Agent’s Sales Journal February 2009
Front Page Stories
When you discuss life insurance with a client, a number of objections are likely to emerge. One of t...
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Short Takes
According to the Associated Press, consumer confidence fell unexpectedly in December, hitting a more than 40-year low as the job market worsened. Home prices in 10 major U.S. cities also dropped in October by the sharpest amount in 21 years. The...
American International Group Inc. plans to repay the $60 billion bridge loan it received from the U.S. government this year, CEO Edward Liddy recently told CNBC. In 2008, the New York-based company received a government bailout, including the...
The only national conference exclusively focused on Medicare Supplement Insurance will be held May 4-6 in Scottsdale, AZ at the FireSky Resort. Organized by the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance, the Issues & Trends in...
The recession has left a record number of individuals in need of assistance with providing for themselves and their families. As reported by the Associated Press, the number of individuals applying for Medicaid has steadily increased as the country...
Nearly 50 percent of producers reported an uptick in business and referrals despite the economic crisis, according to new research by LIMRA. The survey of nearly 700 experienced producers, who focus on individual clients, was conducted in early...
For several months, bad financial news has generated great concern among baby boomers. Many have watched the value of their retirement accounts plummet as financial markets respond with uncertainty to government action. During retirement, boomers...
Want to not only make the connection with your boomer prospects, but motivate them to action? New insights from the worlds of marketing and the social sciences can show you how to flip on the switch.
One of these is both the most obvious and...
Boomers are not going to take exploding health care costs lying down.
And therein lies your golden business opportunity. You can grow your business by offering some simple, practical tools that empower your boomer clients to take charge of...
Sales Review
When you decided to start a home-based business, you probably had great expectations. You envisioned a tidy, well-organized office where you would spend numerous hours brainstorming, building your business, and earning some serious dough. A few...
Perspectives
According to a recent report by LIMRA, while fixed annuity sales were up dramatically through the third quarter of 2008, variable annuity sales declined throughout the year. Joe Montminy, research director for LIMRA’s annuity research,...
Selling Guides
As many financial professionals may already know, the federal estate tax exemption amount is set to increase to $3.5 million per person in 2009. If it remains there, it is good news for single people with less than $3.5 million of assets and married...
So, the market is continually tanking, and you’re having problems making appointments. Every sale seems to be a tough one as your clients hold on to every last penny they have, in perpetual fear of a prolonged recession. Indexed products...
If you are reading this magazine, chances are you have sat through at least one meeting with a variable annuity (VA) wholesaler. If so, my guess is that you may have found the experience confusing, if not numbing, especially when the wholesaler...
Although the economy is in turmoil, there is still a tremendous opportunity for life insurance sales in the indexed and variable markets. The products are somewhat similar, but the disparities between them are enough to create a gap in both the type...
The Pew Center recently reported that three out of every four American adults now use the Internet. Their most common activity is email, with two-thirds of all users checking their email almost every day. Email has also become a crucial part of...
Marketing
“Consumer Confidence Near All-Time Low,” the headlines proclaim. “Bury your money in your back yard,” says the financial guru on the evening news. With these frightening declarations (to say nothing of the maddening stock...
Products
What does it mean to be underinsured? It’s generally understood as having insufficient insurance to cover the value of something — an easy concept to understand when it comes to automobiles or a piece of fine art, but a lot more complex...
Decisions about long term care insurance tend to be personal and emotional in nature. Along with income and family members’ views on caregiving, age can be an important factor influencing what your clients need or want when it comes to long...
Prospecting Corner
Whether you’re a rookie or a veteran, you need to be sure that you are fully leveraging your natural market. If you have the proper mindset and take action, your natural market can be a great source of direct clients, centers of influence, and...
Objection of the Month
How would you respond to a prospect who says… Insurance isn’t a priority for me right now. “Insurance is nothing more than a replacement of your income for your family’s protection in the event of your sudden demise....