What this Country Needs is Good Home Service Again

[shonceman]

Im a traditional life agent, but Im sure some of you guys know lapse ratios for debit vs. bankdraft. I know FE in general has a high lapse ratio compared to traditional life. But I would guess debit probably has a lower lapse ratio than bankdraft FE.

Years ago, I was visiting with an executive at Columbian. He told me the debit persistency was MUCH better than the bank draft business. That may speak more to the quality or price of their bank drafted products, though.

As far as my agency goes, first and second year persistency are about the same across the board. I fight hard and do everything in my power to keep policies on the books, regardless of the method of payment. The debit agent in me won't allow me to ignore a potential lapse.

 

[CasualT]

I agree with the home service agent being needed. What I've noticed the most is there are pockets of the country where FE agents won't go even for the bank account having clients. Small cities and county seats outside the major cities.

Areas the old Kemper and Union National agents use to run. But the old timers agents have either retired or died. No one else to roll into the area to write up lay down sales for just showing up.

 

[DayTimer]

No one else to roll into the area to write up lay down sales for just showing up.

Where could a fella get a map to some of them there 'lay down sales' of which you speak, par'ner?

 

[shonceman]

I agree with the home service agent being needed. What I've noticed the most is there are pockets of the country where FE agents won't go even for the bank account having clients. Small cities and county seats outside the major cities.

Areas the old Kemper and Union National agents use to run. But the old timers agents have either retired or died. No one else to roll into the area to write up lay down sales for just showing up.

I actually work in the big city of Dallas, TX. I live in the next county seat to the north. There's business to be had here in my home town, for sure. But when I first got started as an independent FE agent after leaving a captive debit company, the best response to my marketing was from south side, inner city Dallas. I realized pretty quickly that this was a lousy place to try to sell bank drafted FE. But it was a fantastic debit opportunity!

I see FE agents come and go constantly in my inner city neighborhoods. I'm sure they're attracted by the high lead response within a relatively small geographical area. I'll bet they also like how easy it is to make sales. Oh, sure, they'll sell some policies there. But a few months later they're in chargeback hell because they wrote bank drafted policies to people who don't manage their accounts well. A few months after that they've left the business.

The reason I've been successful in the same territory is my prior background in home service, and the training those companies gave me. I can pivot between FE, Home Service, and traditional without batting an eye. Once I found a company that would allow an independent agent to collect, I had nothing holding me back. When I later discovered a company that would actually pay me to collect, it got really exciting!

 

[shonceman]

Where could a fella get a map to some of them there 'lay down sales' of which you speak, par'ner?

Here you go:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Philadelphia, PA

 

[DayTimer]

Here you go:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia police kill man they say fatally stabbed insurance agent


Philadelphia police kill man they say fatally stabbed insurance agent
Posted: May 23, 2011

Police shot and killed a man who lunged at officers with a butcher knife Saturday morning, shortly after he had fatally stabbed an insurance agent in Olney, authorities said.

Police said the man had jumped on a bicycle after attacking the businessman and pedaled to a home in the 5800 block of Mascher Street, where he ran into the basement. Police confronted him there and used a Taser on him when he refused to drop the knife. He then lunged at them, police said.

They had not released the man's name.

Charles Fricker, 52, an insurance salesman from Waterford, was getting out of his car in the 5400 block of North Third Street at 9:50 a.m., preparing to visit clients and collect payments, when he was stabbed in the chest, police said.

Fricker was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was just the best man there ever possibly was," said his daughter, Amy, from the family's Camden County home. "And he was nice to everybody. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess." - Kia Gregory

 

[DayTimer]

Two Convicted in 2004 Murder of Insurance Agent in Philadelphia

 

[HoosierLife]

And people asked why I was always packing...

 

[rousemark]

Philadelphia police kill man they say fatally stabbed insurance agent


Philadelphia police kill man they say fatally stabbed insurance agent
Posted: May 23, 2011

Police shot and killed a man who lunged at officers with a butcher knife Saturday morning, shortly after he had fatally stabbed an insurance agent in Olney, authorities said.

Police said the man had jumped on a bicycle after attacking the businessman and pedaled to a home in the 5800 block of Mascher Street, where he ran into the basement. Police confronted him there and used a Taser on him when he refused to drop the knife. He then lunged at them, police said.

They had not released the man's name.

Charles Fricker, 52, an insurance salesman from Waterford, was getting out of his car in the 5400 block of North Third Street at 9:50 a.m., preparing to visit clients and collect payments, when he was stabbed in the chest, police said.

Fricker was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was just the best man there ever possibly was," said his daughter, Amy, from the family's Camden County home. "And he was nice to everybody. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess." - Kia Gregory

 

[Allen Trent]

interesting the little nuances I notice today in headlines that never caught my eye 10 or 20 years ago.