"anybody looking for a military experienced account manager in TN?"
Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I'm not a recruiter but I believe the Reserves and National Guard are hiring, if that's an option. I know you said you are a single parent and that may rule this out. If not, I believe they are paying prior service up to a $20k bonus at the moment. That would keep you going for a while. And if you can put up with the BS for 20 years, a federal pension is hard to beat.
Just a thought.
I'm wondering what captive company you were working for also. Direct mail is one of the least effective and most expensive means of marketing there is.
"anybody looking for a military experienced account manager in TN?"
Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I'm not a recruiter but I believe the Reserves and National Guard are hiring, if that's an option. I know you said you are a single parent and that may rule this out. If not, I believe they are paying prior service up to a $20k bonus at the moment. That would keep you going for a while. And if you can put up with the BS for 20 years, a federal pension is hard to beat.
Just a thought.
I'm wondering what captive company you were working for also. Direct mail is one of the least effective and most expensive means of marketing there is.
I tried that actually, I have spoke with each branch trying to get back int he reserves but being a single parent isn't letting that happen. Oh well, it will work out. I am trying to figure a way to keep at the insurance, maybe a constant direct mail while I am working elsewhere, I don;t know. Thanks for all the kind words guys.
The company you worked for the leads always dry up after MA season. I was in your position once with the same company and a famly to support. I went indy and as the medicare market is the main market I focused onI also had good advice to keep selling individual major meds until my medicare book is big enough I can then focus on med-supps full time. Thats what I do and thats why im still in this business. There was alot of mac and cheese nights for dinner, but I paid my bills and suffered threw it. You may consider sell other lines in the off season until you become seasoned. individual is easy but persitancy is not as good as the grammys of the world, but it helped keep me in the game.
According to the TN DOI website, there's approximately 106,000 licensed producers in the state. Thats 1 insurance agent for every
56.6 men, women and children. I think the number of real estate agents is like 1 agent for every 100 people in the state.
It seems to me that the people who have done the best in both of these professions are the ones who are better known in the community. So you may be better off to go independent and get active in the community where you are from. There's a local
Paper in the area, daily in Kpt, weekly in Washington County that
Will run an add for you for a year for a very, very low price.
Go by Ingles supermarket and pick one up. That way you will
Have your name in front of a bunch of people everyday.
Thanks to all for helping this agent, I's really enjoying this thread!
Take it from me, I left a salaried career to join AFLAC as a captive agent. I leared alot but i made $0!! I was backed up on bills for 2 months dealing with the duck people. I picked myself back up, became a free lancer and that was the best thing I could have done for myself. I developed a great way to prospect and I've had great experiences. I learned that the more people i contact, the more sales I'll make. I'm working on a lead sheet now and out of maybe 65 calls so far, I just closed 1! So like Al said, this is definately a numbers game and you have to be motivated to survive.
Best of luck with your career path but please don't give up. And if you do descide to give up, watch the movie "pursuit of happiness" I guarantee you'll change your mind. Take Care!!
Well as some of you stated about going indy, I would love to, but after this I just do not have the funds to do so. I do appreciate all the kids words and such you guys have said though.
If you can watch either of these movies without emotion someone needs to see if you have a pulse.
It really doesn't matter how many agents are in TN, or GA, or TX. If you love your work and stick with it you will survive while others fall by the wayside.
People who say you can be a 90 day wonder are mostly blowing smoke. Sure, some folks hit the ground running and never look back but the path to success is littered with bodies of those who gave up.
The Critical Path to Success by Frank Sullivan was once required reading of new agents. Many also learned their trade by using Al Granum's http://cms.nationalunderwriter.com/cms/ocs/website/home/
I recall hearing a very successful GA speak at a local meeting. He started in the business around 1940 and made something like $400 his first year. His father in law kept pressing him to get a "real job" but he persisted.
When telling his story someone said "$400 was a lot of money in 1940."
His response, "$400 was never a lot of money . . ."
Sometimes the biggest obstacle to your success are all the distractions of life. Taking care of family, having enough to cover your bills, dealing with rejection.
This business is tough. Just dealing with rejection is hard enough but if your mind is elsewhere, like how will you pay for food, utilities and a roof over your head, it is too much to deal with.
I'm not going to tell you this business is for everyone, or even if it is for you. I don't know if it is or not. Only you can answer that.
I can tell you there is at least one rookie on this forum who has also been kicked around. I also know he has the motivation to make it and will do very well.
IMO sales career does favor certain personalities over others. Hard work does not always = success in this field. You've gotta have "it" (whatever that is). If you've got only a little bit of "it" you can make a living by working very hard. If you've got a lot of "it" you can still make a living without working very hard. If you've got "it" and work hard, you've got "it" made.
IMO sales career does favor certain personalities over others. Hard work does not always = success in this field. You've gotta have "it" (whatever that is). If you've got only a little bit of "it" you can make a living by working very hard. If you've got a lot of "it" you can still make a living without working very hard. If you've got "it" and work hard, you've got "it" made.
You are right and that "IT" factor is the confidence and the willingness to strive. The person may have acquired this confidence by a pattern of success in athletics, academics, or their personal life. At their core they believe they were born to win and deserve to be successful. That is the "IT" factor.
This thread should be mandatory reading for all agents both seasoned and new. Great information and advice here from all of you.
Al, Mark and Bob's posts are outstanding! Just to mention a few. Hell, it's 6:22 am and I wanted to pick up the phone and start making calls right now.
I'd like to add something but you guys have said it all, probably a lot better than I could have.
Jaugusta, if you ever want to give it another try I'll be more than happy to share what I have learned about this business. I don't know a whole lot about other lines of insurance but I think I have the senior market "nailed". All you have to do is give me a call.
I think this should be made a sticky titled "Are you discouraged?"
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Medicare Supplement Sales Training and Coaching.
"The Perfect Contact Management Program (CMP) for the Insurance Professional" www.YourInsuranceOffice.com
877.633.0808
You are right and that "IT" factor is the confidence and the willingness to strive. The person may have acquired this confidence by a pattern of success in athletics, academics, or their personal life. At their core they believe they were born to win and deserve to be successful. That is the "IT" factor.
While that is true...right now the economy sucks...folks are losing jobs everywhere...construction, teachers, insurance companies, radio stations, TV stations, etc......
I know of 3 in construction....2 are getting in 3 days a week. Another is working for a construction outfit that's laid off 200. In Florida..."More than a quarter of the state's jobless, though, were construction workers. Building construction has lost more than 111,000 employees since last February, a 20 percent drop, according to state figures."...from...Jobless ranks grow here, across Florida | state, people, unemployment - News - Northwest Florida Daily News
Just have to find folks with money. That has become harder. So while being a "winner" helps, there are other factors that make winning harder right now.
If you're not making 6 figure money selling insurance, you're not really making it. Not in today's world.
The good news if you're an independent insurance agent, only you can fire or lay-off yourself.
While that is true...right now the economy sucks...folks are losing jobs everywhere...construction, teachers, insurance companies, radio stations, TV stations, etc......
I know of 3 in construction....2 are getting in 3 days a week. Another is working for a construction outfit that's laid off 200. In Florida..."More than a quarter of the state's jobless, though, were construction workers. Building construction has lost more than 111,000 employees since last February, a 20 percent drop, according to state figures."......
Just have to find folks with money. That has become harder. So while being a "winner" helps, there are other factors that make winning harder right now.
If you're not making 6 figure money selling insurance, you're not really making it. Not in today's world.
The good news if you're an independent insurance agent, only you can fire yourself.
The economy may suck and people may be out of work but there is still one aspect of the population who still need and will continue to buy insurance. They "know and believe" that they need additional insurance and will spend the money to get it.
In the last sixteen years I have never seen a time, regardless of what the economy is like, that people who are on Medicare weren't looking for something to supplement their Medicare coverage. They all are convinced that just Medicare isn't adequate coverage.
In reality, just having Medicare is probably better insurance than a lot of them had before they turned 65. However, they are "on a fixed income" now and they believe that they need to have everything paid for.
Prospecting for and selling supplemental insurance to seniors is probably the easiest kind of insurance to sell. It isn't rocket science, can be learned in a very short time and, unlike life, health and LTCi, an agent doesn't first have to convince the prospect that they need it.
All the agent has to do is convince the prospect that what he/she has to offer is better than what other agents have offered. Selling insurance to seniors is all about the agent selling himself as much or more than selling the policy.
All the agent has to do is convince the prospect that what he/she has to offer is better than what other agents have offered.
A bit of a twist on that is . . .
Help the prospect understand what they have, and what they CAN have that is better. Give them enough information so they will arrive at the conclusion that what you have is better than what they have now and they will convince themselves it is time to change.
Gitomer says folks hate to be sold but love to buy.
When you can present your offer in such a way that they believe the decision they made is their own you will have a much easier sale and a better client base over the long haul.
Help the prospect understand what they have, and what they CAN have that is better. Give them enough information so they will arrive at the conclusion that what you have is better than what they have now and they will convince themselves it is time to change.
Gitomer says folks hate to be sold but love to buy.
When you can present your offer in such a way that they believe the decision they made is their own you will have a much easier sale and a better client base over the long haul.
Well said, I guess I should have been more clear.
I really don't "sell" insurance. I present the prospect with factual information about Medicare, the changes that have taken place since 1993 and how those changes have effected the supplemental options that are available to them. I give them logical reasons why one option may be better for them than other ones and show them what I believe is the best one for them to consider.
I have found that educating the prospect is a much better and more successful approach than trying to sell them a policy. The most common statement I get from them is "No one has ever explained it to me before".
I do not do "trial closes" nor do I say things like "Now Mrs. Smith, wouldn't you like to have a policy like that?". I never really even come out and ask for the sale. I simply say at the end of our discussion (more of a conversation than a "presentation") "I just need to see your Medicare card to get this started".
I never ask them which of the options they want or sounds better to them. Our entire discussion leads them to only one logical conclusion. In Missouri Medicare Supplement policy Plan D is the best one for them.
If they want a PFFS plan then I suggest that they contact another agent.
I have found that educating the prospect is a much better and more successful approach than trying to sell them a policy. The most common statement I get from them is "No one has ever explained it to me before".
A good salesman is a good educator. Sym's clothing used to (and maybe still does) advertise that "an educated consumer is our best customer".
I believe that.
And, like you, I get a lot of folks who say the same thing. Had a lady a few weeks ago concerned about the renewal. Her husband said the ($5k) deductible was too high and wanted it lower, possibly $2k or so.
Unlike most of my clients, she has a copay plan. They never used it, not even for annual exams. Her husband (as well as herself) thought they had to meet the $5k before they could go to the doctor.
I spent 30 minutes on the phone, re-explaining her plan and going over alternatives. She said she thought she understood it last year but must have forgotten. This time she knows what to tell her husband and they are renewing as is.
I don't do trial closes or any of the other stuff they teach you in training classes. Never did really. Just seemed to hokey to me.
If you do your job they will ask you when they are ready to buy.
The economy may suck and people may be out of work but there is still one aspect of the population who still need and will continue to buy insurance. They "know and believe" that they need additional insurance and will spend the money to get it.
In the last sixteen years I have never seen a time, regardless of what the economy is like, that people who are on Medicare weren't looking for something to supplement their Medicare coverage. They all are convinced that just Medicare isn't adequate coverage.
In reality, just having Medicare is probably better insurance than a lot of them had before they turned 65. However, they are "on a fixed income" now and they believe that they need to have everything paid for.
Prospecting for and selling supplemental insurance to seniors is probably the easiest kind of insurance to sell. It isn't rocket science, can be learned in a very short time and, unlike life, health and LTCi, an agent doesn't first have to convince the prospect that they need it.
All the agent has to do is convince the prospect that what he/she has to offer is better than what other agents have offered. Selling insurance to seniors is all about the agent selling himself as much or more than selling the policy.
And I know of quite a few that don't have med-supps. Yes...most do and that is a good market that I work too and make a few grand a month in renewals + sales.
My point was more about younger folks....losing jobs. That may be part of the poster of this threads problem...that and the economy.
Al, Mark and Bob's posts are outstanding! Just to mention a few.
Thank you!
I think this forum has a wealth of information.
A lot of new agents have no where to turn to for help. It is nice to hava a forum where you can ask questions and get help.
I've learned a lot from this forum myself. You can never know everything.
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Mark Rosenthal aka markingriffin
IMO/Ins Agent/Agent Trainer/Free Advice markcrosenthal@aol.comwww.realfastservice.com
Please visit mywebsite to learn more about me.
Email me for my Free Prospecting MP3 Tapes.
And I know of quite a few that don't have med-supps. Yes...most do and that is a good market that I work too and make a few grand a month in renewals + sales.
My point was more about younger folks....losing jobs. That may be part of the poster of this threads problem...that and the economy.
You are right. I was just letting him know that there is a segment of the population that really isn't as affected by what the economy is doing. They are already "out of a job" and most have been for some time.
I find your comment about "quite a few" that don't have either Med Supps interesting. It is extremely rare that I come in contact with an individual who only has Medicare. The very few that I have talked to are usually people with a lot of money who can easily cover the parts not covered by Medicare.
You know, the really cheap, well to do people who constantly bitch about "being on a fixed income".
Re: Well, at least I tried
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