Insurance Agent Forum

[loginname]

I'm looking to ramp up my life insurance production. We recently moved to a new suburb so I don't have much of a warm market. When the weather warms up a little I was thinking of walking my new neighborhoods and going door to door with a flyer. The flyer would contain a short bio about myself, an introduction to my agency, and an offer for a life insurance review.

I think I'll feel cheesy knocking on people's doors and handing them the flyer with a short "How are you? My name is George and I'm a new life insurance agent in town". The second alternative would be to just stick them in the door.

Do you think this is a positive way to get my name out in the community? What advice do you have?

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Originally Posted by loginname

The flyer would contain a short bio about myself, an introduction to my agency, and an offer for a life insurance review.

Do you think this is a positive way to get my name out in the community? What advice do you have?

This approach is a great cure for insomnia. Most people would rather go for a root canal.

Instead, offer a free report...something like "Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Buying Life Insurance".

"Getting your name out in the community" is worthless. "Image" type advertising is for the McDonalds, IBMs and State Farms of the world who have a boatload of money to spend.

Good luck!

[healthagent]

I've put out thousands of door hangers. Door hangers are better than flyers because they're cheaper: Door Hangers - Printing - DoorHangers.com - $300 for 10,000 or 3 cents a pop.

Plus they don't blow off the doors like flyers which trigger "come get your **** off my lawn" phone calls.

I've only done it for health with a consistent .05% response. I only work townhouse areas since I can slap up 200 per hour. 2 hours a day is 2,000 per week and around 10 leads. I always closed 1 out of 10 so it was an extra deal per week.

I hate to say it but I think the return for life insurance would be lower.

[LGilmore]

would a better use of time and money be a local newspaper insert?

[somarco]

local newspaper insert

I know agents who have consistently used this for years. They post a grid (like all of us have seen) with rates by age & band. Must comply, blah, blah, blah . . .

The key word here is consistent.

You won't get anything off a 1 shot deal. It may take a few months for it to catch on. You don't need a big ad, but one that is the same each week. Business card size (or larger) works.

Weekly's seem to do well. The paper tends to hang around the home a bit longer.

If you are going to do this, pick up some papers & look for the ads. The ones you see week after week must be working.

[James]

Originally Posted by somarco

I know agents who have consistently used this for years. They post a grid (like all of us have seen) with rates by age & band. Must comply, blah, blah, blah . . .

The key word here is consistent.

You won't get anything off a 1 shot deal. It may take a few months for it to catch on. You don't need a big ad, but one that is the same each week. Business card size (or larger) works.

Weekly's seem to do well. The paper tends to hang around the home a bit longer.

If you are going to do this, pick up some papers & look for the ads. The ones you see week after week must be working.

He is referring to placing a "Flyer" within the paper, very cheap cost per thousand. You pay for the flyers and deliver them to the paper and they simply insert it within the fold of the paper. Many Chiropractors to this around here and, I believe they also do it down in Houston, just one type of insert I often find in papers. I like it, even though I think the older segments are the ones that actually read papers, so I think it works better for senior products as "Final Expense" or Supplements.

[Mr. Bill]

You know, actually, one of the ways to determine whether marketing is working or not is to watch what others are doing. I've seen financial advisors, health insurance agents (yep, with that compliance-approved ad) post in even the throwaway newspapers (that people actually do read) and they last a couple (max 4) weeks, and then they're done. Finished. Finito. Zip. Zero. Nada. What does this tell you? It didn't work. If people are willing to spend oodles and oodles of money, persistently, for an extended period of time, yes, it may be working. Otherwise you're just chalking it up to "image advertising". Best of success in your pursuits, though!

[Newby]

Originally Posted by healthagent

I've put out thousands of door hangers. Door hangers are better than flyers because they're cheaper: Door Hangers - Printing - DoorHangers.com - $300 for 10,000 or 3 cents a pop.

Plus they don't blow off the doors like flyers which trigger "come get your **** off my lawn" phone calls.

I've only done it for health with a consistent .05% response. I only work townhouse areas since I can slap up 200 per hour. 2 hours a day is 2,000 per week and around 10 leads. I always closed 1 out of 10 so it was an extra deal per week.

I hate to say it but I think the return for life insurance would be lower.

I would say that actually knocking on the door and introducing yourself increases your odds tremendously.

The first time I doorknocked, I had beginners luck but the very first door I knocked on I made an appointment to come back 3-days later. That appointment resulted in leaving the house with a check for over $10,000 (single-pay final expense policy.)

The 7th house I knocked on had the exact same results but with a much larger multi-pay policy.

I rarely doorknock anymore as I stay too busy but when I do, I am invited in the home at least every fourth or fifth home that answers the door. I don't think just leaving a doorhanger is taking full advantage of your time.

[healthagent]

No argument there. I ran a door to door outfit in 6 states with the gas/electric deregulation. We certainly didn't leave flyers on doors. It was 10am to 8pm of knocking on doors and we had many reps making over $2,000 a week.

[James]

I have to admit I never done Res Door Knocking but, it is amazing what happens when in a People's business, you actually talk to People!

[al3]

I guess in other parts of the country D2D works but out here in CA (Sacramento area) where we have high 'kook' to 'normal' ratio, no one in their right mind opens the door to anyone knocking on it unless there is a UPS, FedEX or US Mail truck sitting outside. It is sad... but it is true.

(Some of you older subscribers here will remember when you were a kid and you were allowed to walk or bike or skate anywhere in your neighborhood (as long as you were home by dusk). These days parents in my area don't let their kids out of their sight for a second for fear they will be snatched. Kids have to travel in "wolf-packs" and there is a 'designated adult' on-call by cell if necessary. It won't be long until kids here are 'outfitted' with GPS units so the parents can 'track' them! Sad commentary on (my part of) CA... and (I assume) other parts of the USA.)

Al

[healthagent]

I agree. We tried to open an office in Staten Island and actually paid for get everything all set up. What we didn't research is that homes have these call buttons/speaker you have to push. You can push 'em all day long and either no one's gonna answer or they won't come to the door.

We got the same a**-kicking in the Bronx - opened up an office on Avenue Z (lovely area) and I actually lived there for a month getting it all set up. Almost no one came to the door and we shut it down in 2 months.

Philly was the exact opposite. Half the people were sitting out on their front steps and everyone else came right to their door. It was a feeding frenzy.

[arnguy]

Gosh, John, how long was that when you did DtoD in Philly? Now that we have the highest per capita murder rate of any large city, you are taking a mighty big risk going DtoD. If you do D2D in "better" neighborhoods no one will answer the door and/or they will call the cops. About 2 years ago, an insurance debit agent who was well know in a Philly neighborhood by the locals was murdered and his body stuffed in an empty 55-gallon drum on an abandoned lot.

[healthagent]

I had an office in Philly from 1998 to 2000. And we didn't hit south Philly - we mainly worked north east of the city.

[arnguy]

South Philly isn't too bad, but Southwest Philly has turned into the badlands. The worst area is in North Philly. The Northeast has had some crime moving into parts of it in recent years. Try doorknocking in Chestnut Hill and you'll have the cops on you in two minutes.

[healthagent]

My office was on Rhawn right off Roosevelt and we worked mainly south and west of there. We had a few reps head off to Cherry Hill in NJ to knock on door. Lord.

[arnguy]

Yes, where you were located is still a pretty good area. Cherry Hill is fine, just don't go near Camden, NJ.