 What is up 8% nation happy Wednesday evening? I'm Cody askins, and I am excited for tonight's special guest mr. Sam wolf President and managing partner of a Marilife Hps home protection services. That's a mortgage protection and final expense division and entity Mr. Sam I do we've went we've been we've talked for what the last year or two a little bit get to know each other a little bit Yeah, I think that we first spoke last year maybe maybe a year ago and You know it's interesting conversation our first conversation, but you know, I think the first conversation we had I was just congratulating you on where you were at with everything back then and You know it's been pretty amazing just to see from probably nine months ago and maybe Maybe nine to ten months ago, but you know less than a year ago What you've been able to do in 2018, which is really awesome. Thank you buddy I appreciate the kind words man. So for those that don't know Sam is a panel speaker at this conference on the same stage Is Ray Lewis and Grant Cardone in Nashville at? The Sun Stadium so we're extremely excited to have Sam not only a part of this event His company a part of this event, but to have him on the panel with a lot of good dudes answering questions For our attendees same for those that don't know Appreciate you being on buddy. Thank you so much sure for those that don't know Sam Wolf and you've been around the industry for quite a while I think a lot of people know who you are by now if they don't give them a little background about you just so they can kind of Get to know you and your your story man. Sure. Yeah, absolutely without wanting too much detail So I am it's kind of weird because I'm 37 now and I remember ten years ago I think I was roughly about about your age Okay, and so it's it's it's interesting how fast Time goes by in general, but in this business by the blink of an eye It's ten years later 15 years later. So I Actually started in the you and I have from what I've what I've learned about your background you and I have a similar Introduction into the insurance business through our through our parents, you know through through my actually through my stepdad and So I actually When I was 16, I would I actually worked in his and his yeah, he owned an IMO He started back in the 80s and by the time, you know, I was 16 he was he was pretty big nationwide and and he had a big Telecenter telephone room where they made appointments for The the agents that were in the in the teacher market and the TSA 403 B market Okay, and so that was really my first job And as a telemarketer making appointments, so they did the leads to the schools back then and The leads would come back and they would be handed out every day And the telemarketing room and and that's really where I started and in the business when I was 16 making appointments Wow, wow. Yeah, well, you really you really learned the business at an early age, man. That's uh, I Didn't know it then I I knew how much money it could generate But you know, I didn't know it. I knew how to get a script and Make an appointment and I was good at it. They gave bonus bucks At the end of the day and I would always get my five or ten dollars Bonus here. I would shoot for it and people thought it was kind of weird I was so aggressive and hungry even at 16 To do well and and you know, my you know, they knew my you know, my dad was the one who? You know, oh the busy picked me up at night at 11 o'clock as well. Wow Yeah, if I got dropped off there if I had you know, if I didn't have my car or whatnot But I think I wrecked my car when I was 16. So I was out of a car for most of the year So I remember being dropped off a lot Well, what was it about? Well, it's 16. Well, when you did you know? When did you know? Because I think it was I kind of always tinkered with the idea of ending up in the industry How was it for you? Did you know? Hey, this is for me. We're you not sure what we're when did you know? I I all in my family You you could be a lot of you could be a doctor you could have a master's degree That was all great But if you were a great salesman in our family you you you were you were on the top of the of the totem pole I mean, you got all the recognition you got all you mean, so being a being a high at high producing high income earning salesman was more Important just in general because my whole family was in that is in this business. I mean from uncles to you know parents to Now my sister and my brother-in-law and well all kind of you know segmented up in our own deals now Which is it's a good thing because we used to all be tied together with one company for a long time and And sometimes that works good and sometimes it doesn't you know, but But I I I did get introduced really where I was getting a paycheck in the insurance business when I was 16 Wow That's amazing. There's not too many they can say that but there's a so so when did you start out in the field selling? so I got my insurance license in 2002 and So, you know, my goal was to and actually I was working in in Equitas office You know off and on up until then so either in the administrative department or you know administrative jobs, right? And my goal my goal in life was number one to to do well financially But to almost prove myself a little bit even at 21 or 22 however old I was So I went to college for a couple years hated college hated school to this day You couldn't pay me to go back to college. It's just one of those things that I I came home for the summer and I actually ended up You know, I was working in in the office And and while I was working there was working on getting my insurance license So I ended up getting my insurance license and I'm not a studious person I'll be the first one to admit that anybody who works with me worked for me. They know that I'm visionary You know, I mean I'm motivation. I'm you know, let's drive the ship. But when it comes to Really being an administrator. I was terrible at it. Just horrible. I'm sure that you know, just not good and you know, so but I ended up getting my insurance license and went out in the field as a tea as a 403b agent and so I learned I got trained learn how to Go visit with teachers and basically be on the other end of the phone call where I used to make appointments now I'm taking the appointments and go into the schools meeting with the teachers and And then if I'm not able to do a one-call close Usually there were two call closes because a lot of teachers have other 403b plans So you want to roll that money into another Into another plan So I make a second appointment usually and go to the meet at their house and then we go through a whole financial strategy with them on how they can retire and not have to go get a job after they retire and supplement the retirement gap with a TSA and And then I would also sell at that time They used to have a tax qualified whole life product that was payroll that would come out of their paychecks it was payroll deductible and payroll deduction and And it was actually a qualified life insurance plan So they don't I don't even think they have those anymore and they were 10 year pay up plans So I literally right out the gate. I was just so hungry in the first year. I made well over a hundred thousand dollars So after that, you know, I was I was like, okay This is this is I'm in love. I'm married to you know in every way, you know I mean, I'm just I see I see a future. I see so so so many, you know, so many great things and I said I'm never going back to college And so and you know and that was really when I when I fell in love with it Really truly fell in love with the business because I was out on my own. I was closing deals myself and and That's just where where I fell in love with the business now That was you know, I've been in the field a few times since then Now I'll be a first one to admit it. Not much it's been Sit, you know, I did that for about a year and a half and then in 2003 I was given an opportunity to start a mortgage protection IMO and So the company the family company that I was that I was with They and it was called equity. I'll say it here. So, you know, so equity financial. Um, so They were wanting to take the company into a few different directions They had their senior annuity division where they did seminars for seniors and they were doing Probably a hundred million a year and annuities back then that market And then they were in the teacher market and and they were they were definitely the leaders I believe the leader in the teacher market at that time in California and Texas, I know America. Oh they were their top IMO for forever and but then The mortgage protection, you know the mortgage boom in the early 2000s really started, you know saying, okay, there was a there was a market there and And I was out in the field selling love and life that freedom Right and and I was brought into a meeting actually with America at the time They were visiting and they were going through what's still around the home mortgage series product And and they introduced this back in 2002 2003 and I sat down and after they left Rick who's my stepdaddy said, all right Let's let's figure out a way to be able to to build some distribution get some marketing going on and start doing some business And the mortgage protection market. I said, I don't know anything about the mortgage protection market and I never sold it anyway, and So actually what what happened was is that we went out and we acquired a small mortgage protection agency That wasn't doing a whole lot had a talented Founder principal who was running it who is really the guy I would say who taught me the mortgage protection mortgage protection business names actually Tommy Aiken if you're watching Okay, so it's a long time. I haven't talked in years, but So he he was the one who came into the mix and showed us the ropes with that particular market at the time And you know, no offense or anything to him But there was a lot of things that there was there's reasons why that business wasn't growing and and I figured those things out over the over over bottom going into the hole about a million dollars and You know, so after about three years, you're not good. I mean it takes capital, right? So yeah So we went in the hole probably a million dollars and in the first three years and 2006 we came out of it all in one year and Yeah, so yeah, so, you know and then from 2006 2010 we we were we were doing very well and you know well over two million a month and and and and mortgage protection premium and And then yeah, so basically, you know, that's my first ten years in the business I would say nice and Then in 2000 and 2000 In 2008 2009 I started feeling like that. I had outgrown the the original deal that I had I had received I would say when I was back in 2003 and So that was when we really kind of sat down and you know I wanted some things on the corporate end to to change more and more in my benefit and and I don't know if I had the same vision as as the other people and so but I knew what I I had brought to the table I respected what? Resources they brought to the table completely and and that was clear I don't think there was any confusion there, but it was time for me to either grow out or Renegotiate what our particular deal was yeah, and remember there's this is a family family business So there you know so I got you okay. Yeah, hey wow that's very cool So so okay, so what's kind of always what's always attracted you about the because there's a lot different panel speakers speakers keynote speakers at this event at this conference lots of different questions a lot lots of different experience levels different different parts of the industry What's it always been about mortgage protection that because you know dude you can tell you freaking love mortgage protection What was it about that that that you've always enjoyed? you know a lot of it just has to do with you know we're kind of creatures of habit and so that was what I really became successful with and that that It's hard to It's hard to pivot or change completely from From from a business that you've become over the years successful in and Even though the market changes Right for the worse in a lot of ways, you know, especially on the mortgage protection I've still even to this day. I've still stayed loyal to that market. I believe in it I believe it's it's great for the clients It's it's got to be it's it's not a market that I see on the direct mail side And I'm still working on some I'd be interested to learn at the conference Some other marketing tactics because I know there's there's one guy that that's gonna be there that I believe He's more on the technology side. He does mortgage protection I think he's based out of here in Dallas, but I'd like to network a little bit and figure out You know some maybe possible different connections on how we can do some markings right now I spend a lot of money on direct mail. I put the mail out with the leads to come back in I'm taking the risk on the lead returns The lead returns on the mortgage protection in general are very low They're not, you know, these You know, 1.5 percent return rates 2 percent rates. There's not and Well, what an average MP? Down in your area for for the letters that we use which are You know in my opinion very high high quality letters require a signature on the on the lead And they put the date on the lead we average probably eight tenths of a percent on the in general in the more saturated Metropolitan areas they'll go up to 1% 1.2 1.3 percent and some of the more rural areas But you know where the population is is where your average is so you know, I would say if I average them all together Maybe maybe just just south of 1% You know in some areas it's even lower and I and I unless I've got just an unbelievable closer there I it's hard to keep the mail the mail going out But in general, I have some areas that I get a very low lead return half a percent But I've got an agent there who closes almost everything that they get There's different variables in place to determine if I'm gonna stay in there or not no doubt What what will agents learn not only the chance to to meet you hang out with you get to pick your brain? Just the all the networking that's gonna happen is gonna be incredible, but what do you expect for agents to be able to learn? from you Being on stage being a part of the panel You may not know you're not gonna know what the questions are yet, but Generally, what do you expect them to learn from you knowing your background your history what you're great at? You know, I think there's there's there's a lot of different things to learn in your conference I don't think you know and that's one of the things we talked about earlier is you know I think that a lot of this business is is motivation and some people like I don't want to hear motivation But you know, you've really got to stay excited even through tough times in this business to stay in this business That's why you know going back to the theme of 8% well, you know nice that's a 92% fall off which to me 8% seems even a little high Yeah, so I was surprised when you said that because I was thinking it might be one or two percent Especially in the life space. It's probably worse worse. This is coming, but yeah, it's worse. It's worse and and and so You know, I think that you know, I've been doing this. I've had to now. I'm on my third company So I had a quota and then I started unique underwriters in 2010 to get public and sold it in 2014 there's a whole story behind all of that and Lessons and successes and all of that just with that statement alone, which I'm not going to get into on this call, but I thought But the that there's a lot of there's a lot of I would I would say I would have a lot of wisdom from being through what I've been through in this business and One of the things that when you talk to people that have been with me and a lot of people that have been with me they've been with me for years 10 years plus here with my Marilife company and So they transitioned over with me after I had sold my my previous my previous company and One of the things I've heard that was really interesting that I didn't even think about and we were at one of my conferences and And it was kind of a theme my wife comes up to me and she's like, you know, I've noticed a thing and they're saying you're you're very tenacious You have a lot of tenacity and But you're always always like excited You know, and if there's so many there's so many things to be excited about Financially in this business, you know in general, but there's it's not always sunny No, no way, you know, there's and a lot of times I always tell people I said where there's glitter doesn't always mean their goal over there So or even here at times, you know, so It's about just being tenacious in this business and staying positive and plug it in to the right mentors There's and I'll admit there's some wrong mentors out there that are not gonna lead lead people In the right direction and what I would really turn me on about when you the first day I think you announced this conference because I don't know if I was one of the first people that said something to you but Was I see a lot of positivity with what you're doing and it's not IMO specific you know, I've done many many conferences for my own companies in the past and You know, there's a reason for that, right? I'm doing it for a reason, you know We want to get people, you know motivated and and hungry and get that nice shot in the arm for the next until the next conference right and you know, so they're they're really leaning towards motivation and Recognition but yours was a little different. I haven't seen one like yours. Yours to me is is What I what I've wondered why hasn't anybody including myself? you know networked and through a insurance conference for The you know, and I think the aid there's an age bracket within your conference. There's an age theme I don't think that you know, you're 60 or 70 year olds are gonna be so excited about you know Coming to the conference, but that's not our the future. So You know the Millennials, you know the people in their 20s and 30s and and and the the smart ones in their 40s That are looking farther than you know, just the next lead they get I think that that's where There is a lot of value a lot of value that this conference gonna bring and the panel that you've put together Is a mixture of a lot of different talents That is very interesting and I think that There's a lot of people from a brand new agent who doesn't know anything To an agent who is you know, I've got Christine Butcher who's actually my top agent last year with her own pinch She made six hundred thousand dollars. She wrote like 700 applications and She's she's coming with me and she's bringing her team that she she didn't she's she used to have a big agency back with my old Organization, but she was kind of wanted to not do that at them with With my mayor life deal. So she just wanted to go out and sell them spear with leads and She's she's just been amazing, but she's decided now that she wants to have an agency and so she's now got a handful of Top producing agents is amazing how that works. Yeah, I'll tell a top producer. They they create other top producers Yeah, and so they're coming with her as well And so from from there's gonna be a ton of value that I think Christine's gonna be able to apply towards growing her business with other people And different opportunities rather than just being so mortgage protection specific I think that she can you know, somebody like her who's been in the business almost as long as me She she can diversify into some other markets You know, I'm bringing that choice who's a market or market or my marketing managers who works actually work in our life as well He he's coming. He's got a lot of tele-sales experience And we're we're doing deals constantly with call center one of I would call them want to be future call centers that We can we can help them with you know, the different experiences that we've had and you know And then you know and just have creating resources and and networking and opportunities is really where I see a lot of value for Everybody who's coming and I haven't I haven't just been invited everybody that I you know I've hand-picked and said okay I think you'd be a good a good fit to come and I've actually invited a few people that you know aren't directly With me right now that I would like to be At some point so, you know, I'm planning a seed and and it could be a real positive way just to get around the mojo And so some of the names that are possibly coming you'll you'll see and you'll know who they are and it'll be very interesting If if we can get some of their some of their names pop up. That's all that's really cool, man Yeah, you've you've definitely got a good team We've always you know We've always had a had a good relationship and I'm extremely excited to finally get to meet you and get to hang out a little bit If an agent's on the fence Help them out like the event is it's coming up quick 22 days Five hours 35 minutes and 30 seconds from now at an NFL stadium with all these dudes yourself and a lot of other good Dudes if an agent's on the fence number one. We're sold out of VIP bad But if agents are on the fence What would you say to help them get over the fence like why should an agent attend? Well, there's only a few reasons why an agent has not pulled the trigger yet in my opinion one of them is They don't understand that they're gonna have to invest in themselves to be successful. Wow so The the agents that have that that are within the 8% I'm gonna say 2% because I've always been on the life for the most part except for the When I was in selling annuities to teachers when I was 22 or whatever but The the agents that are not willing to invest and they're in and not just leads But also personal development They're they're you're not gonna be an 8% or very long you're gonna fall into that 92% category. That's a fact And so that would be one one of the reasons why because they they can't they're allocating It's just like when you meet with a client. They don't want to buy an insurance policy, you know, they have the money You just haven't sold them on you know Completely yet. They're not they're not sold. So if you walk out without an app You didn't sell so they're gonna go put the money somewhere else, you know so an agent if you're if you're If you're saying I can't come because I can't afford whatever the ticket price the guest ticket is not even you know the premier or VIP But you're already sold out of those but the guest ticket couple hundred bucks, you know, I think Yeah, I don't think you're I don't think you're you're a 92% or You're 92% or you're not an 8% or isn't it doesn't even blink at $400, right? You know in my work in my world an agent, you know, they're dying and our leads are in my opinion from where I started in the Business I should give leads out for free to the agents now they pay for them and then the prices just keep going up as the leader returns Go down they're begging still begging for them. And so in my world that might equate to That might equate to one of your admission tickets might be eight or nine leads So you're saying you're not willing to buy eight or nine leads to go out and make you know Turn that into a to a profit So I would say if it's if it's financial then and you can't and you don't see the value and investing in yourself and seeing the The what what you could learn and and specifically not from just you know the guest speakers what you're amazing with Grant Cardone and Ray Lewis, but you know, that's all like to me That's gravy. That's that's that's icing on the cake. I'm not coming there to just listen to Grant Cardone or listen to Ray Lewis speak that you know, I had Les Brown speak at one of my Conferences You could it's on YouTube That was in 2012 he came he spoke that was awesome But that wasn't the event right the event was you know getting all of our top producer We had a whole venue like you have so there's a lot of a lot of specific details You're gonna be able to pick out of this that if you're truly want to be an eight percenter Then you've got to invest like an eight percenter. We invest millions millions of dollars to keep our businesses running Doesn't mean we're always profitable, but we know that we keep those investments going out and you know So everybody wants to make the make the big bucks. They want to do the big volume. They want to get the recognition but they don't want to spend the money and That's what it really comes down to if you're not willing to spend the money You know, maybe so there's some other businesses network marketing businesses. You can not spend a lot of money And it's just sweat equity, but in this business You've got to you've you've got to be willing to invest in your business And I believe that you know, there's no no question that you know when you ask me to be a sponsor. I'm like, thank you Yeah, absolutely Absolutely, I want to be a sponsor. Are you kidding me? So You know, that's the attitude. I think that you know The agents that are out there selling or if they want to recruit and build agencies or they want to one day become their Own IMO and be those be the next, you know, 50 million hundred million dollar life insurance Imo Then you know, you got to start small and start investing small and this would be a small investment to be able to help You get to the next step But you know, that would be the main one. There's the other one that popped up in my mind would be I That was that there was two there was two reasons my mind Yeah, the first one was good enough for me bro. The first one was incredible, you know Yeah, what would be the second one which I think I just outsold or maybe I answered my question on the second one But yeah, so I think I think that ultimately it's the only reason that oh the second one would be They're scared of their upline So they work for they're a captive agent and they don't want to admit they're a captive agent But they're an independently captive agent is what I call them and their IMO isn't gonna be there and They're scared to Or they're being talked out of going Because they're worried they're gonna get recruited while they're there and So that would be maybe this you know the second Reason why because this is that this is blasted out there, you know, I mean everybody's know knows about this You should have in my opinion, you know after this event tens of thousands of people at the next one and I think that you know a Lot of it's gonna you know There's in the insurance world especially the old-school insurance for everybody so scared about you know getting your agents recruited from you You know they're getting poached from another if you've got to worry about that number one You haven't built the relationship that you should have built with them Hey, man, and you're not bringing any value proposition to them. So you're just pimping them So if you know if you're worried and you're telling your your agents don't go to that It's gonna be a waste of your time, you know, then then you know You got a break you got it you got to be bold and you got to say you know what I Got it if I were to go to Grant Cardone's one of his his seminars, you know Would they be opposed to me going to one of those or you know So because this is gonna help me in the life insurance market or what I do you're scared and you're talking me out of going to this So that would be the second thing that I would see is these highly controlling independently captive distributions And and just saying don't go to that. So those are the two things that I would see off the top of my head I love that. Thank you, buddy. That's really good. And you know what if you want to meet Sam Wolf president magic partner of a mere life. HPS Panel speaker then guess what you got to get to Nashville You got to get to Nissan Stadium October 26 and 27th, and I'm telling you what You're gonna have a good time meeting this dude getting to know sam dude sam. Thank you very much for the interview Thank you for being on and can't wait to see you in Nashville, buddy Absolutely. Thank you. And I appreciate being a part of it and being invited to be a sponsor and You know, I wish you obviously all of the luck and success from this and I can't wait to to be there I love it, buddy. Thank you so much for being on if you haven't grabbed your ticket Go to a person nation.com to grab your seat again. VIP's already sold out again a person nation.com to grab your seat Sam It's gonna be there dude. Thanks again for being on man having in progress your night. Hope to see everyone on stadium. Thank you