Beware of colonial life recruiters

readyforrapture

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In the early summer of 2015, I was cold-called by Colonial Life who wanted to recruit me into the Colonial Life team. Colonial Life is a competitor of AFLAC that markets supplemental employee benefits. It was explained to me that there are a number of positions with the company. The first is “Opener” who cold-calls local companies who might utilize Colonial Life supplemental benefits for their employees. Another position is “Enroller” who actually meets with employees and signs them up for Colonial Life policies such as Long Term Disability, Accident coverage, etc. I explained to Colonial that I wanted to be an Enroller. I did so soon after meeting my District Manager. No one at Colonial objected. No one said that I ought to consider being an Opener because they “did not need any more Enrollers right now”.

Colonial Life has an organized training program. There are on-line courses covering each of the policies offered and a prospective Enroller has to pass them all before being allowed to meet with employees. There are also field training exercises when a prospective Enroller will shadow an experienced person. The company also has mandatory classroom training that must be completed. At these classes, Colonial explains equipment that Enrollers will need on the job such as laptop, portable printer, and Colonial Life thumb drive containing enrollment software. Enrollers are expected to acquire these items at their own expense because they are 1099 associates.

From the time of my first contact with Colonial Life associates, all were consistent in saying the fourth quarter of the year was the company’s busiest time for Enrollers—getting employees signed up for benefits that would start on January 1st. I told the District Manager that I would be “ready to go” by October 1st. I studied and passed all of the on-line classes, was field trained, bought all of the equipment I needed, and went to the classroom trainings—for some of which I had to travel to because they were out of town. It was at one of these out-of-town sessions that an experience Enroller, brought in to assist with the class, told attendees over lunch that Colonial Life associates get bonuses for their successful recruiting efforts. In all, I spent $1,100.00 getting ready to be an Enroller—and I was ready on time for the busy season. This investment, of course, does not include the value of my own time.

Not once during the fourth quarter of 2015, the busy season, was I assigned to be the Enroller with any client. There were already plenty of Enrollers. I was used by my District Manager and one of his Openers as a means to get a bonus.

I resigned from Colonial and demanded my money back. The company has refused and insists that bonuses are not awarded for recruiting. But there is no other way to explain why they led me down the Enroller path. They knew, or should have known, that they already had plenty of Enrollers. There was clearly another motive. In correspondence since then, Colonial Life has tacitly admitted that my contract with them is void for lack of consideration.

Does anyone out there need a brand new, color, portable printer that has never been used?
 
I spoke to them early on, as I was working on getting my license. Never did really come back to that.

Granted I am still in the process of determining exactly what it is that I want to be when I grow up, but after talking to a number of 'recruiters' in the insurance game, I am starting to come to a certain conclusion: Any job or opportunity that needs recruiters is probably not one that is really worth having.
 
Well you learned very quickly that we are "shite tossed against the wall to see what sticks."

Recruiters have their goals to meet, which really don't necessarily work for you.

Can you fog a mirror? in many cases that's good enough.

Good luck to you, I just have to say you will find similar situations throughout the industry. You're aware now. Good luck.
 
I spoke to them early on, as I was working on getting my license. Never did really come back to that.

Granted I am still in the process of determining exactly what it is that I want to be when I grow up, but after talking to a number of 'recruiters' in the insurance game, I am starting to come to a certain conclusion: Any job or opportunity that needs recruiters is probably not one that is really worth having.


Recruiters are fantastic, but these particular type of recruiters are focused on mass recruiting to see what sticks. Many high salary positions are filled using "real" recruiters.
 
I spoke to them early on, as I was working on getting my license. Never did really come back to that.

Granted I am still in the process of determining exactly what it is that I want to be when I grow up, but after talking to a number of 'recruiters' in the insurance game, I am starting to come to a certain conclusion: Any job or opportunity that needs recruiters is probably not one that is really worth having.

A job opportunity that requires recruiters not worth having? What do you think the so called "executive headhunters" are? ,
 
I've always competed against Colonial. No single company has the prefered contract across the spectrum.

You've had some training. Are you licensed? Do you like to go out and knock on doors? If so, you can use the training and equipment you have.

Carriers (especially life) used to have programs where you'd get a declining subsidy for a couple of years. Commissions were supposed to offest the decline so you'd be 100% commission at the end when the subsidy ran out.

You can also find some experienced agent that is still hungry to work with. The hard part will be finding a split that works for both people. Many want to hog the whole thing. You need your own clients and to work with people that won't steal.

You currently don't know much about insurance, finding and taking care of clients, renewals or fixing problems which is really taking care of clients.
 
Isnt Colonial Life part of Bankers Life? These are the guys who put undue pressure on seniors to get med supps and life policies and annuities. They take the shark approach and make the seniors feel obligated to buy.
 
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