Today we’d like to introduce you to Donte Lane.
Hi Donte, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi Donte, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My road to selling insurance started at State Farm in Newnan, Georgia. I worked with a second-generation State Farm agent. He saw potential and drive in me, so he immediately decided to send me to a $1,500 two-day training. In the insurance business, you spend a lot of time on the phone to be successful. I learned about the processes, such as picking up the phone to communicate with clients about a bill they may need to pay or selling a range of products.
Before State Farm, I was selling cars at the top Ford in the southeast. I took what I learned as the top salesman and applied that to insurance. Once I left State Farm, I began to sell Obamacare in call centers. During three different open enrollments, I was the top seller and the youngest person in the room. I broke the record by writing 39 policies in one day!
I started my own company called Medicare Answers Now. I specialized in Medicare and also sold Final Expense. A year ago, I moved to LaGrange, and that’s when everything took off for me. I went to high school in LaGrange, so I had a great reputation and was well-known in the area. People would walk up to me in the streets and ask me for auto and home insurance which I didn’t sell at the time, but I had knowledge of from State Farm. So I eventually added auto and home insurance while still doing Medicare.
I connected with a lot of the car dealerships in the area for them to send me referrals for people needing car insurance after purchasing a car. That’s when things started to speed up for me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. The multi-millionaire insurance agent I spoke about earlier told me I would have cash flow problems and I would just have to stick through it. He was right! I could have just made a lot of money, but I wouldn’t see it for two-three months. The key was to keep building on it until the residuals started to come in. Other struggles include keeping my marketing going, staying visible as often as possible in the community, all the while taking care of myself. But no one ever said it would be easy.
At one point, I started a trucking company. It was successful. However, my phone would not stop ringing. I lived with a headset. One day I checked my bank account and saw six grand from insurance residuals. That may not be a lot of money to some people but that was a sign for me to go back to insurance full time. I stopped my trucking company three days later.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve been in LaGrange for less than two years and everything is going really well. I have two billboards in town and I’m known as Da Insurance Man. I am also a portfolio agent now that I have expanded into Obamacare making me more resourceful to my clients.
My brand journey started in East Alabama and West Georgia, but in this short time, I have expanded to servicing 48 states in life and health (Obamacare) insurance. Being a “one-stop shop” sets me apart from other agents because I have an opportunity to cover everything without outsourcing. In most cases, agents and agencies are limited in their service, but by doing continued education, I have become multi-faceted as an insurance broker.
Most people know me for my engagement with the public and my entertaining and educational content. Deep subject matters can sometimes be overwhelming, so I strive to make the hard things hilarious every chance I get.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Referrals, Referrals, Referrals!
I also do a lot of collaborating in the community with different business owners. A lot of times, the business owners may give me a discount for doing volume and then we’ll give it back to the client just for watching our videos, watching our lives, or telling their friends about us.
People in the area can support me by giving me a call when they need an insurance company – D. Lane Agency. I would love the opportunity to help you and save you some money.
My tag lines are We Got You Covered and It’s Bigger Than Insurance because we give back so much to the community.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dontelane
- Other: 706-389-0438
