the best way to get leads?

[Survivor]

Actually TX, my experience with AGLA has been pretty positive so far. I've got a couple complaints, but nothing major.

The idea is that the better of these captive companies provide decent training. My training wasn't as formal as I would have liked, but the resource that I find in my manager, his manager, and senior agents is great. There have been many times that I could have found the answer to something by researching, reading, etc. All I had to do though was go ask my manager, and he spit it out. This took that hour and freed it up for prospecting and what not vs. researching. Then I've had my manager and senior agents (w/o asking for a split) go with me on appointments to help evaluate, teach me, and close the deal if I couldn't.

I'm not trying to sound like some robot. A lot of captive companies suck and there is no point of being with them. I wouldn't say that AGLA is one of them. Being independent would be great, but having office with resources like free long distance, a fax, computers, software, secretaries, and senior agents that can answer your question surely helps.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

"but having office with resources like free long distance, a fax, computers, software, secretaries, and senior agents that can answer your question surely helps."

Obviously, I agree, since that's the setup I have had for a long time. And with many of the major captive companies, you can write business with virtually any company you want, as long as they are "A" rated and you give up a bit (20%-30%) of your commish to them.

 

[Survivor]

"but having office with resources like free long distance, a fax, computers, software, secretaries, and senior agents that can answer your question surely helps."

Obviously, I agree, since that's the setup I have had for a long time. And with many of the major captive companies, you can write business with virtually any company you want, as long as they are "A" rated and you give up a bit (20%-30%) of your commish to them.

Really? Didn't know that. What captive companies allow this?

 

[hpfrench]

Nationwide allows this for us but we're a very large group of Nationwide agents. I can write 16 different home carriers, I can also write MetLife, AIG, Progressive, Travelers, Safeco, Hartford, Humana, BCBS lots of stuff through our III network. First is to place with NW, if it doesn't fit or NW doesn't have an appetite for it, then go elsewhere.

 

[HomeService]

I worked for AGLA in the early 1990's, as a debit agent. We went door to door. We sold a bunch. I lead my staff of about 5 agents. We had a manager and about 5 agents or so in each little group of us in the office. 3 groups like that. I was given a book of business- to collect the premiums. If I remember correctly, I was not responsible for too much in a month to collect, which meant I could sell throughout the day. We had people on the books from the 1960's, when the premium was weekly, but had been converted to monthly or quarterly. The older policies were National Life- and also Life and Casualty, which had been bought and merged into AGLA. The brand loyalty out there in my little territory, was amazing. And I mean to tell you, I had just a few square blocks of a territory, a small part of a big city. It is possible to go door to door, business to business. Referrals were huge.

When they started shifting AGLA towards direct pay, and off of the debit, things changed. But, you can still go out there door to door and business to business, and still get referrals. Trust me, you have tons of orphans with older policies that need an update. They are out there. All of these orphans have a daughter, an aunt, a grandma, a sister, a neighbor, who needs life ins. Or, they work at a place with no supplemental worksite stuff. You just have to get out there and get permission to sell it to the referrals.

When we were doing the debit collections, it gave us an excuse to get out there in the community, we had to get out there to collect. But, now, your excuse to get out there is the fact that you are getting the word out that you are selling -what you are selling. In other words, the leads are out there, you have to go get them, they rarely come to you.

 

[HomeService]

btw, hpfrench speaks of a "right of first refusal". AGLA is not like that, they are strictly captive, you write their stuff or not, bottom line. If you want to refer to a health agent or a car agent, you get to be friends with one and refer stuff over to them. But you cannot have the appointment with the company at all, you cannot split commissions with agents from another company.

Now, the New England, they have strategic alliances with other companies, from what I can tell. Just one life company that is not strictly captive, as an example.

 

[nick]

it seems AGLA is trying to find agents that can get results. my job is to help people find leads to that are specific to your targeted demographics. it can be an effective way to get an edge. send me and e-mail including the criteria of leads you are looking for if I can help

 

[GP32765]

Getting the list is only 1/5 of the process! We have a client that owns all the Beltone hearing aid centers and I got him a list with Marketing Campaign Solutions (Us) of all the people in a 5 mile that have hearing aids. He was incredibly happy of course. I can get data on just about any market. However that is a very small percentage of the equation. You then have to market to these guys via phone or mail. We do both. I dont care if you have the most accurate data, it does not matter if you dont have the techniques to actually turn them into a lead, then a sale. We get about 3-6 leads per hour for our data. Pretty good I think!
Gary
www. marketingcampaignsolutions.com

 

[James]

The person who suggested selling a COMMODITY like HEALTH to get in for the LIFE is smart - good suggestion.

The main problem I see here is that most people already have health! I am thinking that something like 70% of people get health via employment and basically (most of them) untouchable to the individual health agent. Another 10-15% simply will not pay for health insurance (and 30% of these can easily afford health insurance). So basically the above strategy suggest that you limit your market to some 20% of all people.

 

[TXINSURANCE]

The main problem I see here is that most people already have health! I am thinking that something like 70% of people get health via employment and basically (most of them) untouchable to the individual health agent. Another 10-15% simply will not pay for health insurance (and 30% of these can easily afford health insurance). So basically the above strategy suggest that you limit your market to some 20% of all people.

It really all comes down to how you market.

We are flooded with IFP leads, because that is our model.

It just depends where and how you are concentrating your efforts.

I know a lot of agents that could care less about Health, they use it to get in the door with life. One agent I know personally is making about $40k/mo in IFP which he told me for years "he could care less" about... I bet he cares now... lol

He only sold BCBS which was a lower commission (still is), but he said people would keep BCBS longer due to the name.

I think he was on to something.