What're your plans for the new year?

[James]

... 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

I would just assume shoot myself! I like being out of the house while working. This year I would like to concentrate more on the voluntary group side of the business.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

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

I can count on one hand the independent agents I know who don't live check to check and work out of their home. Most of the very successful indies I know have a small office and an admin assistant. To me an office is just an added expense that gets me nothing in return. For most people they need the atmosphere an office provides.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

A lot of of cities have deals like this: http://www.officesuitesplus.com/ In Baltimore these are all over the place. You can get in from $300 a month - that gets you an office, shared conference room and shared secretary who will answer the phone with your business name when anyone calls. I checked one of these places out once. There's not even a lease - just month to month.

 

[somarco]

My goal is simple. To be a better husband & dad than this year, and do the same the year after that, and the year after that.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

And part of that is working hard to provide a solid financial future since our wives and kids are counting on us.

 

[MIBizInsurance]

Wife will be starting to sell health with my assistance and were looking forward to the new year.

Main goal- Continue to learn health side and provide excellent service.

Modest goals -

$120k+ health premuim. Figure 40-50 policies give or take.

Nothing huge as will be staying with my captive commercial insurance position. Should be an attainable goal while not streching myself to thin.

 

[NHB_MMA]

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.

Well, I haven't got up an running yet on this venture, but I remember the calling days with NASE and NHIC. I was reluctant to do it back then and had to talk myself into it. I remember when I would sit there and analyze the stack of leads and look for the best possible candidate, in my mind, to get started easily. Once I got going, it usually wasn't so bad.

I do remember a jerk once in a while, so the getting yelled at thing happened a time or two.

 

[NHB_MMA]

A lot of of cities have deals like this: http://www.officesuitesplus.com/ In Baltimore these are all over the place. You can get in from $300 a month - that gets you an office, shared conference room and shared secretary who will answer the phone with your business name when anyone calls. I checked one of these places out once. There's not even a lease - just month to month.

Neat concept. Where do you find places like this? Yellow pages or Google, and what do you look for?

 

[MIBizInsurance]

Yep, just do a search.

They been around for years and price is dependent on location and amenities.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

A lot of of cities have deals like this: http://www.officesuitesplus.com/ In Baltimore these are all over the place. You can get in from $300 a month - that gets you an office, shared conference room and shared secretary who will answer the phone with your business name when anyone calls. I checked one of these places out once. There's not even a lease - just month to month.

Neat concept. Where do you find places like this? Yellow pages or Google, and what do you look for?

You can Google "shared office space" in your city. This isn't a bad concept. A former UGA buddy of mine who's doing fantatstic as an independent just has to be in an office to function and he's using shared space. Unless you really want a mid-sized or large agency there's simply no reason for pay $1,000 to $2,000 a month on office rent.

Don't know about your city but in Baltimore if you want an office you'd be proud to show people the starting bid would be $20/sq. ft. That's insane. If I had to go into an office to function I would definitely go for the shared space concept.