Ten Questions to Ask Any Appointment Vendor Before You Pay Them

Every vendor in this market sounds the same on a sales call. Qualified prospects, exclusive to you, high show rates, we handle everything. The words are free and everybody uses them.

What separates companies is not what they claim, it is whether they can answer specific questions with specific answers. Here are the ten that matter, and what a real answer sounds like compared to a soft one.

What am I actually buying

1. Am I paying per lead, per booked appointment, or per shown appointment?

The most important question in the entire conversation, and the one most likely to be answered vaguely.

A good answer names one of the three without hedging. A soft answer talks about "qualified opportunities" and moves on.

2. What exactly counts as a show?

If you are paying on attendance, somebody has to define attendance. Does joining and leaving after two minutes count? What if they are twenty minutes late?

A good answer is a written rule. A soft answer is "we're reasonable about it".

3. What are the criteria, in full, and what happens to people who fail them?

Ask for the list. Assets, timing, state, product, decision makers.

Then ask the second half, because it is where the truth is. If the people who fail still end up on your calendar and you have to dispute them afterwards, you are the quality control department and you are paying for the privilege.

Who is this person on my calendar

4. Where did they come from?

Did they raise their hand in response to an advertisement, or did somebody call them from a purchased list? Both are legitimate. They produce very different people, and the price should reflect which one you are getting.

A good answer explains the traffic source. A soft answer says "our proprietary system".

5. Is this prospect exclusive to me, in writing?

An appointment sent to three producers is not an appointment, it is an audition you paid for.

A good answer is yes, and it appears in the agreement. A soft answer is "we don't usually do that".

6. Who confirms the meeting, and how many times?

A text reminder and a human phone call are not the same intervention, and the difference shows up in your show rate.

A good answer describes a sequence with a person in it. A soft answer is "we send reminders".

7. What do I get before the meeting starts?

Their assets, where the money is sitting, their timeline, their stated goal, whether a spouse will attend. Ideally in a format you can read in two minutes before you dial in.

A good answer is a sample. Ask to see one, with the names removed.

When it goes wrong

8. What happens when somebody does not show?

Do you pay? Do you get a replacement? Who chases the reschedule?

A good answer is a clear rule you can repeat back. A soft answer involves the word "typically".

9. What happens if somebody shows up and clearly does not meet the criteria?

This one separates companies quickly, because it is the scenario that actually occurs.

A good answer tells you exactly who decides, how you raise it, and what the remedy is. A soft answer is reassurance that it rarely happens.

10. How do I stop?

Contract length, notice period, what happens to appointments already paid for.

A good answer is short, because a company confident in its product does not need to trap anyone.

The one worth asking last

Who else have you done this for, and how did it go?

Ask it, and then listen for how specific the answer is. Named firms and real numbers are one thing. Vague references to "producers in your market" are another.

A new company that says "you would be among our first, and here is why that works in your favour" is being straight with you. A company inventing a track record is telling you something important about how they will handle your money.

How to read the answers

Specifics or adjectives. That is the whole test.

A company that filters properly can show you the form. A company that confirms properly can tell you what the caller says. A company that documents properly can send you a sample brief with the names removed.

A company doing none of those things will answer every one of these questions in adjectives, and will sound perfectly confident doing it.

Our answers, in the open

So you can hold us to the same standard.

You pay per qualified shown appointment, $1,000 each. A show means they joined, they are in a state you are licensed in, they meet the criteria agreed before launch, and they knew the meeting was about annuities.

The criteria are published: fixed indexed annuities, $250,000 or more in investable assets, retired or retiring within five years, open to repositioning money within ninety days, both spouses attending, and in your licensed state. People who fail do not reach your calendar.

Prospects come from our own advertising, not purchased lists. They are confirmed on the phone by a person before anything is booked, and they are exclusive to you.

Before the meeting you get their answers and our screening notes.

No shows are never billed. No retainer, no advertising spend on your side, no long term contract.

And on the last question: we are new to annuities. You would be among our first clients in this niche, which is exactly why we screen every prospect ourselves and why the terms are written the way they are.

The bottom line

You cannot inspect an appointment before you buy it. You can inspect the company selling it, and ten questions is enough to do it.

Ask every vendor the same ten. Write down the answers. The pattern in what comes back will tell you more than any case study.