I’m sure this comes up a lot…

[axeman462]

It’s definitely solid advice, and something I have definitely considered. The problems with it though are that where I live (rural mountain town in Western NC) unfortunately there are no captive agencies around here. And anything virtual won’t work because (also because of location) internet services out here are really limited. I interviewed with eHealth today and all was going right as rain until I had to divulge that I only currently have access to satellite internet. Works great but apparently a big no no when it comes to call center work. Which leaves my own options that much more limited. I do appreciate the suggestion though.

I live out in the boondocks as well. Check out nomadinternet.com it's who I use, was a game changer for me. Satellite is awful. They work off the cell towers.

Surely there is at least a Bankers office near you?
They are horrible people that work there, but have a decent training program to at least learn the business. Just have an exit plan for about a year out when you start feeling confident in the business.

If that doesn't work, search the internet for local Medicare brokers, and try to reach out to them. See if you can work out some kind of a deal, get in their downline etc..

 

[axeman462]

Thank you for clarifying- I must have misunderstood when looking at Todd King’s website.
I have no doubt that @somarco is probably the most knowledgeable about Medicare on this forum and I honestly meant what I said above about no disrespect intended- however I still fail to see the point on why my OP warranted a response regarding my writing style. In the grand scheme of things, it was an unnecessary response and unrelated to my question. Neither helpful nor solicited.

Be careful with somarco, and some of the other agents on here. He is an MSO

 

[DonP]

I live out in the boondocks as well. Check out nomadinternet.com it's who I use, was a game changer for me. Satellite is awful. They work off the cell towers.

Surely there is at least a Bankers office near you?
They are horrible people that work there, but have a decent training program to at least learn the business. Just have an exit plan for about a year out when you start feeling confident in the business.

If that doesn't work, search the internet for local Medicare brokers, and try to reach out to them. See if you can work out some kind of a deal, get in their downline etc..

In 2 weeks we’ll know . If they take away all overrides above cms approved levels and marketing money ( this is a profit center for many fmo’s who pocket the money ) the poster will have to go loa for a yr if he wants hard core training .I actually think as you your best chance of success might be captive your first yr .Just make sure you have a written release you can leave anytime you want no strings attached and they’ll release your contracts .You need massive training your first yr and have to be able to ask 1000 questions . Few if any independent fmo’s are going to do this even with overrides. Although I was independent from day 1 being able to call the guy I was under 10 times a day and grill my regionals a few times a week was critical to my success . Medicare has so much info one must learn it takes yrs just to learn 1/2 of it even . Being able to juggle learning , selling , taking customer calls , retention ( saving your disenrollments ) is a tough long road .You need a mentor that can answer your million questions day in day out

 

[Jccwell]

Yes, we probably need him around for the long term to offer more unsolicited advice regarding proper writing etiquette!
And you’re right, I’m sorry, I did not specify which road of insurance I wanted to drive down- Medicare is what I’m wanting to pursue.
I looked into Todd’s page and I really liked what I saw but then got to the part about needing to invest in the leads provided by him. I wasn’t flat out against it, it’s just that I’d like to get involved with an FMO that gives me the chance to generate my own leads- I’m pretty good with SEO and can wrap my head around FB leads and can send out my own direct mailers, plus I’ve got a few local connections to my area that will probably pay off in a referral aspect. Generating my own leads I can handle, I just want to get contracted and have some basic support when needed.
Also, I’m not familiar with @Newby ’s company, what is the name of that one?
Thank you!
SJ

It sounds like you put some thought into this. Let me make a suggestion: start with FE and add Medicare later. Or you could even make FE your primary focus and cross-sell Medicare.

The reason I'm suggesting this is because you'll make more money quicker with FE. FE is a harder sale than Medicare, but it's a better way to quickly build an income and get established.

You can always add Medicare later. Or do FE 3 days a week and Medicare 2 days a week. Just my 2 cents.

 

[LostDollar]

No disrespect intended, I’m just failing to see the point in how I choose to structure my posts and why there would be such a need. If I were presenting an article, an essay or even a blog post, I could see the need for grammatical correction. A question posted in a public forum does not warrant unsolicited advice regarding my writing style. I’m pretty sure my OP was clear enough to decipher, but thank you for the suggestion.
Respectfully,
SJ

Hi,
The issue here is NOT grammer, spelling or meeting college level thisis structure in a post. It is about, like, taking breaths when you are talking and giving someone a chance to respond.

My reading speed and comprehension is total cr4p, so this took me awhile, but here is your original post broken into 5 paragraphs-what I can see as maybe 5 different thoughts you needed to express. The first three are your situational background, the last two are your specific requests.

I am NOT an agent, but I am pretty confident that what you posted would not be "new" experience for any FMO/IMO reading this and thinking about experiences with their agents.

What it does do is break up your situation into thought blocks that allows the reader to scan quickly and get to how to respond to you more quickly.

Paragraph A, Multiple background posts of that type come into this site on a weekly basis. Scanning, ok, New Agent, not focusing on one or two lines and has upline problems.

Paragraph B, Intense dislike for Mortgage Protection. Again a rerun of an agnent generic background problem which can get posted here multiple times in a month.

Paragraph C, Some personal preferences, which OP's sometime post in a first post, and sometimes don't. (And there are things there which many experienced and successful agents may not see as desirable practices for a successful insurance agent business model. Comments about that should not anger you.)

Paragraph D, Now a specific question--One person's variant of the standard request for help with FMO information which hits the site multiple times a week. First problem for an experienced answerer is OP has not narrowed sales field enough to allow someone to comment on their preference(s) for an IMO/FMO for the particular line of insurance they know about.

Paragraph E. The second request. Again a generic problem that comes up in request posts all the time. Leads. I want them. How do I get them? or Leads. I don't need them. How do I just get training. (Or Leads AND Training -- I don't want either, I just want contracts. Where can I accomplish that?)

A person probably has to read your original post at least three times to sort out thoughts, classify as background or requests, and then think about how to answer.

You do the paragraphs, experienced insurance people can scan quickly, categorize the background basics and then see and respond to the questions.

I would guess the effort on your part to make 5 paragraphs would reduce the amount of time it takes someone to digest and respond to your post by at least half.

You talk below about wanting to put people first. If you want to ask help from professional insurance people, and put them first, use paragraphs to show you value their time and help them to help you more efficiently.

So here it goes:

New agent here. Like brand new. Acquired Life, Health, Property and Casualty as well as Med Supp and LTC licenses over the past few months. Got swept up in a Symmetry webinar, liked the upline, quit regular 8-5 job (which I was going to do regardless because it was a really awful environment) to go full steam ahead and signed on.

Well, I hate it- I just do not have a desire to sell mortgage protection insurance, if I can’t feel a passion for it, I can’t make myself sell it. Never mind the fact that the leads are just bad. Really old, if they even answer they’re just so annoyed that you’re the umpteenth caller that week and they just want to be removed from the list. ASAP!

Anyway, after spending some time reflecting why I even considered selling insurance, if I’m honest with myself it’s because I want to protect people, specifically the senior market. They are just my people. I’ve seen my mom go through hell getting screwed over when signing up for Medicare and it really bothered me. I want to create a different experience for people and I really think I can do well at it. I don’t want to go captive for some call center, obeying rules about metrics and production quotas. If someone needs me to spend 3 hours with them discussing options and benefits then I want to do it. On my terms. I know that goes against all the laws of sales and time is money but I want to put the people first- that’s just me.

I need suggestions on FMOs, ones that will be there for support, offer the tech, the onboarding, training and contracting but I want the one that won’t push their ideals on me with how to go about business. I’m fine with generating my own leads, I want to obviously own my book of business and have an open release but it’s just really overwhelming looking at all that’s available. I’ve spent days, probably weeks at this point researching all of them and I’m lost. Maybe I’m seeking a unicorn but I’m just here humbly seeking suggestions.

Please, if you can suggest good FMOs to get involved with that don’t require a significant amount of money up front I’m all ears. I have some money set aside for initial costs, my bills are taken care of for the time being but I have some of my own plans for generating leads so if there’s not a requirement of the FMO for me to deposit money with them for their leads that would be a plus!

Thanks in advance
SJ

 

[Jccwell]

Hi,
The issue here is NOT grammer, spelling or meeting college level thisis structure in a post. It is about, like, taking breaths when you are talking and giving someone a chance to respond.

My reading speed and comprehension is total cr4p, so this took me awhile, but here is your original post broken into 5 paragraphs-what I can see as maybe 5 different thoughts you needed to express. The first three are your situational background, the last two are your specific requests.

I am NOT an agent, but I am pretty confident that what you posted would not be "new" experience for any FMO/IMO reading this and thinking about experiences with their agents.

What it does do is break up your situation into thought blocks that allows the reader to scan quickly and get to how to respond to you more quickly.

Paragraph A, Multiple background posts of that type come into this site on a weekly basis. Scanning, ok, New Agent, not focusing on one or two lines and has upline problems.

Paragraph B, Intense dislike for Mortgage Protection. Again a rerun of an agnent generic background problem which can get posted here multiple times in a month.

Paragraph C, Some personal preferences, which OP's sometime post in a first post, and sometimes don't. (And there are things there which many experienced and successful agents may not see as desirable practices for a successful insurance agent business model. Comments about that should not anger you.)

Paragraph D, Now a specific question--One person's variant of the standard request for help with FMO information which hits the site multiple times a week. First problem for an experienced answerer is OP has not narrowed sales field enough to allow someone to comment on their preference(s) for an IMO/FMO for the particular line of insurance they know about.

Paragraph E. The second request. Again a generic problem that comes up in request posts all the time. Leads. I want them. How do I get them? or Leads. I don't need them. How do I just get training. (Or Leads AND Training -- I don't want either, I just want contracts. Where can I accomplish that?)

A person probably has to read your original post at least three times to sort out thoughts, classify as background or requests, and then think about how to answer.

You do the paragraphs, experienced insurance people can scan quickly, categorize the background basics and then see and respond to the questions.

I would guess the effort on your part to make 5 paragraphs would reduce the amount of time it takes someone to digest and respond to your post by at least half.

You talk below about wanting to put people first. If you want to ask help from professional insurance people, and put them first, use paragraphs to show you value their time and help them to help you more efficiently.

Y'all are making too much of this. I agree, lack of structure makes it harder to read. Just don't reply to it.. or better yet, don't even read it. Y'all are beating a dead horse.

Also, you complain about structure and proceed to write an essay. No one wants to read 2,000 words on the importance of paragraph structure either.

 

[T Sparks]

Damn Sparky. Who licked the red off your candy?

My wife did late last night.

But no you folks do have some good info for the new ones on here...but have a little class and kindness for the new ones starting out, and I am not directing that at you.

Oh, and L.D. ....go get a hobby.

 

[Midlevel]

Hi,
The issue here is NOT grammer, spelling or meeting college level thisis structure in a post. It is about, like, taking breaths when you are talking and giving someone a chance to respond.

My reading speed and comprehension is total cr4p, so this took me awhile, but here is your original post broken into 5 paragraphs-what I can see as maybe 5 different thoughts you needed to express. The first three are your situational background, the last two are your specific requests.

I am NOT an agent, but I am pretty confident that what you posted would not be "new" experience for any FMO/IMO reading this and thinking about experiences with their agents.

What it does do is break up your situation into thought blocks that allows the reader to scan quickly and get to how to respond to you more quickly.

Paragraph A, Multiple background posts of that type come into this site on a weekly basis. Scanning, ok, New Agent, not focusing on one or two lines and has upline problems.

Paragraph B, Intense dislike for Mortgage Protection. Again a rerun of an agnent generic background problem which can get posted here multiple times in a month.

Paragraph C, Some personal preferences, which OP's sometime post in a first post, and sometimes don't. (And there are things there which many experienced and successful agents may not see as desirable practices for a successful insurance agent business model. Comments about that should not anger you.)

Paragraph D, Now a specific question--One person's variant of the standard request for help with FMO information which hits the site multiple times a week. First problem for an experienced answerer is OP has not narrowed sales field enough to allow someone to comment on their preference(s) for an IMO/FMO for the particular line of insurance they know about.

Paragraph E. The second request. Again a generic problem that comes up in request posts all the time. Leads. I want them. How do I get them? or Leads. I don't need them. How do I just get training. (Or Leads AND Training -- I don't want either, I just want contracts. Where can I accomplish that?)

A person probably has to read your original post at least three times to sort out thoughts, classify as background or requests, and then think about how to answer.

You do the paragraphs, experienced insurance people can scan quickly, categorize the background basics and then see and respond to the questions.

I would guess the effort on your part to make 5 paragraphs would reduce the amount of time it takes someone to digest and respond to your post by at least half.

You talk below about wanting to put people first. If you want to ask help from professional insurance people, and put them first, use paragraphs to show you value their time and help them to help you more efficiently.

My God, is this what I have to look forward to in retirement?

 

[rmhaire]

I know Wycoff .She’s not an fmo. Ehealth I’d stay a mile away from. They won’t release you . Brocks really big on technology . You can actually be a loa agent while you learn and then move to independent . I nor anyone knows what happens if the rules go in effect. Possibly the carriers pay fmo’s like W-2’s to handle much of this. I see no way carriers can handle contracting 1000’s of agents direct at this pt . As far as training carriers could double or triple there on the ground regionals to handle that

My wife did late last night.

But no you folks do have some good info for the new ones on here...but have a little class and kindness for the new ones starting out, and I am not directing that at you.

Oh, and L.D. ....go get a hobby.

Sorry to hear about your wife. Prayers.

 

[T Sparks]

Sorry to hear about your wife. Prayers.

Gotcha, well have a safe trip back from your weekend trip with Somarco, don't forget your toys.