Met "LIFE"...but you don't want to focus on insurance...

There is nothing wrong with selling insurance, you can make a very good living from it.  Did you sign a contract?  What licenses do you hold.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.  If you have a good position, stay there and build contacts.

maybeeeeee has a great point. If you have an ideal situation stay there. If not and you want to offer more extensive product lines, take your license and work for a firm or yourself in time.

First of all, you need a firm with better marketing support.  If all that you’re doing is trying to sell through cold calling, then you’re in trouble.

Second, if you want to focus on investments then you need to work with a full-service brokerage.  Even though Met Life is the high-end of the insurance game, it’s still perceived as a different game.

In short, if your primary focus is investments then stay away from companies that “also do” investments.

Finally, Sphinx has a good point re: product lines.  If you are finding good prospects but can’t sell them the product, it’s time to change firms.  Find a firm whose products match your target market.

Hopefully your marketing by telephone is proposing a solution to a problem, and hopefully it's to a prospect with multiple needs and money- business owners. Daytime activity, no do not call laws.Hopefully it focuses on taxes- everybody's hot button. Don't sell on the phone, just go for the appointment.The only problem is that when you call and introduce yourself from MetLIFE, most will think it's about life insurance, and first impressions are hard to overcome.

What's your approach?

Stok

First Day and you are posting here… Id say thats not a good sign. I have a buddy that works at MET says the fruit hangs freakin really low… they have lists and lists of folks with insurance at say ford or GM or whoever… and they are no longer there and you can call them to convert those into personal insurance… when the money gets tight… lean on that 

Yeah man this is discouraging. I personally don’t care much about life
insurance, and you really need to believe in the product or service
you’re selling. I have a life/health, 6, & 63. I wanted to take the
7 & 66 but the managing director wanted me to take the 6 & 63
(maybe to get a quicker hire and trap me there? don’t know…).



I don’t doubt that MetLife has a lot of products to sell. But it just
seems to me like they want me to focus on selling insurance policies
and not on investments.



I’ve only signed what they call a “preliminary contract,” which I think
doesn’t mean anything. I haven’t got paid a dime yet, and paid for all
my testing and classes myself. Once I make a few sales, they want me to
enter into another contract where I get paid $650 a week for 19 weeks
and no commission. But all the business I do during that LONG 19 weeks
can be collected later.



I’d be willing to change firms, but only if I’d be able to get a job at
a reputable one. I just graduated college (UC Berkeley) with a Legal
Studies major (2.4 gpa) and have some, but not much work experience. My
interviewing skills aren’t sooo great but I can work on that and try to
prepare myself. I’d only want to work at one of the top companies with
the best offices and support.



A couple of good things at this particular MetLife office is that it’s
one of the best in the country. Everyone there, who is obviously
biased, loves it. They support each other, and they have a lot of
million-dollar producers. After my 19-week period of “training,” they
want me to work day-to-day with one of these senior producers.



Right now, I’m really on the edge of staying/leaving. What do you all think?

"I've only signed what they call a "preliminary contract," which I think doesn't mean anything. I haven't got paid a dime yet, and paid for all my testing and classes myself. Once I make a few sales, they want me to enter into another contract where I get paid $650 a week for 19 weeks and no commission. But all the business I do during that LONG 19 weeks can be collected later"

They want you to survive for 19 weeks on 650/week?? Thats 400 after taxes and the inevitable fees/charges you will have ot pay them....

"Right now, I'm really on the edge of staying/leaving. What do you all think?

Ahhh... get out now... Think of the licensing money as a lost bet...

God bless!

What kind of fees/charges are you talking about? I know that it will
cost me money to hold seminars and whatnot, but what other additional
fees are there?



I’d want to get out, but I feel like this experience is necessary if I
want to get into one of the “better” firms. I don’t have a financial
background and I don’t have much experience. A couple of firms, Jones
and UBS, said I didn’t have enough experience to get started with them.
ARGGHHH

Hey man you have to start some where. If you learn from the insurance field then you have experience. On top of this you have to be able to sell. Maybe screw, but that is a form of selling with insurance.

Reguardless learn, network and sell! Kick some butt and and live on rice, water and beans. Protein will allow your body to produce red blood cells and thus feed your brain and muscles. Also this will help you get used to rejection and no or not interested.

I'd be willing to change firms, but only if I'd be able to get a job at a reputable one. I just graduated college (UC Berkeley) with a Legal Studies major (2.4 gpa) and have some, but not much work experience. My interviewing skills aren't sooo great but I can work on that and try to prepare myself. I'd only want to work at one of the top companies with the best offices and support.

Let me see if I have this right.  You have a 2.4 gpa in college and interviewing skills that are not so great and you're wondering if you'd be a wirehouse manager's wet dream?

The way you should approach the next ten years is to pretend that MetLife is a graduate school where you have a chance to improve that GPA and learn how to interview.

Then, and only then, should you even consider the possibility that you have something to bring to the table at a full service securities firm.

There are a lot of wirehouse brokers who came to their firm when they were between thirty and thirty five years of age, armed with sensational closing skills and millions of dollars in AUM.

There are few places to get that training that are better than with Snoopy and the gang.

What you might find is that by the time you morph into something that a traditional brokerage firm would want to have you will be so successful at Met that their rather impressive golden handcuffs provisions will make you decide that you are Chris the Insurance Professional instead of Chris the Stock Broker.

Stay the course and never, as in NEVER, think that securiies would be easier to sell than life insurance, nursing home policies and the other things that places like Met excel at.

You're a kid, ten years from now you'll still be wet behind the ears.  Don't be in such a hurry.

[quote=7GOD63]

Hey man you have to start some where. If you learn from the insurance field then you have experience. On top of this you have to be able to sell. Maybe screw, but that is a form of selling with insurance.

Reguardless learn, network and sell! Kick some butt and and live on rice, water and beans. Protein will allow your body to produce red blood cells and thus feed your brain and muscles. Also this will help you get used to rejection and no or not interested.

[/quote]

Eating lots of beans helps you get used to rejection?  Makes sense.

"Oops, excuse me"  (Big 'Ol Bean ripper)

-Client stands up in disgust and walks out of office.

Although I think it has little to do with 'feeding your brain' and muscles. 

7GOD, do you mind sharing with us what the ultimate rookie diet should be to maximize the development of rejection tolerance?

I'm thinking it will involve some of the following:

garlic, onions, peppers, lot's of fat and empty carbs (to put on excess weight) foods that get stuck in your teeth easily etc...

Also, if you really want to speed up the learning curve I suggest you start talking with a lisp, stare at all your female prospects breasts (don't make eye contact), hang up posters of Hilter in your office and play gangsta' rap in the background when in your office.

You'll be a rejection handling fool in no time.

"play gangsta' rap in the background when in your office."

I actually have some old school KRS One playing on my windows media player as I fill out some forms right now... Good stuff right there.....

As for my comments I was talking more on the fact that making 400-500 (after taxes) a week is a challenge to live on..... SO drinking/eating water, rice and beans might help you survive. Also one could be hydrated and be mentally sharp.
                         Okay DUUUUUDDDDDEEEEE?

Dude, do you eat healthy? Are you in shape..?

You better eat if  you’re healthy or not.

7GOD,

I don't eat beans that's for sure.  My idea of eating healthy is not beans 'n rice.  Yes I do eat healthy.  Am I in shape.........didn't you see that picture of me in the "Dude's true identity" thread?

I know what your point was.  You just gave me an easy target with the eating beans/ helps develop tolerance to rejection.  I think diet has less to do with developing a tolerence to rejection as much as just getting rejected alot and keeping life in perspective.

Hey......from what I understand your not even a broker yet.......yet you're already dispensing advice?   What's up with that?

Hi RegisteredChris,



I’m also fairly new in the business… only a few months. I originally was

looking at a number of different places like AG edwards, NY life, ML, Even

Ameriprise and Edward Jones. In my opinion there isn’t much difference

between the companies themselves. You’re a salesman and you’re

expected to prospect. I almost started to work for metlife but I then

began to do a little more research. The difference will be in the agency. I

decided to work with MassMutual-an insurance company. My GA and

team are outstanding and very supportive. Also if I wanted to go out on

my own, they support that too because they have their own B/D.   





Just my 2 cents