America's #1 Seller of Mortgage Protection Insurance

I Think Your Kids Need A Raise…

You may have heard of a concept to give kids an allowance while showing them how to save money.

You give them a few dollars a week to spend, and another few dollars to save. You offer to match the amount they save (sorta like how a 401K works) — essentially showing them how to save and invest their money towards the future.

Well, did you know that you, as their agent have an even better plan to help them save money for their kids’ futures?

Your clients may currently have a policy in place to protect their loved ones from losing their house should something happen to the breadwinner. Did you know you could convert this policy to accumulate a cash value for your client’s kids’ futures? This “cash allowance” would not only protect your client’s assets, but at the same time will build up a cash value for your client’s kids’ college fund (or simply a nest egg for their future).

Share the love with your clients

How will you share your heart?

February is considered to be a month for love. In fact, one of the largest retailer weeks for the card industry is Valentine’s Day. Hallmark® even has over 1,330 different cards specifically for Valentine’s Day!

Many of us will be showing appreciation or love for someone this month, but did you know that more hearts are aching across the United States than there are sweethearts? Let me explain…

Every second with a loved one counts…

Every 20 seconds someone in the U.S. is having a heart attack. Heart-related illnesses, particularly heart disease, are the number one cause of death in the U.S.

This February, make sure that you are protecting your clients should something happen to the breadwinner of the household. Give your clients an unwavering sense of security by protecting the ones they love.

Are You Protecting Your Clients Like a Band-Aid®?

Insurance agents serve to protect their clients, much like Band-Aids® serve to protect wounds.

Mortgage Protection is like a bandage in that we use it to cover and protect our families.

Often people tend to overlook protecting the things that matter most to them, until a financial problem festers and becomes too difficult to heal.

How long would your clients last if they became disabled and could not work? Do you have a back-up plan in place for their income?

Educate your friends, neighbors, and clients about mortgage protection insurance – and the options available to them. Take the time to personally guide them through the ins and outs of securing their income for the sake of their family.

Show Your Clients How to Have a Worry-Free Retirement!

When your clients are looking for options to save for their retirement, be sure to let them know that you have a better way to save their money. Be sure to let them know the facts.

-Stocks vs. Bonds

Bonds are low-risk and won’t grow your clients’ money. Stocks can increase their earnings, but with the tipsy stock market the consequences can be harsh.

-401K?

Saving money and getting it matched by an employer is great, but are your clients thinking about how inflation will affect their return? Saving more will up their chances of having more for retirement.
There is a better way! And the answer is an annuity!

Annuities are designed to increase your clients’ savings without risk and with guaranteed interest.
The money can grow tax deferred and then can be distributed back to the owner in several ways. This means 100% of your earnings are invested into an annuity and allowed to grow without having to pay taxes on earnings.

Advantages of an Annuity

- Guaranteed Income
- No Penalty Annual Withdrawals
- No Penalty Rollovers
- No Probate in Case of Death
- No Annual Fees
- Unlimited Contributions
- Bonus Rates
- No Risk of Loss

Annuities provide a safe and simple vehicle for all clients… especially for those clients who have money invested, but can’t afford the risk and don’t have the time to recoup the losses if the market where to drop.

- Some questions to ask your clients:
- Where is your safe money?
- What are you doing for retirement?
- Are you happy with the returns you are getting?
- Have you changed jobs that had a retirement plan?
- Do you have a will?

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NAA is an insurance marketing organization that supports independent insurance agents in all 50 states. In 2008, the company provided more than $13.3 billion in life insurance protection to families throughout the U.S. The company specializes in term and mortgage protection life insurance products, but also provides a full array of insurance-based financial services. Headquartered in Burlington, NC, the company employees approximately 130 people and serves more than 9,000 insurance agents. For more information visit, www.naalife.com.

How to Effectively Communicate to Your Client

“The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished,” said George Bernard Shaw. That quote still holds true today; you may know the nuts and bolts of what you’re talking about, but if you don’t know how to deliver your message effectively, you’re not going to sell. Below are some rules about how to effectively communicate to others, with words and body language. Consider the following techniques the next time you’re ready to go to a sale.

Non-verbal Communication

Make eye contact ¾’s of the time – It’s a known fact that most Americans find eye contact assuring; it shows that you are trustworthy and confident. Try to hold eye contact about ¾’s of the time you’re speaking to the client so they know they can trust you. You may want to lessen this if you’re speaking to the spouse of the opposite sex, or if your client comes from a different cultural background; many Asian and Arab countries prefer less eye contact.

Lean forward – While still respecting your client’s personal space, lean forward towards them as you speak. This will show your client that you’re interested in what you’re talking about as well as illustrating the importance of the appointment to you and them.

Position Yourself – When sitting at the table, make sure you are wary of what gender sits where. You should sit at the end of the table with the spouse of the same sex closest to you. Spouses of the opposite sex should sit furthest away, so the other spouse is not distracted by the fact that you’re sitting too close to their husband or wife! By sitting in the correct position you’ll be setting yourself up for success.

Avoid fidgeting – Just like you’ll hear in public speaking, fidgeting during a presentation gets in the way of your message. Don’t toe tap or pen click; this makes you appear nervous, impatient, and distracted. All three of these things may harm your appearance to your client.

Verbal Communications

Pay attention to your surroundings – Before you set foot in your client’s home, take a moment to look at your surroundings. What do you notice about your client from their front yard? What about once you’re in the home? From these observations, you can discover talking points to discuss with your client. For example, if they have a boat parked in their driveway, you could ask them if they go boating frequently and where. Although this won’t help with “nuts and bolts,” it’ll give you good talking points in becoming familiar with your client and building trust with them.

Know the answer to your question – Ask questions that incite the answer you’re looking for. You want your client to visualize the situation they’d be in if they don’t get protection. This will help you have power over the conversation.

Lead with questions – This is a good way to steer a conversation without seeming too pushy. Know the answers you want and create questions from that.

Pauses – Pausing after delivering information will give your client a chance to catch up mentally and possibly offer a reply. You can also emphasize an important point by doing this, as well as highlighting the gravity of the decision being discussed.

Notice your Client’s Discomfort – You may not be the only one nervous during your appointment. If your client seems agitated or nervous, it may be a good idea to point it out and address it. This will both show you’re perceptive as well as give you a chance to address their worries. It puts you in control.

Coupled with the National Agents Alliance Sales System and proper training, this extra step in properly communicating with your client will help you strengthen your ability to speak effectively. Remember, you are there to help your client, and you should use all the skills you can in clearly presenting your products so the client is fully aware of their need to be protected.

About NAA:
National Agents Alliance is the independent agent’s goldmine of opportunity to develop serious income potential in both up-front commissions as well as back end residuals. Whether your career ambitions are to run your own independent life insurance agency or to be in the field writing business, National Agents Alliance is the place to make the kind of money you always dreamed of making.

The Sales Training blog is only a fraction of the type of training available to insurance agents through National Agents Alliance. Contracted NAA insurance agents have access to many more tools and resources such as:
• NAA University™, a platform for training and certifying our agents on peak production techniques
• NAAtv™, an online resources containing training videos and a conference call archive available 24 hours a day
• KIT Marketing®, a direct-mail service exclusive to NAA® agents for automatically keeping in touch with clients

3 Questions about Annuities That You Should Answer

Annuities can intimidate some insurance agents; it’s not part of insurance sales 101, but it can be a great add-on to your sale, as well as helping protect your client’s retirement assets. The best thing to do is to study up on the basics and understand how an annuity will satisfy your client’s needs concerning a savings plan.

But let’s start with the basics first…

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National Agents Alliance Tips On Travelling Sales: Part 2

In our first installment, we gave you tips from Alex Fitzgerald on how to approach traveling sales so you won’t end up breaking the bank. We’re going to pick up where we left off and go over important things to keep in mind when budgeting your trip, making the sale, and calculating your final profit.

As we said before, before you set foot in your car to drive out to a sale, make sure you’ve got the sales system down pat (we can’t stress this enough!). Otherwise, you’ll be driving further out for further expense without increasing your profit! Play it safe; get the hang of selling before venturing out into the wild blue yonder.

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National Agents Alliance Top Agency Manager on Traveling for Leads

Are you looking to cast your net further than your back yard? Many Sales experts are eager to go out into the frontiers in order to meet with families who have never spoken with a mortgage protection specialist.

However, out-of-state leads need to be approached in a smart way or you could end up in the hole. We recently spoke with Alex Fitzgerald of National Agents Alliance, one of the top Agency Managers in the business.

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Part-time in Mortgage Protection helps bring home Full-Time Paycheck

We’re not going to beat around the bush; economic times are tough right now. Currently the U.S. unemployment rate is hovering around 7%, and some experts speculate that we could head into double-digit numbers by the end of the year.  In order to avoid lay-offs, many companies have to cut back on hours or pay.  This might keep people in offices, but the blow to your paycheck is hard to live with.

According to ABC News, part-time jobs are now in high demand, and for good reason. With companies cutting back hours, there’s an increasing gap between American’s paychecks and their monthly bills.

What do you need to help fill the gap? Do you really want to work an extra 40 hours per week to get by? There is another, smarter,  way to help increase your income: part-time insurance sales.

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National Agents Alliance Gleans Spanish-Speaking Market Insight from Virginia Charles

These days, it’s becoming more and more important to reach out to new, untapped markets. At National Agent’s Alliance®, we encourage our agents to contact overlooked families in order to give families the financial protection they need. One such market is the Spanish-speaking market. Spanish-speaking families have the same concerns and desire to protect their family, but often aren’t contacted because of language barriers.

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