Lots of resumes

So far I've received over 20 resumes from the workforce exchange. Not too shabby, but I'm running court records and workers comp searches on all of 'em. I've spoken to around 8 applicants today and it seems like there will be a few gems in there.

Honestly, I'm not overly thrilled to hire telemarketers again. It's a pain in the ass. I've been doing just fine generating my own local business but there's no doubt that I need at least an extra grand a week to launch my plans so I need to suck it up.

If you're hiring telemarketers, you will go through many of them before you find good ones. Some will be lazy - only make 20 or so dials per hour then gripe that they're not getting leads. Others are overly-aggressive and generate junk. They'll take info from secretaries, you'll follow up with the owner who doesn't know what's going on and doesn't want you calling.

That all being said, you can cut down on the BS with a signed agreement and some rules:

1) The person you spoke with must by the person requesting the quotes. Under no circumstances can a secretary request quotes on the owner's behalf.

2) The prospect must agree that an agent will be following up with them. If the prospect does not want an agent to follow up that will not count as a qualified lead.

3) All leads must have an email address for follow-ups. If someone is unwilling to give you their email then it's not a lead.

4) All prospects must understand that the quotes are for individual/family plans - not group plans.

I would not suggest having marketers attempt to qualify. I can put deals together where a marketer wouldn't stand a chance. The only think I want marketers doing is simply getting enough interest generated where they want information and an agent to follow up.

I also pay hourly and the pay goes up with the more leads they generate. If you want to pay more or give bonuses then tie them to the number of leads. This way, they have incentive to dial more numbers per hour. They still have to adhere to the definition of a lead in order to get paid so it's not like they can throw junk at you.

I would stay away from giving bonuses based on closing deals. First of all, that could be construed as commission sharing, which is likely illegal in your state if they're non-licensed. Secondly, you now have to report to them every week as to how many deals you closed. To be frank, it's none of their business how many sales I get.