving up ….. to have access to those leads."
"you're locked into a contract to pay more on the back end."
(The "bad contract" IMO is being "locked" into a system where if the leads "they" give/sell me aren't either "good" or available your family and you don't eat. Again in IMO that is a bad place for a newbie to START because it is how many, many folk set themselves up to LEAVE this business by not paying attention to what works at what COST)
jas100 correctly illustrates why I said in an earlier post that ANY lure will do.....
"Hire your own.....(especially if you can't/won't)...do it yourself"
"you can eliminate all the moaning on lead companies."
"A telemarketing co. that sells leads makes sure" (They make a profit and stay in business, their objective is their business....what's yours?)
Given the two constants of a) having a limited budget and b) "really" not wanting to touch frozen COLD prospects (which I can respect) there are other "guerilla marketing" concepts to DO…. not consider ….just pull the trigger.
Instead of "all the moaning on lead companies..Hire your own".
Example: The minimum wage in California is $8, in any economy including this one I can hire someone to do what I can't/won't…….4 hours of someone else's labor runs you $32 vs $30 for ONE lead from a lead company that you might wind up crying about the quality of.
Whereas ANY & EVERY contact that your "canvasser" makes within that 4 hour period belongs to you forever, guaranteed exclusive.
* Again a canvasser will not be the same as YOU doing it, but if you are unwillingly/unable to "change your own oil" (as am I) hire someone that works for you, not a lead company.
Newbies learn something here….use YOUTH. Just like in to the porn industry and the newspaper/mag guys have figured out, young folks are eager to work, they work for less and are just happy to have a job. It's a win-win for everybody.
· Hire 2 "kids" (High school Jr./Sr. only!!!) to knock doors for 2 hours, after school. = 4 hours x $8 =$32 worth of contacts that you OWN. Rather you have them set appointments, gather surveys or just put a piece of copy paper in homeowner's hands….you now own somebody to talk to that isn't FROZEN anymore. And the kid has a few bucks in his/her pocket (remember High School, didn't take much money to be thrilled). (* College kids sound like a good idea but generally speaking they are too lazy to walk and "feel" they "deserve" a different kind of job (wonder why agents don't want to knock) anyway, the high schoolers are just more eager)
·
· This works for a few reasons
· 1) the kid hasn't developed "fear" yet plus it doesn't "mean" anything to them it's just a "gig". They aren't looking to change the world, they're just looking to get "the sheet filled out" (sounds like a reply card, doesn't it).
· 2) From your p.o.v. you get cheap contacts, some lay downs but more importantly a steady flow of folks to talk to. Some of you said "well I can't approach COLD but I'd "follow up" with anybody …..well….ALL the people your canvasser came in contact with are your "follow ups", period. (your team warmed up the needles in that haystack for you)
· 3) Remember you don't have much money…. if tell the kids and/or the parents that you only have the kids work 8-10 week because you don't want to interfere with homework it sounds GREAT, plus the parents eat it up AND they now look at it as a "commitment" that their kid should keep to build character (it's great, I'm telling you…I used to send a letter home for parental signature the first week and later parents would "ask" if it was ok for "Timmy" to miss work to visit grandma).
·
· This gives you great flexibility with your expenses, as the kids don't NEED the hours they want the hours ….so if you say this week it's going to be Saturday 9-11 a.m. and that's it (No one is going miss a mortgage payment over the kid "losing" hours this week). Whereas next week, you can have them work just Tuesday and Thursday, whatever you want to spend that week. Either way that little $150 - $300/mo is gold to that kid and are diamonds at coal prices, to you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Bottom line is 2 bodies knocking on doors from 3:30-5:30pm cost $32 and you have folks to talk you, now can you sell?
Hire 4 kids have 'em work a day or two a week and you'll always have folks to talk to, can you sell?
You'll have too many leads to have them work every week but you'll have their "work product" lots of people to talk to…can you sell?
Those of you in cold weather cities or when it gets dark early in the fall, you've still got plenty of people you missed or missed you (plus Saturdays) bottom line is can you sell 'em?
Some of the leads don't have phone #'s, appointment times or mother's maiden name clearly listed….you know what they do have in common? Somebody opened the door can spoke to a kid, can you sell 'em?
Have the kid ask the prospect to circle their favorite color, state their best friend's name, type of first car, favorite hamburger…whatever ….cause the kid gets "credit" for doing his/her job correctly and you now have proof your lead is as good as it's going to get (their alive and answered the door and the questions you wanted) plus you also have a memory jogger for the home owner or the blocking "spouse"….can you sell?
*One other thing….NO YOU DON'T NEED TO WAIT TILL YOU HAVE AN OFFICE TO HIRE, KIDS.
I've hired many and shown many how to hire kids out of Carl's Jr (Hardee's back east) with or without their parents there. I've used cheap ads in local papers or craigslist BUT the best way and the cheapest can't be beat way was just a freakin' flyer around the campus…that's it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
You can start tomorrow no excuses, run 50 copies at Staples and you'll own a high school. too many kids want to work…if you think S.E.O. spreads the word, wait till you see how many kids want to have $50-60 bucks in their pockets FIND you at the Burger King down the street from the school.
The only "down" side with high schoolers is you've got to pick 'em up and drop 'em off... to "Carl's Jr." not necessarily to each one of their homes that's why you use a restaurant near school, it's where they would have being hanging around out anyway. If you get too busy or don't want to be bothered with dealing with them, there is always a parent (or older kid with a car) that can do pick up and drop offs for you, after you've established your team.
( Be careful here because that person is just driver not necessarily a leader so I'd recommend never going more then a week or two w/o face-time with your crew...You can have contests, make it fun, buy burgers or "cell phone time" or i-tunes yada, yada be the cool "owner" every now and then)
· Also remember there is no need to drag kids from Pasadena to Long Beach , just hire kids near where you need 'em. (Except maybe on Saturdays where in 30 minutes you can cover a long distance….on the clock going, off on the ride back, better yet if MOM is driving, then it's just mom taking her own kids (and a few friends) home.
Sorry for the book but I just wanted to share with you guys an effective, cheap way to start seeing people and stop wasting your time and money on dumb sh-t that may or may not work. Knocking doors works but nobody said it has to be your hand hitting the door. Either way you will have to invest in your business I can't think of a better way to spend basically, nothing and have local people to talk to that you,control.
Nobody will sell you a cheaper face to face generated lead, a kid goes out Monday AND Tuesday and produces ONE person cost you $32 or they produce a bunch of folks to talk to and it cost you $32 or the kid gets you nothing and cost you $32 OR.... pay a lead company $30 for ONE person that may or may not buy, that may or may not be home as promised, that may or may not be sold again as a lead to some other agent a week/month from now either way cost you $30…one you control and the other, not so much.
Good luck, out there guys.
Again.....just pull the trigger or keep standing by that mailbox.
Josh's post correctly states: "comparing apples to apples in price...(you're) paying more than $30 per lead when you consider what you're giving up ….. to have access to those leads."
"you're locked into a contract to pay more on the back end."
(The "bad contract" IMO is being "locked" into a system where if the leads "they" give/sell me aren't either "good" or available your family and you don't eat. Again in IMO that is a bad place for a newbie to START because it is how many, many folk set themselves up to LEAVE this business by not paying attention to what works at what COST)
jas100 correctly illustrates why I said in an earlier post that ANY lure will do.....
"Hire your own.....(especially if you can't/won't)...do it yourself"
"you can eliminate all the moaning on lead companies."
"A telemarketing co. that sells leads makes sure" (They make a profit and stay in business, their objective is their business....what's yours?)
Given the two constants of a) having a limited budget and b) "really" not wanting to touch frozen COLD prospects (which I can respect) there are other "guerilla marketing" concepts to DO…. not consider ….just pull the trigger.
Instead of "all the moaning on lead companies..Hire your own".
Example: The minimum wage in California is $8, in any economy including this one I can hire someone to do what I can't/won't…….4 hours of someone else's labor runs you $32 vs $30 for ONE lead from a lead company that you might wind up crying about the quality of.
Whereas ANY & EVERY contact that your "canvasser" makes within that 4 hour period belongs to you forever, guaranteed exclusive.
* Again a canvasser will not be the same as YOU doing it, but if you are unwillingly/unable to "change your own oil" (as am I) hire someone that works for you, not a lead company.
Newbies learn something here….use YOUTH. Just like in to the porn industry and the newspaper/mag guys have figured out, young folks are eager to work, they work for less and are just happy to have a job. It's a win-win for everybody.
· Hire 2 "kids" (High school Jr./Sr. only!!!) to knock doors for 2 hours, after school. = 4 hours x $8 =$32 worth of contacts that you OWN. Rather you have them set appointments, gather surveys or just put a piece of copy paper in homeowner's hands….you now own somebody to talk to that isn't FROZEN anymore. And the kid has a few bucks in his/her pocket (remember High School, didn't take much money to be thrilled). (* College kids sound like a good idea but generally speaking they are too lazy to walk and "feel" they "deserve" a different kind of job (wonder why agents don't want to knock) anyway, the high schoolers are just more eager)
·
· This works for a few reasons
· 1) the kid hasn't developed "fear" yet plus it doesn't "mean" anything to them it's just a "gig". They aren't looking to change the world, they're just looking to get "the sheet filled out" (sounds like a reply card, doesn't it).
· 2) From your p.o.v. you get cheap contacts, some lay downs but more importantly a steady flow of folks to talk to. Some of you said "well I can't approach COLD but I'd "follow up" with anybody …..well….ALL the people your canvasser came in contact with are your "follow ups", period. (your team warmed up the needles in that haystack for you)
· 3) Remember you don't have much money…. if tell the kids and/or the parents that you only have the kids work 8-10 week because you don't want to interfere with homework it sounds GREAT, plus the parents eat it up AND they now look at it as a "commitment" that their kid should keep to build character (it's great, I'm telling you…I used to send a letter home for parental signature the first week and later parents would "ask" if it was ok for "Timmy" to miss work to visit grandma).
·
· This gives you great flexibility with your expenses, as the kids don't NEED the hours they want the hours ….so if you say this week it's going to be Saturday 9-11 a.m. and that's it (No one is going miss a mortgage payment over the kid "losing" hours this week). Whereas next week, you can have them work just Tuesday and Thursday, whatever you want to spend that week. Either way that little $150 - $300/mo is gold to that kid and are diamonds at coal prices, to you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Bottom line is 2 bodies knocking on doors from 3:30-5:30pm cost $32 and you have folks to talk you, now can you sell?
Hire 4 kids have 'em work a day or two a week and you'll always have folks to talk to, can you sell?
You'll have too many leads to have them work every week but you'll have their "work product" lots of people to talk to…can you sell?
Those of you in cold weather cities or when it gets dark early in the fall, you've still got plenty of people you missed or missed you (plus Saturdays) bottom line is can you sell 'em?
Some of the leads don't have phone #'s, appointment times or mother's maiden name clearly listed….you know what they do have in common? Somebody opened the door can spoke to a kid, can you sell 'em?
Have the kid ask the prospect to circle their favorite color, state their best friend's name, type of first car, favorite hamburger…whatever ….cause the kid gets "credit" for doing his/her job correctly and you now have proof your lead is as good as it's going to get (their alive and answered the door and the questions you wanted) plus you also have a memory jogger for the home owner or the blocking "spouse"….can you sell?
*One other thing….NO YOU DON'T NEED TO WAIT TILL YOU HAVE AN OFFICE TO HIRE, KIDS.
I've hired many and shown many how to hire kids out of Carl's Jr (Hardee's back east) with or without their parents there. I've used cheap ads in local papers or craigslist BUT the best way and the cheapest can't be beat way was just a freakin' flyer around the campus…that's it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
You can start tomorrow no excuses, run 50 copies at Staples and you'll own a high school. too many kids want to work…if you think S.E.O. spreads the word, wait till you see how many kids want to have $50-60 bucks in their pockets FIND you at the Burger King down the street from the school.
The only "down" side with high schoolers is you've got to pick 'em up and drop 'em off... to "Carl's Jr." not necessarily to each one of their homes that's why you use a restaurant near school, it's where they would have being hanging around out anyway. If you get too busy or don't want to be bothered with dealing with them, there is always a parent (or older kid with a car) that can do pick up and drop offs for you, after you've established your team.
( Be careful here because that person is just driver not necessarily a leader so I'd recommend never going more then a week or two w/o face-time with your crew...You can have contests, make it fun, buy burgers or "cell phone time" or i-tunes yada, yada be the cool "owner" every now and then)
· Also remember there is no need to drag kids from Pasadena to Long Beach , just hire kids near where you need 'em. (Except maybe on Saturdays where in 30 minutes you can cover a long distance….on the clock going, off on the ride back, better yet if MOM is driving, then it's just mom taking her own kids (and a few friends) home.
Sorry for the book but I just wanted to share with you guys an effective, cheap way to start seeing people and stop wasting your time and money on dumb sh-t that may or may not work. Knocking doors works but nobody said it has to be your hand hitting the door. Either way you will have to invest in your business I can't think of a better way to spend basically, nothing and have local people to talk to that you,control.
Nobody will sell you a cheaper face to face generated lead, a kid goes out Monday AND Tuesday and produces ONE person cost you $32 or they produce a bunch of folks to talk to and it cost you $32 or the kid gets you nothing and cost you $32 OR.... pay a lead company $30 for ONE person that may or may not buy, that may or may not be home as promised, that may or may not be sold again as a lead to some other agent a week/month from now either way cost you $30…one you control and the other, not so much.
Good luck, out there guys.
Again.....just pull the trigger or keep standing by that mailbox.
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- 19,647
^^^It's very much about the mindset. the people that say the leads are bad are correct, they are bad. The guy that takes those same leads and says they are great is also correct.
It's like the Mich guy that is on here complaining about his lead flow from EFES. When I talked to his manager he told me that he was trying to help the guy and gave him some tips. This was near the end of the week and the guy said, "I'll wait until next week to get a fresh start". I'm sure the manager knew at that instant what he was dealing with.
Josh asked earlier if I have people tell they are not buying today and then do buy. Yes, it happens a lot. I don't keep track of that stuff, but it happens. I have people tell me when scheduling the appointment, "we aren't buying anything at this meeting, but we do want the information". And those people buy, too. I have people say all during my warm up and presentation that"I'm not doing anything today" only to ask, 'where do I sign?" when I'm done.
Once you have identified the need and want in the beginning, there is no reason they won't buy if they have money. Someone else on here said they have never "created a need" in a client. I would say the same. I am not that good of a salesman. In fact, I'm a terrible salesman. I can help them identify the need, but, if it ain't there, it ain't there.
It's like the Mich guy that is on here complaining about his lead flow from EFES. When I talked to his manager he told me that he was trying to help the guy and gave him some tips. This was near the end of the week and the guy said, "I'll wait until next week to get a fresh start". I'm sure the manager knew at that instant what he was dealing with.
Josh asked earlier if I have people tell they are not buying today and then do buy. Yes, it happens a lot. I don't keep track of that stuff, but it happens. I have people tell me when scheduling the appointment, "we aren't buying anything at this meeting, but we do want the information". And those people buy, too. I have people say all during my warm up and presentation that"I'm not doing anything today" only to ask, 'where do I sign?" when I'm done.
Once you have identified the need and want in the beginning, there is no reason they won't buy if they have money. Someone else on here said they have never "created a need" in a client. I would say the same. I am not that good of a salesman. In fact, I'm a terrible salesman. I can help them identify the need, but, if it ain't there, it ain't there.
GeminiGroup - could you post a sample of what a survey could look like for these kids to get filled out?? I like the idea and want to try it. I would like them to get as much info as possible but not sure where to draw the line?? Thanks
not sure if i hit a wrong button - if this double posts i apologize in advance...
GeminiGroup - could you please post a sample survey that the kids could get filled out?? i like the idea and want to use it and would like as much info as possible from it but not sure where to draw the line?? thanks so much
GeminiGroup - could you please post a sample survey that the kids could get filled out?? i like the idea and want to use it and would like as much info as possible from it but not sure where to draw the line?? thanks so much
- Thread starter
- #29
JD, I assume you are talking about me again? That conversation never happened. It just didn't.
Why in the world do you feel the need to continue to follow my posts and make up stuff out of the blue?- 483
Agreed, EASY
"It's very much about the mindset" as a matter of fact it is only the mindset that matters.
I used to "sigh in relief" when a husband/wife met me at the door saying "We are not buying anything today……" dude that's a deal waiting to happen.
I started in sales running leads where our telemarketers used to tell people to bury their wallets, so what.
Our job is to help folks "pull the trigger" that's it……they've already "thought about it" or you wouldn't be there, period. People have this notion that being in sales is about "selling ice to an Eskimo" that's silly and generally NOT what happens we mostly provide ice water in Arizona.
We spend our time searching the desert looking for thirsty folks and "helping" them decide when to drink. We don't really create need, we remind folks of their needs/desires.
I'll share an example I use when training: PLEASE STOP READING HERE IF YOU'RE EASILY OFFENDED…
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If you don't like Men in a sexual way there is not a salesperson with the ability to close you on smoking that CIGAR. No matter what sales system or what a slick suit big mouth says you can't sell people on a need/desire that wasn't there, somewhere, before you got there.
So like EASY said "I can help them identify the need, but, if it ain't there, it ain't there." And if it wasn't there, they wouldn't have accepted an appointment and neither you or them would be sitting at their kitchen table.
Trust me, nobody will EVER get an appointment to talk about gay sex with me or most hetero men/women….. now an ugly , a fat, a dumb ….although you're saying NO upfront and you're just being polite by having the conversation the bottom line is if a closer has the opportunity to close, somebody is going to wake up with an ugly, fat, dumb breakfast guest from time to time. But not a gay one, unless there EXISTED a need/desire, somewhere, before the closer got there ....but you can't create it out of NOTHING.
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* As immortalized on Seinfeld "not that there is ANYTHING wrong with" gay sex just not for heteros if need to flip the preference to make the analogy work for you. No problem and no offense, meant.
* Somebody ask, why i use sex when teaching about sales and I say 1) Everybody gets and 2) No need for an additional analogy....unlike sports EVERYBODY has some frame of reference and understands the value of the subject matter.
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