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Spotlight

Agent Spotlight – Oct 2016

Agent Spotlight October 2016
Before Unique Writers Joe was a National Sales Director for a hose manufacturer in Oregon.

The company promised Joe the world and a 12% commission.

The opportunity sounded so great that he decided to pack everything up and relocate his family. He also agreed to a small base salary because he knew what he was capable of accomplishing. In the first six months, he was living off of his savings, but he knew the potential was worth it. As the savings were depleting a breakthrough happened … Joe landed six very large corporate accounts – a commission of $12,000,000! In case you missed it … that was twelve MILLION dollars!

Then the bottom fell out. The hose manufacturer was sued for acquiring more business than they were able to support. They closed their doors and Joe never saw a dime. He was devastated. Joe knew the layoff was imminent before it happened; and one day while driving home from Arizona (after setting up one of those large accounts) he got a call from his cousin. His cousin had been working for UW and started telling Joe about the opportunity. It sounded great but he was skeptical. He stopped by UW’s home office anyway and met with Mike Passaglia (CEO/President).

Joe returned home, after that initial meeting with Mike, to talk with his wife about the opportunity with UW. She told Joe “Honey, you’ve never let me down.” He was nervous because they were broke, borrowing money from family, and about to be homeless. He decided to go for it!

Five days later he finished the pre-licensing material, took the licensing test, and had his license.

Joe’s early beginnings with UW began with a list of 100 pre-approach leads. He wrote his first deal after knocking on the first door. It was a Final Expense client and he was paid four days later.

That’s when he knew he could do this!

Joe now enjoys being the Annuity Trainer and New Agent Support for UW. In this role he loves being able to come alongside new and veteran agents. Joe went all in with UW a few years ago and has never looked back. He had this to say, “It changed my life. I have time with family, I’m financially secure, and I know I can always make at least $250,000 a year producing.”

Filled with gratitude, Joe went on, “I owe Unique Writers everything. It’s the system and the belief in me that allowed me to get to where I’m at today.”

Joe described a favorite sale that also happened to be the largest commission he’s earned (from one client). He set up a Mortgage Protection appointment
and the meeting went great.

He wrote the Mortgage Protection coverage … and since he filled out the Financial eValuator in the initial meeting he was able to roll over both of their 401(k)’s. The final commission came to a total of $40,000! Joe gave credit to “sticking with the system that UW has in place.”

He that he focused on, “being a Mortgage Protection Specialist first” and then he was able to come back and see how else he could help his clients. He was able to get his clients the coverage they needed and was paid well for it.

Joe encourages agents to engulf themselves in the UWU Campuses. He recommended, “Don’t stray from what Unique Writers put in place and keep yourself accountable for your actions.” He also shared, “There are ups and downs. Ups are phenomenal! But we’re down you need to remember that it doesn’t last forever. That’s when you get with your coach so you don’t suffocate yourself.”

Joe’s been married for thirteen years has two kids (5 and 9), and likes to HUNT and fish. This year he also bought his dream house, dream dog, and dream car.
Categories
Spotlight

Agent Spotlight – Sep 2016

Sharon - UW September 2016 Agent Spotlight
Before Unique Writers Sharon owned a successful Flooring and Design Center company for 20 years.

Business was going well and Sharon was ready to expand. Then the housing crunch hit. That, along with a number of other unforeseen circumstances led Sharon to close up shop and sell her business.

From there she began a carpet and tile business with her husband, while also starting a preservation company with a group of realtors in the foreclosure market. Things looked promising once again… right up to the point where the government put a freeze on the foreclosure market. That was that.

Then her fortunes turned. Two years ago her son (Joe Tiller) went to work with Unique Writers and saw immediate success. He was only with UW for 3 months when he invited Sharon to join him. The conversation went a little like this:

Joe: “Mom, you would be great at this.”
Sharon: “NO.”
Joe: “I promise you will be good at this!”
Sharon: “NO … I’M TOO OLD … I REFUSE TO TAKE ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES A TEST.”
But Joe persisted, and a month later Sharon began her training with UW.

Sharon’s experience was in service and relational-sales when she owned and ran her businesses for over 30 years. This was huge for her, and meant so much that she would be able to use that extensive experience to help realize success with UW. She said two things really excited her about joining UW:

1) “I wasn’t trying to run a business all by myself.” Sharon especially loves that she can still build a business. “It’s in my blood. I love that; It’s really fun for me. I can grow as big as I want … and not have to lay someone off. Neither do I have the responsibility of payroll.” This means less stress in her life.

2) “I got paid for the work I performed. I never had to beg someone to pay me for the work I did anymore. I get paid on how I perform.”

What she enjoys the most about working with UW? The opportunity to train and encourage other agents; and meeting with her clients! The UW system also allows her to be more involved with her 7 grandchildren. She said “It’s my season to be grandma and Unique Writers affords me lots of flexibility to be there with them… and buy them things! I can go on school field trips, schedule holidays out, and go to things like a Thanksgiving Day feast with a 1st grader.”

In the beginning Sharon typically worked in Final Expense; but on this particular day she was on a Mortgage Protection appointment. She met with a retired correctional officer in his 50’s. While writing the application she found out that he had a heart condition. A risk assessment was done and she was told how to classify him. The application was submitted and little did she know that it would require a LOT more work to get him covered. Sharon worked on this specific case for over 2 months – with the help from the UW team. The first application was denied; but she didn’t give up. Sharon submitted a second one – which was approved. The client wanted coverage because his first wife died years ago; and he was recently re-married. He wanted to make sure that his new wife was covered and would be taken care of, if the worse were to happen. Nine months after the application went through, Sharon received a call from the client’s wife and found out that her husband had passed away from pneumonia. Things got a little worse… when the client’s family tried to take everything away from this lady. All she had was that policy. The underwriter told Sharon that the client was so fortunate to have her because they have never seen someone work that hard to get an application through for a client!”

Sharon knows firsthand that ALL agents get discouraged at times … “I had a day when I went out to 6 appointments and I didn’t close 1 of them. That was on a Monday. I went out on Thursday with 4 appointments and ended the day at $10,000! If I would have quit on Monday, I would not have had an opportunity for a Thursday.”
She would also encourage other agents to “do it the way it’s written. It’s tried and true. And goes so much better.”

Sharon has been married to her husband for 26 years. They have 6 kids and 7 grandkids!
Categories
Spotlight

Agent Spotlight – Aug 2016

Spencer - UW August 2016 Agent Spotlight
Before Unique Writers Spencer was working for a cable company selling subscriptions door to door.

He was performing exceptionally well and working really hard in this role, but it demanded brutal hours, low wages and an unpredictable schedule. It all took a turn for the worse when the owner of the firm began to go bankrupt and wasn’t able to pay Spencer sufficiently. Spencer was ready for a change.

So when one the UW recruiters reached out to him he set up a time to meet with Mike Passaglia, CEO/President of UW. In that conversation he was impressed by the UW system, the reality of getting to be his own boss, and the income potential that was right there waiting for him. In his words, “I jumped in head first!”

You would think by looking at the Leader Board that he was an instant success, but there was an obstacle preventing that from happening, himself.

Spencer was honest about his first months. He commented that it was really hard; because the entire time he was also looking for other jobs. “Life insurance agent” wasn’t the title he thought he wanted. He said, “I was really doubting it all.” Then something happened after those early months. He realized that if he invested the drive, the energy, and the time he spent complaining and looking for other jobs and put that into UW, how much more successful could he be?

He made a decision to go all in with the UW system and has been making at least $5,000+ per week ever since. Spencer had this to say about his experience, “It has changed my life. I’m a better person for it. I went from having very little to being able to purchase new cars and building a new home. I’m also more outgoing than I was before.”

On one of Spencer’s appointments he met with a couple to discuss a $40,000 final expense policy. The policy was approved within 2 weeks. Upon returning to the home he met with the husband one on one. Spencer inquired of where his wife was to which the husband replied “she’s on vacation … but I don’t think she wants the policy anymore.” Spencer continued to listen and question this sudden change. The husband began to break down and cry. The husband went on to explain that his 50-year old wife was not on vacation but in a coma! She was hit by a car! The husband thought that because his wife couldn’t sign the policy that she wouldn’t be covered. But she was covered and received the full $40,000 that helped him and his daughter through this horrific time. He didn’t pay a dime. Spencer said, “It showed me how important what we’re doing is! It makes a difference. We’re not some ‘car salesmen’. We are helping people plan for their future and helping their loved ones!”

Spencer has talked to a lot of new agents and he would encourage anyone coming on board that consistency and prospecting are 2 very crucial things when you’re in this business. He said, “It’s a numbers game. You could feel like the best or the worst agent out there … you could be having a great week or a horrible one; but if you have more appointments, you will have a much better opportunity. If you’re consistent and prospecting, you’ll win every time!”

He enjoys helping other agents getting started with Unique Writers. He is getting married this September!
Categories
Spotlight

Agent Spotlight – Jul 2016

Sara - UW July 2016 Agent Spotlight
Sara has been in life insurance for 21 years now. She began her career gaining experience in case management, underwriting, and managing a staff.

After 18 years in insurance, her entrepreneurial spirit led her to open a yogurt shop. She realized while running the yogurt shop that she missed insurance and wanted to return.
Upon her return to insurance, and just before joining Unique Writers, she spent a couple of years working inside the school districts helping the teachers and other staff with their insurance and prepare for retirement.

When asked what her experience has been like with Unique Writers she said, “They’re 100% committed … Always available … I’m impressed by how they want really good things for me,” especially when referring to the coaches at Unique Writers.
Currently, Sara is pressing into the Unique Writers system  with the support from our coaches. Sara noted that her income has doubled since joining the UW family, and she now works 30-40 hours a week. She is also currently ranked #2 on the leader board for annuity production with sales thus far this year of almost $500,000.00.


Sara started in insurance initially to pay her way through college. She was actually on track to be an interpreter after college; but never left insurance upon graduation. She witnessed firsthand the difference proper planning can make in someone’s life when her best friend’s father died. She enjoys the work and “It feels good when you’re helping people.”

Sara said it was scary going from managing a staff in the office to becoming an agent in the field; because of the uncertainty of the paycheck.
Because of this she resisted becoming an agent for a number of years, and it wasn’t until after she jumped into field production full time that she realized how much she liked it and would one day look back and say, “I wish I would have done it a little sooner … it’s a great career.”
She would encourage new agents to “stick with it … don’t give up” and “remember, when you’re meeting with a new client, you have so much to offer them and the help they really need.”

She has a 15 year old son, has been engaged most of this past year and was married on June 18th. Oh, and loves loves loves the San Francisco Giants. Go Giants!!!!
Categories
Spotlight

Agent Spotlight – Jun 2016

Emily
Emily was a Healthcare IT recruiter working 50 hours per week with an hour commute both ways. She spent her days at a desk making phone calls all day. She quickly found that the pay wasn’t very good; and the job didn’t offer the opportunity she had originally thought it would. THEN, Emily was introduced to Unique Writers through Christian – another one of our agents out of Texas.

It was after listening to Mike Passaglia talk to a team in Texas that Emily knew she was “ALL IN.” Not long after that meeting she quickly left her recruiter role to join Unique Writers in October of 2015. After getting her license, she jumped feet first into the Unique Writers step by step system. She works about 30 hours a week. And is close to earning $70,000 in sales, thus far.

When asked “Why? Why ‘this’?” Emily said, “I love making people knowledgeable. This is something a lot of people don’t want to think about or don’t know they need to think about or consider. I love making them aware of Mortgage Protection and the blessing it can be to their family.”

“I love when I really make a connection with people. An older man I met with just lost his wife. I could tell he was excited to have someone there to talk to. He showed me his flower garden and gorgeous backyard. He needed to be heard and listened to that day and I was excited to be able to do that for him. That is when this job becomes more about the people and not just the sales and numbers. Life is more than the money you make, but the people you touch and come in contact with.”

Make a weekly schedule and stick to it! I work 30 hours a week: appointments on Monday/Tuesday, paperwork on Wednesday, call leads on Thursday/Friday to set appointments for the next week. And, to stay on top of your business. The job isn’t done when you walk out of the client’s door. Check your business daily and try to get it placed as quickly as possible. That is a good agent. We can’t just sell. We have to PLACE the business.

Emily lives in Fort Worth, Texas where she graduated from TCU. She is 22, loves singing in her church choir, enjoys being outside, and having the freedom of setting her own work schedule. She is known by the Unique Writers family for her huge smile, love of pigs, and her amazing work ethic.
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Press Release

Heartland Financial Group names David Hosch as Director of Marketing

BLUE SPRINGS, MO., January 9, 2020 – Heartland Financial Group (“HFG”) recently announced that David Hosch, Vice President of Marketing at One Life America (“One Life”), would be assuming the role of Director of Marketing for HFG and all its companies. 


David has been with One Life for 24 years in a variety of capacities. For the last few years, David has spearheaded One Life’s Marketing to include incentive trips, website initiatives, and agent recruiting efforts. 


“I look for Hosch to help bring change to our company and to unify our divisions and marketing campaigns,” said Tegrey Moot, HFG’s Chief Marketing Officer. “He’s a joy to be around and has a love for this business, our company, and his fellow employees that’s second to none.”
David’s role in our organization will encompass all agent-facing marketing initiatives and events, including, but not limited to, carrier and product marketing, incentive marketing, organization of events, and marketing to recruit and contract agents. This position will also be responsible for Heartland’s website management and oversight. As Director of Marketing, David will be responsible for producing valuable content for the company’s online presence, editorial design, and organizing the company’s publications. 


“David Hosch is the voice of One Life America and Heartland Financial Group. Having started as an agent, he understands the attitudes and concerns of the average agent and knows how to reach them with the written word or through other media,” said Lee Mowry, President & CEO of One Life America. “As Vice President of Marketing for One Life and Director of Marketing for Heartland Financial Group, David brings a fresh perspective to conveying the right message, be it a product rollout, a sales conference, or directly promoting the virtues of our organization. David is well respected by his peers and is a most valued member of our team.”


We look forward to unifying and creating more brand awareness and a stronger message about who we are as a company. Clearly communicating this is a massive goal for us to accomplish in the coming year. Please join us in congratulating and supporting David in his new role. 

You can reach David at his new email address: Dhosch@hfgagents.com.
David Hosch
Director of Marketing
Dhosch@hfgagents.com
800-748-0026 Ext 1229

Categories
Press Release

Heartland Financial Group Acquires Unique Writers & Legacy Life Insurance Solutions

BLUE SPRINGS, MO – June 15th, 2018 – Heartland Financial Group (“HFG”) announced last week that it has completed the acquisition of Unique Writers, Inc. dba Legacy Life Insurance Solutions (“UW”), a leading national independent marketing organization focused on life and annuity sales.

“This acquisition adds another key organization to HFG’s family, and further accelerates our growth and expansion plans to become the leading full-service life and health sales organization in the United States” commented Scotty Elliott, the recently named Chief Distribution Officer for HFG and President of One Life America (OLA). “UW has a proven track record and history of success in key niche markets that will both complement and further strengthen our current family of companies.”

UW’s proprietary recruiting, training and agency management systems coupled with proven sales programs have allowed it to grow exponentially over the past seven years since its founding by Mike Passaglia, an industry veteran of more than 29 years. Passaglia serves as President and CEO of UW, and will continue in that role post-acquisition, along with taking on additional responsibilities with HFG and OLA.

“This is an exciting day for our current distribution, our carriers, and even producers we have yet to meet” said Passaglia of the announcement. “The opportunity to fully immerse ourselves into HFG and OLA’s culture and current distribution, as well as their extensive, industry-leading product lines including Medicare, Final Expense, and Mortgage Protection, is a dream come true not just for me, but for every producer that wants to truly succeed in this amazing industry that has given me so much. I look forward to sharing the news of what is undoubtedly the best destination for success in this business with every producer and manager across the country.”

Passaglia entered the insurance industry in June 1989 after serving his country in the U.S. Navy for five years. He took to the insurance business right away, achieving success first as a personal producer, and then as a regional and national sales manager, where he developed and refined a sales system for Mortgage Protection agents that catapulted his sales organization to over $75 million per year in annualized life premium.

“I am very excited to add Mike’s talents and sales acumen to HFG”, said HFG Owner, Chris McDaniel. “While our relationship is still young, Mike and I share a similar history and outlook for this industry, and I know he will leverage all of his skills and experience of the past three decades to make a huge impact on HFG in furthering our expansion plans.”

HFG’s CEO Todd Hill was also very excited to share the news with the rest of the HFG Family. Hill stated, “I see in UW and Mike Passaglia some key missing pieces we need to fully capitalize on our game plan for the future. We continue to bring experienced, industry-changing leaders and companies into the fold here at HFG, that will allow us to fuel our growth and expansion into key markets and demographics. These efforts will ultimately spell even greater success for all of our HFG companies in the coming years. The future certainly looks bright from where I sit.”

About Heartland Financial Group

Heartland Financial Group (HFG), headquartered in Blue Springs, MO, is one of the nation’s leading independent distributors of life and health insurance products focused on serving the Senior Market. HFG develops and distributes life and health insurance products with insurance carrier partners and markets these products through its distribution network, which includes a career base of agents, partner IMOs and call centers. HFG has over 150 employees and a network of over 50,000 agents nationwide. HFG presently generates over 500 million of annual premium across the enterprise. You can learn more about HFG at www.hfgagents.com.

Media Contact:
Tegan Harrison
Public Relations
tharrison@e-hfg.com

816.878.9747

Partnership Inquires:

Tegrey Moot, Chief Marketing Officer

Heartland Financial Group

tmoot@e-hfg.com

602.820.8470

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Uncategorized

Brand analysis: second step to the brand identity

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