Insurance Sales - If You're in the Commodity Business Get Out!

There's plenty of competition for the terms shoppers, and you don't desire to play that game. Price shoppers are the worst clients you could ever inquire for, so why would you ever desire to pull them? But that's exactly what you're doing when you offer to cite person insurance.

Let the terms shoppers hunt the cyberspace or trouble oneself your competition for quotes, but don't allow them trouble oneself you. There is a very good ground for both you and the client for not simply quoting a price. Isn't it true that when you cite a terms you're making a quotation mark based on the premise that the client cognizes exactly what they necessitate and why? And how often is that really true?

If you don't desire to be a trade goods that agency you have got to happen a manner to supply added value. The client acquires what they necessitate through the merchandises you provide, that anyone else can supply too, but you add more than to the bundle that brands you stand up out. It's because of that something more that they can't acquire just anywhere else that they're loyal to you.

This necessitates thinking past you and what you offer to what your clients necessitate that widens beyond you. How can you fall in military units or widen your services to ran into those needs? That volition greatly depend on who your mark marketplace is.

As an example, you may have got immature parents as your mark market. Young parents are very concerned about the demands of their children and you may be insuring their assets and helping them to fund their children's college educations. But what if you partnered with a twenty-four hours attention so that your clients got a discount, sponsored household centered events that were only available to your client families, and remembered each child's birthday with something that increased their safety?

Do you see what could happen? Now there are far more than grounds to make concern with you than another person. You can spouse with other concerns so they acquire exposure and assist off-set any disbursals you might incur. Asset you're deepening your relationship.

In this example, you're not only deepening the human human human relationship with the parents you're deepening the relationship with the children too. As those children turn up and have got got children of their ain won't they desire their children to have the value of having you as their coverage gross sales agent? So, you not only have got got a program for smart selling now, but you have a built in referral system.

When those small children acquire these neat things they're going to state their friends. Their small friends will whimper to their parents that they desire these things too. It worked pretty powerfully for McDonald's why couldn't it work for you too?

Anyone Can Get Annuity Leads if You Know How to Use "Crash Marketing"

Crash Marketing can provide a solution to the never ending need for leads. Leads are our lifeblood and we need all the leads we can get, right? I am an annuity salesman and I always need leads. Here is what I did.

I invented "Crash Marketing" out of my own personal need to find people to tell my story to. I needed leads and I needed to make sales.

What is Crash Marketing? How does it work? How can you use it to grow and balance out your personal business?

Crash Marketing is about numbers and it is about having too many people to see on a regular basis. It is about being overwhelmed with leads. It is about reducing stress in your annuity business and being able to focus attention to what really counts, seeing people.

Crash Marketing is about getting control of your business by eliminating the biggest problem of all…. "Who am I going to see today?" "Who am I going to sell an annuity to today?"

Crash Marketing is about using numbers to eliminate problems and it really works. I used Crash Marketing to save my business and to make my business grow. Here is how it works.



• Decide what your target market is. For the sake of this article let's say it is seniors over age 65 and retired.

• Make a decision what amount of income you wish to generate form annuity sales. This might seem silly but it is vitally important to decide this. For this example why don't we select $250,000 a year to start.

• Next decide on a marketing budget based on the income goal. This budget needs to be completed once you understand the formula shown below.



The formula: Use a common direct mail piece that has a specific hook for your target market. The hook could be:



• Reduce your taxes on social security or

• Learn the secrets of LTC insurance or

• How to avoid probate or

• It really makes no difference as long as it is specifically hooked to a target subject.


Next obtain from the mailing company the estimated return percentage. For this example we will use 3% but the percentage is not really important.

Now we need to introduce averages and for this example we will use these numbers:



• For each 10 leads we will make 5 appointments

• For each 10 appointments we will develop 3 fact finders

• For every 3 fact finders we will make 1 sale.

• Each sale will average $55,000 in annuity premium.

• The average commission will be 7%.

Now we do the math…1000 mailers will generate 30 leads, 30 leads will generate 15 appointments, 15 appointments will generate 9 fact finders, 9 fact finders will generate 3 sales, 3 sales will generate $165,000 of premium, and at 7% this will provide a gross commission of $11,550. Seems too good to be true, doesn't it? So now we will cut the numbers even more.

Let's take a huge reduction to our formula and reduce everything by 2/3%. Just to make it interesting.
Now 1,000 mailers only gets 10 leads, 10 leads generates 3 appointments, 3 appointments generate 1 fact finder, 1 finders generate 1 sale. (rounded out) 1 sale is $55,000 and commission is $3,800.
Now just for fun let's cut that in ½. This means that we will generate $1925 for every 1,000 mailers. I know you are thinking this is the new math, but I want to paint a terrible picture of sales results to show you the power of Crash Marketing.

Since one of the secrets of Crash Marketing is only focusing on one tiny little segment of our business, selling annuities, you must outsource all else. You must hire a telemarketer to make your appointments and this person also manages your call back database and your drip marketing.
If you outsource things that you are either poor at or that do not generate annuity premium then you will be set free to focus and that focus will allow you to be totally in the "game."

Now to the budget, we need to mail $1,000 mailers to generate our (poor) results of only $1,925 of commission. But wait a minute, for each $400 of mailers I order, I will make $2,000. (rounded). Look at that! Those are terrific results and one any company in America would want. Solid, predictable and reliable.

Now what if the numbers are just a little better than the ones we paired down? Ask these questions!



• What if you are a better salesman because you are overwhelmed with leads?

• What if you have less stress because someone is setting your appointments for you?

• What happens if you can only focus on the things that make you money?

Now the secret of "Crash Marketing!"

By using your goal of $250,000 annual income which would require a total lead mailer order cost of $400 for each $2,000 of earned and estimated income do this….Triple your order for the first 3 months! Totally bury yourself in leads, order way too many leads, have so many leads you cannot work them all. Leads left over each month make certain you do this…..THROW THEM AWAY!!!!

If you have the courage to throw away leads you will be set free. It really works and it will allow you to focus on only one thing, seeing people and selling annuities.

I know you think I am crazy but it is the only way, throw away leads and you will be more successful. Plus I know a few other secrets about Crash Marketing.

I know that your sales results will be better than we have illustrated because those who have done this have experienced great results but it takes three months!!!!

Next I know that using a drip system to keep in touch will result in one additional sale for every 10 people in the drip which will add to your results.

Agents who have used this philosophy have more than tripled their income, reduced stress and have become huge producers.

Try it just like I described and it will work, triple your mailings for 90 days, throw away all leads left over and leads that are 30 days old, outsource your appointment making, outsource your drip system.

Then there is this and it is important. If you have open schedules because of appointment setting issues or it is a time your telemarketer could not fill you do not work. No appointments, no work. Stay home and work in the garden, go to the movies, relax.

Throw away appointments and only focus on selling and nothing else and enjoy the Secret of Crash Marketing!

Mortgage Leads - A Great Unused Key to Selling Annuities

The goal of all insurance agents is to be able to sell annuities, just ask them. Annuities are the most profitable product we can sell and one which has tremendous benefits for those who buy them.
The appeal of selling annuities can be irresistible, the products are valuable and beneficial, the commissions are significant and the future service commitments are low. If I make a decision to become an annuity salesperson and make them my primary market, how would I go about it? How could I find people who would buy them and get benefit from them?

Obviously I need prospects and prospects I could see under a favorable basis. The hardest part is finding the prospects, not selling them. What might be my choices be for finding them?

• Senior Seminars can be a good choice but the upfront expenses can be high.

• Referrals from professional groups are very hard to obtain regardless what the annuity marketing companies tell you.

• Cross selling your data base works if you have one and you have kept in touch with them.

• Direct mail can be efficient if worked properly but it is very competitive and response rates are declining. Plus almost no one responds to an annuity direct mail piece so it needs to be disguised as a different topic. Somewhat devious.

• Internet leads have value but finding leads in your geographic location can be difficult. Plus the cost can be too high hovering in the $100 range.

• Pre-set appointments are offered by many direct call firms but my experience is that these are not much better than a cold call.

• Cold calling is absolutely no way to sell anything and is extremely demeaning and virtually useless.

What else can be used for marketing annuities? How about selling annuities as an add on benefit to another need? How about providing the alternate product while solving the primary need. Here is what I am talking about.

Mortgage protection leads. Sell the secondary use of annuities while providing protection for the loss of a mortgage payer. The need to protect against the death of a spouse is vital and a need understood by almost everyone. How does that transfer to the annuity sale? It actually is quite easy if you follow basic thinking. There is an assumed need to protect the mortgage if the use of an insurance company is accepted. Since the insurance company assumes risk and becomes the risk bearer the risk of having funds protected is assumed.

Use a preplanned sales track to show the benefits of the need to protect a mortgage. Many are available. After the presentation which is usually very short move to a fact finder. To complete the sale you will need some basic questions answered and it becomes the segue into asking about other factors in their life such as the ownership of an IRA, mutual funds etc.

With this fact finder completed it becomes the perfect time to set up the return visit to discuss the topics discovered during that process. Setting up the time the mortgage protection policy is delivered is the best time for the appointment since one transaction is completed and the timing for the next one is ready. It becomes very easy to build on the relationship and the fact they have done business with you makes the second sale easier.

Selling annuities from mortgage protection leads is easy and efficient.

Insurance Leads, Try the Phone Book!

I have seen every possible lead proposition and they all are almost the same, might as well cold call. I really love the sales organizations that offer you free leads and then their famous training system is always included. You know the one I am talking about, the YOYO system

YOYO, You're on Your own!

I have been there and I know what it is to suffer through not having enough leads. I have found that many of the leads generated are done so under "semi fraudulent" marketing schemes. The lead provider will ride on the coat tails of a nationally known group who is offering an important piece of information. The return envelope usually is to a Washington DC drop box who then forwards it on to the user.

The problem is our expectation as salespersons; we all want the "hot" leads. But there really do not exist. The leads are only a possible door opener and a chance to meet someone who we can build a relationship with as access to a sale.

A better approach is to accept these leads for what they are and focus on a solid follow up system that drips the prospect to position them for a continued relationship as times change and their situation change.

YOYO, use it to build your personal sales career catered around your personal goals. Find a lead source and use it as the door opener follow it with a system to keep in touch.

Over the years I have used these direct contact lead sources very effectively because I have used them for what they are. They are a door opener and that is all they are. I had to depend on my other marketing approaches to make them a viable option.

My favorite lead generation sources are Kramer and Americas Recommended Mailers (ARM) and others have reported satisfactory results with CIS. If you want a terrific do it yourself program from a great professional look up Russ Jones at pmrsystem.com.

Think Of Gathering Instead Of Accumulating For Annuity Sales

Client Gathering

Our goal is to extend our marketing effort with new relationships. These relationships should be with agents who have experience with selling products in the senior market. This vision is to build an interactive client base through the process of client gathering.

Client gathering is much different than client building which is a term associated with large career life insurance companies such as New York Life, Prudential etc. Client Building was a concept by which the agent grew with the client and as the client increased net worth and insurance needs changed the agent was there to provide the insurance products. Studies have shown that this concept when followed to the end would have provided a relationship with 7 direct sales and 20 indirect insurance sales over the course of the agent's career. This type of selling is arduous and expensive plus it is not especially profitable. It is however profitable for the insurance company because it allows for the careful spacing of different age brackets of the insured. The agent in effect has used his career and effort to make certain the insurance company has hedged itself against changes in attitudes by a single person by spreading out the risk over many different people.

Client gathering is much different. Client gathering is collecting people at the end of their careers when their accumulation process is ending and the need for stabilization becomes the goal.

That is what we do, stabilize.

Everyone at one some time of their lives needs to run to safety. Safety falls into three possible categories.





• Banks or financial institutions


• United States Treasury


• Insurance Company Annuities

Our goal is to assist the client into repositioning their assets into the most stable positions while earning the best possible yield. This is done by educating the client on the benefits they will enjoy with each of these products.

The process of education centers on understanding how the client feels about their life and how their assets could be used to accomplish their goals. By understanding how a prospect feels about their personal assets allows us to determine exactly how safety and security can play a part.

When a prospect decides that safety is the more important goal with their finances then providing stabilization becomes the most important agenda.

Stabilize for safety.