Insurance Agent Forum

[healthagent]

Fax blasting is illegal.

http://www.keytlaw.com/faxes/tcpa.htm

http://www.keytlaw.com/faxes/junkfaxlaw.htm

[al3]

Originally Posted by john_petrowski

Fax blasting is illegal.

http://www.keytlaw.com/faxes/tcpa.htm

http://www.keytlaw.com/faxes/junkfaxlaw.htm

Only to people and businesses. It is legal to fax-blast the media and elected officials. Not sure about government offices (bureaucrats.)

Al

[healthagent]

Interesting to me that someone would sell a marketing system that touts illegal marketing methods.

[The Closer]

From what I can tell, Dean hasn't used fax blasting for years. Back before I bought his system. So I really can't comment on that except for the fact that he has never offer that method to me. But I have talked to some of his long time members that say it used to work really well.

All I can say is his marketing system gives you a lot of options. You can take an ad out of his program and use it a few times and get a lot of leads. But sooner or later, it will lose it's effect. That's just the nature of marketing. Especially if you keep going to the same market.

So you just have to change it up here and there. You ahve to diversify your message and market in different areas. Otherwise, your success will be short lived.

ALright, I'm getting off my soapbox. But one last thing... I would rather spend time developing my marketing skills that get leads to pick up the phone and call me instead of wasting hours on end cold calling. Or pissing my money away on internet leads that have been sold to another 50 agents. Atleast I know my leads are fresh. ANd if I can't close them, well it's my own damn fault.

[honestagent]

Originally Posted by The Closer

From what I can tell, Dean hasn't used fax blasting for years. Back before I bought his system. So I really can't comment on that except for the fact that he has never offer that method to me. But I have talked to some of his long time members that say it used to work really well.

All I can say is his marketing system gives you a lot of options. You can take an ad out of his program and use it a few times and get a lot of leads. But sooner or later, it will lose it's effect. That's just the nature of marketing. Especially if you keep going to the same market.

So you just have to change it up here and there. You ahve to diversify your message and market in different areas. Otherwise, your success will be short lived.

ALright, I'm getting off my soapbox. But one last thing... I would rather spend time developing my marketing skills that get leads to pick up the phone and call me instead of wasting hours on end cold calling. Or pissing my money away on internet leads that have been sold to another 50 agents. Atleast I know my leads are fresh. ANd if I can't close them, well it's my own damn fault.

Hi there.

Thanks so much for replying. You know, I sat in on one of his tele - webimars and wow! That emotional drip or non drip marketing system had me provoked,compelled, and really really thinking! I tell ya! I agree so much with what you said up above and in your other post about cold calling v. his system, and having to change up the marketing techniques or network to different areas as well as the other things you mention.

Bottom line I've learned so far is the key to any business success is marketing. Period. One can have thee best product but if one cannot get in front of the qualified, viable buyers... well... I know you know.

So I'm thinking I will only gain if I buy into his program. Do you endorse this? I have to assume you do.

Now, there is no shame in trying something out. You have succeeded with it. I know Cipriano carries a stigma of some sort which is why I initially posted the thread. But after that call, he had me really thinking about marketing techniques to provoke, disturb, etc. etc. I know from my own personal choices that I reacted in my life - many are imputed to when I finally was disturbed enough (either something happened or someone made me realize) and I made the decision to react and act. And that's what we want in this business too.

Thank you very much again.

Honest.

[somarco]

Dean Cipriano is a good marketer. That's why you are sucked in to his pitch.

He does fax blast to agents. I get one of his faxes at least weekly.

Anyone's marketing methods will work if you apply them. If you want to follow Don Lapre's pitch and place tiny ads in classified sections it will eventually work. Same thing for standing on a busy street corner handing out flyers or business cards.

Anything that get's your name, and your service or product in front of the public will work. Some generate a better return than others, but they all will eventually get you prospects and someone will buy.

My most effective marketing tool is referrals. They take a long time to develop but my referral sources come thru with solid prospects almost every time. Referrals cost me nothing other than my time and my closing ratio is rather high.

I passed a referral off to one of the board members here a few weeks ago. The lady lived in another state where I was not licensed. Got a nice note from the agent thanking me for the referral. He said he wished all his clients were like that.

I make nothing off that. Maybe some day he will have the opportunity to return the favor, maybe not. Maybe some day the lady who called me will find someone in GA looking for insurance and will send that person my way. Maybe not.

If you want to spend hundreds, or even thousands on a marketing system you will eventually find prospects and make sales. I know some folks that spent several thousand on a seminar system a few years ago. They still do 3 - 4 seminars a year at a cost of $7000 - $10,000 per seminar. The system works for them and will probably work for you. I should tell you the first year they barely broke even, spending close to $20,000 for the system and promoting the seminars. By the second year they did better and they have been doing the seminars now for probably 5 years. They work quite well but most folks wouldn't have the funds, nor the persistence, to keep working the system.

And this . . .

The folks selling the system make far more than most agents that buy their system. The reason is, the folks who buy the system never follow through while the system marketer is still out there years later with his same pitch. Probably 80% or more who buy the system will ever make a profit from it.

So which group will you be in? The 20% who like the sytem and make it your own or the 80% who want to say it is a ripoff?

[healthagent]

Any one of us could do what he's doing. We could pack seminars with brand new agents and even unlicened people planning on getting into the health insurance biz. We could charge "whatever" for the seminar - say a few hundred bucks.

We'd go over how to get appointed, how to market and how to close people. That's standard info to seasoned agents and anyone could say "those seminars are rip-offs! He's just giving people information they can find anywhere for free!" You could also say that if 100 people came to a seminar I ran on how to be an independent health insurance agent and work from your home that 95% would never put a single policy in underwriting. So is that a con? Greg Loerzel is my RSD and he's a fantastic guy. Probably 90% of everyone he contracts don't write a deal. I don't think he's running a con.

I could have people pay for "NEVER COLD CALL AGAIN, NEVER BUY SHARED LEADS AND NEVER WAIT FOR YOUR PHONE TO RING!" What is it? Hire a telemarketer.

We give out free info one this board but that doesn't necessarily mean it's unethical to charge for it. More than once I've thought about holding job seminars; pack a room and tell people that you can indeed sell health insurance from home. There are A LOT of solid salesmen out there pounding out 70 hours weeks driving all over creation to make $50,000. There are a lot of fantastic salesmen who don't see their kids because of the hours they work.

I've been to some good seminars where the host was brutally honest. A remember a line from one I went to a few years ago:

"I want everyone to look at the person behind them, now to the right, now to the left, and now in front of them. Three of those four people just wasted their money on this seminar because they will never make it in sales. And let me explain why...."

He definitely had everyone's attention.

I'm not supporting or recommending Dean's system. What I'm saying is that you can't judge any system based on the success of the people who purchase it.

[honestagent]

Somarco and John,

I genuinelly appreciate your thorough thoughts. Fully, I understand now.

[The Closer]

Originally Posted by honestagent

Hi there.

Thanks so much for replying. You know, I sat in on one of his tele - webimars and wow! That emotional drip or non drip marketing system had me provoked,compelled, and really really thinking! I tell ya! I agree so much with what you said up above and in your other post about cold calling v. his system, and having to change up the marketing techniques or network to different areas as well as the other things you mention.

Bottom line I've learned so far is the key to any business success is marketing. Period. One can have thee best product but if one cannot get in front of the qualified, viable buyers... well... I know you know.

So I'm thinking I will only gain if I buy into his program. Do you endorse this? I have to assume you do.

Now, there is no shame in trying something out. You have succeeded with it. I know Cipriano carries a stigma of some sort which is why I initially posted the thread. But after that call, he had me really thinking about marketing techniques to provoke, disturb, etc. etc. I know from my own personal choices that I reacted in my life - many are imputed to when I finally was disturbed enough (either something happened or someone made me realize) and I made the decision to react and act. And that's what we want in this business too.

Thank you very much again.

Honest.

Hey, I'm gonna be the first to admit it, I don't have all the answers. But I try to find as many answers as I can. I know that the answers that the industry serves up like cold calling or scrounging up referrals is not an exceptable solution for me.

I really get a kick out of marketing. Maybe that is why Dean's system works for me. Someone posted a note saying that Dean is a great marketer and that is why agents are roped into his "web." I would agree to that. But to me, that's more the reason to learn from him. I am getting better and better at marketing myself. If I had to start learning how to market on my own, I wouldn't know where to begin.

One last note before I hit the hay. I ordered Deans system once before. I never opened it and I sent it back when the expiration date was about to expire. So I sent it back. I was thinking to myself that I would have to take him to court to try to get my money back... But a couple days later, I called my credit card company and my account was reimbursed. After that, I felt that Dean is a man of his word.

So, you can always send it back before your guarantee expires if it doesn't work for you.

Best of luck,

[honestagent]

I thank you very much for replying and for your prudent points about trying it out and marketing.

And yeah, you can have thee best product, but if you can't market it, then it's not going to benefit anyone! The key is any business is marketing and I have so much to learn about that.

Thanks again. Knowing also Dean is a man of his word helps much. If anything, I'm sure I'll glean some type of valuable info. from him, should I choose to order.

[James]

Originally Posted by honestagent

I thank you very much for replying and for your prudent points about trying it out and marketing.

And yeah, you can have thee best product, but if you can't market it, then it's not going to benefit anyone! The key is any business is marketing and I have so much to learn about that.

Thanks again. Knowing also Dean is a man of his word helps much. If anything, I'm sure I'll glean some type of valuable info. from him, should I choose to order.

Surely learning how to market is nothing but a wonderful thing, yet the question should be, is Dean C. the place to go to get that there education? I would think if you looked around there might be better places to go and for the most part fairly inexpensive. I'm not sure what Dean C. charges but I would be willing to bet that it is overpriced. I would think that the idea of placing ad's in local papers would be easy to implement and with little thought a good book on Ad Writing that would cost maybe 10 dollars at Amazon or Books A Million would be a good investment or free if your local library has books on this subject.

Or you could go to places like LifePro an Agency (plus many others) that specializes in Annuities. They will likely give you basic ideas you can easily use and get you going. What you have to understand is none of this stuff is secretive and if you ask around you'll find everything you'll need to know. Its just as others have mention, you have to implement the ideas once you gather them up.

[honestagent]

James, you make marketing sound so easy stupid. And perhaps it really is once the pieces to the puzzle are in front of me. Right now I'm trying to gather the pieces and I appreciate your feedback as well as the others whom have contributed.

I'm not seasoned here. I'm the cold caller guru and I'm so tired of this being my only know how.

I have much to learn. I've always been the cold caller and I'm so tired of it.

I'm looking for ideas to work a little smarter.

Thanks again; I'll look into what you've suggested as well as some of the other members' ideas.

[NHB_MMA]

I got on Dean's list a while back and listened in on a call a few days ago. I must admit that it is tempting me to order it.

The one thing, in my mind, that gives Dean some credibility is that he is a student of Dan Kennedy. Dan Kennedy is a marketing/copywriting genius...end of story. I know of several people I met at a business seminar a few years ago that are simply kicking ass using his copywriting and marketing methods. My problem is I just got involved with an industry that I knew nothing about and tried to run with it, and ended up biting off way more than I could chew. I do know several people that have had great success, including a personal trainer from Australia and a physician from my native Pennsylvania. These are guys that came to the same marketing seminar I did and grew their businesses--BIGTIME!!! They're not "how-to" shills peddling nothing more than marketing systems. The thing is...I never thought they would work in the insurance/financial industry. Who knows? Maybe Dean's ads pull results.

I do know a few things that tempt me to order Dean's system. First, what you say means everything, especially in a saturated industry like insurance and financial services. You can walk out and knock on doors and say "Hey, how would you like to buy a life insurance policy from me today?" and you won't pull anything remotely close to the results a well-scripted pitch or ad that discusses a concept. For example, I've talked to people that were die-hard "buy term, invest the difference" thinkers and explained the concept of using permanent insurance for offsetting the maximum pension option and MECing a policy, when advantageous in certain situations. Even though these particular individuals did not buy from me, they commented that they saw the usefulness of those applications. What you say means everything. Second, closely related to the first, people will be more likely to buy when you awaken an emotional need. Truely, nobody does give a sh*t about "Like a Good Neighbor", "You're in Good Hands", or I'll even admit "The Company You Keep". Financial strength and history, corporate philosophy and other such details are very important, but they, in and of themselves, don't do a damn thing to awaken a person from a slumber of having no idea why he needs your services.

It's hard to imagine that Dean's ads don't pull good results. Whether they're highly profitable after your mailing and listing expenses remains to be seen. If you can't close, get poor mailing lists, have poor phone skills to set the appointment, etc. then most marketing methods will not work. Again, I'm not saying Dean's system is a six-figure income in a box kit for anyone, as I'm sure you need the rest of the skills (but, face it, most people that fail in insurance fail because of lack of quality prospects), but I'm just saying that long-copy, emotional headline marketing absolutely gets awesome results in many other industries.

[NHB_MMA]

Originally Posted by honestagent

James, you make marketing sound so easy stupid. And perhaps it really is once the pieces to the puzzle are in front of me. Right now I'm trying to gather the pieces and I appreciate your feedback as well as the others whom have contributed.

I'm not seasoned here. I'm the cold caller guru and I'm so tired of this being my only know how.

I have much to learn. I've always been the cold caller and I'm so tired of it.

I'm looking for ideas to work a little smarter.

Thanks again; I'll look into what you've suggested as well as some of the other members' ideas.

First, marketing is NOT easy for most people. Not just anyone can whip out a good long-copy ad that pulls results. You have to have a good pitch, understanding of the psychology, and you have to be a good writer among other things. Great copywriters make seven-digit incomes and if it were a simple matter corporations would just do it in-house or outsource it to India.

Second, cold-calling seems to be a bitch to me. I haven't really dug in and done it to this point, though I'm doing some next week. Honestagent, what are your cold-calling numbers and percentages? I'm just curious.

[L5tc]

He is smart, smart enough to spam boards like this with "in favor of" statements that look real. I've done it myself in my former business, I would spam boards, the usenet, anything that would allow me to type away unfettered.