Several questions for all

[Macdaddy]

1. Do you work from home? If you work from an office do you own the building or rent it?

I work from my home office.

2. Do you buy your own health insurance? If yes, who through?

Assurant and they have treated us well.

3. Do you have disability insurance?

No.

4. How much do you spend per month on advertising or buying leads?

I have not purchased leads, I gather the data myself and spend about $750 per month contracting a third party to do the print and mailings.

 

[Delta76]

1. Do you work from home? If you work from an office do you own the building or rent it?

Home office, probably for at least another year.

2. Do you buy your own health insurance? If yes, who through?

Personal high deductible policy for BC/BS.

3. Do you have disability insurance?

No, although I want to get it. I've been in business about 2 years and most carriers like to see some stable income before issueing a policy. I'm finally at that point now.

4. How much do you spend per month on advertising or buying leads?

About $50 per month for a phone line. I've done as much as $1200 a month to $300 per month on telemarketed leads, but I still get the best return by locking myself in the office for 2 hours a making the calls myself.

 

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

I work from home, and have two FMO's that let me use their boardrooms and desk/computer space for client meetings. I also live 1 mile from the Ga. Dept. of Labor facility, and use their computer/printer when I need to print proposals, quotes, etc.

All that is free.

My wife is a Social Worker with the Dekalb Community Service Board (State of Georgia Mental Health), and I have insurance through her. I am Type II Diabetic, and am uninsurable on the individual market.

I have a Disability policy I got when I worked with Berkshire Life Insurance Company. A Step 15 plan, and am glad I got it when I did.

I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER purchase a lead.
I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER hire a telemarketer
(I'd rather hire Michael Vick as my dog walker)

All my leads are from professional organization meetings I attend, financial planners who have clients who need health based coverage, and seminars I do, for free, at public libraries and YMCA's.

TGIF

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

"I'd rather hire Michael Vick as my dog walker"

Now, that's comedy!

 

[wilkin]

1. Do you work from home? If you work from an office do you own the building or rent it?

I work from home. We put a 1,000 SF addition on our home last year and 350 is my new office. It's beautiful and efficient. Old office was up on the third floor where it was hot in summer and cold in winter. I have rented office space before. Had a nice suite in a bank building for three years, but don't think I will ever work other than from home again.

2. Do you buy your own health insurance? If yes, who through?


Right now I am on my wife's group coverage. She teaches in a parochial school. She pays about the same as what it would cost me to get individual coverage. She is probably going to retire next year and help me part time. I will set up an HSA then.

3. Do you have disability insurance?

Yes two policies. One I wrote myself through Time (the original Time!) years ago which they sold to Assurity, and another non-can policy through Principal. I have a pretty good renewal income so both have 180 day elimination periods.

4. How much do you spend per month on advertising or buying leads?

Right now I spend $500-$750 monthly on marketing. I've spent more than twice that at different times.

-Bill

 

[JRoot]

1. Do you work from home? If you work from an office do you own the building or rent it?

I work all my life/health business through home. I do all my P/C through an office I share with a P/C broker. I get all their life/health business and they take a cut of my P/C business which is fine as I consider it my P/C training.

2. Do you buy your own health insurance? If yes, who through?

Yes, Blue Cross.

3. Do you have disability insurance?

Yes, Northwestern Mutual. Started with them 3 years ago and sold myself a DI policy...this was my first deal so I'm attached to this thing...lol.

4. How much do you spend per month on advertising or buying leads?

Life/Health: Average $700 mo. on advertising/leads.
P/C: $0

 

[somarco]

1. Do you work from home? If you work from an office do you own the building or rent it?

Home

2. Do you buy your own health insurance? If yes, who through?

Yes. Kaiser.

3. Do you have disability insurance?

Not any more. (Long story).

4. How much do you spend per month on advertising or buying leads?

About $1000, sometimes less.

 

[Frank Stastny]

I'm wondering how everyone here sets up thier business and benefits.

1. Do you work from home? If you work from an office do you own the building or rent it?

2. Do you buy your own health insurance? If yes, who through?

3. Do you have disability insurance?

4. How much do you spend per month on advertising or buying leads?

1. Home
2. Through wife's employment.
3. No
4. $000.00

 

[Frank Stastny]

I'd like to add another question. Hope you don't mind Newby.

It sounds like quite a few are spending a fair amount each month on leads.

What do you do with the leads that you don't sell?

I have talked to many agents who said they either threw them away or "put them in a box". However, hardly anyone of them keep them well organized so they can look at and review them on a regular basis. Most say they are going to do that some day, but very seldom do.

I recycle all of my leads. It isn't uncommon for me to sell a "lead" that I may have received 12,18, 24 and sometimes even 36 months ago.

I use to buy direct mail leads. I would have the same zip codes mailed about every 12 months. What I discovered was that many of the same people who responded 12 months ago were also responding to the current mailing.

That is when I decided that I was wasting way too much money on "leads" that were nothing more than an address and phone number. The same information I could get by ordering a list.

The last list I bought was about two years ago. I am still selling to people who are on that list.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Good question. I'm pretty precise about what I do with them.

Anybody under 25 gets thrown away. Anybody that gave wrong contact information gets thrown away. Vick is a bum.

All self-employed persons are kept on file and emailed in 6 months and called in 10 1/2 months. Vick is a bum.

I also email (10 1/2 months) those families that I spoke to and they chose to go with another carrier. Vick is a bum.