Where To Find Agent Appointments With Other Carriers?

[Telesales314]

There's a lot of different ways to go sideways with the DNC.

I had a coworker that kept what they called a 'callback notebook', a list of people they 'almost closed' that they would call back later and try to close when calls were slow.

That felt like a perfect recipe for a violation DNC issue because even if everything was legal when you you first talked to them, you don't automatically get permission to follow up with them forever.

Luckily we caught this in their first or second month before anything went sideways, but if they were calling people back after the DNC deadline, they would be setting themselves up for something like that.

If clients say 'call me back next month/after christmas/etc' I just give them my cell and tell them to call me when they are ready. I just want to stay as far away from any DNC callback deadline as I can.

 

[jdeasy]

That's what I was thinking. He lost his contracts through his other IMO because of this. I just want to prevent him from getting Lincoln sued also and losing this appointment as well.

I advised him to run every lead through the DNC list before he calls them. Regardless of when the lead was issued to him. If they are on the list do not call them. Just to be safe.

That he was leaving messages is the first sign of improper training. What else was he doing wrong?

He could very well have been sold old leads by his upline. He wouldn't be the first agent that's happened to.

Calling fresh leads that people have put their phone number on is not a violation. Doesn't matter if they are on the DNC. They gave permission to call. It's not never ending. If they were RGI leads they are dated.

 

[GMDM100k]

That he was leaving messages is the first sign of improper training. What else was he doing wrong?

He could very well have been sold old leads by his upline. He wouldn't be the first agent that's happened to.

Calling fresh leads that people have put their phone number on is not a violation. Doesn't matter if they are on the DNC. They gave permission to call. It's not never ending. If they were RGI leads they are dated.

I'm sure he was doing a bunch of things wrong. The other IMO was FFL. So he will definitely need to be retrained. Sucks. He's a young guy and got off to a rough start. He's in southern cali so there are tons of leads within driving distance. Literally a thousand. I wouldn't call a single one if I had access to that many leads close to my house.

When he first started they gave him 800 leads and a dialer to call and send auto texts for appointments. That didn't work out so he started buying leads with RGI about a year into it. Been in the business about two years and lost every appointment he had.

 

[Jccwell]

I'm sure he was doing a bunch of things wrong. The other IMO was FFL. So he will definitely need to be retrained. Sucks. He's a young guy and got off to a rough start. He's in southern cali so there are tons of leads within driving distance. Literally a thousand. I wouldn't call a single one if I had access to that many leads close to my house.

When he first started they gave him 800 leads and a dialer to call and send auto texts for appointments. That didn't work out so he started buying leads with RGI about a year into it. Been in the business about two years and lost every appointment he had.

Nothing wrong with dialing leads and setting appointments. It's far more efficient than door knocking only.

Don't get me wrong, you have to be able to do both if you're a field agent. However, you'd be working very inefficiently, if you got hundreds of leads and decided to door knock every lead and avoid the phone.

 

[GMDM100k]

Nothing wrong with dialing leads and setting appointments. It's far more efficient than door knocking only.

Don't get me wrong, you have to be able to do both if you're a field agent. However, you'd be working very inefficiently, if you got hundreds of leads and decided to door knock every lead and avoid the phone.

I've always door knocked. I only call when it's absolutely necessary. I've maintained over a 40 percent closing ratio on the leads I've taken. I have agents in my group that call and schedule appointments. One of the best agents I have only schedules appointments. He's written over 250k ap this year so far. But he has a 27 percent closing ratio.

My most efficient agents all door knock and don't call. Including my number 1 agent who has written 390k so far this year and has a 57 percent closing ratio.

I have 190 agents that predominantly door knock only. My entire group average closing ratio is 36 percent. I have a telesales group with about 20 people and that group has the lowest closing ratio at 21 percent. The closing ratio is calculated by how many leads they convert to sales. Does not include referrals they get or any business generated without the purchase of leads.

Based on just my agencies data, if you buy ten leads and door knock them you will likely get 3.7 apps. If you schedule appointments you will likely get 2.9 apps. And if you do telesales you will likely get 2.1 apps. Of course your over all salesmanship affects you closing though.

I agree with you that there is nothing wrong with dialing leads or scheduling appointments. But I disagree with you on what is considered efficient.

 

[Jccwell]

I've always door knocked. I only call when it's absolutely necessary. I've maintained over a 40 percent closing ratio on the leads I've taken. I have agents in my group that call and schedule appointments. One of the best agents I have only schedules appointments. He's written over 250k ap this year so far. But he has a 27 percent closing ratio.

My most efficient agents all door knock and don't call. Including my number 1 agent who has written 390k so far this year and has a 57 percent closing ratio.

I have 190 agents that predominantly door knock only. My entire group average closing ratio is 36 percent. I have a telesales group with about 20 people and that group has the lowest closing ratio at 21 percent. The closing ratio is calculated by how many leads they convert to sales. Does not include referrals they get or any business generated without the purchase of leads.

Based on just my agencies data, if you buy ten leads and door knock them you will likely get 3.7 apps. If you schedule appointments you will likely get 2.9 apps. And if you do telesales you will likely get 2.1 apps. Of course your over all salesmanship affects you closing though.

I agree with you that there is nothing wrong with dialing leads or scheduling appointments. But I disagree with you on what is considered efficient.

From personal experience, door knocking in combination with setting appointments is optimal. I'm with FEX Contracting, and all the agents are trained to "skim the cream" off their leads by calling and setting appointments.

Think about it from the perspective of agents who work rural areas. Sometimes my leads may be over 15 minutes apart. So if I decide to door knock, I can be driving all day with little to no luck catching folks at home.

 

[DonP]

I've always door knocked. I only call when it's absolutely necessary. I've maintained over a 40 percent closing ratio on the leads I've taken. I have agents in my group that call and schedule appointments. One of the best agents I have only schedules appointments. He's written over 250k ap this year so far. But he has a 27 percent closing ratio.

My most efficient agents all door knock and don't call. Including my number 1 agent who has written 390k so far this year and has a 57 percent closing ratio.

I have 190 agents that predominantly door knock only. My entire group average closing ratio is 36 percent. I have a telesales group with about 20 people and that group has the lowest closing ratio at 21 percent. The closing ratio is calculated by how many leads they convert to sales. Does not include referrals they get or any business generated without the purchase of leads.

Based on just my agencies data, if you buy ten leads and door knock them you will likely get 3.7 apps. If you schedule appointments you will likely get 2.9 apps. And if you do telesales you will likely get 2.1 apps. Of course your over all salesmanship affects you closing though.

I agree with you that there is nothing wrong with dialing leads or scheduling appointments. But I disagree with you on what is considered efficient.

Are these direct mail leads ? Obviously many of these leads already have fe or their serial mailers. To be doing 3.7 apps per 10 leads a min of 2 to 2.5 apps would have to be replacement. LH has extremely high prices and is certainly not a replacement product on price . So are you saying your agents are replacing coverage with less face amount using the funeral advantage as a weapon to replace ?

 

[DonP]

I'm laughing . Yesterday I was in the area of a mapd referral I talked to 2 months ago so I stopped in on . She had made an appt with another agent for 5 . She agreed to porche him if he even came . She told me the appt was made 3 weeks ago and he probably wouldn't come . Sure enough at 5:02 he rang bell . I was shocked he only rang bell once and left . I beat the door and windows 3 times and go around back . If nothing I leave delivery receipt.

 

[noah]

Are these direct mail leads ? Obviously many of these leads already have fe or their serial mailers. To be doing 3.7 apps per 10 leads a min of 2 to 2.5 apps would have to be replacement. LH has extremely high prices and is certainly not a replacement product on price . So are you saying your agents are replacing coverage with less face amount using the funeral advantage as a weapon to replace ?

Hmm,I wonder what the persistency is on that business ? How much of it gets replaced in the first 6 months ?

How come LH trains their agents to door knock ?

How come we never hear an LH agent posting that it's " inefficient " to door knock,"your more effective booking appointments " or an LH agent using an appointment setter ?

Same can be said for SL.

You ever hear one of those guys buying 20-30 leads a week and setting appointments?

 

[GMDM100k]

Are these direct mail leads ? Obviously many of these leads already have fe or their serial mailers. To be doing 3.7 apps per 10 leads a min of 2 to 2.5 apps would have to be replacement. LH has extremely high prices and is certainly not a replacement product on price . So are you saying your agents are replacing coverage with less face amount using the funeral advantage as a weapon to replace ?

We use a mix of direct mail and web leads. Some have coverage already. Hardly any replacement at all. Every now and then maybe. I'd say now a days we're probably at 60 percent web and social media leads and 40 percent direct mail. Maybe 25 percent Spanish 75 percent english. . Ages 50 to 85. Some web leads are younger. 0 to 80k for household income. Up to 100k in the Bay Area and socal and Honolulu

My agency is in California, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida and Hawaii. A bit in Colorado Utah and Idaho.