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I Have Proof it Works!
By Chris Vahrenwald
The biggest
problem I have faced in this business is prospecting and in the direct response
world that means LEADS. It’s tough to get enough, get ‘em consistently and
retain quality day in and day out. I have tried other Internet lead sources and
found them to be as unpredictable as print media advertising—good one month, two
months, then nothing the third month. I have always wanted to grow a
substantial business, but the challenges above seemed unscalable. Then…I was
introduced to Only Financial Group and InsuranceOnly in September/2005.
Mike
Wedeking and I had a lunch meeting. I was very open and honest about the
frustrations I had been experiencing for the last five years. Receiving
constant promises from my up line agent that if I just hung in there for one
more year, they would provide the business and support I needed to grow. Well,
it just didn’t happen. After 5 years of promises I listened seriously to Mike’s
responses as he addressed all my concerns and challenges. Once I was done
asking questions he laid out what OFG had to offer.
And what an offer it was!!
As I left
the coffee shop that sunny afternoon I was excited to get home and tell my wife
that Mike was someone we could trust. Shortly after our first meeting I went to
a seminar in Denver and met Mike’s brother Pat, and most of everyone with OFG.
That meeting left me convinced this was a group I could depend on. I’ve since
found that if OFG says they’re going to do something, they do it.
It has been
hard work. I’ve worked a few twelve-hour days along with the usual eight hour
ones and every other Saturday. Did it work? Here are some hard numbers. My
first full month with OFG I had increased my total sales by 500%. I wrote more
business in a month and a half than all of last year. My average premium has
increased by 150%.
A Telemarketer?
Shortly
after I began OFG suggested I get a telemarketer (TM). All the top
organizations have one they told me. I said, “Hey, time out here” I have
limited space and phone lines. My office is in my home. OFG’s response was to
allow me to hire one of their telemarketers! They work with insurance companies
and vendors constantly to lighten our load. All this along with technology
they’ve developed in house to help too. I don’t even mail applications to 95%
of my prospects anymore, as OFG has been instrumental in partnering with
Portamedic to flow all forms electronically to an examiner who secures all
necessary requirements. If you come away with just one thing from this article,
it is that OFG is the “good guy” in this direct response niche. They are
constantly looking to find ways to make us more efficient and more profitable in
selling life insurance. And they care. I remain in close contact with Mike
about my growth model and he assures me he and OFG will meet all my current and
future needs. Read Pat’s article in this issue and be one of the 1 or 2 new
folks that get to join OFG and the folks at InsuranceOnly this year!!
What
challenges are now on the horizon today? Increasing infrastructure and
training. These are the kinds of problems I wanted when I began in the Life
Insurance business six years ago.
Best of Success,
Chris Vahrenwald
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