Cold Calling

[Frank Stastny]

. In my experience, mailing materials to someone is basically the equivalent of throwing them in the trash. .

When I first started selling insurance I thought I was taking a "business approach" and sent everyone information. I took great pains to design a well written cover letter, included all kinds of information. Every evening I would prepare "packets" so send out, sometimes late into the night.

I would diligently call them about five days later with a well prepared phone presentation knowing that they had opened it, read it and had questions for me to answer.

Boy was I dumb! I would call, they would say, "yea, I think we got it, it's here somewhere". "We have really been busy and haven't had a chance to "study" it, give us a call in a week or two".

I may have sold a three or four as a result of having done the mailing, maybe. Keep in mind, I work the senior market. If they won't see me then I call them back in about six months. That is much more effective than wasting my time sending them information.

I have found only one really successful way to sell to seniors that enables me to write the most apps in the shortest period of time.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

I've just started trying it, and have spent an hour and a half per day for the last 2 days doing it and haven't gotten any appointments yet.

Expecting "results" from cold calling an hour and a half per day? Since you're looking for a needle-in-a-haystack, six hours per day minimum is more like it - if you're looking for any kind of results.

 

[dmarbell]

I believe in our day and time that
I applaud those of you who are making a good living through unsolicited cold calls. I could not do it.

Larry,

You are in my geographic area. Are you interested in splitting the cost of a telemarketer/appt setter? Can we get others to help?

Danny

 

[Larry Tew]

Danny, I'm not in the market for that. Good luck.

 

[gajfo]

Cold Calling is no big deal. I truly believe that you have to think of yourself as a telemarketer before you think of yourself as an agent.

I worked in a boiler room of 200 telemarketers setting 1000 appointments a day for a consulting company. The training and experience I got there was nothing like when I started in the insurance industry. To crank out 40 to 50 dials in an hour was no issue.

Forget all the stuff you hear, you have 15 seconds not to blow it.
For B2B calling, mornings are better than afternoon for reaching the owners, except contractors. Expect contact rates of 15 to 20% on
first pass list.

 

[Frank Stastny]

Cold Calling is no big deal. I truly believe that you have to think of yourself as a telemarketer before you think of yourself as an agent.

Exactly! I don't have to think of myself as a "telemarketer", I know I am one. The only difference is that I'm doing it for me.

Easily, 80% of this job is prospecting. Those who learn how to do it and do it well succeed.

We are really "prospectors for insurance", we are searching for those little nuggets of "gold" among all of the debris. Only a relatively small amount of our time is spent writing applications.

 

[elitemind]

Easily, 80% of this job is prospecting. Those who learn how to do it and do it well succeed.

We are really "prospectors for insurance", we are searching for those little nuggets of "gold" among all of the debris. Only a relatively small amount of our time is spent writing applications.

There has to be someone out there 80% writing and 20% prospecting..50/50 60/40??

 

[theinsuranceman]

There has to be someone out there 80% writing and 20% prospecting..50/50 60/40??

If you generate FE Direct Mail leads you can spend 100% of your time selling. But you have to know the correct way to work FE leads so you can make some good $$$. And there is a lead cost involved.

What part of NC you from? I'm in Raleigh.

 

[Frank Stastny]

There has to be someone out there 80% writing and 20% prospecting..50/50 60/40??

Agents who believe that are the one's who get sucked in by lead companies or agencies who run ads saying "First year commission $150,000 selling part time from home in your underwear while you leisurely surf porn sites".

 

[Larry Tew]

Agents who believe that are the one's who get sucked in by lead companies or agencies who run ads saying "First year commission $150,000 selling part time from home in your underwear while you leisurely surf porn sites".

The only guys who are getting rich selling term insurance online in their underwear are the guys selling other agents the systems showing them how to sell term insurance online in THEIR underwear. Dean Cipriano has been selling that bit for as long as I can remember.