Which Has Better Returns for DM Mailings?

[GreenSky]

This topic has ben beaten to death on the forum. Always new agents looking
for the "best mailer". There isn't one. I have used just about every mail
shop mentioned on the forum and both the generic and life insurance
mailers. As long as I have 20 new cards of either type I get 2-4 k premium.
my first sales manager who trained me always said "It's the man not the
land" If you know what you are doing 20-30 cards each week will get you where u need to be. If you are too broke to mail consistently then you are too broke to be successful in this biz.

Your posts are impossible to read. You don't have to hit return. Modern computers will do that for you.

Rick

 

[Rearden]

This topic has been beaten to death on the forum. Always new agents looking
for the "best mailer". There isn't one. I have used just about every mail
shop mentioned on the forum and both the generic and life insurance
mailers. As long as I have 20 new cards of either type I get 2-4 k premium.
my first sales manager who trained me always said "It's the man not the
land" If you know what you are doing 20-30 cards each week will get you where u need to be. If you are too broke to mail consistently then you are too broke to be successful in this biz.

There is not a "best lead" but there is a "better lead."

...And there are definitely better areas to work than others.

 

[bboman23]

Yes. Ben won't mail us the over ride checks unless you change over to us. If you think your whole approach can't be improved on, I would just try different lead sources. Tighten up the ages, incomes and require physical addresses and you will have the best quality leads.

Why don't you have Ben come field train you and see if he can do more with the leads you already have. That might be an eye opener. We can all improve.

I did drive to Iowa to field train. I think she is just trying to shop different lead vendors. Nothing wrong with that.

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I just offered for her to go to fex because anytime an agent posts a question, Newby responds with they need to go to Fex. It's not the leads or the training. Simple as that.

 

[Newby]

I did drive to Iowa to field train. I think she is just trying to shop different lead vendors. Nothing wrong with that. ---------- I just offered for her to go to fex because anytime an agent posts a question, Newby responds with they need to go to Fex. It's not the leads or the training. Simple as that.

I wasn't being a smart azz. I assume she/he (I don't know who it is) could use help other than new leads. I figure if it's one of your agents it might be good for one of your road trips.

I don't know the person so I'm shooting blind. Not everyone can sell insurance regardless of leads.

 

[bboman23]

I wasn't being a smart azz. I assume she/he (I don't know who it is) could use help other than new leads. I figure if it's one of your agents it might be good for one of your road trips.

I don't know the person so I'm shooting blind. Not everyone can sell insurance regardless of leads.

Exactly! It could be many things.

 

[Nikita]

Part of doing this biz full time is the uncertainty of what you are going to experience.

You have many variables in play -- locale, level of marketing/agent saturation, your skill level, etc.

I did a lead drop with a piece similar to YIG's a few months ago in rural Alabama -- 60-75, $15k-$50k -- did a 5:1 ROI, closed at 25% or 30% apps-to-leads.

A month later, I used the same exact card, same demos, to a rural part of Middle Tennessee, except at a 250% increase in lead volume. Closed 10% of my leads as appointments, and banked just enough to break even.

Point is most agents, tenured or not, will have bad appointments/days/weeks/months/years mixed in with the good.

It's downright hard to determine whether you had a "bad" batch of leads, or your area is any good, without working the area several times to make a sound determination.

Obviously you can't because funds are limited.

Generally-speaking, when I take on a new agent, here's what I'm looking for.

-Small-town to rural areas -- less agent/marketing saturation and gentler, kinder folks on par.
-Counties with little to no ghettos and projects -- it's not about selling policies, it's about keeping policies. You won't be changing a person's poverty mindset developed over decades inside of 60 minutes. So why target an area that will pull responses in from people who generally don't pay their bills?
-Lead MUST say Life Insurance -- When you do any sort of marketing, potential prospects read the piece's headline, first line and last line to get a summary of what the ad is about, then make the decision to continue reading it based on first impressions.

I like it best when the lead card actually says LIFE INSURANCE in the first SENTENCE, not a line or two lower. That makes it clear what the jig is all about.

The farther down LIFE INSURANCE is from the first sentence, the weaker the response will be, because more will believe it's Mutual of Obama.

Lastly, if you REALLY want to commit to final expense, you need to commit your funds to an on-going direct mail lead campaign, with at least 15 leads weekly coming in. If you are low on funds, try some TM leads to get a quick turn-around and to control cash-out flow better until you've amassed a bank roll.

Reardon - just wanted to thank you for your response. It was well thought out and directly addressed the questions I was asking, without attacking me or assuming that I am an inept or incompetent agent. Wish there were more like you on this forum.

 

[goillini52]

I did a mailing with those and was very disappointed in the quality of leads that came in. So I would like to hear if anyone has ever tried doing a mailing with any of the carrier FE mailings. As I stated in the original posting, I would prefer a few good quality leads over a whole bunch of stinky ones.

Well, I guess since they're FE leads you might expect them to be stinky. They were mailed back in by people that sit in cat piss!

 

[smokin goose]

Your posts are impossible to read. You don't have to hit return. Modern computers will do that for you. Rick

And if you wasn't such an asshole, more folks like him would post valuable info.

Shouldn't you and Josh be arguing somewhere anyway?

 

[jdeasy]

There is not a "best lead" but there is a "better lead."

...And there are definitely better areas to work than others.

I think a lead is a lead is a lead. Same for the areas. I just posted that in another thread. I don't care where they are if they have an interest in what I sell.

 

[Toranaga]

Hoosier Life....the problem is not my presentation. The problem is that I could not get appointments with any of the leads. "not interested" "no money" the usual reasons, but I just thought I'd have an opportunity to do more presentations from the leads I got. So I am looking for fewer leads, but higher quality, if that's possible.

Are you an experienced and effective appointment setter? Id like to hear your phone approach. Maybe it needs a tweak.

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If it isn't the presentation because lack of appointments, how are you on the phone?

I have a great appointment setter but I've been running into the "I'm not interested anymore" (from what she tells me) and I'm thinking of going back to setting my appointments.

The sell starts from the second you open your mouth. Your selling the appointment over the phone, no insurance.

I'm struggling with the similar situation, but I know better than to blame it on the lead. A lead card is nothing but an excuse to call or knock someone's door. There's no fairy dust leads (aside from rural leads and urban leads)[/QUOTE

Stop thinking about it. Set em yoself.