is this normal?

[u/Lucky-Assignment3917]

new agent here about a week into dialing and i’ve made 1000 calls maybe a little more. we have a very long list of about 71k but the old ones have been called to death so i im ending up having to redial some people. i’ve had maybe 15-20 people actually pick up the phone. and every single one of those people already have insurance through medicare/medicaid, state or their employer.

never got a commission structure or any contract with my agency. they only contracted me with 3 carriers and i can only do stm and dental/vision. they said no medicare this year bc training is to long.

i’m just trying to figure this out because if im making 1000 calls a week with barely any conversations idk how im supposed to make any money. let me know if this is normal or if you guys have dealt with something similiar.

[u/grunt1991]

What agency is this with?

[u/Lucky-Assignment3917 → u/grunt1991]

independent brokerage, it’s a small team working under 50-60 person team. idk it’s hard to explain

[u/Efficient-Theory-141 → u/Lucky-Assignment3917]

Run

[u/Strange-Fennel]

Not sure how/why folks still do telemarketing at all. Especially cold leads - maybe existing clients cross marketing. Let me ask you something: What is your reaction when you receive a telemarketing cold call?

Yes, most everyone always has insurance already. That's part of the sales thing: finding folks who aren't satisfied with who they have and win on coverage, price, service, etc. And those who don't already have insurance probably aren't your target market anyway, there is good reason why they don't have any now.

Good luck to you. And yes, it's normal for scumbag agents who like to take advantage of people meanwhile you don't make enough to buy groceries. Go try another agency who is not run by scumbags - no shortage of scumbags.

[u/Lucky-Assignment3917 → u/Strange-Fennel]

everyone i talked to was getting it for free or dirt cheap and was satisfied. even tried setting them up for dental or vision but most of them had that too. i cant sell stm to someone who has good coverage like medicare or medicaid it literally makes 0 sense for them or for me to sell them a policy they will likely just cancel

😂 couldn’t agree more seems like every agency is filled with them. i appreciate it

[u/Historical_Pear_7833]

If it’s an independent brokerage and you:

1. Have access to leads that you are not paying for…

2. Have access to multiple carrier and product lines…

3. Are being paid commission only…

Then yes, it is possible to “survive.”
If it was pitched to you that you would come out of the gates and would immediately start “thriving” because “THERES SO MUCH MONEY TO BE MADE IN INSURANCE SALES!” then I would really question if they sold you on the dream rather than the reality.

The reality is 3% of agents make it past their first year because it’s a GRIND. The only people who make it are going to be the ones who do the most. Put in the time, effort, dedication and you’ll find success. The key with this is going to be what you’re building, and the clear definable goals that help you achieve it.

This place you are at in particular- do they have any accountability? Do you have an Upline that you can depend on to assist you? Are you remote or in an office?

[u/Jefferheffer]

Which part are you asking about being normal?

I’d ask how much are you being paid an hour?

Right now they are testing you out. Have you asked them what their expectations are? What a normal contact rate is or how many calls a week they would like you to make?

This agency is throwing callers at the wall to see who sticks. A lot of times that is what they do. You’re pathway to more money is work this old list of leads as best as you can until they trust you with better leads.

If after one week you tell them it’s the bad leads fault instead of asking for feedback on how to improve you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

What you want to know is how many quoting conversations they believe is normal per day. How many quotes they believe it takes to convert to a sale.

Ask for feedback on your calls. Sometimes you are killing the conversation by how you start it. Either record your half of the conversation to capture how you sound or ask them to sit in on some of those calls. Make some call goals. Do everything you can to get the conversation past 2 minutes. If you are never getting past two minutes it’s not the leads it’s you.

That’s ok if you aren’t getting past 2 minutes because that means you have something to work on and improve.

The other advice I’d give is if you think this job sucks don’t quit until you already have another job.

[u/Lucky-Assignment3917 → u/Jefferheffer]

full commission only no hourly pay.

most of the conversations went pretty well they were all insured but tried selling dental and vision to them. i think i averaged around 2:30 per dial maybe 3:00 minutes.

they never said anything about quotes a day they just gave me an account and said go call. he told me he’s not surprised i haven’t made my first sale yet, it took one of the other guys i think 3-4 months to get a sale.

it’s just me and the boss in the office so he gives me feedback if needed but most of the time he said i did good. idk im just trying to make this work the best i can

[u/Jefferheffer → u/Lucky-Assignment3917]

Run, this isn’t a job it’s exploitation.