CRM installed!

Just got off the phone with Gary's tech support and I'm ready to go! Now, not like I'm the world's biggest fan of making calls but again, in 2008 it's all self-generated leads. After talking to a lot of established agency owners I just don't see a reason for pay for leads. But you also have to do what works for you at the same time.

Although I'm not a fan of making calls I'm also not a fan of B to B. I do it because it works. But I know myself and once I get going I can really get into it. Getting into my car for B to B is 90% of the battle for me. Once I'm at my location my brain shifts to being productive and trying to get as many leads as possible.

Same with telemarketing - 90% of the battle for me is picking up the phone and dialing for first number. I think Gary's auto-dialing system is gonna solve a lot of problems:

• I don't have the daunting task anymore of manually dialing where I have to always psych myself into making the next call. Now I dial into a server and I'm on auto pilot.
  

• It's obviously more effective. I'm used to hand-dialing 50 numbers per hour, speaking to 10 or so owners and generating around 3 leads. Closing 1 out of 15 means 5 hours on the phone but I'm baked after 2 hours. So in the past that's meant 2 1/2 days of calls to get a deal.
  

• Now this system will be dialing 120 or so number per hour and my results will more than double. Mentally that gets me more in the game since the outcome is more noticeable

• I can't leave messages when I hand-dial; total waste of time. But now messages are left while the system continues to dial. That's the "X" factor and I'll find out those results next week.
  

• I'm a tracking geek. I love spreadsheets and figuring out ratios. For hand dialing it's a pad of paper and pen. However, this spits out cool reports so I can track everything.
  

So starting Monday I'll be using this and posting the results. Stay tuned.

Wrapping up the Week

Ended this week by just doing a Carefirst app for a grand total of three apps this week. Not bad, but not peeling the paint off the walls either. I want 5 apps per week on average throughout this year. I know I'm capable of submitting a million in premium.

True to my goals this year I will not be purchasing any leads - they will all be self-generated from a pretty wide variety of marketing methods.

I really can't wait to do some events however reality is I'll need to wait until spring. There are obviously very few outdoor events like fair and festivals in the winter.

So for now I'll be concentrating on a combination of B to B and telemarketing. I'll be using Gary's system (Marking Campaign Solutions) to telemarket and be happy to post the results. I'm actually waiting for one of his techs to call to set the system up.

Man do I love this job!

Here's the view from my deck right now. Snow's coming down hard here - roads are already a mess. Not a problem, I don't skip a beat with making calls or taking an app online. I also have my son getting out early which isn't an issue.

It's days like this when I really appreciate what I do. It wasn't too long ago I was selling cars and if anyone here has sold cars before you know exactly what you do when it snows; break out a shovel and start cleaning off cars! Man I used to hate that.

Even in other fields like when I sold home improvements all of my appointments today would have been canceled. It's just insane that there's a home-based job that exists (aside from stuffing envelopes, processing government loans and assembling jewelry) where you can make fantastic money and it doesn't matter what's going on outside.

I'll be watching the evening news as everyone's tied up in a 2 hour traffic jam around the beltway.

Got to work

Well I got off my ass today and hit the phones. For me most of the battle is simply getting into the groove but once I'm there it's smooth sailing. Good day on the phone too - five solid prospects who I'll be quoting tomorrow.

And now my Golden Rule rant

I only like quoting final rates. I simply can't stand saying "oh, and add $36 if you want that option." When I quote all carriers except GR it's like Ragu; "it's already in there." However, GR has no quoting tool that will spit out one final figure.

On the software you only get a page of add-ons; lifetime max buy-up, drug card, and preventative for Plan 100 and 80. For Copay select it's additional to buy up the drug max. I'm not exactly sure what the software does anyway since you can't email quotes. You can view it or print it - useless.

The bottom line is I like taking clients to my website so we can use the quoting tool. But when I use the quoting tool and tell them to click on the "view benefits page" I now have to "sell" drug coverage or the buy-up.

For families the GR quote link shows a nasty low-ball figure. For example, if I'm showing Plan 100 to a family and they're looking at a rate of $253 they get excited. But alas, we click the view benefit button and come to find it's $65 extra for drug coverage and $67 for the preventative package. So it's a $130 low-ball!

What I tell my clients as soon as we pull up the rates is not to pay any attention to the first figure and the rates are actually on the "view benefits" page.

We all know why GR does this - because most agents never include the drug card, drug buy-up or preventive in the quote because they're too scared to lose the sale by telling clients that valuable options are an additional price.

What GR desperately needs is Asurant's software.

Well, here we go again

Two deals already submitted an approved and an app going (hopefully) today. And this is where it all goes south and my mind starts messing with me.

I'm completely unmotivated today. Why? Because it's Wednesday morning and I've made enough to cover the bills with a little left over - so now it's a fight with myself today to dig in and go that extra mile.

I think it's natural. Unless you have this "Donald Trump" mentality and drive most people would rather be doing other things besides work. But I do love what I do it's just getting over that hurdle of stopping or slowing down after I've made "X" amount.

So today it's simply back on the phones for me.

Wrapping it up today

Another good day on the phones both generating leads and calling back some old leads. My bottom line at the end of each day is I need 10 solid leads.

A few have asked about my system; as in what do I do when I call a prospect. Everyone has what works from them - this works for me:

Step 1:
I simply introduce myself, state what I do and tell them they might be able to save a significant amount of money. After that it's mainly questions. If they won't answer questions saying they're either too busy or just give one-word answers where it's apparent that they don't want to talk it's over. I put them on my Constant Contact email list and they get quarterly reminders.

I'm only looking for people who complain. They can bitch about:

• Their rate sucks
• Their coverage sucks
• They don't have coverage and hate not having it

But unless they're conversational about one of those three things I pretty much don't have a deal. I cannot "sell" health insurance too well. If I think they're rate's high but they don't think it's high there's generally no deal.

I absolutely don't mess around with people who don't have current coverage especially if interest is lacking.

All in all I don't work too well with people when my 6th sense tells me they simply don't want to be bothered. Instead of breaking out the sales tactics I've found it more productive and easier on my attitude to simply move on.

Step 2:
Qualify. I qualify to death. I want to know their complete history before I talk about carriers and rates. It's a mistake to simply ask if they have any pre-existing conditions. They generally won't disclose medical events is the past years where there's been a full recovery. Instead, I how often they've seen a doctor over the past "X" years (generally 5 or 7.) Then I start digging from there.

After I've done the pre-qual I can determine if I can better their situation. If I can I tell them I'm going to put together an email with the brochures of the plan I'm going to recommend and set the appointment - either phone or in person.

Step 3:
If it's a phone deal I call at the appointed time and for in-person I've already confirmed and show up. This is when they see rates - not before! Why? Because if clients see the plans and rates, then you get off the phone with them they have little incentive to get back in contact with you. They have everything they need - why talk to you again?

For a phone deal I take them to my site during the "appointment" and have them click on the company I'm recommending. We go over plans and rates and do the app.

For deals where the rate will not be same (rats up for Assurant and Aetna or Standard 1 or 2 for GR) I don't have them click on the links. They will not show the final rates. For those cases I work up the final rates, tranfer them to a Word doc. and upload them into my Webinar - then direct my client to the webinar.

I used to send clients rates after the 1st call and found that to be a mistake. They don't know what they're looking at anyway; Aetna PPO30, GR plan 100, CoreMed.....they have no clue so what good are the rates?

I also think some people get turned off if they see 80 different plans and options, think it'll just be too long an confusing and don't get back in touch.

There has to be some kind of hook - some reason for them to pick up the phone again or something cool to leave on their voice mail. You've already sent plans and rates? Oh, what's your VM message: "Ummm, this is John, Call me I guess."

My message is "Hey Jim, it's John from Maryland Health Plans. I put together some rates and I think you'll be very impressed."

Nice way to start the day

Last night I got a call from a referral last night - needed coverage for their son in VA who has asthma - won't take an exclusion for it. GR came is lower but actually not that much lower and the parents didn't care about the copay option - so into Assurant that went. That'll be a CSD instead of a rider.

Even though it's only $117 it's still $1,404 in volume and I'll take it - especially for a referral who says "so how do we get this started?"

Posting my daily results again

Been talking to a few people who miss when I was posting my results; spreadsheets, deals, etc...

That's no problem and actually motivational for me so starting today I'll be posting my daily routine and results.

As for today so far I just got off the phone with a prospect:

She's 28 and has HPV (human papilloma virus.) With GR and Assurant it's an exclusion at best so she's MHIP bound (Maryland Health Insurance Plan.) She's $157 per month for a $1,000 deductible plan so why bother with riders. She's at higher risk for cervical cancer.

But we have the husband, age 39 who's perfectly health but a small snag with the kids - ages 4 and 5. One has asthma and is on Albuterol and the other has Eczema with daily topical medicated cream.

I'll probably be looking to GR for this - don't see too much liability with riders for those conditions. I could throw it to Assurant however rates are 40% higher and additional rate doesn't compensate for having the meds covered especially taking the $500 drug deductible into account.

As for business submitted today - did a Plan 80 - husband, wife and two kids on a budget. $285 X 12 = $3,420 in submitted premium today (above.)