Insurance Agent Forum

[myinsurebiz]

Originally Posted by HomeService

stay away, it's a trap!

How's that?

They have their place in the industry.

Their product is a little high cost and their sales tactics aren't meant for everybody - but it isn't a "trap".

They have structure, training and they pay on time. They also give you the ability to build a team.

They don't charge to get in and they don't charge to leave.

Of course - someone could do the same as NAA as an independent and earn higher commissions - but some people need a little structure and hand holding.

I actually offer a similar type compensation plan - just with Simple Issue Whole Life versus Mortgage Term. People want a place to hang their hat and also want to enjoy "leverage". You can't realize the effect of "leverage" working alone - it takes a team.

One of the richest men in history once said - " I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts. "

He also said - " If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success. "

I've always said - "Don't Hate The Player - Hate The Game"

Tom

[WIN]

Originally Posted by myinsurebiz

How's that?

They have their place in the industry.

That they do. They do a great job of recruiting and showing people how not to build a business. There is no reason on earth to join NAA unless you just don't know better for more reasons than I care to share or explain, but here a couple that make it a deal breaker:

55% contract
$20+ leads on a 55%-85% contract...you'll go broke

There are several marketing organizations that do just as good a job on training and will start people out above where NAA tops out.

[myinsurebiz]

Originally Posted by WIN

55% contract. $20+ leads on a 55%-85% contract...you'll go broke.

I don't know any NAA rep that hasn't gotten 70%+ to start.

The money isn't in the personal sales - it's in the team over-rides.

I'd rather be a part-time insurance salesman and a full-time recruiter than the other way around.

That said - NAA has it's place. The traditional agents don't agree because they haven't a solution to the counter the volume these guys do.

It's all about the numbers. When recruiting or selling - remember the old mantra:

Some Will - Some Won't - NEXT . . .

Tom

[jdeasy]

Originally Posted by sodaytongal

What about NAA to get started. What has been your experience?
Thanks.

This was my reply in another thread;




Unlike most of the folks that post here, my NAA experience was not an unfavorable one. I first got into insurance a little over 4 years ago due to budget cuts at my long tme employer. I first got with American General and was supposed to get trained by them. Their training consisted of helping me get my license. No product training and, more importantly, no leads. They were paying me a salary during my "training", but, once I was licensed, I was to go out selling their products, which I knew nothing about, to prospects that I had to find on my own.

I did stay long enough to get licensed in case I might need it in a future endeavor. I was done with insurance, so I thought. While looking for a job, I found an ad for NAA. They promised leads and a system. I really didn't want to do it, but, I inquired and just happened to get with one of the better NAA managers. I was so skeptical that he gave me free leads to show they worked. He started me at a 65% contract instead of 55%. Why, I don't know, I was green as a gourd.

I followed the "Hudgen's System" to the letter. I did the "tie down", the "I love you" and the "think about it". I listened to all the audio tapes. I attended the boot camp for new agents. It worked great for me. I did $12,000 ap in my first month and it was all issued. I never did less than $12,000 ap after that first month. I worked my way to a 70%, then 75% and finally to an 80% contract. After that first month, I started buying 5 leads a week. and did that thru the end of '04. Starting in '05, I went to 10 leads per week.

After a few months I had tweaked the Hudgen's system more to my style. For the year of 2005, my first full year in insurance, I did $257,000 ap and was a top 15 NAA agent. This was on 10 leads per week. I was never in it to build a team and I wasn't into the rah-rah meetings. Those 2 things starting afffecting my getting leads in the middle of '06. I still did over $200,000 ap on '06, but, the leads were getting more scarce and they were preferencing the agents that did buy into the rah-rah and were building teams.

I got into doing MA's in the fall of '06 and added final expense in '07.

One of the guys that got me into doing MA's was another NAA agent. He says that NAA was the worst experience of his insurance career. I wouldn't do now what I did then because I know better now. I didn't know then that a 65% contract was bad. Hell, I didn't even know that my 80% was bad. I always wrote what I felt was best for the client. I did a lot of fully underwritten policies and was never called on the carpet for it. I preferred Shenandoah over OM/F&G and Foresters once they got them. Most of my business in '06 was with Shenandoah. That caused a problem near the end of '06 when they told me to stop writing so much Shenandoah.

For me, it was a great learning experience. I still send an occasional app thru NAA. I did a Homecertain 2 weeks ago. The reason was because he was an underground coal miner and chews tobacco. He could get standard with Homecertain and that was less costly for him than any underwritten policy I could find. I did a Foresters last week on a 74 year old lady that wanted $100,000 coverage and didn't want to pay for permanent coverage. Forester's 10 year term fit her budget for the coverage she wanted.

As I said, I got with one of the better GA's. He has a fulltime agent trainer on his staff. There were some of the ones that I met later and had I got signed up with them, I wouldn't have made it. That Fritz or Fitz or something like that in Texas is one that comes to mind. I could not work for that guy. However, he was at a meeting in Lousiville, Ky in '06 and he said that "any new agent that was willing to sign up with him and work a 40 hour week and do exactly as he said for that 40 hours per week, he would guarantee that they would make $100,000 their first year or he would pay it himself". He said he had no takers. If I had been a new agent, I would found out if he was bluffing or not. Still, I doubt I could have stood to be around him full time.

I wouldn't trade my experience with NAA for anything. But, I wouldn't go back to working for them fulltime or buy their leads again, either.

[STIBROKER@AUSTIN.RR.COM]

Yea non~med client screwing rules......

[fostever]

Just a note and update: I just got multiple health contracts for health and Assurant gave my name to a GA by mistake. He called my home phone to recruit me to Assurant. It turns out he was a rising star at NAA back in 2007 and was a ring wearer and agency builder in my area. Well now he is out. When he saw that his lead bill was $100,000 for that year he counted the cost and got out. Yeah, you can make multiple six figures working there but tack on traveling cost, leads, marketing, and you end up not so six figured. He is building an Assurant agency now.

[eddie]

Is that the agency with Assurant now doing business in the basement of their house as opposed to the lombard office?
(If that's the same agency)?

[tex]

[COLOR=Blue][COLOR=Red]I sent the following concerns to NAA and got the following reply:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Black]( me to NAA ) [/COLOR]I know of many issues reported in the single top insurance forum about NAA and if I can see a way to overcome them I'll join,

But I already have 110 - 120% contracts now, so low balling me compounded by overpriced B or C leads or later stealing my down-line would be a deal breaker.

These are the top 3 issues with NAA as I understand it from other Veteran NAA'ers reporting on their disposition as result of NAA.

My hope is that you are one of the good managers I also heard about.

Thank you

[COLOR=black]Hi, ( [COLOR=Red]reply to me from Tom Force of NAA[/COLOR] )

My partner and friend Jim Caruso forwarded your email to me concerning NAA. As I do a significant amount of recruiting within the Lampe Agency he thought that I would be well versed in answering your questions. It's always my pleasure.

Just an aside on the Internet. I love the Internet. However, you need to consider the sources. I am a pilot for American Airlines. I lost a good friend 7 years ago today as his plane was flown into the Pentagon.

The are many people who swear that, thru "research" on the Internet, it was a missile that hit the Pentagon, not my friend's 757.

That just confirms that this medium allows folks with too much time on their hands to push their agendas...most successful folks are not wasting time in forums. I'm too busy working with new recruits and making money. Bill Lampe is too busy playing golf 3 times a week and enjoying the fruits of having made over a million a year in this business to get onto a forum and defend NAA. People making money don't show up where "misery loves company"

I can uniquivically state that NAA does work because I'm partnered with a good friend, an NAA millionaire. A hard working, smart gentleman with no special schooling, no college degree, but a desire to take this thing and run with it. He has the toys but he also has produced more $100K earners than any other agency manager in NAA.

Understand, that there are over 100 agency managers with NAA. Agents can also sign up and be direct to the NAA base shop (Lord help them). Many agency managers have no business managing a team. We know who they are. Report cards of all important parameters are published every month. If you are with a crappy team - it is hard to succeed.

I have been contacted by agents from other teams about joining our agency. Some I have taken on, others I told to find some other line of work, because they would not take some degree of responsibilty for their troubles. If your manager sucks, go above him - all the way up to Andy Albright if you have to. Bottom line is, I know of the problems that good agents can have on a bad team.

Example - I hired a gal in Jim's backyard who had been with another team. She said that she had no real training and was given some old leads to see what she could do with them. She was so ill prepared she quit. She had heard about us and wanted to try again. Two weeks later, with us, she called a lead that was 6 months old and set an appointment with a couple who has been waiting for someone to come write them business.

The team you are on will make all of the difference in the world. I am embarrassed at some of the things that happen - especially with leads, on other teams. The good thing is that our agengy can come in and profit where everyone else is incompetent.

Lets address your comments. Contract level is nice. If everyone is at 90-120% in the insurance world, why does the avearge life agent make only $26,000 a year and last only 4 years in the business? 110% of what?

If you are not writing business then you could be on a 200% contract and not make money.

Our commission structure is the only reason this works. Period. If you warrant a high contract, you can quickly earn it. All the way up to 110%. If you deserve what you say you deserve, you will be at 85% in two months and 110% in 6.

If everyone came on at 110% we would be just like everyone else - broke. I certainly would not be spending time writing this email, as there would be no incentive to bring other agents into the business.

We would not bother training anyone - we would simply race around as policy pushers with commission breath because that is the only way we could make money. If you understand the need for spread (it is also why we pick up a large part of your lead costs when you are new...a point the malcontents never mention)...and have a goal of making serious money, then you actually would appreciate and embrace it.

Let me give you another fact. If you close just 4 average policies a week, you will net $132,000. On your own pen. Starting at 55%...

We have 55% and 60% new agents going out on their first few weekends and earning $5000 to $10,000. Obviously we are on to something...

Leads - ah yes, the leads suck. The leads don't work. NAA doesn't work. They are right. The leads do not work. NAA does not work. PEOPLE work. Unfortunately most people do not want to work. Too many people either won't work, won't accept the training,or don't have the training available to them. It's always someone else's fault.

Somehow the leads our agents get, in our agency, all over the country, work. An agent, with some training, who knows how to handle objections because she has been trained, sets an appointment on a lead several other agents had. Go figure...

If you buy 10 A leads and don't write 5 policies - we will find out why - help make you better - not just tell you to buy more leads.

Anyone mentioning B and C leads is dating themselves. We have not had that system in almost a year. "A" leads are exclusive to an agent for 5 weeks (too long) - no one else in NAA will have it. They then can be resold if no policy issued as an A1

- to one other agent at half price (the old B lead would be bought by up to 12 agents at the same time - that did not work). A lead will only be sold up to 4 times, and is taken out of circulation any time a policy is written.

Did anyone mention $3 leads and 12 cent leads?

We, as management, have money in every lead you buy. Every single one. If you buy a $20 lead, we have $14 in it as well. If you treat the leads in a cavalier manner, and don't get any appointments, I WILL reassign them to someone else who knows what they are doing to get production out of them. If you can't get anything out of a lead in two weeks - I will find someone who can. Too many agents sit on their leads. Not with our agency. Maybe you will be the go to guy in San
Antonio?


( continued )[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[tex]

( continued )

[COLOR=Blue][COLOR=black] It is an agency manager's right to reassign leads from the slackers. If you had $140 in someone's 10 A leads, you would want a return on that investment.

On the flip side, because management has to spend money on downline leads, many marginal managers will not allow their new agents to buy leads until they prove themselves on crappy old leads. What a ridiculous and short sighted theory. We invest in our agents, but we know they will produce because of how they are trained. Many other agents are run off because they never had a manager making enough money to invest in them.

As I sit here now, I have 51 leads in San Antonio that a guy bought and then never ran because he got an offer to sign on with a company that paid a base. Disappered. I have money in those leads that are 4 months old. Good agents get those types of reworks all the time. If you were on board with us you could have them. Free. Good agents get to clean up other agent's messes. Its business.

I have a nice sound bite from a business overview call that Bill does concerning leads. Get the real scoop - click on this link and turn up your speakers.

InstantAudioPlayer

"Stealing downlines?" - Such a foreign concept that it boggles my mind. People will leave if they are not getting leadership. If you are a dolt and don't do anything to help your team - your situation may be "reevaluated" by your agency manager. If people do not write any business, they are free to transfer to another team after 6 months of inactivity. Finally - people
get fired for being stupid - as in writing business with
other companies on our leads.

NAA is a good example of survival of the fittest. Fortunately, the Lampe Agency has 24 hour gym , personal trainers, etc - to keep our agents fit.

Why we are the envy of all other agencies:

Bill Lampe - quickest to $1 million in NAA history

Lampe Agency - Most Agency Manangers produced

Free 3 day boot camp in Dallas

Numerous trainings weekly via web conference

Experienced staff - one of our folks taught the licensing class for Kaplan for 30 years. Now he gives many hours of online training in anuities, EIUL, and other issues every week. He is your personal consultant.

Agent mentor on call 24/7 to give you help while at the clients table.

Complete new hire training on the Internet - our top earners have recorded all of their appointment setting and sales techniques online so that any agent anywhere can duplicate our success.

Mentoring program for identified upcoming managers

Bills wife worked the Tony Robbins circuit. Our agents can optionally participate in study groups with Diane on some of the great motivational authors such as the series that Napolean Hill used to write Think and Grow Rich.

Feed your brain the right way. Priceless

The bottom line - we do give a damn about our agents. Case in point - I'm spending an hour writing an email to a prospect of an agent in my downline. Its important to him, the effect on me will be minimal. Your success and Jim's success are important to me as well as the agency.

An agency with over 1000 agents and each is important. You are not being recruited into an insurance opportunity, you are being recruited into an environment of success.

Further - you have access to a millionaire in this business.

Let me ask you - who is better to help you thru this career decision - a potentially life changing decision.

A. Some folks in a forum who did not succeed for whatever a myriad of reasons, who, in the end, want to blame NAA (which confuses me - NAA is not even an insurance company - we are a marketing company - providing leads and back office support)

or

B. An approachable millionaire, someone who will clear $3 million this year, and who spends most of his off the golf course time teaching other TEACHABLE, COACHABLE agents how to do exactly what he did? How approachable? Here is his cellphone # 940-465-0042. Feel free to call him. Its hard to convince him it doesn't work - not with his 1099.

(wait until Monday - we are all in Raleigh at a 3 day training
seminar. I've found that most forum participants never came to a national training).

- this is a business. Treat it like a business and you can make
whatever you want.

Best part, you can take me up on a B.S. Challenge. If you are
Licensed, then you can sign up, get contracted and trained, and never spend a dime with us. Check us out top to bottom, inside out. Compare your findings with what I have stated here. If I am wrong about anything I have stated I would expect to have the BS flag waived. Fair enough?

[/COLOR] [/COLOR][COLOR=black] We don't ask you to have faith in us by making you pony up anything. How much easier can we make it?

We'd love to have you come to town, sit in on Bill's 3 day boot camp, rub shoulders and hang out with NAA success - and see what that is like.

Now that you have spent some time in the forums, spend some time with someone who did make it work. Invest 30 minutes in Bill's complete guide to NAA. How he went from $175,000 in debt to a million $$$ earner.

Visit Make Your Dreams Come True With NAA listen to the audio and take notes. Bill will give you his cell # again at the end of the call.

Feel free to call him - get a sense of what a humble guy he is. Then lets 3 way a call with yourself, Jim and myself. and get any other questions answered.

People off the street, with no insurance background, are
Generally more successful in NAA than experienced agents. They have to leave their old habits and egos at the door and learn a simple and effective way to work in our system. Many can't. I hope that you can.

I appreciate your interest and hope that I have shed some light on the truth about NAA from an upclose perpsective. When your close friend makes seven figures in a business - I'm simply going to copy him. Many others are as well. Maybe you will be the next.

Have a great weekend.

Tom Force
National Manager / Recruiter

( [COLOR=Red]My response to Tom Force[/COLOR] )

[/COLOR][COLOR=#c00000]I am a disabled Iraq war veteran and I am shocked by your hype & dis info.

If you think a 3 page letter justifies a 55% contract than you're ignorant.

And if you think you can disrespect me for doing due diligence in the one and only insurance forum you're freaken stupid and any fool who contracts under you is surely forgotten about soon.

Rack'em and Stack'um right Tom the Airline Pilot...

No Thank you[/COLOR]

[STIBROKER@AUSTIN.RR.COM]

Originally Posted by tex

[COLOR=Blue][COLOR=black]
I'm too busy working with new recruits and making money. Bill Lampe is too busy playing golf 3 times a week and enjoying the fruits of having made over a million a year in this business to get onto a forum and defend NAA. People making money don't show up where "misery loves company"[/COLOR][/COLOR]

That's the NAA ......screwing people with overpriced non~med small face amount policy's and making money hand over fist.....as an agent I build client trust and a long term relationship instead of a lie and quick slam and see ya....if you would not buy it yourself then don't suggest it to a client.....

[pebble head]

WoW! I just heard Rudy Solis from south Texas just QUIT NAA. He was trying to get me to join his team just 3 months ago. He was making about 400K a year...wonder why he left?

[BiggitySwat]

Originally Posted by STIBROKER@AUSTIN.RR.COM

That's the NAA ......screwing people with overpriced non~med small face amount policy's and making money hand over fist.....as an agent I build client trust and a long term relationship instead of a lie and quick slam and see ya....if you would not buy it yourself then don't suggest it to a client.....

The thing is, the secret is in the leads (and the training). Though it's not allowed, I would think that an agent armed with NAA leads but with the knowledge and carrier-base to write awesome products (in price and value) would be able to make as much money as the "no college degree" millionaires but also provide lifetime value and service to their clients.

[BiggitySwat]

Originally Posted by pebble head

WoW! I just heard Rudy Solis from south Texas just QUIT NAA. He was trying to get me to join his team just 3 months ago. He was making about 400K a year...wonder why he left?

I have heard of Rudy Solis being very successful in the NAA and making tons of money.....do you have his phone #? Maybe we can get him on the board

[STIBROKER@AUSTIN.RR.COM]

Originally Posted by pebble head

WoW! I just heard Rudy Solis from south Texas just QUIT NAA. He was trying to get me to join his team just 3 months ago. He was making about 400K a year...wonder why he left?

OH NOOOOOO....NOT RUDY.....here's your 40 .......he prob. left because his charge backs caught up with him...

You Tube

[sodaytongal]

I've been a fan of Jeffrey Gitomer.

I was also considering signing up with NAA.

Interesting reading.

[jdeasy]

Originally Posted by STIBROKER@AUSTIN.RR.COM

OH NOOOOOO....NOT RUDY.....here's your 40 .......he prob. left because his charge backs caught up with him...




YouTube - Rudy Solis

When I was with NAA, I won a production trip from my agency. Since my manager was under the Abuyan group, Rudy won that same trip. I spent 3-4 days with Rudy and the other winners. Rudy is a genuine good guy. I'm shocked to hear that he left NAA. If true, Rudy will succeed wherever he ends up. He is a really young guy. I think he is only 26 now.

The other side of that coin, the guy that's introducing Rudy in that video happens to be the biggest prick I met with NAA.

[myinsurebiz]

Originally Posted by BiggitySwat

The thing is, the secret is in the leads (and the training).

So true!

Even a greater secret - is work the leads while they are hot and plug the lead in your marketing system - ie drip marketing, prompt initial call, follow up call, etc . . .

I pay $25 for a quality lead - they are going to have to send me a registered letter to take them off my sales list - LOL . . .

Tom

[Paradigm]

Id never heard of NAA before I came to this forum... After a cursory reading of some of these post they seem to be a bunch of high pressure former car salesman selling a substandard product and churning agents in and out at low commission levels. The agents start at 55 points and pay 20 a lead.

Everyone drinks the Koolaid and pays into the coffers for the agency owners who I can see are the only ones making great money.

Reminds me alot of Cornerstone and UGA but at least there you didnt have to pay for your leads.

I am beginning to ask myself why the DOI and some fairly reputable companies tolerate these types of salespeople. Then I realize its all about money. These people dont care about selling insurance and developing long term clients. All they are is quick buck artists scamming day to day til eventually they find it hard to sleep at night.

They are a pox upon our industry

[Sell Life Ins in ur PJs]

I seem to read a few forums and always come across NAA. I spent about 9 months buying leads from them. I was a rookie in the industry and while I learned a lot and don't regret my time, I decided last year to go out on my own and work internet only leads.

180 degree difference.


I do the exact same thing, write life insurance, recruit agents to sell life insurance in their PJs from the comfort of their own home. But I dont have to leave my house to run my business. I dont have to hop on a plane to write a policy or drive 3 hrs to get porched.

I cant believe that any agent would want 55/60/65/ even 70% comp and then have to buy used bad leads then call a lead to set an appt, then to show up for appt and get porched? Why struggle when this business can be so easy?

The biggest problem with NAA is when you are at the bottom YOU CANT MAKE MONEY- and if you recruit, you are recrutiing others to fail and profit off their failures. Its sad, its not a good business model.

[STIBROKER@AUSTIN.RR.COM]

Originally Posted by Sell Life Ins in ur PJs

I seem to read a few forums and always come across NAA. I spent about 9 months buying leads from them. I was a rookie in the industry and while I learned a lot and don't regret my time, I decided last year to go out on my own and work internet only leads.

180 degree difference.


I do the exact same thing, write life insurance, recruit agents to sell life insurance in their PJs from the comfort of their own home. But I dont have to leave my house to run my business. I dont have to hop on a plane to write a policy or drive 3 hrs to get porched.

I cant believe that any agent would want 55/60/65/ even 70% comp and then have to buy used bad leads then call a lead to set an appt, then to show up for appt and get porched? Why struggle when this business can be so easy?

The biggest problem with NAA is when you are at the bottom YOU CANT MAKE MONEY- and if you recruit, you are recrutiing others to fail and profit off their failures. Its sad, its not a good business model.

And you have not found or PM thread yet....weird.....
The Pajama Man - Page 16