First Week at Western Southern Life!

[Tinjaxfla]

I am so glad to see you and your wife were covered medically when you really needed it!!

Thanks for the update as well. I am new and Western Southern is one of the companies I am considering at this point. I am looking for opportunities to learn and grow in this industry.

The micro management...is it more or less really just to help push you a bit more...like a personal trainer or is it babysitting style like...you better be in the office at 8am making cold calls or else? I too, like you, owned my own business for a while and micro management would be annoying however, if it's just to push me so that I can do better...it may be tolerable.

Aside from them, I talked to American Income Life and I am just not seeing anything good on this site about them and that is of concern to me.

Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[SalemInsuranceGuy]

no...they advanced me that, into my bank, but with the sales bonus and direct pay, my first week check should be about 1200 of it.... but the big deal is most of my sales have been set up for this week...

My background is in industrial, and those people love our critical illness packages... very easy to sale them, all I mention is for them to buy enough to cover 6 to 9 months salary, just in case they have a heart attack etc.... and time after time they say yes.....

It sounds like you've found a good fit. It's great that they covered you from day one on the benefits also. That is a true testimonial of the importance of insurance.

I worked for WS before and I do remember "the bank" or I think "the pool" is what they called it when I was there. So you're getting a steady paycheck while building up your bank. So no big upfront money, but no downside swings either. It does make it easier to budget. From what I remember is once your "bank" with them reaches a certain point then you can increase your weekly draw off it. I also remember the appointment book with 16 appointments to fill in each week. I also remember that "the bank" wasn't really "my bank" when I left there, it was "their bank". Not a bad deal if you stay, but when you leave you part with "your bank". Kind of like their golden handcuffs to keep you there.

 

[Tinjaxfla]

I noticed the bank or pool thing also. At what point is the money in the "bank" really your money? Is it ever? How long do you have to stay? Why did you leave..the appointments required? Low pay?

Do you feel the training you received helped put you on top of your sales game with the company you moved to after working with WS. Everyone keeps saying the training is great.
Please share.
Thanks.

 

[SalemInsuranceGuy]

I noticed the bank or pool thing also. At what point is the money in the "bank" really your money? Is it ever? How long do you have to stay? Why did you leave..the appointments required? Low pay?

Do you feel the training you received helped put you on top of your sales game with the company you moved to after working with WS. Everyone keeps saying the training is great.
Please share.
Thanks.

You would have to ask them because I don't really remember if or when the "bank" actually became yours. I know for sure if you retired they had some kind of plan where you get paid depending on the size of it. I don't know exactly how or if any was ever actually really vested.

As far as the office and training I have nothing but praise for them. I learned a lot and had a really great manager that I felt was looking out for my best interest. I liked it at first because I could go off their book of clients and make sales, but eventually I got more and more into self generated leads on my own for small groups on the health insurance and disability and life. I started to calculate if I was on my own I would have had a check for so many thousands, but through them it all went into my bank and I still only had my small weekly draw. Plus I knew I could make double on my own. They kept their end of the bargain on everything they said though. I just felt at that point that I had outgrown them.

One other thing I remembered at the time, we were paid good on whole life, but not much on term. Then WS put a link on their site where clients could buy term direct from the company and bypass the agent. The term was actually really competitive. But the agents were not allowed to sell the term on the site, only our higher cost term product. Then they finally said if our client bought it we would get commission but it was so low it was hardly worth it.

My grandfather had actually taken out a WS $1000 whole life policy on my mom when she was born in 1942. I had her switched over to me as her agent. It was nice being able to see where the original address was in Detroit at the time. I drove down knowing it was the hood now, but back then you could tell it was a great and thriving area with the nice big houses. Unfortunately they had bulldozed down about 6 blocks for a school so I couldn't see the old house.

Overall I like WS and think they could be a great place for a career. I'm just more of the independent type myself.

 

[mynaturalwellness]

So how would you describe working for them now?

 

[1611]

Thanks for all the information. I'm thinking about leaving New York Life and starting at W&S. My manager is not going with me on appts and I'm not making money. Rebel, are you still with W&S? If so, how's it going so far?

 

[bboman23]

Thanks for all the information. I'm thinking about leaving New York Life and starting at W&S. My manager is not going with me on appts and I'm not making money. Rebel, are you still with W&S? If so, how's it going so far?

If he is still with them, I would say it's going great since the thread was started in 08

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

I'm thinking about leaving New York Life and starting at W&S. My manager is not going with me on appts and I'm not making money.

Seriously, you should consider getting out of the business.

 

[LifeWorth]

My experience with western southern was nothing like this. But then again, I was in a godawful district, the agency manager is a joke, and literally every agent is near starving. Blank weeks from every agent was the rule and the norm. The district is so bad that even a small term sale made you feel proud. Not one of the agents had at least 6 preset appointments. The best in the district, someone who leads the company nationally in FYC, also goes through blank weeks more often than not. The experience with captive mutuals truly vary from office to office. WS at Muncie, Indiana is a good district. The one I was at is TERRIBLE.

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Seriously, you should consider getting out of the business.

You cranky veteran, you.

 

[argar5]

I spend 17 years as a W&S agent and manager i was captive and had a great Debit but now i here a big constant turn over and no money to be made. Get a good Final Expense Co. and buy the leads and see how that works out. I spend 36 years in the Business and if i had to do it all over again NOT !!!
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