Complaint Review: Liberty National Life Insurance Company - Birmingham, Alabama 35233 Internet

Anyone considering a career with Liberty National Life Insurance Company beware: Liberty National is a pyramid scheme. I'll summarize how it works. Liberty's business model is divided into 2 parts: 1A (recruiting), and 1B (production). Recruiting is an endless process at Liberty. Hiring goals are 10 new recruits per branch per week. Each branch generally holds a monthly recruiting seminar. This is nothing more than a cattle call. Liberty will hire anyone, regardless of experience, without a felony on his or her record for a career as a professional in the insurance industry. Liberty claims to hire for management (no experience necessary) while omitting the fact that the recruit will begin as a salesman, and will still make sales even after promotion to a management position.  

Production is Liberty's process of getting new recruits to make money for the company. Emphasis is placed on recruits who have obtained a Permanent Insurance License (PLs) from their state. The goal is to get these PLs sales to $5,000 in annualized premiums (5Ks). Bonuses are paid to branches based on PLs and 5Ks, to be distributed as the Branch Manager sees fit (which may be in his/her own pocket). Once a recruit is a PL and a 5K, he/she may be offered a position as a Unit Manager. The Unit Manager is now responsible to recruit more individuals for his/her group or unit, work with any s and 5Ks in his/her group, and constantly get new recruits to become producing agents (PAs). There are of course standards for the number of PLs, 5Ks, and PAs each Branch Manager, and Unit Manager must have, and that's where the fun begins. Liberty National promises prospective employees everything under the sun: six-figure incomes, advancement opportunities, bonuses, trips to fun and exotic places, a proven marketing strategy, an in-depth training system, and more leads than we have agents to work them.

The six-figure income is not a complete lie; it's just unrealistic. Liberty has an activity model, which states that if the agent will make 240 contacts per week, he/she will be able to schedule 24 appointments, hold 15 sit down interviews and thus yield 5 sales per week. Mondays, and Wednesdays are designated training days where the agent will spend his morning at the branch office being trained (more in a moment) and work the phones after lunch calling 120 contacts each of the two training days to set appointments. According to this activity model an agent will earn a $100,000+, and the agent will, if the average sale is $616. How do you get 240 contacts per week? That's for you as an agent to figure out. Once you do figure that out, don't worry about your inexperience in sales because you'll hear every Monday and Wednesday how you can (because you're good enough, you're smart enough, and people like you) make those 5 sales per week.

Now the only thing standing between you and that six figure income is the fact that Libertys average sale is about $380. The company promises a fast-track to management program to recruits. Just show us you're serious by signing up on License2Go for your state insurance exam, your testing, and your licensing fees. Of course, you're only serious after you've spent $300 - $500 on these fees. If you want to get started without a permanent license, you can pay for a temporary license until you can complete the permanent licensing requirements. You won't, however, be a priority until you are a PL. As a PL your Unit Manager and Branch Manager will bend over backwards to get you to 5K so you can have a title too! If you fail to become a PL, or decline a promotion to Unit Manager you will be ignored (aka forget about receiving leads) for the rest of your career which will likely be very short. The proven marketing strategy consists of you talking ad naseum to your family and friends and almost anyone else you meet about your career, Liberty National, and insurance in general. This goes over really well at Thanksgiving dinner, and you'll be the life of every party you go to. No, really.trust me.

Besides that, AFLAC, State Farm, Allstate, American General, Prudential, and the laundry list of other insurers who ADVERTISE are wasting their money because brand recognition is not important. No, really.trust Liberty National. Libertys training program sets new standards in any industry. Every Monday and Wednesday morning, you will learn how make a presentation for Liberty National's cancer policy. You may not know the difference between term and whole life insurance, but by-god you will know how to read a cancer policy brochure to a prospective customer. If the customer has questions on any of Liberty National's other products tell them you'll get back to them, and remind them that you are an insurance professional. Once you've followed these instructions and sold all the insurance you possibly can to family, and friends you may be rewarded with leads so that you can finally realize the income you've been told about. Many of these leads don't have phone numbers for you to call and set appointments, but you are encouraged to visit leads face to face.

After you've spent a week of evenings catching up with these leads (who haven't moved, or never had interest in seeing an agent, or aren't deceased) and spent as much as $100 - $200 in gas and other travel expenses, you can take the $200 - $300 you've earned in commissions to the bank. That 4 6 years you spent at college is really paying off for you now. Liberty's management will dismiss much of the above out of hand simply by saying that Liberty National is a 107-year-old company, and therefore is legitimate. I used to respect Liberty National as being a great company. However, in a misguided move Andy King was named president in 2006, and he and his team of executives have installed the 1A, and 1B business models described above. They have essentially traded long-term stability for a temporary boost in sales, and Liberty National may not make it another 107 weeks if this system is left in place. New people will be constantly recruited to make sales to family and friends, sending income up the pyramid, and then tossed aside when their natural market has been exhausted in favor of a new group of recruits to exploit.

Those who stick it out will be told by their superiors that they are not working hard enough, and that's why they fail to make the income they were sold on. Agents may even be told to prospect (solicit) at malls, Wal-Mart, or even church! After all, that's the professional thing to do. I don't know about anyone else, but when I need an attorney, accountant, or a doctor I go to aisle 7 at Wal-Mart. Just remember, when you fail, and are in debt for doing your job at Liberty National, it is YOUR FAULT, for NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH! You were not misled, exploited, or outright lied to! Never forget that it's YOUR FAULT! Upper management at Liberty National has taken a once reputable company and turned it into a pyramid scheme. Any prospective employee or consumer should avoid Liberty in its present form at all costs.