Agent Spotlight

FFL would like to formally recognize Julius Gilgur as our agent of the week! Julius recently qualified for the Hall of Fame for the first time with $462,973 in YTD production. He’s also growing his agency that is currently issuing $500,000 a month! Continue reading below to learn more his 2020 growth:  

Q: What Changes did you make to be able to qualify for the Hall of Fame this year?

A: I increased my lead investing which increased the amount of appointments I was running. I also made an effort to improve the service that I give to my clients by gaining a better understanding of what the different plans and options are. 

Q: How much were you investing in leads in comparison to how much you’re investing now?

A: I was investing $2,000-3,000 a month and now I’m investing $5,000-$7,000 per month. I basically just doubled my investment. I started incrementally increasing my leads by picking up additional counties, different lead types etc. It was scarier in the beginning to get more leads because I wasn’t sure if it would translate into additional revenue, but then I realized the numbers are all very predictable if I make sure to work the leads.  

Q: What is your goal issue paid amount when you invest that $5,000-$7,000?

A: The minimal goal is to issue pay $30,000 every month.

Q:  How has your schedule changed with this increased amount of leadflow?

A: I used to run around 15 appointments a week and now I’m running at least 25 per week.

Q: What has been your strategy to produce at a high level while still building a large agency?

A: I’ve just been reinvesting most of my commission into advertising dollars which has helped me to increase the amount of people I’m calling. I’ve also had staff for a while but I just hired a recruiter this year to help me as well.

Q: What are your goals for 2021?
A: My goal is to triple in 2021. My agency is currently doing around $500,000 and I’d like to get us to 1.5 million per month by next year. That would allow us to help more families and help more agents

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

FFL would like to formally recognize Vice President Jermaine Clifford as our agent of the week! Jermaine is leading his agency’s rapid growth and has grown over 114% since January 2020. Continue reading below to hear more about his agency’s progression: 

Q: What has changed to help your agency grow since January?

A: A lot has changed for us these past few months. More of our agents are becoming engaged in the system and we’re doing a better job at plugging them in and making sure they’re on training calls, bootcamps, etc. We’re just trying to show them what success looks like. We also have a lot of core guys that are now taking on management roles and leading from the front.

Q: What does your schedule look like to increase agency volume and maintain high production simultaneously?

A: I run around 20-30 appointments a week. Mondays and Thursdays are my dial days and I spend another 4 days out in the field. I also have two full time employees that handle the operational side of things so that I don’t have have to worry about that aspect and can primarily focus on my production.

Q: What’s your strategy to get new agents started quickly?

A: When I’m talking to an unlicensed agent I set them up with expectations like letting them know that I was able to get licensed in 7 days. After that we push them to get through contracting as quickly as possible and then we get them out into the field with Americo and Prosperity. Leads are purchased while they’re waiting for their contracts. 

Q:  What is your strategy for getting new agents started with leads?

A: We like to get the agents to invest in themselves and have some skin in the game early on. Especially with some of our new lead options that only cost $11 dollars, any agent should be able to purchase 40-50 leads with around $500 in capital. I also think its up the manager’s discretion as to whether or not they want to match that agents purchase or help finance them in special situations.

Q: What are your goals for the end of 2020?
A: Personally I’d like to qualify for the Hall of Fame. The rest of my focus is getting our new agents paid. We currently have 30 people in contracting and once we get them out in the field we’re hoping to start issuing $500,000 as an agency by the end of the year.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

FFL would like to formally recognize Executive Vice President Alondra Topete as our agent of the week! Alondra is FFL’s youngest agent to ever qualify for the Hall of Fame with $437,544 YTD. She is also building an agency that has issued $2,034,825 YTD. Continue reading below to hear more about her journey:

Q: What made you join FFL?

A: I graduated from nursing school and then decided to get my insurance license after graduating as well. My initial plan was to treat it as a hobby and work on a part time basis. I decided to go full time because I saw the financial potential and liked that I’d have the ability to help my Hispanic community and take care of my family at the same time.

Q: What did the training process look like for you?

A: My first six months I was working on a part time basis and I wasn’t producing that much. When I decided to go full time was when I really started to focus on training. I started listening to all the calls almost every night and worked on improving my confidence out in the field. I also think that making sure to only listen to those who are doing better than me has been really influential.

Q: What was the hardest obstacle that you had to overcome?

A: I really struggled with feeling confident out in the field at first. I thought people wouldn’t take me seriously because of my age and other excuses I would tell myself. But I just continued to listen to other successful agents and over time with practice my confidence grew.

Q: How much do you typically spend on leads each week?

A: I typically spend between $1500-$2000 a week in order to issue $50,000 a month.

Q: What has been your hiring strategy?

A: Once I started producing at a high level I began to share my results on social media and people began reaching out to me. I’ve used other platforms like Ziprecruiter, Craigslist etc. but the majority of my team has definitely come from my own social media posting.

Q: What are your goals for 2020?A: Personally I’d like to be at $500,000 but most of my focus is getting all of my new agents to get paid. As a team I’d like us to be issuing at least a million a month by convention.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

We’d like to recognize Dave Whichard as our 2020 All American award recipient!

In less than a year Dave has completely shattered numerous records for both agency and personal production. His agency went from issuing $22,000 in January to issuing $1 million in October and reached Board Member status. Dave also made a commitment to lead his team from the front by becoming a Hall of Fame producer and issued $407,000 by November!

Continue reading below to learn about Dave’s thoughts on his unbelievable year:

Q: How does it feel to be FFL’s All American award recipient for 2020?

A: It’s an honor. The things that I’ve learned here have blown me away. It was incredible to hear what Shawn had to say when he was giving me the award because I admire him so much. I feel the same about our other leaders like Andrew T. and Tray H. I just look up to those guys, so to be in the same category as them is amazing. I feel really blessed.

Q: You were the fastest person ever to hit board member status and you qualified for the producer Hall of Fame. Were those always your goals?

A: I think everything started to really get going in February right after convention. At that time we didn’t even have staff. That was when I decided I was going to have to issue $400,000. I wanted my team to be able to see how possible it was. I also knew that once the team started to really grow I wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend that much time on my production anymore, so It was something I committed to. Hitting board member status in October was not the initial plan. I knew we could do it but it happened way earlier than I initially thought it would.

Q: What is one thing you learned or changed that’s had the biggest impact on your success?

A: I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is just how incredible of an opportunity this really is. I put all of my faith into our leadership like Shawn, Andrew, Tray etc. I would do anything that they ask me to do because I know they have this business figured out.

Q: What are you looking forward to in 2021?
A: I’m looking forward to continuing to help my team grow. I want to show them that if they just follow the FFL blueprint they can get to board member status even quicker than I did. The other thing that I’m really looking forward to is obtaining a partnership with Integrity!

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

FFL would like to formally recognize Executive Vice President Dave Whichard as our agent of the week! Dave started with FFL in January 2020 and is on track to qualify for the hall of fame and board member status by the end of the year! Continue reading below to learn how Dave became one of the fastest growing agencies in FFL history:

Q: Prior to FFL you were working with a different insurance company, what made you decide to join FFL?

A: I was with my prior company for 19 years so I was researching and praying on the idea of switching for around 6-8 months. My main drive was that I really wanted my people to win. People weren’t winning due to low comp and a lack of access to leads. I also wanted a real opportunity for them to be able to own their own agency as opposed to it being owned by a corporation. It was definitely a big leap of faith for my family and I. I ended up issue paying $100,000 within my first three months and never looked back.

Q: Since you had experience with selling insurance already, did you still have a learning curve when getting started?

A: I think there was a process where I had to unlearn everything I knew to relearn the FFL model. For example, I had never purchased leads before because I got my clientele all through cold-calling and referrals. So I talked to Andrew T. who helped me to formulate a plan for purchasing leads, scheduling dial days, etc. I’m not someone who likes to overthink things, and that’s why I appreciate Andrew T. and Shawn M. so much because they’re the same way. I just did what they advised me to do. 

Q: You have also been growing so rapidly as an agency, what has been your hiring strategy?

A: When I joined FFL I didn’t bring anyone with me, I just went to work. I started reaching out to people I knew who had a license and hired a few. I also started utilizing different platforms like ziprecruiter. Aside from my own recruiting I’ve had people reach out to me because they see the numbers I’m sharing on social media. 

Q: How have you been able to maintain your production while building?

A: That has definitely been a bit more challenging the more we grow as an agency. My initial goal was always to make it to the hall of fame because I knew it was possible with this system. We focus on having proper structure in regards to the staff in my office to help agents and that way I can continue to lead from the front.

Q: What is your goal for the end of 2020?
A: I’d like my agency to be issuing $1.2 million a month, remain the fastest growing agency in FFL, qualify for an Integrity partnership deal by 2021, and help as many agents as I can to reach that same type of success.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

FFL would like to formally recognize Easton Padden as our agent of the week! Easton has already issue paid $578,054 and his agency has issued over $1.5 million YTD. Continue reading below to learn more about his journey with FFL. 

Q: How long have you been working with FFL and what were you doing prior to insurance?

A: I’ve been here for a year and a half and before this I was working for Enterprise Rent-A-Center as an assistant manager in the truck rental division. I saw a Ziprecruiter AD that said that you can make $400,000 a year. I didn’t even know it was a commission based job at that point. I just saw the high income potential. 

Q: Was there a learning curve for you when you started or were you always a high producer?

A: I had a massive learning curve. It took me around 10 weeks before it finally clicked for me and I had my first $15,000 week. 

Q: What was it that finally clicked for you?

A: I’m a slow learner and was so bad in the beginning so I think it was all the repetition finally paying off. I was running 35-40 appointments a week consistently. I was also reaching out to everyone and receiving so much help from people like Jon W., Athena V., Zac T. etc. I started doing everything that they advised me to do as well as writing down the specifics of appointments that I didn’t close so I could ask them what I should have done in those scenarios. 

Q: Since this was your full time job, how did you financially handle those first two months when you weren’t closing many deals?

A: I didn’t have any capital when starting with FFL, but I understood the income potential. To get around my lack of funds I signed up for 3 different credit cards and put a massive amount of leads on them. I was spending around $2000 a week in leads and barely breaking even. I took a crazy risk. I’m not saying that every new agent should do what I did, but I knew I’d eventually figure it out. There were too many people who were having success for it not to work. 

Q: We see you talk a lot about leads on social media, What’s your approach when it comes to lead types and how do you instill that into your agents?

A: I think us agents are blessed because FFL keeps working on new lead types, there are just so many that it’s hard to fail. I think a lead mix is very important and so when starting a new agent I typically offer a lead match and formulate a plan suitable to their budget. I also make sure to talk about how uncomfortable it can be to have to invest in a business when you were a W-2 employee but stress it’s importance to be successful here. 

Q: What’s your goal for 2020?
A: I’d like to hit around $700,000 in personal production, and I’d like my agency to be issuing half a million a month.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

FFL would like to formally recognize Genevieve Okoro as our agent of the week! Genevieve went full time in January 2020 and has already issue paid $357,241 YTD. Continue reading below to learn more about her rapid growth. 

Q: Your production has increased substantially these past few months, what have you been doing differently?

A: I used to struggle with booking strong quality appointments. I had a consistent amount of high activity but it wasn’t amounting to anything. I started asking other top producers what they were doing in comparison to what I was doing and I was able to tweak my strategy. The increased lead flow has also really had an impact on my business because we have so many options like the new instant internet life leads. I’ve been able to work off of a mixture of leads as opposed to just focusing on one or two types. 

Q: Did the 2020 convention have an impact on your business?

A: Absolutely! It was not coincidental that my production increased shortly after. I was not expecting to cry at that event, but hearing all the stories from our agents was so impactful on me. I really enjoyed seeing how down to earth Shawn was and how willing he was to pour out his soul to the audience. Being able to actually see the people that you see in our training videos is amazing and the energy is unlike anything else. 

Q: FFL is one of the few companies that has been able to grow during the pandemic, did you experience any new challenges these past few months?

A: I never thought of it as something that should affect my business because the importance of life insurance is even more clear now. People tend to treat life insurance like a commodity even though we know the only guarantees in life are taxes and death. With death, there aren’t any loopholes to get yourself out of it. The pandemic has really made people face their own mortality and because of that my job to help provide them coverage is extremely important. I definitely had a lot of appointments outside and some days were pretty cold but that’s okay because those families got life insurance. 

Q: What do you need to improve upon to take it to the next level and what are your production goals for 2020?

A: I already know how to sell insurance so now I’m focusing on improving my hiring. I’d like to hire more motivated people and build an agency so that one day I can come out of the field. In regards to my personal production my goal is to end at $550,000 and I’d like my agency to be at $250,000

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

Nina joined FFL in 2020 and recently qualified for the Hall of Fame with $407,523.09 ! Continue reading below to learn how she reached this goal within her first year:

Q: What were you doing for work prior to getting started with FFL?

A: I was working as a captive agent with another insurance company for 2 years. I had heard about FFL for a long time but it took me a while to finally make a move. And prior to getting started in insurance I was working as a dietician/personal trainer.

Q: Why did you decide to switch over to FFL?

A: I was at a 40% comp. and I wanted to be in full control of my business. We were given free leads but they were old recycled leads that we had to call over and over again and I wasn’t allowed to purchase more.

Q: Did you still have a learning curve when you got started?

A: Yes I still had to go through a learning curve. My biggest challenge was getting into the flow of purchasing leads since I was accustomed to receiving them for free. I used to only buy $500 worth of leads and I would try to work those leads for as long as I could. Then when I went to convention I just kept hearing just buy more leads and from there I was eventually able to work myself up to purchasing more.

Q: How much do you spend on leads now and what is your production goal each month?

A: I spend around $2,000 a week on leads in order to run 30-35 appointments a week to issue pay $40,000 per month.

Q: What has kept you motivated to maintain high production activity throughout the year?

A: I think that it’s definitely due to my why. I know where I want to be in the future, I know that I want to qualify for an integrity deal. But I also want to be able to retire my parents and help them. We’re originally from Serbia where people don’t have this type of opportunity so that keeps me going every day.

Q: What’s your goal for 2021?

A: I’d like to qualify for the hall of fame again and I’d like to get my agency issuing a million a month. We’re currently at $300,000 per month but I know we can get there.

Q: What’s your one piece of advice to a new agent looking to qualify for the Hall of Fame in their first year?
A: I’d say to not over-complicate things, if you break down the numbers absolutely anyone can do it.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

John went full time with FFL in 2020 and qualified for the Hall of Fame with $561,230 in production! Continue reading below to learn more about his transition into the insurance industry:

Q: What were you doing for work prior to getting started with FFL?

A: I was working as a Physical Education teacher and basketball coach. I didn’t have any prior sales or insurance experience.

Q: Why did you decide to get started in the insurance industry?

A: I knew Shawn M. from working with his son’s basketball league. We spoke a few times and connected through my passion and dedication for coaching. I then got connected to Matt W. and the rest is history.

Q: How was the learning curve for you when you got started?

A: My first month was pretty scary. Everyone kept saying that I would do great but I had a bunch of no shows, lack of interest, and kept hearing “we need to think about it.” I just kept up with the training and kept reaching out to Matt. I made sure to just follow what the best did and hoped that it would all work out. Once I got my first sale it was like an avalanche because I saw the real potential of the opportunity. Plus I really loved helping families. It’s a nice feeling knowing that you’re helping a family and your own family will get to benefit from it as well.

Q: What was the most difficult thing that you had to learn to master that’s had the biggest impact on your success?

A: Oh that would definitely be the phone. I think you’ll hear a lot of agents say that. I tell all of my new agents that getting good on the phone simply takes time. There’s no magic pill for it. I also think that when you’re new it can be useful to beat up older leads and really practice overcoming objections.

Q: How was the transition of going from a W-2 position to needing to invest in leads?

A: My first 6 months was when I really was able to learn what to do and what not to do. I was accustomed to working off of a teacher’s salary where you have just enough to get by. At first I wanted to hoard the money that I would get from my sales. But I realized that lead to an up and down rollercoaster of success for me. There was a theme, when I purchased a higher amount of leads I would have better results. So I had to learn that process before I started to consistently spend more on leads.

Q: What do you typically spend on leads and what monthly result are you hoping for?

A: I typically spend around $2,500 per week on leads and expect to minimally issue $50,000-60,000.

Q: What’s your goal for 2021?

A: I’m really excited for 2021! I’d like to qualify for the hall of fame again. Also, I know everyone is saying it but I’m really serious this, I plan for my agency to start issuing a million a month.

Q: What’s your one piece of advice to new agents looking to have quick success like you?
A: I’d say to work out the kinks. It’s never going to be super easy. If it was that easy then everyone in America would do it. Don’t just dial for a couple of days and then quit when you don’t have the results that you want. Read all of the phone scripts from our top agents, memorize them, practice them, and don’t quit.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332

FFL would like to spotlight new agent Suzanne Quaranta as our agent of the week! Suzanne started with FFL in April and has already been able to nearly triple her prior annual salary with issuing over $140,000! Continue reading below to learn more about her first few months with FFL:

Q: What were you doing for work prior to getting started with FFL?

A: I was working with supplemental insurance. We didn’t work off of leads. I got my clientele through door to door, business to business as well as referrals. The most I had ever made there was around $50,000 annually.

Q: Why did you decide to switch over to FFL?

A: I wasn’t making any money. I had stayed with my prior company for years more so because of loyalty even though I was struggling to pay my bills. Then when the pandemic hit making sales became even harder because so many businesses had to shut down. It was almost a blessing in disguise because it forced me to look into FFL which absolutely changed my life.

Q: Did you still have a learning curve when you got started?

A: Yes I still had to go through a learning curve. My biggest challenge was getting into the flow of purchasing leads since I was accustomed to receiving them for free. I used to only buy $500 worth of leads and I would try to work those leads for as long as I could. Then when I went to convention I just kept hearing just buy more leads and from there I was eventually able to work myself up to purchasing more.

Q: Did you still have a learning curve since you come from a supplemental insurance background?

A: I sold supplemental but I didn’t know anything about life insurance. The first time I went out into the field I had no idea what I was doing. I called Dave W. from the home and he told me to write Americo and I was able to close that first appointment.

Q: How was the transition to going from referrals and B2B to purchasing leads?

A: I felt that it was really a no brainer. Every time I heard a top producer speak in a training or video they talked about the importance of leads so I knew how it important it had to be. It was also just so much easier to work off of leads, and I found myself putting in the same amount of effort from my prior company but yielding such better results.

Q: What has nearly tripling your previous annual income done for you?

A: I’d like to qualify for the hall of fame again and I’d like to get my agency issuing a million a month. We’re currently at $300,000 per month but I know we can get there.

Q: What’s your one piece of advice to new agents looking to have quick success like you?
A: I’d say to make sure to just focus on the long term and not get stressed out. As long as you’re buying leads and following the system it should really all work out.

To join our team, send a text to 954-998-3332