Complaint Review: NAA National Agents Alliance

"Disillusioned" makes some rather unfair charges and distorted insinuations.

I am an independent insurance agent who has worked under the NAA banner for the past 18 months.

The charge that NAA invests little in your business is simply wrong. They spend $175 on average to generate a lead that they sell to the agent for about $20 that generates an average commission of $500. Their managers spend hours training new agents.

When "Disillusioned" talks about the company he used to work for that provided a base salary and full benefits etc., he neglected to mention that you were also required to be at your desk at 8:00am and to meet quotas or you'd get fired.

With NAA you are an independent contractor and you control your own life. You answer to no one. You are not required to buy leads. You are not required to attend meetings. You are not required to pay NAA a dime to work with them.

I have talked to agents who have been in the insurance business for 30 years and have described NAA as the best opportunity they have ever participated in.

I am currently earning about $2000 per week with NAA.

My experience is that NAA has properly represented themselves. They show no signs of collapsing, and to the contrary, continue to grow and diversify while staying focused on their core market.

But they are not for everyone. If you need to have a manager standing over you telling you what to do and if you need the security of a small base salary in exchange for loss of freedom and autonomy, then NAA isn't right for you.

Perhaps making that mistake is what causes some people to become "Disillusioned".

If you would like to ask further questions, I am happy to respond

The leads generated by NAA are sent in by clients who are requesting information regarding our insurance programs. The language and text of the lead copy is very clear and explains to them that they are requesting information regarding Mortgage Life Insurance and Disability Programs.

Clients fill in their names, dates of birth, height, weight, smoking status, telephone number(s) and sign the lead. They send that back to NAA. These are high quality leads but leads are only 1/2 of the equation. Agents must process these leads. They must call them, sometimes many times in order to reach these clients to discuss their needs and concerns.

Not everyone who works with NAA will become successful because we have no control over the work habits of independent agents. They have a funny way of being "independent". Some agents work. Some don't. Some agents are willing to learn and practice the skills necessary to work in this niche' market, and others are not.

I have been working with NAA for almost 5 years and in my experience, those agents who have not earned money have suffered from one of three issues: #1: They did not call the leads in earnest #2. They refused to be "teachable" and insisted on "doing things their own way" or #3. They had poor work habits and did not put in an honest and consistent effort.

I have agents on my team who are earning $25K per year and agents who's earnings approach $200K per year and every income level in between. The difference is in the agent, not in the leads or the opportunity.

I invite discussion from anyone who honestly seeks to find out the truth about our company. It is an honest enterprise with an excellent reputation within the insurance industry. The opportunity is real, the income is real.

But a warning. It is not a "get rich quick" scheme. Our business requires hard work and a consistent effort and you must place the needs of the client FIRST.

It is very easy to get caught up in the ehphoric atmosphere of a rah rah meeting and company conference. So to the previous two posters on this, I say - put away the happy pills and get a dose of reality.

First, there is some truth in your statement that there are good managers and there are bad managers as well as good sales reps and bad sales reps. Second, yes sales isn't for everyone. It takes a special breed to handle the constant rejection, yet to keep coming back until you get a sale made. Not everyone can work on their own without some "boss" always telling them what to do and looking over their shoulder.

There is an old saying in business that "a fish rots from the head on down". Any business that tolerates and encourages sleazy operations and conduct will not last long. True, they may have a brief day in the sun, but the sun will set and that business will be gone.

Sales orgainzations like NAA invest little or nothing in their sales force. When you work for NAA, you are an independent contractor and bear all the costs of your opreration including becoming licensed, paying for the leads as well as any other associated marketing costs. What does the company invest? Very little. Is it any wonder why so many sales reps leave quickly?

I have been in the insurance business more than thirty years and have managed field offices for a large national company where i had as many as thirteen agents reporting to me. One office I built was ranked in the top 25% of the company in its first year of operation. I also had 60% of the agents I hired and trained still working for me after two years.

One major difference was that company invested a lot of money in their sales force. The agents werre paid an initial guaranteed training salary and had a validation quota to meet. They also had excellent company benefits including great company paid health insurance, a pension plan, group life and disability benefits, paid time off for vacations and holidays, a company investment plan and great company conventions (like Maui and the Bahamas). The company invested a lot in their agents and were rewarded by low turnover and lengthy service. When I began my career, I replaced an agent who retired after 34 years with the company.

Unfortunatly that company no longer exists. They got greedy and forgot about ethics. They had been in business for more than 100 years, yet collapsed in less than ten years after I left them in 1986 because they had become an ethical cesspool.

When you are selling any intangibles like insurance, all you have is your own reputation and that of the companies you represent. I had a brief experience with NAA three years ago and discovered that they were a pack of liars. Their leads were garbage and I had my bank account debited for leads I never received. Commissions weren't paid as I was led to expect and policies weren't issued as fast as was promised. In fact, I did better by contracting directly with the companies and finding my own leads.

NAA is nothing more than another multi line marketing orgainzation that will eventually collapse. They make money from selling questionable leads and siphoning off commissions from their agents to feed those parasites called managers. To anyone considering the insurance business - stay away from companies like NAA and go to work for a decent company that will pay you during your training period (which is more than a couple of meetings), has other products and doesn't work in just one market.

I have read the post from folks that are unhappy with NAA, and folks that are not.

I have to say I am not siding with the nays or the yeas, but I can say sales is a difficult business.

I think we will all agree the business is not easy and it does require some work.

I have done sales of all kinds and have found it's all the same. There are bad systems and good. There are bad managers and good. Some companies are questionable, and some are borderline unbelievable.

The one thing I have found is if you are honest and a high degree of integrity you can make anything work for the client.

There is not one company that can offer everything that a person wants, and that is why we purchase from various companies. Some companies specialize in certain products and do a good job at it.

I work for NAA and I have no problem with the products or the way they teach us to help families. I can honestly say that I have not come in contact with any unscrupulous tactics. My managers and people I have talked to at conventions always talk of intergrity first. Now I am not syaing there are not bad managers, but it's the individual not the company. From all the post I have read that is what it comes down too. You have bad seeds in every industry, but it does not make the whole company bad. I no for a fact if you don't like your manager you can request to be moved. Also the state requirements will dictate what the company can offer because some states are more strict than others.

As for the MLM portion, NAA does not require you to hire or bring others in. They only ask that if you do not want to be a manager refer people to your manager. But I have never heard, nor have I ever been told I have to bring people in. I think that anyone who has a brain will agree that if you run a company you hire, so if you want to be a mnanager you have to recruit. You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself. So if you don't recruit employees how do you get them? hmmm!!!!! I am out to lunch on that one. So if you want to be a personal producer you can, and you can do quite well at it.

As for the leads, most companies sell leads and they are all around the same price. I have worked else where and received leads that other agents had. I even sat down at an appointment, only to find out they recently signed a policy, but that comes down to lead tacking. NAA does request that agents send the lead back with the application so they can remove it from the data base. I could go on and on about the lead system, but nobody has perfected it yet. I find that complaints come from newbies to a lead system and seasoned agents that for the most part are not successful and look for an excuse.

For all the complainers ther is "NO" get rich quick system, and you have to work to get ahead. Find a new line of work if you are not happy, or keep looking for the perfect system that does not exist.

The bottom line is if you want to be successful, change your paradigm, and stop with the negativity. Make it work, be creative, ask questions, and most of all have intergrity. For the most part most agents are good people because the insurance industry is vety highly regulated.

Good luck to all in 2008

I have read the post from folks that are unhappy with NAA, and folks that are not.

I have to say I am not siding with the nays or the yeas, but I can say sales is a difficult business.

I think we will all agree the business is not easy and it does require some work.

I have done sales of all kinds and have found it's all the same. There are bad systems and good. There are bad managers and good. Some companies are questionable, and some are borderline unbelievable.

The one thing I have found is if you are honest and a high degree of integrity you can make anything work for the client.

There is not one company that can offer everything that a person wants, and that is why we purchase from various companies. Some companies specialize in certain products and do a good job at it.

I work for NAA and I have no problem with the products or the way they teach us to help families. I can honestly say that I have not come in contact with any unscrupulous tactics. My managers and people I have talked to at conventions always talk of intergrity first. Now I am not syaing there are not bad managers, but it's the individual not the company. From all the post I have read that is what it comes down too. You have bad seeds in every industry, but it does not make the whole company bad. I no for a fact if you don't like your manager you can request to be moved. Also the state requirements will dictate what the company can offer because some states are more strict than others.

As for the MLM portion, NAA does not require you to hire or bring others in. They only ask that if you do not want to be a manager refer people to your manager. But I have never heard, nor have I ever been told I have to bring people in. I think that anyone who has a brain will agree that if you run a company you hire, so if you want to be a mnanager you have to recruit. You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself. So if you don't recruit employees how do you get them? hmmm!!!!! I am out to lunch on that one. So if you want to be a personal producer you can, and you can do quite well at it.

As for the leads, most companies sell leads and they are all around the same price. I have worked else where and received leads that other agents had. I even sat down at an appointment, only to find out they recently signed a policy, but that comes down to lead tacking. NAA does request that agents send the lead back with the application so they can remove it from the data base. I could go on and on about the lead system, but nobody has perfected it yet. I find that complaints come from newbies to a lead system and seasoned agents that for the most part are not successful and look for an excuse.

For all the complainers ther is "NO" get rich quick system, and you have to work to get ahead. Find a new line of work if you are not happy, or keep looking for the perfect system that does not exist.

The bottom line is if you want to be successful, change your paradigm, and stop with the negativity. Make it work, be creative, ask questions, and most of all have intergrity. For the most part most agents are good people because the insurance industry is vety highly regulated.

Good luck to all in 2008

It is amazing to me all the people who make tons of money with NAA.

I have been with them for over 5 years. Of course some people don't have the self displine to work with a supervisor looking over their shoulder. Some people won't listen and hone the skill they need to be sucessful at this. Bottom line its isn't for everyone.

The people who have posted the reports here before I wonder if they are even real though as none of them would use their real name.
We are growing faster than any other agency in the insurance business. That makes a lot of people jealous and think we must be doing something underhand to be doing so well.
I am about to give all of our competitors our secrect, but they won't use it here its work hard.