Aflac Or Conseco?

Scott C

New Member
10
I have Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Art degree in Biblical Studies and Theology. I was laid off from an accounting firm in Dallas two years ago. I immediately posted my resume on the internet. I got a call from Aflac the day after I posted my resume. They wanted me to come in for an interview. I didn't know anything about selling insurance, but they said they would help me get licensed. To make a long story short, I went to the interview and was hired before the interview was over.

Before AFLAC, I had a credit score of about 800. After two years with Aflac, I now have a credit score of about 500. I owe several thousand dollars in credit card bills. I'm also an officer in the National Guard. I've been living on a $350 per month National Guard paycheck and credit cards.

I feel Aflac could be summed up by the word "pyramid." There is only a finite number of businesses. Most of those business who are potential Aflac accounts have already been "nabbed." There is always new businesses, but there is not enough to make Aflac a viable career option. Not to mention that Aflac mass hires. I feel the three common denominators of a successful insurance agent are ambition, talent, and a strong work ethic. However, all of these don't mean anything if the potential accounts aren't there. I know and understand that there are still some new agents making money with Aflac, but they are the exception to the rule.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working for Aflac. I think they have good products. But mass hiring of new agents has created a saturated market that prevents most new agents, even talented new agents from being able to get enough accounts to make a living. But then again, if a new agent has to find another job because of mass hiring, their is a manager eagerly waiting to inherit their accounts. So why would the management at Aflac not mass hire??? In other words, the rules of the game are designed to benefit those in management, not the starving new agent hitting the proverbial pavement from sun up to sun down everyday.

A coworker who I helped train recently interviewed with Conseco. She told them she worked with a very talented and knowledgable Aflac agent who may be interested in a career with Conseco. I subsequently received a call from Conseco wanting me to come in for an interview next week. They told me that they have pre set appointments and geographical territories that prevent agents from running all over each other like Aflac. They said I would be servicing pre-existing accounts.

I would like people to share their experiences working for Conseco. I want to know both the good and bad so I can make an informed decision. I would specifically like to know about how the preset appointments work with Conseco. I don't want to leave Aflac and go to work for Conseco only to find myself in the same delima. Should I switch to Conseco or completely get out of the insurance business?

Thank you for your input in this matter!!!
 
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I think you are jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Conseco owns Bankers Life and Casualty. Read the posts about that company. Conseco filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy long before the current crisis.


Crisis at Conseco
 
Your choices sound like: Play Russian roulette with all six chambers loaded or slide down a 50' razor blade.

No matter which one you select, they both are "going to leave a mark".

What kind of insurance do you want to sell? Have you explored going independent? You have two years under your belt, do you feel confident that the training you have had somewhat prepared you to consider going independent?
 
I was waiting on the bankruptcy response. I understand they filed bankruptcy, but I'm more concerned with life on the front line. In other words, what is it like to be a new agent? What is the average salary of a new agent? What are the pre-set appointments like?? Is there any hidden catches that a recruiting manager may conveniently leave out in the interview???
 
Your choices sound like: Play Russian roulette with all six chambers loaded or slide down a 50' razor blade.

No matter which one you select, they both are "going to leave a mark"......

I like that Frank! :yes::D:twitchy:
 
I prefer the supplemental market (cancer, disability, life, medicare supplements, etc.).

I would love to go independent, but unfortunately that takes money that I don't have or have access to.
 
I was waiting on the bankruptcy response. I understand they filed bankruptcy, but I'm more concerned with life on the front line. In other words, what is it like to be a new agent? What is the average salary of a new agent? What are the pre-set appointments like?? Is there any hidden catches that a recruiting manager may conveniently leave out in the interview???

Ask to speak to an agent who has been there 3 months?
Ask to speak to an agent who has been there 6 months?
Ask to speak to an agent who has been there 12 months?

This should tell you what you need to know but be advised that Frank and I warned you.
 
Thanks for the advice! I will take your warning into consideration before making a final decision (assuming I'm offered a job with Conseco after the interview).
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Maybe the supplemental insurance market in general is saturated and I'm looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that doesn't exist. Maybe I should look for a job outside of insurance.
 
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Maybe the supplemental insurance market in general is saturated and I'm looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that doesn't exist. Maybe I should look for a job outside of insurance.

Don't ever be afraid of competition. A lot of times I sell policies because there are a lot of other agents calling on seniors or agents who have sold them something just to make a commission.

All it does is make me look much better to them.

I train agents all the time to sell Med Supps, agents in Missouri and it has not had any impact on my production.

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I prefer the supplemental market (cancer, disability, life, medicare supplements, etc.).

I would love to go independent, but unfortunately that takes money that I don't have or have access to.

Do you believe in yourself? Are you motivated? Do you know how to manage your time without having to report to someone?

Do you have money to pay your phone bill? Do you have a couple of hundred dollars to purchase some lists?

Your coworker said you were very talented and knowledgeable. Was she blowing smoke or are you who she perceives you to be?

If your answer is YES to those questions then you have all that is necessary to become an independent agent.

It isn't expensive. I do not purchase leads. My ROI is huge.
 
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for suppplemental Go Colonial. nothing better in that arena. It's not just about product, though colonial is excellent, the service and support.
I don't think you will find a single negative about colonial.
 
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