YAL Lead...Wanna Hear What One Sounds Like?

[VolAgent]

I completely disagree with you about it cheating someone. We buy leads to have a chance at selling a product. If the guy was 66 and willing to have someone come over and talk to him about life insurance, that's a good lead. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a door with the people saying "I'm not going to buy anything today" and I walked out with a check and a signed app. The problem is too many agents are expecting these to be lay downs and with life insurance that's tough. If they were doing Medicare products, health, auto, etc then that's a different game, but with life insurance that's a decent lead and I think that's an indication that YAL is doing alright at their job. Are they great leads? No, but they're certainly workable. Out of 10 of those a good agent should be able to sit with 7 and close 2 or 3.

From what I hear, the agents that are actually working the leads are closing 3/10 which comes as no surprise.

Again, I think that recording is an indication that YAL is doing a decent job, but without hearing all of the leads from a batch, it's tough to say. My guess, if the agents buying these leads were actually trained on how to sell FE and how to work a lead, they'd start making money on them. Merrill, as much as I dislike the guy, closed 20% on those leads and I think that shows he knows how to work a lead.

I have to disagree with you. That is not a lead. That is a person who clearly has absolutely no interest in life insurance or seeing an agent.

It is actually worse than a name and number from the phone book. That person might actually have some interest. If someone wants to go beat on this guy and try to get a sale, that is their business. But to sell this to someone, claiming this guy is a qualified lead? Its pure fraud.

At minimum, a lead has to have some level of interest in the product, and have some ability to get it. It sounds like this guy might qualify for something, but he definitely has no interest.

I realize Bob generates leads differently, but it would be interesting to hear his take on it.

And yes Josh, I do realize how hard it is to telemarket for life leads. Most are roughly this quality. For a new agent who is cold calling, it might be worth it just for the practice, but no one should ever be expected to pay a person to generate this.

 

[0b1kanobee]

This ain't no effin lead. If this is a lead then I'm in the wrong business. I'll start selling this shiz.

 

[Josh]

And yes Josh, I do realize how hard it is to telemarket for life leads. Most are roughly this quality. For a new agent who is cold calling, it might be worth it just for the practice, but no one should ever be expected to pay a person to generate this.

That's a $17 lead though. If you want leads that are interested specifically in life insurance, it's going to cost 4 times that, but agents are too cheap to pony up for that so they get $17 leads and complain that they aren't good enough when they're too damn cheap to pay for a good telemarketed lead. Let's not forget, if it was so easy, the agents would do the cold calling themselves. I know agents that do well doing their own cold calling. Frankly, I wish more agents would cold call and buy lists from me, but if they're going to buy telemarketed leads, they shouldn't be surprised at what a $17 lead is.
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This ain't no effin lead. If this is a lead then I'm in the wrong business. I'll start selling this shiz.

Ben, it really is a decent FE lead. Whether or not folks believe it is a separate issue, but good agent would write 2-3/10 on leads like that. A great agent would do more than that, but an agent trained correctly does well with leads like that.

 

[Todd King]

Josh, I understand the point you're trying to make, but the point everyone else is trying to make is that the agents are not getting what they are paying for (and have been promised). It doesn't matter whether is costs $22 or $3!

If you're selling lists and you promise they are all scrubbed against the DNC, and out of 1000 the agent finds out that only 700 of them are scrubbed, are you going to tell them...."oh well, it's still a name and a number and you made 5 sales on it anyway"?

You wouldn't give poor service like that nor would you accept it, I would hope.

While some of the leads are good, the ones that are clearly not meeting the criteria should be replaced without any argument. As a matter of fact, since they say they listen to each one before they go to the agent, some of the leads I've heard should have NEVER left their office!!

 

[VolAgent]

That's a $17 lead though. If you want leads that are interested specifically in life insurance, it's going to cost 4 times that, but agents are too cheap to pony up for that so they get $17 leads and complain that they aren't good enough when they're too damn cheap to pay for a good telemarketed lead. Let's not forget, if it was so easy, the agents would do the cold calling themselves. I know agents that do well doing their own cold calling. Frankly, I wish more agents would cold call and buy lists from me, but if they're going to buy telemarketed leads, they shouldn't be surprised at what a $17 lead is.

No, that is a $17 ripoff. If the real cost for this company to generate a lead is $68, then they need to be honest and charge that. Charging $17 and selling pure garbage is dishonest.

If your market won't pay the true cost of your service, then its time to reevaluate your business. But cutting corners and delivering inferior service is just dishonest. Lead vendors put themselves into this situation by their own practices.

 

[TPAAgent]

Again, I think that recording is an indication that YAL is doing a decent job, .

Did you fall outta yer highchair as an infant and bang your coconut?

 

[Josh]

Josh, I understand the point you're trying to make, but the point everyone else is trying to make is that the agents are not getting what they are paying for (and have been promised). It doesn't matter whether is costs $22 or $3!

If you're selling lists and you promise they are all scrubbed against the DNC, and out of 1000 the agent finds out that only 700 of them are scrubbed, are you going to tell them...."oh well, it's still a name and a number and you made 5 sales on it anyway"?

You wouldn't give poor service like that nor would you accept it, I would hope.

With respect to my customer service, of course not, but that's a completely different issue.

Back to the YAL deal, Todd, you have agents closing 3/10. Direct mail leads on a 1% response are going to cost $35+ each THEN the agents have to still call them and still can get all of the same complaints everyone else here is having.

YAL shouldn't have the guarantee they do or they should charge more because they're taking a suckers bet every time they take an order.

I had doubts about YAL, but after listening to that lead I think agents that are complaining about these leads may have some legitimate complaints, but it sounds like YAL is doing a decent job, but should rethink they're guarantees.

@VolAgent, no agent is going to pay $68/appointment for a lead.

 

[Newby]

That lead sounds like solid GOLD!

 

[aacards8]

MPS you can't really compare this to direct mail leads because any response you get 9 times out of 10 the prospect IS interested, otherwise they wouldn't have taken the time to fill it out and send it in. There's no 3rd party (the telemarketer) involved gumming up the works.

Of course you always have some idiots out there who fill it out not knowing what they're doing but that's a minority thankfully.

 

[VolAgent]

I agree Josh. But that doesn't excuse selling crap and saying its good. And if Todd's agents are selling 3/10 leads, including those they can't get credit on, then I'd tell them to keep on buying. I'd still complain if I were them, because you could probably do better without the junk. And a smart agent would be willing to pay more as well. A lead that has a 50% close is worth more than a lead with a 30% close, all things being equal.

Is it ok for Toyota to sell 3 in 10 cars being worthless pieces of junk, simply because no one will pay what it takes to make 10 good cars?