$142.50 Leads

[somarco]

Who they used is not as important as what the mailer said and how the target audience was determined.

 

[KJ in Miami]

I would say it all depends on your area! I paid $430 for a direct mail, got 48 responses, sold 3... made $1,212 1st year commission. If they stay, I will make $4,212 in total over a 6-yr period!! Internet is the same way - depends on a lot of factors... one strategy is not going to fill your pockets unless you live in OK and your name is Green Clark (shot out to GC).

 

[AtlantaLife&Health]

With direct mail you can't just drop 1,000 and expect to produce enough to live on for the month and enough to drop another 1,000. There's no magic in FE. You're not going to be able to buy your way to a comfortable income. It takes brass balls. That along with folks to talk to. I just dropped 5,000. I got eleven back yesterday. I should be good with 1.5%. I use a good mailer and filter my data with our own mailhouse.

 

[KJ in Miami]

And, this is the reason I am holding off on dropping another mailer. I mean, internet provides people looking for the information and at least 25% are ready to buy now. Direct mail... is a slower process. Yes, they are exclusive but.... many other factors to consider. Any advice?

With direct mail you can't just drop 1,000 and expect to produce enough to live on for the month and enough to drop another 1,000. There's no magic in FE. You're not going to be able to buy your way to a comfortable income. It takes brass balls. That along with folks to talk to. I just dropped 5,000. I got eleven back yesterday. I should be good with 1.5%. I use a good mailer and filter my data with our own mailhouse.

 

[The Gimp]

Whatever you do, do it consistently. I talk to quite a few agents that do one mailing and if they don't get 15 leads from the first drop, direct mail sucks. Some drops will be better than others.

 

[senior-advisor-indiana]

FYI- I'll be offering direct mail within the next two weeks. It won't be super cheap (~$500/1k), but it will include highly targeted data and verifiable proof the mail has been dropped. I'm not sure if this is something anyone is interested in and I won't be the least bit bothered if no one feels like ordering, but it at least will be an option if you want to be positive it got dropped.

Why would it cost $500/1000? What type of card is it? Are you mailing it first class?

 

[pksells]

Frank,
How do you generate your own leads? Thanks!
PK

If you saw the piece before it was sent, you liked it and they actually sent out 1,000 then I don't see how it could be their fault.

However, that response is extremely low even for direct mail. My first question would be whether or not they sent all of them out and my second question is how old is the list they used?

If they really did send out all 1,000 then their list may not have been updated since the turn of the century.

Direct mail sucks, it's a crap shoot, at least for Med Supps. That's why I generate my own.

Doing it myself I can sell over 90% of my self generated leads. My leads are "real" leads, they are qualified people who are ready to buy. All they cost me is a little of my time, something most agents have an overabundance of.

 

[Daytona_Guy]

Thats right... 1000 mailers and I get back 2 cards, mail went out April 7th...

Thanks Leads2Success/Monumental... You guys are awesome!

I had a similar result with Leads2Success aka Greg Swaney (owned by The Assurance Group "TAG") two years ago. Mailed out 2,000 and got 3 responses. This was right after having used MainStreet Powermail in the same county four months earlier and received 36 responses for the 2,000 piece mailer.

Leads2Success / Greg Swaney offered to do another mailing of 1,000 pieces after the credit card was challenged as I knew darn well they had not actually mailed 2,000 with my order. Four months later I got 9 lead cards returned. I actually received one of their lead mailers to my own house (I'm 15 years outside the window they're mailing to.)

So whether it's the data they're using or the integrity of how many they're actually mailing, it did not work out for me to use them or agents that are with Madison National Life to use them, either.

Sometimes you get what you pay for. I've never gone wrong, yet, with Mainstreet Powermail... although they cost more, they always have mailed what they said they would and the responses have been lightning fast.

 

[Medicare Man]

My problem with MSPM is that they don't have and aren't willing to update their pieces even when asked to do so. I wanted a more current Medicare message piece and they don't have one that works for the message I want to send during the applicable time of year.

They need to be more flexible and willing to develop better, current pieces to get any more participation from me.

I have had a really good response in the past and others have been not so good.

 

[primetime166]

Whatever you do, do it consistently. I talk to quite a few agents that do one mailing and if they don't get 15 leads from the first drop, direct mail sucks. Some drops will be better than others.

if you don't drop every week it always bites ya in the butt... agreed