Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointments

[ActingBoss]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

No please stay and by all means post.

You make us all seem so much more intelligent in comparison. (We are, by the way).

Rick

We spoke about 2 years ago, sir.............I wasn't impressed then nor am I now.

Nor do I feel provoked.

 

[GreenSky]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

We spoke about 2 years ago, sir.............I wasn't impressed then nor am I now.

Nor do I feel provoked.

Don't remember speaking to anyone names "ActingBoss."

I NEVER try to impress other agents. I don't have to since I don't recruit.

And I'm not trying to provoke you. You don't need to be provoking into posting like a child.

This is my last response to you. I shouldn't be communicating with people 50 points below my IQ level.

Love and kisses,

Rick

 

[ActingBoss]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

Don't remember speaking to anyone names "ActingBoss."

I NEVER try to impress other agents. I don't have to since I don't recruit.

And I'm not trying to provoke you. You don't need to be provoking into posting like a child.

This is my last response to you. I shouldn't be communicating with people 50 points below my IQ level.

Love and kisses,

Rick

I was actually referred to you by one of the "gurus" here, (who actually is a guru).

It was a rather distasteful experience, so I thought I'd let it go when you began to respond.

Back and forth with you is unproductive.

 

[IMO101]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

"I don't bother calling them, I just show up at the door, lead-card in hand, approach sounding something like this"

To many of us, showing up at the door without an appointment would be considered door to door sales. That's how the customer would see it. That's how I see it. They never expected an agent to show up at the door, they didn't ask for it, you just dropped by. That's door to door.

 

[GreenSky]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

It's ironic that the title of this thread is "Need help" but when help was given by those much, much wiser, it was not only rejected but we were subjected to a hissie fit.

Some people can't handle the truth. Others are too stupid to take advice.

Rick

 

[Todd King]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

ActingBoss,

You asked for help. In order to give that help to you we have to make our opinions (and facts) known. What many of us have told you is not something that we've just dreamed up to screw you up even further, but an honest assessment.

If you already have you mind made up, how will you learn anything? Open the parachute, it works much better that way!

If the house you build is on a poor foundation, what strength does the house really have? That's all we're trying to tell you.

 

[jdeasy]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

I couldn't give you much help as to doorknockings as I hate doorknocking with a passion.

I do not want someone to come to my house trying to sell me something even if I sent in a request for information.

I do, however, still doorknock sometimes. I only do it on the leads that do not have a phone number and I am unable to locate a phone number. The lead piece I use does say that the "information will be delivered by a representative". Most don't read that and are surprised when I show it to them.

I have pretty decent success when I doorknock. Really surprising since it's the last resort. I also do about $2000 ap per month from doorkocking. That's about 10% of my production. Actually, I probably do less than $2000 after thinking about it. I doubt that 10% of my business comes from doorknocking. I don't track it. Just making an estimate.

I treat the doorknocking just as I do my set appointments. I do not do the "foot shuffle" crap. I've heard that taught somewhere, don't remember where. I also do not tell them that "I am required to get this information to you". I've been taught that crap, too.

I don't go to the door with anything but the lead in my hand. First thing I do is apologize for not calling ahead of time, but explain that I couldn't find a number. I then ask them why they mailed in the card and inform them that we find that there are 3 reasons that people return the card. 1. They don't have anything in place to take care of their funeral expenses and they need something. 2. They have something in place now they don't feel is enough and need to supplement it, or 3. They have all that taken care of and they want to leave some money to their family, their church or to a charity. They usually stop me at the one that is their reason. If I go through all 3 and have to ask them which one was their reason, that's a very bad sign.

There are some people that just will not meet with you. Throw that card away and move on.

I do that same routine with my set appointments. I first establish why I'm there and what their reason for sending in the card was. If I cannot establish that, I do not do a "warm-up" or a presentation. I am out of their house in less than 10 minutes. I am not a good enough salesman to sell anything to uninterested people. It's just part of the FE business that uninterested people do return lead cards. Some of the uninterested people are serial mailers. They mail in everyone's card. Whether it's for FE, med sups, cancer policies, indemity policies, you name it, they send in a reply card. I love those people now. I didn't use to love them. Travis gave me the best advice I've gotten in this business one time. He said to love those people because they are "agent killers". They thin the herd for us as they drive agents that are not tough enough out of this business.

One big place you are making a mistake is getting leads from LH. I am not a lead complainer. I have gotten leads from almost company out there and every lead vendor. I have had success with them all. The worst leads I've ever worked in my career were LH leads and the worst leads from LH were their TV leads. I stopped getting those well before I stopped their mail leads. The one thing LH does that should work well for the agent, {but doesn't}, is that they send a "pre-approach" letter to every person that sends in a reply card and informs them that an agent will be stopping by.

My experience with that pre-approach letter was that the people that wanted insurance got the letters while the people that didn't want insurance didn't get the letters. Funny how that works.

The reason it doesn't help the agent is because those people would have been receptive to a call or a doorknock without the letter. It didn't help with the muleheads or "agent killers".

You seem to be overthinking the whole deal and possibly even pushing too much.

There are 5 reasons that people don't buyfrom you, {or any agent}; No trust, No need, No money, No urgency and No desire. The most difficult to overcome is No trust. The only one impossible to overcome is No money. Not "no money" as the standard objection that most people use, but, truly no damn money. I do find that. In fact, that's just about the only ones I don't sell after I do my warm up and presentation as as the other 4 four reasons are handled in my warm up and presentation. But, you have to build trust with them to get to the point of finding out if no money is truly no money.

I had one fellow earlier this year turn his checkbook register over to me and say, "we have income of $2200/mo. We have bills of $2300/mo. If you can find a way for me to pay for it in there, I am going to buy a policy from you".

There is nothing you can do for people like that. Those are the ones that bother me. The agent killers no longer bother me since I started looking at them in that light. I do give those folks Newby's number now!

 

[floridagirl]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

Bossy Dude,

"You folks are just silly, spastic children masquerading as insurance gurus."

I haven't heard this word for years - and I am so glad I haven't! (FYI, we don't use that word anymore!!!)

"FWIW, the insurance industry, from what I have seen, is riddled with thievery just as my previous career was.
Frankly, I dont know of any field more despised by the general public than insurance, perhaps they have good reason for their contempt if they read this thread. Further, I had nothing but abject contempt for insurance agents when I was originating, never met one I thought was even the slightest bit competent."

This baffles me as to why you would even look at insurance as a career. I'm beginning to think it would be someone like you with your attitude that would hurt those of us that are honest and have a good name in the business.

 

[Newby]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

The agent killers no longer bother me since I started looking at them in that light. I do give those folks Newby's number now!

Hey! You told me those leads were GOLD as soon as those people got their SETTLEMENTS!

 

[xrac]

Re: Need Help From Greybeards! Mail Leads and Setting Appointment

Bossy Dude,

"You folks are just silly, spastic children masquerading as insurance gurus."

I haven't heard this word for years - and I am so glad I haven't! (FYI, we don't use that word anymore!!!)

"FWIW, the insurance industry, from what I have seen, is riddled with thievery just as my previous career was.
Frankly, I dont know of any field more despised by the general public than insurance, perhaps they have good reason for their contempt if they read this thread. Further, I had nothing but abject contempt for insurance agents when I was originating, never met one I thought was even the slightest bit competent."

This baffles me as to why you would even look at insurance as a career. I'm beginning to think it would be someone like you with your attitude that would hurt those of us that are honest and have a good name in the business.

I think you are right.