What're your plans for the new year?

[NHB_MMA]

You're gonna find that there's no free lunch. You can spend money on marketing in the way of internet leads or telemarketing and those methods do indeed work. I have tried farming out telemarketing with lackluster results. I can close 1 out of 5 leads that I telemarket while I only close 1 out of 10 a marketer sends me. That's twice the work for half the pay plus hundreds a week to the marketer.

John, are you telemarketing personally now, instead of hoofing in on the pavement? I remember from the old board you said you hated telemarketing.

 

[NHB_MMA]

The thing that kills me about successful agents selling their "system" is their system just boils down to hard work. It's agent who don't actually want to work who pay $250 to buy "the system."

I agree to a point, but sometimes a "guru" has a certain way of motivating you or getting a good concept across. I have gained some great business ideas that weren't rocket science, but just good, from some business gurus. I'm talking outside of insurance, in those examples. Insurance is more of a standardized business, in terms of marketing.

I remember asking about Lew Nason on the old board and people were understandably critical of him. He sells a course for a few hundred bucks that supposedly teaches you to close 80% of prospects you sit with, if I'm not mistaken. Now, I'd bet anything I could order that course and review the material and say "that's all there is to it?" because it is probably full of simple ideas. And maybe they wouldn't be able to be implemented by guys you and I (I can tell you have some of my personality characteristics in sales from what I've read from you) because maybe it's pretty pushy and takes some balls. But maybe you find someone every now and then you feel like you can push a little harder and you use some of those techniques to get the deal. If that happens every once in a while, was it worth buying the system?

It's a general point I'm making and not a specific endorsement of Lew's system (which I don't own). I used his example because I'm on his e-mail broadcast list. The only point is that there are some people that can be inspired by a system and do get results from them.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

So true. The reason I hated it was because I was going off advice that I needed to weed people out during the initial call, which meant going through a pre-screen, what coverage they currently had, etc...I was getting too much resistance.

Now my first call is very simple - "I would like to send you out information on the newest health insurance plans for individuals and familes." That's it. No qualifying at all. That generates a lot of leads and it's comfortable for me. I not qualify with the follow up call.

What I've come to find is I don't actually mind when I'm making the calls. It's getting myself to start making the calls that sucks. I guess call it performance anxiety. Ironically all the fears I have; which are not getting any leads or getting yelled at, never happen.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

The thing that kills me about successful agents selling their "system" is their system just boils down to hard work. It's agent who don't actually want to work who pay $250 to buy "the system."

I agree to a point, but sometimes a "guru" has a certain way of motivating you or getting a good concept across. I have gained some great business ideas that weren't rocket science, but just good, from some business gurus. I'm talking outside of insurance, in those examples. Insurance is more of a standardized business, in terms of marketing.

I remember asking about Lew Nason on the old board and people were understandably critical of him. He sells a course for a few hundred bucks that supposedly teaches you to close 80% of prospects you sit with, if I'm not mistaken. Now, I'd bet anything I could order that course and review the material and say "that's all there is to it?" because it is probably full of simple ideas. And maybe they wouldn't be able to be implemented by guys you and I (I can tell you have some of my personality characteristics in sales from what I've read from you) because maybe it's pretty pushy and takes some balls. But maybe you find someone every now and then you feel like you can push a little harder and you use some of those techniques to get the deal. If that happens every once in a while, was it worth buying the system?

It's a general point I'm making and not a specific endorsement of Lew's system (which I don't own). I used his example because I'm on his e-mail broadcast list. The only point is that there are some people that can be inspired by a system and do get results from them.

This is true. You need to be what I call "a student of the game." A lot of it can simply be reinforcing things you already know. Why do pro football players have weekly practice? They don't know how to play their positions?

I read sales books constantly. It's not only a good source of motivation but also reinforces good sales habits. The "either or" close and "pizza" closes actually work. I never used to ask people for their business until I started studying. I love "I'd really like to have you as a client." There's a big difference between a client saying "I'd like to reduce my premiums and you saying "ok" or you saying "I'll work hard to do that, and if I find a plan that lowers your premiums and still gives you outstanding benefits can I earn your business?"

A went to a sales seminar back in the day. The speaker said it's not one or two big things you do that lead to a sale. It's 20 small things all added up. In order to learn what they 20 small things are you need to study.

 

[insuremojo]

Sell more Health & Life and try to mix in some auto and homeowners when I get the chance! Probably brush up on disability & LTC and start offering that also!

The thing that kills me about successful agents selling their "system" is their system just boils down to hard work.

True dat! I would find it hard to pay 4-5 hundred dollars for a system to tell me things that I already know I should be doing.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Especially when you can but a book for $20 that's gonna tell you the same stuff. Just stay away from systems that claim they have methods where you phone will ring off the hook. There's also a lot of "never cold call again!" systems out there. All they teach is networking.

 

[STIBROKER]

I guess call it performance anxiety. Ironically all the fears I have; which are not getting any leads or getting yelled at, never happen.

it's a rush for me.....but I am doing internet leads.....but what I have found are most of my leads hit 2 to 6 weeks from when I first get them like this morning sold a $390 on a lead I got 10/24/2006 and a $275 from one on 11/09/2006 with about another $700 commitment from two others(this takes follow up calls and taking notes on the lead).....all over the phone with no mail outs.....and to do this you have to ask them questions and sell yourself before whipping out plans....even have had a couple of hangups at times because they did not like the questions I was asking .....others were "none of the other people asked me those questions before you sound like you know what your talking about...."

 

[producer]

... To continue buying 20-30 same filtered internet leads from home every week for $8 to $12 a pop (35 or older, married, self-employed, currently insured)...calling the prospects from home....focusing on quoting no less than $334 permium per client from home, submitting only prescreened healthy clients from home, focusing on submitting 3-5 apps per week from home, mailing out policies from home, reviewing the policies with clients over the telephone from home...and following up with stellar customer service over the telephone, from home... Thats it, same old, same old... not tricks, no gimmicks, no marketing, no driving, no prospecting, just staying focused with a plan every day and keeping it simple working 9am-6pm M-F and no weekends

 

[Michael Haislip]

I'd like to quit working from home, because it's all I ever friggin' see.

 

[producer]

Then mabye you need to get in your car and go for a drive... from time to time...