Both Securus and NAA (National Association of Insurance Marketing Organizations) are large Insurance Marketing Organizations. IMOs serve as major marketing resources for both captive and independent agents. They act as a liaison between agents and various carriers.
While some Insurance Marketing Organizations permit you to contract with carriers within and outside their portfolio, others limit your options. Their agents cannot sell their products or contract with carriers outside of their portfolio. Both Securus as well as NAA are not-captive. You can still contract with other carriers, even if it is not to your advantage.
You cannot contract with the same carrier through both companies, or with another IMO, for a period of six to one year. While most waiting periods last six months, NAA can take up to twelve months. Dual contracting is available from some carriers, but they cannot offer you a contract that is equal or lower than your current contract.
Although there are many differences between NAA & Securus, the main differences I noticed were in their lead buying structure and training platform. You will need to be able to understand the basics of lead purchasing if you want to build a team. It is important to understand the quality and cost of training. Two of the most important keys to success in the insurance business are viable lead sources and/or programs, and the proper sales training.
Each individual is responsible to purchase their leads with Securus. You are not required to purchase leads for your team or contribute to their purchases. NAA’s lead structure means that you are responsible for buying your leads and paying a portion to your team. This applies to both your personal recruits as well as your team’s. If a personal recruit orders leads, and they fail to pay, the lead bill is yours. Any outstanding lead debt generated by any member of your team, regardless of whether they were recruited, can roll up to you. You cannot buy new leads until you have paid the lead debt. NAA states that agents will work harder to help their team members reach their success goals if they have to pay a portion on the team’s lead bills. This may be a problem for some agents. Agent support and training can be invaluable, but they don’t have any control over the agent’s execution. They don’t want to take on any financial responsibility for the team’s lead purchases.
I have been a member both of the IMOs and found that there is another difference between Secures and NAA in terms of their marketing and training platforms. Although both companies offer high-quality training, I found Securus’s training to be more structured and consistent. Each aspect of the agent’s activity, from the beginning to the end of the sales process, is broken down into specific training modules and scripts. All training is free for agents and available via the back office. NAA’s training was, however, less structured and inconsistent. The majority of their training was either fee-based through the purchase of cd’s, or via a monthly fee taken from your bank account to pay for their weekly training.
Both Securus as well as NAA offer targeted leads at a low cost to their agents from a marketing perspective. Securus does offer a free program to assist agents in creating their own leads. According to their literature, they believe that purchased leads will be used as a supplement to the agent’s marketing efforts rather than the main source of revenue. This marketing strategy, according to Securus is meant to reduce agents’ costs and result in more money in the agent’s pocket. There are many differences between Securus, NAA and NAA. However, these points will help you choose the right IMO for you. It is important to have a clear understanding about your financial goals and objectives before you make a decision. This will help you understand how they relate to the IMO’s overall business plan as well as their daily operations.