Tweet

Answer to a New Agents Plea

Written by: Donald F. Pooley

Article Overview: "I am a new life insurance agent working for one of the largest companies in Canada for about seven months now.

Answer to a New Agents Plea

On March 15th, a subscriber emailed TIP this:
"I am a new life insurance agent working for one of the largest companies in Canada for about seven months now.
"I have not been doing well, and am very frustrated on how to generate leads.
"Would you please help me with an idea other than getting referrals (which I'll certainly use when I have clients).
"But is there another marketing tool, or a company where I can purchase pre-qualified leads here in Canada/ Toronto?
"I see agents making 15 to 40 sales / month and when asked how are they doing it, the response is always cold calling and referrals.
"I call three hours a night straight to generate 1 or 2 appointments from the phone book (when I am not on an appointment).
"Is there an easier better proven way?"
I asked a friend, Diane McCurdy, how she would answer this cry for help, because she once told me she had over 1,500 clients. Here are her suggestions:
"My first suggestion for this rookie is to ally himself with an established agent. They often have clients they cannot serve as well as they'd like, and might sell some clients, split business, or do other forms of joint work. As well, the new agent would learn another set of skills from the established agent.
"Second: do your best with each and every client you have. New clients are silver, and old are gold, just like friends. This makes you referable without even having to ask.
"Third: treat your clientele as a business. Your business. Over time you will establish a solid client base, and a great business.
"Fourth: A new business needs patience. If you were starting ANY business it would take three to five years to break even.
"Here you are with no inventory, no investment (other than your own effort) and have the opportunity to establish a wonderful, and rewarding career.
"Hang in this business for five years and watch the quantum leaps you will make!"
Diane McCurdy, is a Member of MDRT, Director on the Board of CALU, and Author of the bestselling financial planning book, "How Much Is Enough?". Learn more at her book site

Related Articles
  Do You Ever Wonder If You Are Cut Out to Be a Real Estate Agent?
  More Answers to a Plea
  Answering Service Customer Service Agents
  Real Estate Agents Need Home Stagers In A Slow Market
  Factors to beat the Agent Churn in a Call center

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Here to Meet Great People! - Hi Matthew Ferry here! I am a life coach and also an entrepreneur. I work with people from all walks of life, Real Estate Agents/Brokers, Entrepreneurs, Businessmen. Great to be here in this forum! Looking forward to hear from you! Thanks!
The Prospect Knowledge Formula - Answer the questions with your product being the solution... 1. What are there fears? 2. What benefits areimportant to them? 3. Likes/Dislikes 4. What's important to them? 5. What makes them lose sleep at night? 6. Is it a want or need for them? 7. Have they been lied, cheated, or mislead in the past with similar products/services? 8. What is the primary age range? 9 What are the demographics that you are trying to reach?
Niche social network site - They are more concerned with the "already fit" market. I want to encompass it all. I want them, the younger naives, the older generation, those that train a little and a lot, those that need motivation. As well as a better and more functional "social network" scene. Tag boards, Answer sections, comment pages, as you see on myspace/tube
Avoiding Impulse Spending - Answer these questions truthfully: 1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money? 2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had? 3.) Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear? 4.) Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf? 5.) Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store? If you answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender and indulge yourself in retail therapy. This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals and resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run. Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants. Advertisers blitz us hawking their products at us 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for. When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home. If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and your relationships.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What should your free giveaway be?

The State of the Sustainable Furniture Industry

Ten Steps to Go from Idea to E-book for Sale

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.