Insurance Agent Forum

[dr954]

What health agents here have used this lead system, and what were your final results? Thanks.

[Mr C]

GP.... stop going back and forth changing your pay options. You're going to loose credibility with everyone on this forum. There's a lot of agents looking for a good lead program.... if you have one they will swarm to you. Let them pay as you go with $10 telemarketed leads in blocks of $100 and you'll have more agents coming to you than you could handle. I ran my own telemarketing room a few years back and it worked great until american Republic decided to pull the plug on MD. Here's a tip to verify leads. At the end of your script, when the prospect agrees to have an agent call them.... ask them what their favorite color is. They will say why do you want to know that??? Reply... that's the first thing our agent is going to tell you when he calls so you know it's us! They will laugh and tell you.... and you're agents will get in the door! It works.

[GP32765]

I appreciate the comments.
We have changed our pricing options to accommodate agents with cash flow issues. We did this to make it easier for beginners to get up and running quickly for very little money down. I will post the rates here again. If you were quoted a different rate and the price has changed we do and will always honor the quoted rate.

Also, we have no sign up fee. 0 setup fee and just $349 per month.

Yes, we do P&C very well and have a lot of P&C agencies using our services now. On the commerical end, I belive it is a gold mine. We ran a campaign for an agency in Ca. and wrote like 80k in premiums in about 2 weeks. He wrote about here on the forum and it was titled something like (solid marketing company for lead generation)

Group health is another market that we get a lot of leads for. Most agents just do not want a group health lead though. Group health leads are easy to get for us.

Mr. C, great advice. Ok blocks of $100 @ $10 per lead. DONE!
I will change our website this week. also thanks for the favorite color technique, I WILL try it asap.
Gary

[Mr C]

Gary, the favorite color thing absolutely works. And the agents will actually have fun with it because no one else is doing it and the prospect will remember it. Are you set up for Maryland?

[bobson]

Originally Posted by GP32765

I appreciate the comments.
We have changed our pricing options to accommodate agents with cash flow issues. We did this to make it easier for beginners to get up and running quickly for very little money down. I will post the rates here again. If you were quoted a different rate and the price has changed we do and will always honor the quoted rate.

Also, we have no sign up fee. 0 setup fee and just $349 per month.

Yes, we do P&C very well and have a lot of P&C agencies using our services now. On the commerical end, I belive it is a gold mine. We ran a campaign for an agency in Ca. and wrote like 80k in premiums in about 2 weeks. He wrote about here on the forum and it was titled something like (solid marketing company for lead generation)

Group health is another market that we get a lot of leads for. Most agents just do not want a group health lead though. Group health leads are easy to get for us.

Mr. C, great advice. Ok blocks of $100 @ $10 per lead. DONE!
I will change our website this week. also thanks for the favorite color technique, I WILL try it asap.
Gary

I bumped the thread up. How has this campaign fared for this gentleman in California, do you know?

[senior-advisor-indiana]

Who is northernagent? Does anybody know? Gary, do you know?

[glrocky]

Hi, I'm a new poster on the board. Has anyone heard from Gary Prado recently? I haven't been able to contact him in the last week. Perhaps he can't handle any additional customers at this point?

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

And mysteriosly the thread continues...

Interesting second post.

[agent007]

Wow. Its been awhile since I have visited the site. I was really interested in what Jamie had to offer and now I see she is no longer here.

So yes, it looks like I am going to ^^bump^^ this up for some feedback from anyone that has used this guy along with doing a search on the forum.

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

I've never purchased a lead, nor have I ever hired a telemarketer.

I believe in conducting seminars - both online and in person - as well as networking with Financial Planners, who refuse to get into the health insurance business, and would rather have me be their "health" guy for their clients.

I believe in cold calling to small businesses - mostly family businesses - because no other agent within 20 miles of me is doing it. They will talk to you right away and stay on the books for years.

I believe in hanging out with unemployed people, who can tell me what companies are offering health benefits, and who is not. Who is moving into the city, and who is looking at changing providers. (You'd be surprised how much information these job applicants get when the companies want to woo them).

In the words of George Castanza, "Why should I pay for it, when, if I apply myself, I can get it for free?"

I wish you good luck.

Let me ask you folks a question. How many long-lasting, professional relationships have you developed via a lead vs. a referral or networking opportunity?

Be honest.

I have three people on the books, who I got from free Sales Genie leads. They rarely return my calls. Only talk to me when something is wrong, and wouldn't give me a referral if their life depended on it.

In other words, it wasn't based on a relationship, therefore, it is not developed as one. No matter how hard I try.

The people I've met through networking, seminars, etc. send me referrals out of the blue, without warning sometimes. I've even had a few of them call from their office, on speakerphone, so the person I will be calling knows my voice, and will accept my call.

That hasn't happened with the leads...

Ask CPA's, Attorneys, Bankers, who their relationships have been with, and my guess is that "I got them from hiriing a telemarketer, or from a lead I bought" ain't gonna be the response.

Telemarketing leads are like lottery tickets, there will always be someone out there willing to take the dive, hoping that this time will be different.

[NewHealthStrategies]

Originally Posted by Bob_The_Insurance_Guy

Let me ask you folks a question. How many long-lasting, professional relationships have you developed via a lead vs. a referral or networking opportunity?

Be honest.

I have three people on the books, who I got from free Sales Genie leads. They rarely return my calls. Only talk to me when something is wrong, and wouldn't give me a referral if their life depended on it.

In other words, it wasn't based on a relationship, therefore, it is not developed as one. No matter how hard I try.

The people I've met through networking, seminars, etc. send me referrals out of the blue, without warning sometimes. I've even had a few of them call from their office, on speakerphone, so the person I will be calling knows my voice, and will accept my call.

That hasn't happened with the leads...

Ask CPA's, Attorneys, Bankers, who their relationships have been with, and my guess is that "I got them from hiriing a telemarketer, or from a lead I bought" ain't gonna be the response.

Telemarketing leads are like lottery tickets, there will always be someone out there willing to take the dive, hoping that this time will be different.

This is an interesting post in that I believe you are at the TAIL-END of the trend of traditional insurance marketing.

In my humble opinion, the individual market is only the forefront taste-test for how much of the smaller end insurance market will be handled in the future. We have commododized (sp) it to the point where it is largely transactional (as you prove in your comment about calling on small businesses... no one wants to do it.... WHY, because it's not worth the ROI for agencies, but certainly can be for an individual working from home).

I have a strong sense that small group is next as you'll see with all the major lead players rolling out templates for this (QuotIt already rolled theirs out in Calif).

In one sense, you've got to look at this purely from the $$$$ angle. If I can make $140k-$180k for churning through $19 leads and returning me $240..... I think you might be on to something.

((((((( Don't bother with comebacks about people in this biz don't make that kind of money.... that's chump change to some of the big hitters in the individual marketplace.... and a couple of them right here in Atlanta))))))))

So I guess what I'm trying to convey is that the "relationship" side of this business will ALWAYS be present, but the ground floor of where that takes place is moving up and the individual and small group business is now largely transactional and I suspect will not be heading the other way anytime soon.

Does that make any sense?

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

So I guess what I'm trying to convey is that the "relationship" side of this business will ALWAYS be present, but the ground floor of where that takes place is moving up and the individual and small group business is now largely transactional and I suspect will not be heading the other way anytime soon.

Does that make any sense?[/quote]

Yes it does, and I agree with you 100%.

You still did not answer my question, though. Of your CPA, your Attorney, your Banker, how many of those relationships began with a lead card?

The amount of money that can be made, especially from leads, for one-close sales is astronomical. Look how many people made a "killing" in the Medicare Advantage market, here in Georgia alone, just last year.

That holds true for Term Life quotes, health quotes, auto insurance quotes, etc. Not arguing that.

This is only my personal opinion, and does not reflect how I think the industry is moving. By that same token, the internet was supposed to kill our sales, but it did not. People still wanted someone to talk to, to answer their questions.

You might be surprised, though, as to how many small businesses DON'T want to commoditize their benefits and insurance packages. I'm just basing it on my personal experience. I've only been in the business for 11 years, and for 9 of those years, concentrated on small business and individual plans.

Now, I do believe that Web Conferencing, Teleseminars, and online applications are a Godsend. This saves time and money, both for me the agent, and for the individual/employer. So, don't think that I still have a card file and rotary phone.

I have just seen too many agents, complain about too many lead companies, provide them with too many time-wasters to call on.

This may sound odd, but I have seen more and more agents, independent like myself, produce a series of videos on YOUTUBE. Basically, you can record yourself conducting a seminar, or a one on one, and share it with the world. THAT you can do for free, and still get the same anonymous tire-kickers you would, paying someone $15 a lead.

That I would consider doing, because it is ME they are seeing, ME they are listening to, and ME they will call.

[2112Greg]

What on earth happened to GP32765????

I've PM'd him, left a voice mail from him at his office...nothing.

I guess I'll have to chalk it up to yet another lead company gone tits up. Shame...a company who actually did what they say they can/would do could do very well in that market.

Anyone know what happened here? Gary hasn't been on the forum since early May...

<cue crickets and/or Twilight Zone music>

[robliano]

Originally Posted by 2112Greg

What on earth happened to GP32765????

I've PM'd him, left a voice mail from him at his office...nothing.

I guess I'll have to chalk it up to yet another lead company gone tits up. Shame...a company who actually did what they say they can/would do could do very well in that market.

Anyone know what happened here? Gary hasn't been on the forum since early May...

<cue crickets and/or Twilight Zone music>

This is so crazy, I never saw this original post for this and I'm glad it was resurrected. An agent I trained tried to get me to go into something like this with him and we had a conference call about it last month.

The agency asked the favorite color of the client!!

The rep said they really hadn't had success in health yet but were venturing into it at $20 a lead for what they called "exclusives."

I'm not sure if it's the same company but the website for the company originally posted is still up.

Marketing Campaign Solutions

PS: Did you see Rush this year? Saw them twice last year in NY, awesome!!

[NewHealthStrategies]

Originally Posted by 2112Greg

What on earth happened to GP32765????

I've PM'd him, left a voice mail from him at his office...nothing.

I guess I'll have to chalk it up to yet another lead company gone tits up. Shame...a company who actually did what they say they can/would do could do very well in that market.

Anyone know what happened here? Gary hasn't been on the forum since early May...

<cue crickets and/or Twilight Zone music>

I bet I can guess a few reason why Gary is absent from this and other forums? I'd be happy to share my latest experience of "customer-no-service" from him. See the post Marketing Campaign Solutions on 7-11-2008.

I'm one of the last to blast a company for pitiful service, but this is an exception that rule.

[2112Greg]

Man, WTF! This looked like it had such promise. I've been independent for a little better than a year and I've found the hardest part is marketing. I've looked high and low for a telemarketing company worth a sheis and I'm even willing to pay!

Unreal...

Rob, I wasn't able to see Rush on the 2nd part of the SnA tour, but I did see them four times last year ... the first of which was at Red Rocks...obviously a magical experience! Then the other 3 shows were all the Texas shows. Always within about 14 rows...it was a great summer last year!

Rush on!

[robliano]

Originally Posted by 2112Greg

Man, WTF! This looked like it had such promise. I've been independent for a little better than a year and I've found the hardest part is marketing. I've looked high and low for a telemarketing company worth a sheis and I'm even willing to pay!

Unreal...

Rob, I wasn't able to see Rush on the 2nd part of the SnA tour, but I did see them four times last year ... the first of which was at Red Rocks...obviously a magical experience! Then the other 3 shows were all the Texas shows. Always within about 14 rows...it was a great summer last year!

Rush on!

It did have promise, maybe another case of not knowing what they we getting into. Poor planning?

Anyway, Rush rocked, not sure if you know but I'm a drummer, I actually saw Neil Peart play at the Buddy Rich scholarship festival way back, on a four piece set with the big band, kind of what he incorporated into his solo last year.

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Originally Posted by robliano

It did have promise, maybe another case of not knowing what they we getting into. Poor planning?

Real poor planning.

There were extensive posts about this guy's operation and integrity on this forum.

It's the reason that those of us who've been around this business for a real long time have learned to have a healthy level of skepticism about these too-good-to-be-true offers.

They usually are...