4TH QUARTER 2011
MARKET LINKED CDS:
A NEW ARROW FOR YOUR “SAFE MONEY” PRODUCT QUIVER (PAGE 10)
100% Independently Owned Rates available 24/7
INSIDE… 6
4TH QUARTER 2011
Rich Hellerich Robb Edwards
INCOME PLANNING: THE PROBLEM WITH PROBABILITIES
When meeting with a client, would you rather speak about probabilities or guarantees? Trusting a computer program to close the sale can be risky business. Learn how Great Plains can help you become a Retirement Income Specialist!
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THE FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY
Helping clients create a financial recovery plan in the midst of their current economic concerns and low returns or losses can open the door to more fixed and fixed index annuity sales. Consider this strategy to set yourself apart from your competition and become the trusted advisor.
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ANNUITY MARKETING • Andy Amborn • Brad Allen • Brian Dixon • Cindy Nelson • Jane Plumberg • Kara Jones
LIFE MARKETING • Dick Reynolds
MARKET LINKED CDS: A NEW ARROW FOR YOUR “SAFE MONEY” QUIVER
Having Market Linked CDs in your product portfolio can engage those prospects comfortable with the safety of “FDIC Insured” but seeking the opportunity for better rates of return.
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PRINCIPALS
WHAT’S HOT AT GPALM?
ADMINISTRATION
• Cris Larson • Kathy Putnam • Mackenzie Oakley • Naomi Mayekawa
A quick overview of news items and ideas to help you write more business.
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YOUR SUCCESS = OUR SUCCESS
Annuity Specialist Jane Plumberg offers some observations on how the products, marketing tools and sales support available at Great Plains can help agents be more productive and successful.
GREAT PLAINS HAS MOVED! Please note our new mailing address:
10901 West 84th Terrace Suite 125 Lenexa, KS 66214
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
10901 W 84th Terrace, Suite 125 Lenexa, KS 66214 Toll Free: 800-710-1115 Local: 913-492-9994 • Fax: 913-492-9998 www.greatplainsannuity.com JUST the FACTS is published quarterly for the benefit of independent insurance agents and brokers contracted with Great Plains Annuity & Life Marketing. Great Plains assumes no responsibility for the professional training or continuing education of agents. This publication is for agent use only, and not to be used to solicit sales from the general public. Products noted may not be available in all states. Great Plains does not offer tax, investment or legal advice. While every effort is made to confirm accuracy, published rate and product information is subject to change. Material herein may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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JUST the FACTS We are in high gear at Great Plains as we approach the end of the year and begin planning for 2012. We are especially excited about our anticipated move to new offices in early December that will more than double our existing square footage. Thanks to our valued producers, Great Plains is bucking industry trends and continues to grow despite today’s low interest rate environment. Our new corporate home will allow us to expand sales and administrative support, offer onsite training opportunities, and invest in enhanced computer capabilities to provide you better service, education and success in the coming years. We thank our faithful producers for their ongoing support and contribution to our growth. The success of Great Plains is merely a reflection of the successful producers we serve, and we are always aware of that fact.
We are 100% independent and remain committed to the independent brokerage distribution system, providing financial planners and insurance advisors with unbiased product and marketing support to help you provide your clients principal-protected and guaranteed planning solutions in these turbulent economic times.
and December 31st. We already have a number of multiple qualifiers, and you earn a $500 gift card for each $400,000 of annuity or $30,000 of life target sales generated during the dates above. Call your Great Plains Marketing Advisor to learn a short cut to qualifying for your gift card(s) today! Here are four reasons to call GREAT PLAINS today... 1. AFTER MARKET ASSIGNMENTS: Offer high-net-worth prospects and clients 5.00% -6.75% GUARANTEED ALL YEARS and set yourself apart from your competition! 2. MARKET-LINKED CDs: Offering the potential of higher returns than traditional CDs with FDIC protection! 3. IncomePLUS: Our laddered income presentation will help you discover more premium, make you the trusted advisor, and help clients sleep better at night! 4. Lead Generation Tools: Including our Financial Help Centers and Rural Agent Marketing Programs, in addition to our in-house advertising department! Call your GPALM Annuity Advisor for more details!
We will be announcing our actual move date closer to completion of our new office build-out, currently anticipated to be on Friday, December 2. Please watch for communication from us later this month with our new address and details, to avoid any delivery problems or delays on business overnights to our office. I’m taking our top producers on the fishing trip of a lifetime. Contact your
Have you registered for GPALM’s “Masters Fishing Tournament”?
I encourage you to take advantage of our current production incentive and get as many $500 Apple Store Gift cards as possible for qualifying 2011 production between October 1st
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Marketing Specialist to get your “fishing license” and register your production to qualify! If you love to fish, our trip will be in your wheelhouse! We are offering a Canadian Fishing Experience that will be second to none! The contest period will run from September 15, 2011 to December 31, 2012 and will be conducted in a fishing tournament format. We will schedule the trip during prime fishing up North, and the accommodations and amenities will exceed your expectations.
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
Turn High Net Worth Prospects into clients! After Market Assignments™ can get you in the door! If you are looking for a reason to get in front of, and stay in front of, high net worth clients call Great Plains today. Our After Market Assignments™ offer rates of 5.00% to 6.75% Guaranteed All Years and are issued by A– to AAA Carriers (S&P). High Net Worth prospects will take your call to learn how they can enjoy these returns in today’s low rate environment!
Call Great Plains now to separate yourself from the competition.
800-710-1115 JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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Income Planning:
The Problem with Probabilities I remember growing up and learning about how computers were going to change the world. From being able to more accurately diagnose an illness to predicting weather patterns, computer modeling was touted as being able to take human shortcomings out of solving problems. 30 years later and with an exponential growth in computer processing power, and one thing has become very clear: computers cannot replace the human brain in terms of ingenuity. So why do you hear retirement income “experts” touting the latest in computer modeling to demonstrate how much clients can “safely” withdraw for income during retirement? Computer modeling is nothing more than a high tech version of guessing, using past performance to project returns to provide the highest probability of having the income last a lifetime. If you are meeting with a client, would you rather speak about probabilities or guarantees? There are many different ways to guarantee your client a lifetime of income. If only interest is withdrawn every year, the principal is intact and your client can enjoy income forever. However, there are several shortfalls with this technique. The first one is called interest rate risk. What happens when interest rates decline severely, such as we are experiencing right now? This means your client has to accept a decrease in income during the period of lower interest rates. Another problem is how much money you have to use to produce an income that is attractive. At a 5% interest rate, $1 million will generate $50,000 per year of income. If interest rates drop to 2%, you would have to increase the amount of money to $2.5 million to maintain a level income. Take it down to 1% and you have to use $5 million. Most clients don’t have this much money set aside to dedicate to generating income. Annuities are the only financial vehicle that allows your client the ability to decumulate an asset to guarantee a lifetime income. And where you previously had to forfeit a portion or all of the asset to obtain this guarantee, annuities have evolved to counter this concern. Income Riders now provide guaranteed lifetime income while allowing the remainder to be passed on to beneficiaries. When combined with other
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annuities in a laddering concept, such as IncomePLUS, you can maximize the income your client can receive by allowing the rollup rates on the income rider to fully mature. However, not all income riders are created equal. Some provide greater incomes in different years and others have secondary benefits that may be beneficial, necessary and/or attractive to your client. Navigating these differences to provide the solution for your client is where your Annuity Specialist at Great Plains excels. Using the Income Rider Comparison Worksheet, we can show you which income rider provides the greatest amount of income for your client for their specific situation. We can also show you why choosing a lesser income may provide greater security for your client, especially with the secondary benefits that exist, such as LTC benefits or death benefits.
Call your Great Plains Annuity Specialist today to learn more about how you can become a Retirement Income Specialist and set yourself apart from the competition. Your clients will thank you - repeatedly.
Brad Allen Annuity Marketing Consultant
I need income
TODAY!
What’s the best income rider for clients desiring a guaranteed lifetime income stream TODAY? The answer might surprise you. We’ve done all the work. Call your Great Plains Annuity Specialist and we’ll show you the best solutions based on your client’s age, anticipated date they wish to trigger their guaranteed income stream, and other retirement needs.
from
No single product or income rider is ALWAYS the best fit. If you are tired of hearing the same solution for every case situation, IncomePLUS will assure your client that you are offering a custom strategy designed to meet THEIR needs. Become a Retirement Income Planning Specialist and your clients’ trusted advisor with Great Plains and IncomePLUS FOR PRODUCER USE ONLY. NOT TO BE REPRODUCED OR SHOWN TO THE PUBLIC.
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
Looking for the best income rider for your client? Call now...
800-710-1115
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The first step
to recovery You may have thought the answer was admitting you need help, but as insurance agents the first step to recovery for your clients might be you offering to help. No one enjoys talking about negative situations, for example investment portfolio devaluation in a down economy or low interest rates at financial institutions, but your clients need help. Many financial consultants and insurance agents think that the best practice is to avoid those clients who are not happy with their investment returns or the playing out of their financial strategies. What typically happens is the clients that were avoided tell their next agent that the previous agent never called them or followed up with them after the initial sale, and completely ignored them when the economy wasn’t favorable. I am suggesting a different strategy, one that will not only encourage you to provide the appropriate service your current clients deserve, but also help you gain new clients by differentiating yourself from everyone else in your market. Contact your clients, not just for annual reviews, but when the economy goes south, maybe especially when the economy goes south. Financial plans and insurance policies based on obsolete economic assumptions need to be revisited and adjusted. Contact your clients and set up an appointment to review their financial plans and insurance policies and establish with them a recovery plan. GPALM stands ready to help you with the review and recovery plan creation. Your existing clients will appreciate your addressing their concerns and helping them move through a difficult economy with a plan. Creating a recovery plan is a great approach for providing service to your existing clients, but we should use this same strategy for prospecting new clients. Ask every person you know if they have established a recovery plan for moving through and out of the current economic downturn. It could go something like this, “Tell me about your financial recovery plan” or “Do you have a financial recovery plan?” Very simple, yet thought provoking and there
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is a very good chance that they don’t have a recovery plan. The client will probably respond with, “what do you mean?” or “do you have a plan that could help me?” Set the appointment to review their old plans and policies, take advantage of GPALM, our resources and experience are here to help you review your prospects financial plans and policies and assist you in creating a recovery plan. This subject would also make for a great seminar or seminar series for your market – Creating Your Financial Recovery Plan. I can already see people lined up to hear you and your guest speaker(s) talk to your clients and prospects about something they definitely want to address. We here at GPALM are ready to help you put together and market this seminar in your market. Hmmm..., after all this talking about working with clients and prospects to create a recovery plan I have just one question for you, the reader. Do you have a recovery plan for your business? Andy Amborn Annuity Specialist Andy@gpam.biz
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
— EXCITING NEWS — New Carrier & New Product! 5-Year Walk-Away Annuity 3.25% Year 1 3.00% Years 2-5 4.50% Commission 3.00% MINIMUM GUARANTEE for the life of the contract! • NO MVA • No Surrender Charge on Death • NO Commission Chargeback at Death • RMD Friendly • Annuitize after 30 Days - No Charge • Issue ages 18-75 • A.M. Best Rated ACALL NOW FOR STATE APPROVALS, CONTRACTING AND COMPLETE DETAILS.
800 710-1115
www.greatplainsannuity.com JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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MARKET LINKED CDS:
A NEW ARROW FOR YOUR “SAFE MONEY” PRODUCT QUIVER We are continuing to see a lot of interest from producers in our recently introduced Market-linked CD (MLCD). Great Plains is one of the few independent marketing organizations that have access to this unique product. Over a relatively short period of time, MLCD sales have exploded across all distribution channels. This product has displayed amazing growth over the last several years, including over $25 billion in retail sales during 2010. MLCDs belong to the family of products collectively known as structured investments, and are not securities or insurance, but have an FDIC-insured CD protecting principal. They typically mature in three to seven years and their return is tied to an index, a basket of securities or commodities. So what’s behind the rapid rise of sales of MLCDs? We believe they are a natural fit for the conservative customer base. In addition, they are attractive to traditional CD buyers that have seen rates drop to such low levels that they are seeking alternatives, including a willingness to give up a small guaranteed rate in favor of the opportunity of getting 6%, 7% or more. If interest rates rise, it should result in the terms of market-linked CDs becoming more attractive and competitive against traditional fixed-rate CDs.
Like our After Market Assignments, MLCDs give producers the ability to create conversations with prospects and clients regarding something unique that they may not even be aware of. Contact your Great Plains Annuity Advisor to discuss how MLCDs can be another valuable “arrow in your safe money product quiver”. Kara Jones is well-known to Great Plains producers, serving the GPALM in a variety of key positions since the company opened in 2001. Her extensive knowledge of fixed and fixed indexed annuity markets, assisting agents with case development, how to get things done at our various carriers and sparkling personality make her an indispensible part of our Great Plains sales and administrative team.
Great Plains is offering MLCDs for several reasons: • We believe that this product will open the door to education regarding fixed indexed annuities and therefore more FIA sales • Unique product appealing to consumers that focus on “FDIC insured” • Offering MLCDs can set you apart from your competition
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Kara Jones Annuity Specialist Kara@gpam.biz
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
GET YOUR SHARE OF THE CD MARKET!
GPALM EXCLUSIVE!
MARKET-LINKED CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT FDIC PROTECTION AND THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER RETURNS THAN TRADITIONAL CDS If you are not talking to your clients about this principal-protected product, somebody else will! • In 2010 over $25 Billion of MLCDs were purchased by retail clients. • MLCDs offer the same protection and safety of traditional “fixed” CDs with the potential to earn above market interest. Contact your Great Plains Annuity Advisor today for more information and your Agent Appointment Agreement (AAA)!
800 710-1115
www.greatplainsannuity.com JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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WHAT’S HOT AT GPALM? MARKET-LINKED CDS:
Over $25 Billion of Market-Linked Certificates of Deposit were purchased by retail clients in 2010. If you are not talking about this principal-protected product, somebody else will! Market-Linked CDs offer the same protection and safety of traditional “fixed” CDs, with the potential to earn above market interest. Call GPALM for more information on this principal-protected, FDIC insured product now!
INTEREST RATES ARE ON THE RISE:
As of November 1, 2011 Liberty Life Insurance Company announced a cap rate increase on their index annuities! The Choice 10 is now offering a 7.25% annual cap for the annual point-to-point crediting strategy. The 7 MYG remains strong at 4.25% guaranteed year 1 and 3.25% guaranteed years 2-7.
LEAD GENERATION TOOLS:
Great Plains offers several tools to help you generate new leads including our Financial Help Centers and Rural Agent Marketing Programs, in addition to our in-house advertising department. PAGE 12
INCENTIVES!
Feel the power with EquiTrust’s MarketPower Bonus Index annuity! Offer your clients a 10% premium bonus, 6 crediting methods and other great features while working towards your qualification for EquiTrust’s “EquiTreasure” Incentive! PLUS... from now until the end of the year, your annuity business can also qualify you for a gift card for an Apple iPad from Great Plains! In addition to these great prizes, GPLAM is proud to announce Go Fishin’ with Rich! - the first contest in a new series of travel incentives for our agents. Your business can earn you a spot on a Canadian Fishing Experience that will be second to none! Call your Annuity Advisor at 800-710-1115 for more information!
USEFUL MARKETING PIECES: Marketing flyers, like the one offered by American Equity, allow you to share with your clients the real benefits of indexed annuities. Use this flyer to show them an example of the actual performance of a policyholder’s annuity.
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
CURRENT LIFE SALES OPPORTUNITIES from Dick Reynolds, CLU
1. Estate Planning - On Survivorship Life, many Clients are waiting to see what the next new rules will be to determine face amounts. So, premiums are rising with age changes coupled with the potential for decline in their health. However, they could purchase a Survivor Term policy that’s convertible from an A+ rated carrier to ensure they have some coverage in place at lower costs.
AFTER-MARKET ASSIGNMENTS:
After-Market Assignments offer guaranteed future payments from highly rated insurance carriers but with a significantly higher rate of return than found with a new direct purchase. AMAs give you the opportunity to offer your high net-worth clients anywhere from 5.00% to 6.75% GUARANTEED ALL YEARS! Use AfterMarket Assignments to set yourself apart from the competition!
INCOME PLUS:
GPALM’s proprietary IncomePLUS presentation will help you provide clients with better options and flexibility for their retirement assets while accomplishing suitability requirements painlessly. IncomePLUS will serve as a way for you to discover more premium, make you the trusted advisor, and help clients sleep better at night!
2. High costs for long term care remain a major concern for those ages 55 and up. We are seeing many life sales that include LTC riders. Clients like the notion that if they never need the LTC benefits then there will be a death benefit for their heirs. 3. Lincoln’s MoneyGuard® Single Premium Life plan designed for LTC benefits. Very popular in the huge age 55 and up market. 4. Mixture of Term and Permanent - Married client age 42 tells agent he wants $500,000 of 20 year term until his kids are grown and on their own. Pretty easy sale. Ask him if he needs insurance 20 years from now for his wife. He’ll say yes and sell him $100,000 permanent and $400,000 term instead. Better planning for your client and more commission for you. 5. Increasing assets for Heirs - Retired individuals ages 60 plus are a huge market and many have money they will never touch for retirement income. Just ask them and you will find this out. Single Premium Life with no exam is the best way to pass more assets generationally and income tax free. 6. Policy Reviews - More important than ever for insured’s who have non-performing permanent plans and don’t know it. Or, perhaps they need a different plan. Don’t pass up these sales opportunities. I have a client piece that’s pretty good. 7. Permanent or Term where no exam is required. We see a lot of these cases. Clients find this very appealing and/or they are afraid of needles. Fast Underwriting.
Thank you for the cases you allowed us to work on in 2011. Our premium totals will increase by over 55% from last year!
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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BUILDING FOR YOUR FUTURE! Your Great Plains Annuity and Life Marketing team is full of excitement as we prepare to move into our new office... We are more than doubling our current office space to enable expanded sales and administrative support, onsite training opportunities, and enhanced computer capabilities to provide you better service, education and success in the coming years. We thank our faithful producers for their ongoing support and contribution to our growth. We remain committed to the independent brokerage distribution system, and providing financial planners and insurance JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
advisors with unbiased product and marketing support to help you help your clients in the current turbulent economic climate. This is just the beginning of a new era at Great Plains. All of our associates thank you for your past business, and look forward to our enhanced ability to serve you even better in the future!
(800) 710-1115
www.greatplainsannuity.com PAGE 15
BULLETIN! Recent announcements by carriers offering income riders have greatly changed the landscape when searching for the best income solutions for your clients. Contact your GPALM Annuity Specialist for updated information or visit www.greatplainsannuity.com
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JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
Is RED TAPE from your current BD affecting your Annuity and Life Insurance Sales?
If you are frustrated with your current BD relationship, you need to call your Great Plains Annuity Specialist to learn how you can cut the red tape and take back control of you insurance practice. We are pleased to announce we have a solution that will be of interest to you that offers... • FULL RIA PLATFORM • FULL SERVICES SECURITIES • YOUR INSURANCE BUSINESS DOES NOT RUN THROUGH BD - NOT NOW & NEVER WILL! Call GREAT PLAINS when you are ready to cut the red tape!
(800) 710-1115 www.greatplainsannuity.com
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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YOUR SUCCESS = OUR SUCCESS! Since coming on board at Great Plains in September, my goal was to reach out to as many agents as I could with the products and services that I personally believed would grow your business. Being a student of market research and having worked in the field of marketing in the insurance industry for over a decade, I look at my Annuity Specialist role as part sales, part service and part marketing support. The fact of the matter is that giving you as many reasons to talk to new and prospective clients is not a completely altruistic service. Your success means my success. And who doesn’t want success? It’s common knowledge to the point of cliché to say “It takes less effort to keep an existing customer than to attract a new one.” And, nearly every marketing conference attendee knows the power of client referrals in growing one’s business.
reason to pick up the phone! How many of you have lost at least one annuity sale because the client opted for a CD for the security of FDIC insurance? How many of you know that your clients routinely keep a portion of their money in CDs? Did you know that according to Market Rates Insight’s Deposit Trends and Projections for 2011 “The last time the national average rate for CDs was identical to the rate today was in July of 1954, when the estimated national average for CDs was at 1.0 Percent.”
The simple task of cross-selling alone can lead to better client persistency, better client satisfaction which both lead to client referrals. So, why then, don’t most agents take the time to cross-sell?
Wouldn’t your existing and prospective clients want to know there is a product that offers both FDIC protection and the opportunity for more upside?
I believe it’s a matter of focus. I am convinced, personally, that the older I get the harder it is to focus on one task without getting derailed. But, having been on the data analysis side of marketing programs, I can tell you that crossselling works!
After-Market Assignments are attractive because they are issued by highly rated insurance carriers. Great Plains has had great success marketing this concept to higher net worth clients who want to create their own personalized portfolio and ladder these income streams. It has allowed agents to get in front of their clients for additional cross-selling.
Wouldn’t it be great if you had: • A good reason to call all of your existing customers? • A good reason to call all your prospective customers? • Several ways to expand your product offering? • Create a niche for yourself in your market?
Effective Marketing Programs In addition to these unique products, Great Plains is also able to assist you in marketing efforts. We have marketing support experts that can help you with everything from more effective prospecting, cross-selling and lead generation!
Several products and marketing programs available here at Great Plains Annuity and Life Marketing provide a perfect opportunity to find organic growth and expand your client base. Unique Product Offerings Through our organization, we can offer producers access to Market-Linked CDs and After-Market Assignments. These offerings each appeal to distinctly different clienteles, but provide a perfect reason to pick up the phone! Let’s take this scenario... Great Plains is one of the few independent marketing organizations able to provide access to Market-Linked CDs! Did you know that you do not need a securities license to sell these? It’s true! These products that historically were only available to consumers through banks, are now available for you to sell to your existing and prospective customers! Talk about a
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Ask us about our rural marketing programs! With the trend of baby-boomers (the fastest growing segment) ‘going country’, isn’t it worth exploring these underserved geographical hotspots? And talk about word of mouth marketing! Small towns are notoriously chatty! Do a good job in these markets and the referrals will come. Call your Annuity Consultant today to start growing your business!
Jane Plumberg Annuity Specialist Jane@gpam.biz
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
THE Retirement Boom HAS BEGUN 7,000 Americans per day will turn 65 this year and retirementrates are expected to rise. Help your clients gain confidence in their retirement with a solution that offers potentially the best income guarantees available today!
PHOENIX PERSONAL INCOME ANNUITY INCOME STRATEGY TODAY
INCOME STRATEGY TOMORROW
• Designed for clients within 3 years of beginning income
• Designed for 3 clients planning to delay income for 3 or more years
• Provides a cumulative 45% bonus to the Benefit Base in years 1-3
• Credits the Benefit Base with 14% simple interest roll-ups for first 10 years, provided no withdrawals are taken
• Flexibility to elect income immediately
• Provides future income predictability
Call your GPALM Annuity Specialist to learn more!
800.710-1115
Producer Use Only. Not for use with the public as sales literature. Product features, riders, options and availability may vary by state. Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of PHL Variable Insurance Company. Phoenix Personal Income Annuity (10FIA, 10ISN) is issued by PHL Variable Insurance Company (PHLVIC) (Hartford, CT). PHLVIC is not authorized to conduct business in Maine and New York. Member of The Phoenix Companies, Inc. 10/11
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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Just a Thought... Thanks and a question regarding your 2012 Marketing Plan Thank you for your production placed through Great Plains during 2011! In the current low interest rate environment, and with consumer confidence at low ebb, we are gratified that the producers whom trust us with their business helped us continue to grow this past year. That growth as allowed us to move to new office space, and add additional staff to better serve you and the carriers we represent. We never forget that you are our customer and our only reason to exist. We are excited about the new and improved capabilities we will enjoy in the coming year due to the growth you have created. Entering the New Year, you will Great Plains offering more training opportunities through webinars and on-site programs, new products and marketing and lead generation programs that will impact your bottom line – commission income. Now that question... Is your marketing glass half full or half empty approaching 2012? I recently caught a television commercial for a financial services company stating 10,000 people are retiring every day. Statistics suggest that this trend will continue for the next 18 years. Has there ever been a bigger opportunity to create new, and assist existing, clients seeking guaranteed retirement income and efficient wealth transfer solutions?
While budgeting dollars to fund an ongoing effort(s) is important, your plan will not be effective unless you are willing to invest the time and energy necessary to create quality prospects. If you would like ideas and assistance with marketing planning for the coming year we would be happy to schedule a call to discuss your specific goals and needs. Our Great Plains Marketing Specialists, GPALM’s in-house advertising unit, and the great outside vendor resources we partner with can guarantee you a successful New Year!
— Robb Edwards, Pricipal
Have you started to formulate your marketing plan and develop your sales goals for 2012? Consider formulating a written plan that outlines what your marketing efforts will consist of in the coming year. Reflect on what has worked in the past, and what marketing efforts you are willing to commit to in the coming year. Examples of these efforts might include direct mail, seminars, web site, client events, niche markets you have access to, etc.
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JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
Become the Big Fish in Your Small Market! We have two questions for you:
• Seminars
1. Are you missing steady sales and commissions because you think there’s not enough opportunity in your small market?
• Direct Mail
2. Would you like to be the BIG fish in your small market?
• Custom Marketing
• Telemarketing
We believe small markets can produce big results. That’s why GPALM has created a turn-key marketing system for annuity and life producers that find themselves serving smaller markets like rural America. Sound interesting? Invest a few moments to see if we can help you unlock the potential benefits in serving smaller communities. We can help you become a big fish! JUST the FACTS | 4TH QUARTER 2011
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10901 West 84th Terrace, Suite 125 Lenexa, KS 66214
100% Independently Owned! GPALM PRODUCERS ACCESS ANNUITY & LIFE RATES 24 HOURS A DAY!
800.710.1115
GREAT PLAINS HAS MOVED!
Please note our new mailing address: GREAT PLAINS ANNUITY & LIFE MARKETING
10901 West 84th Terrace Suite 125 Lenexa, KS 66214