Travis here’s a little proof of my production .

[AugustaMi]

Travis and Don both--

You guys are bashing each other.

passively and aggressively. One who is more passive-aggressive and one just straight up ugly-aggressive. Yah, my old degree is sneaking out here. Hate when that happens. Sorry. Not sorry.

Just saying.

You both helped me, both good guys from my pov. Except this, This is cringeworthy.

Reminds me of when I would just come in a read in the early mornings back around 2009 or so, the Old Fight Clubs. Didn't post then but learned a ton from the Life agents, including Wino Blues, and U65 people, KGmom, Yagents, Somarco etc. Too many to list who I still see here today. Many top writers as far as I can tell in an online forum.

Had a nice convo with both of you in the past month or so. Most recently with Don behind the scenes and he was very nice and helpful. Also b4 that with Travis, gave me good insight on a mailer vendor.

Look, Don admits Travis triggers him...at least. That's a start. I didn't see an apology though, maybe I missed it. Not that either of you have a burning desire for one.

Another observation no one asked my opinion on but I'm giving it anyway... either of you can push ignore on each other. Something was stopping you both. Just saying...not going to analyze, but something to take note of...

Gawd, I'm irritated today....big baller local financial guy (tons of radio commercials), now doing Medicare sold a DSNP plan and the couple came to my office not having a clue how it worked and Yes I did give out free help and explained it.....when/if the purple one shows up maybe I'll switch them, but you know...nothing I could really do today but explain it....gave them my cards and reminded them to refer if they know of anyone...

Maybe I should go track him down and lose my shit like you guys do in here....ROFLMAO. Accuse him and Scream and yell at him to handle his biz...wtf! Nah, I think I'll go get my nails done and carry on and wait for them to come calling again themselves or with referrals. I'll sit on this for a while (I think)....I'm sure something else will come up. I'll probably run into him soon at a networking event....hmmm...

No. No one asked for my two cents, but I gave it anway. Welcome.

 

[sshafran]

I can appreciate hard work because it takes hard work to get high numbers.

Some agents (myself included at times) don't want to be married to our jobs.

I don't get the idea of challenging other agents and putting them down for not doing as much in production (a bad thing). Don can come across that way. Not sure if it's intentional. Seems like he may see that now (?) and plans to calm down a bit about some of that.

I do get the idea of being excited about the opportunity and showing other agents what is possible (a good thing). For that I enjoy some of his posts. Really we could use a bit more of that. He works hard and is building fast. Kudos. Take away the "comparison" stuff and he does contribute quite a bit as far as being an example of building fast by working hard. Again though not everyone has the same goals (nor should they) which is why some of his posts can rub the forum the wrong way.

 

[scagnt83]

Some agents (myself included at times) don't want to be married to our jobs.

I write ENOUGH for me.

This x1000

I could make $500k a year as a solo agent easily. I choose not to. My family time and personal time are too important to me.

We took a 2 week vaca to the beach back in Feb. The husband of the family in the house next to us was constantly on his laptop or phone while out on the porch... I mean almost all day from 8-6.

He bragged to me about how he makes mid 6 figures in a bad year. I bragged to him that I go hiking and golfing multiple times a week and spend a ton of time with my kids.

Priorities.

 

[AugustaMi]

I can appreciate hard work because it takes hard work to get high numbers.

Some agents (myself included at times) don't want to be married to our jobs.

I don't get the idea of challenging other agents and putting them down for not doing as much in production (a bad thing). Don can come across that way. Not sure if it's intentional. Seems like he may see that now (?) and plans to calm down a bit about some of that.

I do get the idea of being excited about the opportunity and showing other agents what is possible (a good thing). For that I enjoy some of his posts. Really we could use a bit more of that. He works hard and is building fast. Kudos. Take away the "comparison" stuff and he does contribute quite a bit as far as being an example of building fast by working hard. Again though not everyone has the same goals (nor should they) which is why some of his posts can rub the forum the wrong way.

Yep, I think he does see that. Believe he said something along the lines of he knew enough was enough...

I agree. Putting others down, disparaging, and degrading others is never cool. I'll admit, I'm a little desensitized to that behavior, bc of the way our old office was run....kind of like a boiler room. We had 40/45 agents, mostly men in their 20s and 30s, in the office every Monday, and every day for those who didn't have enough appts set.

We had a bell and it was rung with each appt set. Those guys would get all crazy in the office. One guy actually said if I wrote more business than him, he'd hang himself..I blew his numbers away from that day forward (I'm bragging--LOL). He never hung himself. Same guy then started to say I wrote so much biz bc I had big boobs. Complete asshole. I was spirited and competitive back then, might've even bragged to that *** a time or two in the office, rubbed it in for good measure here and there...to me, it was mostly good healthy competition, other than that one jackass. I didn't pay much mind, I was too busy to even bother with that most of the time. Had 3 kids in the nest who I supported on my own (ex hub had PTSD due to his time in the armed forces and sadly wasn't around much). I sold a ton of Assurant/Assurity....and Golden Rule, Transamerica, and a handful of others, although I was contracted with dozens of carriers...those were the main ones I was good at.

Now that I see your name, you were also very helpful back then, I remember some of your posts too. .

That's the beauty of this biz, we can pick and choose what works for us...that's one thing peers are for in a way....to let us know when we are getting out of control...it works better for some than for others, but I think Don gets the point.

I def coast now too...have plenty of money, not bragging . Hubby is a farmer and busy thru two seasons, so those seasons I'll do more Medicare. The rest of the time we travel and play (thru at least 3 weeks of my first AEP/OEP, I was gone soaking up the sun two different times in Marco Island and then again in Fort Myers beach. I have plans to just travel around Mi and a little in a few other states the entire summer, so not working much then...10 a month is right and reasonable for me thru lock-in. Next AEP has a much higher goal and perfect timing with farm harvest, except dec, I'll be in Fla again.

My property managemnt job is super flexible for the most part. I'm just getting into the 50s, last thing I ever wanna do is go back to those old days of feeling like I'm on a hamster wheel, no regrets, but I will say I don't mind seeing passion and desire in other people. Just would rather it not be so ridiculously aggressive. I mean at least apologize...lol.

 

[Travis Price]

Full on agree. I have zero problems with Don being industrious.

I do have an issue with being compared to others.. especially when we don't do the same thing. That's where I'm at.

I think there's something I haven't considered and I think we generally don't think about...

I think Don is largely FE and DSNP. DSNP is a MAPD plan, but I don't consider it the same way as I do MAPD vs MS.

MAPD is really the only option for Duals.

Also, I think everyone can agree (and we all do it) that I have a little snark. However, I'd also say that my snark ends at the conversation we're in. If Don says something I agree with in a different thread I make sure to say so.

The whole forum is passive aggressive, so throwing that at me is a bit unfair. This post, in particular, made me re-evaluate my whole discussion with Don.

Not because one is right over another, but because it comes across as begging for validation. That makes me sad for him. (This isn't passive aggressiveness)

The only people that you have to satisfy in this life is your direct family. For me, that's my wife and myself. Hopefully he learns that the same people in this game patting you on the back are the same people that'll drop you as soon as you aren't serving their needs.

 

[LostDollar]

Full on agree. I have zero problems with Don being industrious.

I do have an issue with being compared to others.. especially when we don't do the same thing. That's where I'm at.

I think there's something I haven't considered and I think we generally don't think about...

I think Don is largely FE and DSNP. DSNP is a MAPD plan, but I don't consider it the same way as I do MAPD vs MS.

MAPD is really the only option for Duals.

Also, I think everyone can agree (and we all do it) that I have a little snark. However, I'd also say that my snark ends at the conversation we're in. If Don says something I agree with in a different thread I make sure to say so.

The whole forum is passive aggressive, so throwing that at me is a bit unfair. This post, in particular, made me re-evaluate my whole discussion with Don.

Not because one is right over another, but because it comes across as begging for validation. That makes me sad for him. (This isn't passive aggressiveness)

The only people that you have to satisfy in this life is your direct family. For me, that's my wife and myself. Hopefully he learns that the same people in this game patting you on the back are the same people that'll drop you as soon as you aren't serving their needs.

For those of us that anthropomorphize, your family may be a bit larger than that. I don't know, by the end of the summer you may have to up your production goals. New sales metric for insurance agents 1 policy = x pounds of goat feed.

 

[Travis Price]

That is true... Jackson, Braxton, and Eyepatch already love me because I bought the farm. Gus will love when the Brussel sprouts start coming in.

We also name all of our wild inhabitants as well. We have Harriet the rabbit and Winston the groundhog.

The other evening I walked out of garage and there were like 4 dearabout 100 ft from my door. I looked dead at them, they looked dead at me for a few minutes. I called my wife, they were gone.




This is how I take business calls.

 

[LostDollar]

This is how I take business calls.
View attachment 7796

You're in for it now! You have totally ruined the professional image of Medicare insurance agents.

 

[Travis Price]

You're in for it now! You have totally ruined the professional image of Medicare insurance agents.

When I started, the company wanted you to wear a suit to appointments.. I always felt phoney.

I don't do in person appointments now, but I want to do an annual BBQ at the farm with my current clients.

My language is a bit more related also. The less I care about being professional with client interactions the more likely they buy.

 

[AugustaMi]

Full on agree. I have zero problems with Don being industrious.

I do have an issue with being compared to others.. especially when we don't do the same thing. That's where I'm at.

I think there's something I haven't considered and I think we generally don't think about...

I think Don is largely FE and DSNP. DSNP is a MAPD plan, but I don't consider it the same way as I do MAPD vs MS.

MAPD is really the only option for Duals.

Also, I think everyone can agree (and we all do it) that I have a little snark. However, I'd also say that my snark ends at the conversation we're in. If Don says something I agree with in a different thread I make sure to say so.

The whole forum is passive-aggressive, so throwing that at me is a bit unfair. This post, in particular, made me re-evaluate my whole discussion with Don.

Not because one is right over another, but because it comes across as begging for validation. That makes me sad for him. (This isn't passive aggressiveness)

The only people that you have to satisfy in this life is your direct family. For me, that's my. wife and myself. Hopefully he learns that the same people in this game patting you on the back are the same people that'll drop you as soon as you aren't serving their needs.

Got it! and agree. Fair enough. I know you're not passive-aggressive all the time. I've read enough of your posts to see that. I was referring to the "burning and churning" comments and a few others. I can't even remember....honestly when I read, I sped through it but caught enough to know there was mud being flung from both sides. Don't even know who started it. I say this in a friendly way and you can take it how you want...it triggered me bc I respect and have gotten good info from both of you. And I am NEW at medicare and need the help at times. Half the time I can't even reach my main upline guy, as even right now he's probably in Canada fishing in some remote place, unreachable. Also, I've gotten great info from Don, that not even my FMO knew about. Very good resource in here. Not the only, but very good.

And yes we all can be that way at times and his calling you a "failure" really wasn't cool at all. That did make me cringe. That's the apology I was referring to.. Of course, he needed feedback on this. And yep I am done too with this. I'm sure there would be plenty who could or would and probably have in my real life who have said that about me at certain times in life and wrongly so. Hell, I completely walked away for a solid 3 yrs.

I do think initially he focused on DSNP. I really wouldn't know how much. I almost did too, largely bc the FMO was touting it as a good option. I quickly learned that wouldn't be my main focus, think I did 6 or 7, with a few more coming up from referrals, out of now somewhere north of 65/70-ish. Read somewhere Don decided the same, but gotta admit, for a new agent, that might be a good option. The lower-income ones I did were more along the lines of spend-down plans, not full Dual. Close enough though, I know what you mean. They're not going to buy supps.

Almost all of what defaulted my way was already on MAPD. If anyone would've wanted a med supp I would have referred them to one of my ladies who I trained years ago in U65 who has been doing med supps for 12 yrs. Same with PDP if it comes up, since I don't feel like doing it. Shoot me.

Wouldn't most agents know the difference btwn Med Supps MAPD etc., and why everyone thinks Supps are better. Again, lady I trained U65 years ago can do them when it comes up. There is one carrier I'd probably just go ahead and do. But still hasn't come up.

Over the past ten days or so, I've had people contact me who have A, B and a PDP, or JUST A and B, bc they didn't and wouldn't pay for a supp and/or PDP period when the tie came. Not bc they didn't know, but bc they chose not to. There were four of these in just over the past ten days. None of them qualified for Medicaid, Medicare Savings, or Extra Help. I'm sort of off-topic here, but the point is this is another thing Don was saying, that he was amazed at how many people just have A and B, or something along those lines. I am beginning to see that too and I'm barely lifting a finger...these are just showing up as referrals. This is where BCBS (or possibly Humana) comes in....

There's more to this... LEPs and such, but that's off-topic. Surprisingly though, explaining the LEP was easier than I thought...no problems if it's worded right..I'm not up for leaving it on the table. If they call me, I'm all for it.

As for FE, that's definitely a different breed.

As for your last paragraph...ugh...My family is always my first priority. All 6 grown adult kids (3 mine, 3 hubs) and all 9 grandchildren (2 bio) and the farm man hubby. I won't even go there. I actually missed that part until the end of this post I was just writing. After seeing that last paragraph I just realized this is unproductive, and a practice in futility. Gotta go make my calls. I'll post it anyway since I took the time to write it.