Very good day today and a GR app from a lead generated Monday. I'm very excited about the direction this year's heading. I absolutely cannot wait until spring time so I can get out there and sponsor events like fairs and festivals.
What it's coming down to for me is being out there sponsoring events, participating on chamber of commerce events and telemarketing. I think a combination of those three will really work great together.
If it's anything I really want to get across over and over again it's to generate your own leads. I hear people talk about how that's "old school" and I'm not taking advantage of technology.
However, I've hired a ton of agents over the past years and I don't see how technology helped them. In fact, for "technology" being that fantastic the failure rate is still stunning.
Actually, the technology has been harmful to most agents. They're focusing on these websites with quote engines and buying leads which results not only in wasted money but a false hope of production that never comes or comes too sporadically.
If you must buy leads at least make them a supplement source to other marketing. I think the largest problem is agents are not working full days if you could work as:
- Prospecting
- Contacting leads
- Presenting
If you want those 5 leads then great - get 'em. But after they're called and you've followed up with your previous leads you and I both know you have a ton of time left in the day. Then it's pick one:
- Telemarket
- Go BtoB
- Participate in some local event - heck, go hang flyers on bulletin boards
Not in the mood for anything. Your spouse pissed you off this morning and you have a "middle finger in the air" attitude?" Great - throw on jeans and a shirt, grab flyers and slap 'em up on door or businesses.
I hear this all the time:
"But how many calls will I get?"
The reply?
"How many calls will you get sitting on your ass in your office?"
At best, just doing some type of marketing activity boosts your self-esteem and gives you energy. Doing nothing just fills you with self-doubt about whether or not you'll ever made great money doing this.
14 comments:
Guarantee you, that your marketing ideas are very old school, doesnt mean it doesnt work. But you dont understand technology and how to use it. I could show you the stats, all you hear is rookie or agents that dont understand. But most agents are stupid and broke, and spend time writing on forums complaining.
If anyone can show me how technology can get me leads from local small biz owners I'm all ears. That's my target market.
Type Self employed Health Insurance into Google, and I guarantee this web site is in the top 1-3 Self-Employed-Health-Insurance.com but thats right self employed people arent typing thier information on the internet. Well the Term Self Employed Health Insurance was searched 27,000 with just that specific term in January. Its that simple. But Ebay doesnt sell a thing, and think of it, neither does Amazon. If Technology doesn't work explain that concept to the Fortune 500 CEO's. You just dont understand the online consumer that is shopping for health insurance, or the Ads and Lead sites that develop quality stuff. I sit at home all day, and only talk to self-employed buisness owners, that search online, all my buisness is Self Employed Buisness Owners. It works you just dont understand
Believe you me, Your local buisnes owners are on the internet also. and some arent, just like other people. Find your market and use technology to your advantage, I would never drive to a buisness owner and conduct a sale, I do it right online, Because what you dont understand, is every year that goes by, your buisness owners are my sons age, and he does everything online, and so do his peers. so get used to it or be left trying to figure out this buisness. In 2011 I doubt buisness owners you work now, will do buisness that way. But its up to you, embrace or fight it.
It comes down to what we enjoy. I personally don't enjoy sitting in my office all day. I got into sales because I enjoy meeting with people. In fact, I'm off to a meeting at 3pm with a biz owner literally down the street. Could I do it online? Who cares - I'd rather get out and meet him.
But I do mix it up - sign client's up online because I'm not driving 2 hours each way to meet with someone - I get a lot of referrals from around the state.
But I simply cannot be couped up - it's depressing for me. I enjoy being out and about.
And I cannot get any type of volume with self-employed internet leads since I only generate leads in my locality.
Thats fine, but I guarantee your system will not work for very much longer, Look at Allstate? read how much they tripled their buisness from not local people? Your concept doesn't even make sense, Hell your old buisness finally has embraced the online consumer, Big Car Delearships are over 57% in buisness from online shoppers, Dealships, would not survive with your concept. Local used to matter when you used to buy shoes from Uncle Charley downtown. Most Average people with Family's and a buisness to run, dont have time to talk to an agent, Sam Walton used to enjoy the small mentality concept, and it worked at first, but the family soon realized the Modern Market to survive, but they are not online either are they? www.Walmart.com The bottom line, your slamming of internet leads and truly one-sided marketing advice will not teach the youth in this market to survive, they didnt learn to communicate or buy your way.
I guarantee you as long as I have a phone to call businesses I'll have clients - 2, 5, 15 years from now.
90% of my clients are not looking for quotes. If not called by me they'd keep what they have for years.
They're simply paying more than they should and I show them how to save money - mainly HSAs.
When they see they can go from $700 to $400 they're clients - and stick like glue on the books.
My last client submitted yesterday; paying $540 - got her down to $310. She was not unhappy with the $540 and would have paid it for years. She is, however, thrilled with $310.
I generate my own business and with that model I'll always be in business with my methods.
Didnt say you didnt understand how to sell, I dont need a class, I understand Health Insurance. The point, which you didnt get is that the youth that worship you, lol, will never make it with your techniques. You just need to understand that your ideas dont always need to be forced upon others as it does. You just dont realize your demeanor.
You shouldnt have to be working as hard as you do if you have been in this buisness for over 5 years, Should have huge renewals, and not talking household expense money. So something hasnt worked right, with your module.
My methods are just that - methods. Agents can see what I do and give it a shot or not.
If they give what I do a shot and it doesn't work it's really no harm no foul since there's very little cost associated with generating your own leads by BtoB or making calls.
Most agent's can't handle sharing leads. They are up against more experienced agents, unethical agents, agents with a superior system, etc...
I offer an alternative.
Man, I LOVE my renewals! They're what push me to work even harder. I can't imagine what I'll be bringing in for renewals if I really pound this hard for 5 more years.
I guess I see a difference between me and you. You're getting good renewal income so you work less. That's fine but lazy. If you worked just as hard as you did years ago imagine where you'd be in 5 more years!
But not everyone is driven.
But I got licensed in Oct. of 2003, did Mega until June of '04 so I've only been indie for 3 1/2 years.
That means I'm only receiving full renewals for 2 1/2 years of business at this point - still fantastic.
No thats where you are wrong, I make more money today, in sales than I did 5 years ago, and grows every year. I learned marketing, and its auto pilot. I invest my renewals.
I am done, you edit comments, where I answered your question. but you wont post that one, because, I think you realized what I was talking about. Have a good day, Lazy?
Yet you just eluded to the fact that I should not be working as hard as I once did due to renewals.
And now it's just turning into an argument. You won't change my mind - I won't change yours. I'm positively not changing my business methods - they work well for me.
We can go back and forth for days - it's like trying to change each other's religions.
No one should ever change a system that's working well for them.
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