Insurance Agent Forum

[Beach Broker]

I know the subject of money is pretty personal, and that a lot of people don't like to discuss how much they make, but I'm just curious to know how much some people are making as agents and for how long they have been at it.

If you want to comment, great! If not, that's ok too. Just wanted to pose the question and thought it might be interesting to others too.

Best,

Beach Broker



P.S. Here is some great content on knowing the numbers to create the exact income you desire.

The Most Important Number In The World

Before we even start discussing sales, there is something you must do first.

You need to identify what your target yearly income goal is. Maybe you already know what that number is, if you don’t, now is the time to figure it out.

Ask yourself the question, “What yearly income level will I be totally and completely satisfied with?”

Is it $250,000 per year? $500,000 per year? $1,000,000 maybe? Maybe you would be happy making $100,000. Whatever the number is write it down now.

Now what is your average take home profit on each policy you sell? (Not agency net profit, your take home pay) How much do you get to take home from the average sale?

Answering these questions is VITAL.

You need to answer these questions in order to proceed with this.

Now take a calculator and divide your Target Income by your Take Home Profit Per Sale.

This gives you the number of sales you need to do per year to reach your income goal.

For Example (just to show how the numbers work):
Joe wants to make $300,000 per year in his insurance business. His average take home profit per sale is $500 so

$300,000/$500 = 600 sales per year

So Joe needs to make 600 sales per year using his current average profit per sale in order to reach his goal. If 600 sales seems like a lot for you there is help on the way! Depending on the type of insurance you market $500 may be high or low, you run the numbers based on your own situation.

But to make $300,000 Joe needs to sell 2.5 policies per day that meet his average, every single day of the year! Without missing one single day. For Joe, this is not happening any time soon.

It proves that if Joe really wants to meet his income goal, he is going to need to find a way to get more money per sale.

If he could find a way to get just an extra $100 per sale he would cut the number of sales needed to reach his goal by 100! 100 fewer sales needed by just making an extra $100 per sale.

What if he started going after really high dollar policies where he could make an extra $250-$500 per sale he would only need one sale per day. Less than half of what he needed when he was only making $500 per client.

So, do you have your number?

What is the number you need to do in order to reach your target income goal?

Is it realistic doing what you are currently doing?

If it is, you are one of the lucky agents.

Most agents aren't increasing volume, their declining! Based on that fact many feel like the number of sales they would need in order to reach their target income level is unrealistic.

You may be asking, what does this have to do with selling strategies?

EVERYTHING!

You must know what your target sale is in order to be an effective salesperson. The reason is simple.

We don’t waste time trying to close deals that don’t meet OUR SPECIFIED CRITERIA!

No longer are you going to be spending time to “take any sale you can get”. Now the Clients are the ones who must qualify if they want you to spend time working with them.

You need to find out asap if they are really buyers and if they fit your niche. If not, then you send them to your affiliate agent who pays you a fee for each client you send him. This way you are making money off the lead you generated through your marketing, and you aren’t wasting time on clients that don’t qualify.
So now that you know the Most Important Number In The World (at least your world) we can go out and get those sales!


Best,

Beach Broker

[saieddie]

Go ahead and turn them away. I'll take your small sales referals, cross sell them additional products, and sell their friends and family.

Have you figured in the cost of obtaining new customers vs the cost of marketing to existing customers oh wise one?

[bill3173]

Originally Posted by saieddie

Go ahead and turn them away. I'll take your small sales referals, cross sell them additional products, and sell their friends and family.

Have you figured in the cost of obtaining new customers vs the cost of marketing to existing customers oh wise one?

Ditto.

[robliano]

You asked: "You may be asking, what does this have to do with selling strategies?"

I say: No, I'm asking what does this even have to do with the title of the post? Just keep it real.

Also, you say 2.5 polices a day is not happening any time soon.

I disagree. Especially if you have your goals and a plan in place. It's not impossible, people are doing it, not everyone, but they are.



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[moonlightandmargaritas]

Originally Posted by robliano

Also, you say 2.5 polices a day is not happening any time soon.

I disagree. Especially if you have your goals and a plan in place. It's not impossible, people are doing it, not everyone, but they are.

2.5 policies per day of what?

There's a huge difference between 2.5/day of:

-car insurance policies
-permanent life insurance cases
-discount medical cards
-worker's comp cases
-individual health insuance
-group health insurance

Some are reasonable. Some are not.

[ABC]

I like the fact your talking about goal setting but other than that I think you are way off.

Your topic and posting does not really fit.

From what I can tell is it looks like your soliciting your services. If your marketing is that good you would just stick with doing your own insurance sales.

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Ok. I'll bite. Ouch. I have a feeling that anyone who claims online that they are making X dollars per year...just knock it down 30% and you probably have the truth.

I will say this. And this is embarrassing. After graduated from Miami in 1980..I had two firm job offers. Writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer for about $250 per week. Or start at MetLife for $210 per week.

I took the MetLife offer. After 13 weeks, I was so bad, my pay go cut to $189 per week (90%).

I won't go into specifics, but I do make more now.

[1manshow]

Yep, another bite, I also make more than $189/week, now what ?

[somarco]

After 13 weeks, I was so bad, my pay go cut to $189 per week (90%).

I won't go into specifics, but I do make more now.

Would you be making more at the Enquirer?

Just askin' . . .

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

If I were still at the Enquirer, I would be making less than now.
And the Enquirer offer was to write for their Sunday supplement, "Cincinnati Magazine." I wanted to write sports.

[LGilmore]

I make enough so my wife won't leave me, but not enough to not care if she did.

[insuranceexec]

I can appreciate all the time that when into writing that narrative. So I will ask; What are you trying to offer?


If it is goal setting go to a Brian Tracy seminar; at least he will provide you a cup of coffee and a doughnut........

[robliano]

This is brilliant Happy Gilmore!

Originally Posted by LGilmore

I make enough so my wife won't leave me, but not enough to not care if she did.

And you may not get a donut, you might get a sales pitch for his new online MLM BT's been pitching.

Originally Posted by insuranceexec

If it is goal setting go to a Brian Tracy seminar; at least he will provide you a cup of coffee and a doughnut........

[retread]

I am not driven by the need to make money... but the lack of it I admit is a motivator. My point is, that I am in this business because I see it as a way to help others at the same time I am earning a living.

Your comments sound like the usual sales hype that try to motivate others to get rich quick with their gimmick. This turns me off completely... that's why I am independent and not working for MetLife, NWMutual, etc. If you don't produce enough, you are shamed, bullied, and/or fired. If that's your cup of tea, I feel sorry for you.

I determined from the start, that I would build my business ethically at all costs. I was prepared for a lean start, and it came as no surprise. It is picking up steam, though. I think I am up to the challenge. My customers come first and it is rewarding to me to help them, sale or no sale.

[Russ]

Who cares what somebody else makes....my reasoning, it has zero to with what you or I make. The numbers game...everybody in insurance for awhile has heard that. I still think to myself sometimes...all I need to write is.....

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Originally Posted by retread

I determined from the start, that I would build my business ethically at all costs. I was prepared for a lean start, and it came as no surprise. It is picking up steam, though. I think I am up to the challenge. My customers come first and it is rewarding to me to help them, sale or no sale.

This is the true foundation for any sort of long lasting success, and with almost twenty years in the business - I'm qualified to make that observation.

If you make your priority serving clients, everything else will take care of itself. The money will follow.

[insuranceexec]

Originally Posted by moonlightandmargaritas

This is the true foundation for any sort of long lasting success, and with almost twenty years in the business - I'm qualified to make that observation.

If you make your priority serving clients, everything else will take care of itself. The money will follow.

You are absolutely correct. I spend the extra time to educate the client. An educated client can make a good informed decision, and feel better about the decision they have made.

"Knock on Wood," but in the last two years I have had not one person cancel any type of policy that I have sold them. It again goes back to the point that was made about making you clients you first priority; the MONEY will follow.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Originally Posted by robliano

This is brilliant Happy Gilmore!



And you may not get a donut, you might get a sales pitch for his new online MLM BT's been pitching.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DONUT'S?

[HealthGuy]

Yea, but should you always sell the lowest priced product to your clients if apples to apples comparison the product is exactly the same but the lowest priced carrier pays you 1/2 of the normal commissions that the other carriers in your area pay? Who likes to work for half price? Some of these health carriers must think we like to work for half of what the rest of the market pays...Comments please.

[moonlightandmargaritas]

What's right and best for the client is the number one priority. Everything else (including the comp) is secondary.

[Ron Van D]

Originally Posted by HealthGuy

Yea, but should you always sell the lowest priced product to your clients if apples to apples comparison the product is exactly the same but the lowest priced carrier pays you 1/2 of the normal commissions that the other carriers in your area pay? Who likes to work for half price? Some of these health carriers must think we like to work for half of what the rest of the market pays...Comments please.

I would like to respectfully disagree with M&M while answering your question. [Actually, I may not be disagreeing as much as clarifying "Doing what's right and best for your client"]

An industry veteran told me, years ago, that it has to be a good deal for all parties involved. If you are finding your clients the absolutely best price, but you are not making enough to keep yourself in the business, then you won't be around serve them properly in the future.