Ideal Concepts Inc

[Insurancenomore]

Good morning everyone. I am a brand new agent to the field. While I've been licensed for a year and have health insurance experience, I am a noob to sales.

I am appointed with a health & life carrier and was working part time with a CGA. Since I am still working a fulltime job until I can build the capital to leave it, I can't write health due to "conflict of interest."

I won't bore everyone with the details, but I am looking for a much needed change.

I received a job lead with a company called Ideal Concepts. They're touting that they provide the leads - something I've struggled with trying to do this part time.

So. Had anyone heard of this place? Arr they a good operation? Waste of time?

Thank you in advance.

Ideal Concepts is a new company, new meaning up and running for less than a few years. They took a simple concept and put it into a business plan and thus it is successful for them. Yes, they are getting rich off the backs of the Full Time agents by keeping them captive agents and handcuffing them to their computer for 40 hours/week because they provide leads to the full time agents. It works well for some agents who excel at selling over the phone, which by the way is not an easy task, but the customer made the inquiry so they are at least luke warm for you. The leads are a mix of new & old. You will get screwed over by other agents if you don't close the sale with the first contact so when the customer calls back they can't request you besides the agent who gets the second call coming in from the dialer will most likely tell the customer that you are not available or something like that and besides the agents are spread all over the Country so you won't know any of them. Management does not do anything to protect your interest, all they want is the sale, TODAY regardless that you may have set it up. You are not permitted to have the customer call your personal phone back. There are high enrollment fees for the products which is the company's money and you have to sell this expensive membership package along with the health insurance that is so not worth the cost and in fact it adds to less credibility to both you and Ideal concepts, but they don't care because this membership package is big money in Management's pockets. If health insurance gets reformed again, like not mandating all people to have insurance, brokers like this one will go out of business, only the larger established brokers will survive. Or Ideal Concepts will get bought out by a larger broker.
There will be at least one more OEP at the end of 2016 so if you would rather not set up your own independent company because you don't have the skill level to do so then I suggest you hire a company to get your own little agency off the ground because even though you are an independent contractor for ideal concept they are in control of your work life where you essentially can't afford to take the time to go into your community and drum up some health, Life insurance and or sell some annuities, too! Now that's where the money is for an agent, Annuities. You are only able to sell for companies that Ideal Concepts have a contract with. They do have a few good life companies, but not any Annuity contracts. Again, I would not work for them and let them get rich off the sweat of my brawl as I suggest that you set up your own shop and in 2 years you will be turning $150,000 - $200,000 a year and you control your own schedule. Don't get me wrong you must work hard to get your own up & running, but the Ego Centered attitudes that comes out of Ideal Concepts owners is so not worth it. Ideal Concepts is for an agent who is not smart enough to go alone or a temporary stay until you earn some cash to get your own business up and running!!!

 

[Northeast Agent]

I spoke to them a few months ago but am not interested. They are considering selling Medicare soon but you are captive as they give you $40,000 per year in "free" leads. I was told that their least-talented agents make $65,000 - $75,000 per year while others make $250,000.

 

[Insurancenomore]

That is simply not true. Most of their excellent agents don't even earn $100,000 a year! Don't believe what they are telling you!

 

[salesgirl]

Obviously "Insurancenomore" was not a successful agent, or was an agent who was asked to leave for not working the required hours. As I previously stated (and showed in my actual commission statement), I am well above the $100k mark. I actually know several agents who are better than me and make way more than me. Don't listen to an agent who couldn't cut it and only joined this site to speak poorly about his previous company. Spite is not truthful. This company has been such a blessing for me and many of my friends, so it upsets me to hear someone posting complete lies about them. Everyone there is so helpful and they genuinely want agents to be successful. If you're interested in selling, and nothing else- no marketing, no cold calling, no business type expenses like advertising, etc., those is the position for you. There's a reason we are the #1 producer for United Healthcare in the nation! BC us agents sell a ton of business. If you want to be out on the road, cold calling, scheduling appointments, "networking", hitting up friends and family, then this is not the company for you. Also, he obviously knows nothing about the company to say that they're a new company. A simple internet search shows they've been in business for over a decade and were very successful before Obamacare. Whatever happens in the next election, people will still need to buy health insurance. If they got rid of ACA, that just means our commissions will go back up!

 

[Insurancenomore]

You are entitled to your opinion. I am merely stating the facts. These type of arrangements are for Agents who don't have the gumption to go it by themselves. BTW, you don't receive any commission for United Health Care, that's right 0% pay, are you kidding me. Keep drinking the kool-aid. I never worked for them, but do know those who have. Management has you all selling these Memberships that are a rip-off for the consumer and is making the owners rich off your back and at the expense of the public. I made more money selling Life, Health Insurance and Annuities than you can ever imagine. I am retired at age 52 with a book of business that I own, that you don't have, and that continues to pay me more than you earn working for these brokers. You just don't get it, but that's okay as your perception is your reality. When the ACA goes, so will this broker who is dependent on the ACA.

 

[salesgirl]

Hahahahhhahahahah you consider yourself an authority on a company you're never actually worked for?? Did you really just accuse me of stating my "opinion" and say you're stating "facts"?? You don't work here, you don't sell here, how in the world is your word "fact" and mine's an "opinion". You're delusional. Give me your address and I'll send you a dictionary to look up the definition of the words you're using right now.
And you're flat out wrong about United. I make 20% on United short term, and guess what: that's about all I sell right now because 90% of my clients don't have a qualifying life event to buy ACA outside of Open Enrollment!
You're also delusional if you think this company is making even close to the money that every other agency makes. You really think an agency running a call center and paying their agents $14 an hour isn't making millions more off of their agents? Or an agency that doesn't provide leads isn't making a killing, because really, what do they even spend their money on if they're not providing you leads?? This company provides over $40K in free leads (and that's if you work 40 hours a week. If you're a hard worker who works more hours, you're going to get more leads. It's unlimited.) I briefly talked to a friend of a friend who's in management at another big name agency, Velapoint, just because I'm always keeping my eye open. After looking at my commission schedule, he flat out told me to stay where I am because I'm not going to find what I have anywhere else. He also told me he isn't sure "how the hell they're making money when they're supporting and paying agents the way they are."
In five years buddy, you tell me how much of that book you own is left, and how much of your savings is left, and we'll talk again. Because right now I see no end to the kind of money I'm currently making, while your residuals have a very foreseeable end date.
Again, obviously I'm not dependent on ACA. Right now I'd say close to 100% of my clients are buying short term, and then I'm selling them two to three supplemental products too. It's only during OEP that I'm selling ACA. Are you also trying to say your renewals are over $100K? Show me a statement, because that is a flat out LIE. Meanwhile, I've posted my statements. I've been open and honest about what I'm making. I'm not rich, and I'm not the best agent out there, but I am making an awesome living with an awesome company.
I literally can't stop laughing about your statement that what I write is opinion and what you write are facts, when you've never even done business with this company and are going completely off of what other agents have told you! I'm an "other agent", how is what they're saying "facts" and what I'm saying just my "opinion"? hahahahahahahahahah Thanks for the laugh!!

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I'm also curious how in the world you posted your first statement to this thread with all that supposed info, paragraph upon paragraph about the quality of leads and how other agents screw you over, etc. etc., yet you've "never worked for them"? You just "know people who have" and they just sat down and gave you all that detailed info? And you just decided to join this forum and only post three times ever, to speak poorly about this company, out of the goodness of your heart? Hahahahhahahahhahaha what a joke.
As I stated earlier, I suspect you couldn't cut it and were let go.

 

[smartagent]

This is all very simple. Not knocking you Salesgirl or anyone else who sells for Ideal concepts, just personally would never ever trade freedom for "free leads" and being captive. I currently make way more than you in just my renewals. Granted I know, renewals will go down after you stop, however mine keep increasing every year, and it is nice to know going in to the year I have a solid base I've built up. I've worked hard for it, and did it with hard work, just personally would much rather work for myself, and build renewals for myself as opposed to someone else. Also have absolute zero interest to being chained to a desk for 40 hours a week. Might be good for a little, as i have done previously in other work, however after a while I hated it. Wish you, and anyone else the best of luck in the greatest industry out there, however if you just put in a little more elbow grease, toughen up and go after it, it so much more satisfying and lucrative to be independent.

 

[Vhfimbres]

"Hey guys! Sorry I've been MIA. Too busy KILLING it. :-P
I notice you all have plenty of time, perhaps that means you're not actually SELLING BUSINESS 10 hours a day like I am?? This is literally the first day I've had a free moment, since they extended the deadline by two days. This is the first day it's been slow enough for me to even take a break.
Yes, 5% commissions is low. I'm missing out on about 2% more, right? Except I'm doing four times the volume you clowns are."

Dear Salesgirl-

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with IC. I'm starting with the company in a couple of weeks and I can't wait. 99% of the feedback I've read on this company is good so I believe you had some seriously uneducated haters or "clowns" as you put it responding to your informative post. Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on your success story and I hope next year at this time I have a similar story to tell.

Regards,
Heidi

 

[insurance1822]

I am familiar w/ this company. I believe the owner is a Lehigh Grad. I've been on these forums for years & I know they run a good business. He's a techy that put together a great lead aggregation software & instead of selling leads to companies he created his own team to work the leads.

Brilliant.

And the people working there are going to make more then they would on their own.

 

[IWorkFromHome]

I have been working for AIO for about a year now and I have greatly increased my income and have seen some amazing checks from some of the other agents. This is possibly the best opportunity I have ever seen in the insurance industry and I have been around for a little while (about 7 years). It is state of the art using technology and the internet to help people find their health insurance options. Great company.