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Update News
for October 2015
Here is a quick run-down on what you will find in this bulletin:
Improvements Coming to Your FREE Mobile Edition
Responsive Pages Coming to Web Quotes
VERY Inexpensive Microsoft Tablets
Special Referral Opportunity
Why Are FREE Zip Codes So Important?
Zip Code Listings
Rule Changes For 2016
These topics will be dealt with in more detail throughout this bulletin.
While our programmer continues to focus on making important infrastructure changes and improvements to our software, Jeremiah has been busy making significant changes and improvements to the Compulife Mobile Edition. I really like the changes that he is introducing and it's time for you to have a first look.
FREE Mobile Version: Each subscriber to Compulife is entitled to a FREE mobile edition of Compulife. This is FREE to subscribers of the Windows desktop software, no one else.
The Compulife Mobile Edition is a version of our quotation software designed to run on a phone, pad, tablet or any other device that does not have a Windows operating system. The Mobile Edition runs from your internet browser via a connection to the internet. If you have such a device, and have not taken advantage of your FREE Mobile Edition, you can request it here:
Even though the upgrade project is only about 50% complete, we are at the point where we would like to get your feedback. You can see a copy of the new Mobile Edition that is still "Under Construction" by going here:
IMPORTANT: www.cqsmobile.com will be our "test/sample" page moving forward. www.cqsmobile.com will let us demonstrate the mobile edition for prospective users who want to see what it looks like and how it works.
VERY IMPORTANT: You need a password to first access the Mobile Edition.
The site www.cqsmobile.com is for DEMO use ONLY. After October, and each month thereafter (or whenever we want), we will change that password. This will ensure that people cannot keep using the Demo Mobile Edition for free. If we want someone to have access, we will give them the password.
When a person actually subscribes to Compulife (Windows Desktop Software), including the four free months that we give new subscribers, that subscription includes a FREE Mobile Edition which they can personalize, such as choosing which companies appear in the quotes. That is the version that we want our subscribers to use, not the Demo.
The new Compulife Mobile Edition implements "responsive" screen technology meaning that the web pages dynamically respond, format and size to the amount of space available on the screen. The same software is intended to look and function nicely on a smart phone or on a tablet with a bigger screen. Obviously the smart phone is the toughest environment due to the small nature of the screen. Jeremiah's focus has been making it look good on the phone but because of the space limitations, some of the information does not appear on the phone when viewing a quote in portrait mode (phone held normally up and down). However, if you turn the phone on its side (landscape mode), which allows the display to be wider, you will see that the quote re-formats automatically and adds more information. One field that appears and disappears is the "health class" for the premiums. The health class will not appear on a phone in the portrait mode, but flip the phone on its side and the quote gets wider and that information appears. Responsive technology makes side scrolling unnecessary, documents react to the space available.
For the most part the changes to the Mobile Edition do not introduce new functions with one exception. We have decided to upgrade the Mobile Edition by adding the Health Analyzer. That is the one additional function that we have been asked for the most in the Mobile Edition. You will be getting that as part of this round of improvements.
Most consumers of phone and pad/tablet technology base their satisfaction with the software on "look and feel". This means content seems to be a secondary concern. To put it another way, it's about "style over substance". As a person preoccupied with substance, the quality and accuracy of the content, style is just not something that concerns me as much. And truth be told, I'm not much when it comes to creating look and feel. I can look at something and say I like or don't like it, but not sure how to get there to begin with.
By contrast, when it comes to "look and feel" no one at Compulife has a better sense of that than Jeremiah. And Jeremiah has others that he networks with where he can get input when designing the look and feel. Generally he can come up with results that look really good and which are beyond my skill set.
As I have said already, I like what Jeremiah has come up with in this new Mobile Edition but the time has come to hear from you. You are the one who will be using this:
We need to hear what you like and don't like. Please give us a call or send an email:
As you review the Mobile Edition keep in mind the limited screen space on a phone. While it may be true that many angels can dance on the head of a pin, it's hard to see them doing it.
Once we have completed work on the www.cqsmobile.com Demo site, and have it working the way that we like it, we will freeze this round of current development. This is why it is important to get your opinions/comments in early before we update ALL customers with the changes.
IMPORTANT: It will be too late to hear what you don't like about the new Mobile Edition AFTER we update your old version to the new Mobile Edition. That's why it is important to take a look at www.cqsmobile.com NOW, and let us know if there is something you don't like.
Once again, after we finalize the new version, ALL customers will be changed to the new version and the old version will be dead and gone. In truth I can't imagine anyone with a phone or tablet who will miss it versus the look and feel of the new version but some agents did miss our DOS software.
After work is completed on the Compulife Mobile Edition we will then focus on making the www.term4sale.com comparison pages responsive. The home page of www.term4sale.com is already responsive. That work was completed earlier in the year. It was the highest priority because google's search engine methodology changed earlier this year and ranks responsive pages more highly than non-responsive pages. Keeping a flow of consumer contacts coming in for our subscribers is a HIGH priority.
Whether the comparison pages are responsive or not is of little consequence to google. The search engine does not see the comparison page template files and so it does not rank a site based upon anything other than the page where the quote request form appears. Therefore, from a search engine point of view, we only care about the home page at www.term4sale.com, and not the quotes themselves. The same is true for your copy of the web quote option if you have it.
Having said that, it is only natural that the quote pages have the same look and feel to maintain consistency on the site. Further, we want to make it easier for term4sale visitors who are running quotes on their phones. For that reason we are anxious to get the balance of the www.term4sale.com site updated to the responsive look and feel. But in setting our priorities, we determined that the Mobile Edition would be the logical place to work on templates first, given that the vast majority of those using our Mobile Edition are using it on their phones. And it gives us a way to get subscriber feedback before those changes roll out for consumers. It is also worth noting that after we make one site/page responsive, doing it for other sites goes much more quickly.
Once the Mobile Edition and www.term4sale.com have been updated we will then direct our attention to the Compulife Web Quote option. The page which you see here:
is virtually the same page that we give any web quote customer when they obtain the web quote option from Compulife. The only difference between the www.termsampler.com page and the one that we give you, is the account value that we assign. Your account has a control panel which lets you manage things like which companies you quote, and which email address(es) are used for the "Request Application" button, assuming that you use that option on your site.
We encourage agents to place that page on their own site rather than run it from our server. When you place the actual page on your server you can integrate the page in any way that you want. You can also do what we did at www.term4sale.com, and make the page responsive.
However, we see a potential source of new technical problems once we provide you with a responsive page. We do not know what will happen if we give you a responsive page, and you try to integrate it into another responsive page. We have no way of knowing how those two pages will interact and it could be tantamount to mixing oil and water. Will our responsive code be compatible with your responsive code? That, to put it candidly, is a bit of a mystery. Once we have a responsive page to give you, we'll see what happens. But given our uncertainty about it, we intend to keep the old page and add the new responsive page as an option.
The more important change will be the addition of a new group of responsive template files. Currently there are 8 templates. You can see the template files here:
Just above the client entry box, on the left side of the page, is a drop down list of the current templates. On www.termsample.com you can select different templates and run quotes to see what they look like. Once the new responsive templates are available they will be added to your account and you will be able to choose one of those instead of what you are currently using.
The templates will not be identical to the new template that Jeremiah is building for the new Mobile Edition of the software but certainly the look and feel will be rooted in that new Mobile Edition. That is yet another reason why you might want to review the direction we are heading by going here:
If you like or don't like what you see we need to hear from you sooner rather than later.
For a couple of months we have been talking about a couple of VERY interesting Windows 8.1 tablets, one of which was the HP Stream (available in a 7" or 8" model). The 7" is selling for about a hundred bucks. Here are the current going prices for these devices:
Both devices run the full Windows version of Compulife and both are still, INSANELY cheap. But they are not alone, there are other tablets of various sizes and abilities. Check them out here:
We have made changes to make Compulife easier to use on those tablets. The big difference is the new way to put products into Pick 12. If our software detects a touch screen available, you can touch and hold on a product in the comparison, and then "sweep" your finger or stylus right. The movement of your finger or stylus will first display the Pick 12 Product List. With the list on the screen, touch and sweep right again, and the product goes into Pick 12. It works super slick.
Note: Some customers have emailed and asked for the free stylus that we are sending to customers who ask for it, get your FREE stylus by emailing service@compulife.com and giving us your mailing address.
TIP: I like to move the "Pick 12 Produce List" box, which lets you see the products you have filed, from the bottom right corner of the tablet screen to the top right corner. I then move the "Display Single Product" box from the top right, to below the "Pick 12 Product List". That lets me see the box easier, and I don't block it with my hand as I am filing products. If you don't know how to do that, give us a call.
I am very, very happy with the way this works. It gives subscribers, who have devices like these, the best Compulife software product in a completely mobile and autonomous environment. And with devices priced under $100, this is a NO BRAINER.
We have a NEW referral program that you need to pay particular attention to.
If you introduce a new subscriber to Compulife they will get some FREE STUFF and so will you.
For your referral: FREE Compulife (including web quotes and 3 free zip codes listings) for 6 months (instead of the usual 4).
IMPORTANT: The standing offer of 4 free months is what we offer on our site. If you do not use the following referral form to order the trial, then your referral will NOT get 6 free months:
Your REWARD for the referral: A FREE zip code listing at www.term4sale.com until the end of 2017. That's $35.00 value ($1.25 X 28). You need to keep reading for more information about why this is more valuable than just $35.00. The sooner you get the referral started, the longer you will have that benefit of your additional free zip codes.
How does this work?
First, you must give us the referral using THIS FORM:
Second, your referral must install the 30 day free trial and complete the tutorial. If your referral does not complete the tutorial, you do not get your additional free zip code listing to the end of 2017.
Therefore, it is important for you to make the referral and then follow-up with your referral to make sure that they do the tutorial. Remind them that they get Compulife free for 6 months, which includes 3 free zip code listings at www.term4sale.com. They also get the webquote option for free for 6 months.
And folks, if the agent won't take the time to spend 10 minutes to learn to use software that will make them money, then they aren't worth our time or bother. That's why we need you to "ride herd" and get them to do that tutorial.
That may sound harsh but we have learned, after many years, that if people don't learn how to use our software (or any software) then they won't use it. And if you don't use Compulife, then you won't realize that it will MAKE YOU MONEY.
And those who use our software, KNOW IT MAKES THEM MONEY.
The ability for you to add FREE zip code listings is VERY important. FREE zip codes (you already have 3 free zip codes with your subscription) are important because they can BUMP paid listings in your local area.
Bumping zip codes is ONLY allowed in the first week of November. If you purchased a zip code listing that listing is secure to the end of that year. However, you may not be able to renew that listing the following year should that listing get bumped by someone who is in the local area of that zip code and who elects to use that zip code as one of their FREE zip codes.
Once again, bumping can only occur in the first week of November and will only take affect at the beginning of the following year. When you bump a paid listing we do not renew that listing for the person who previously paid for it. When there is more than one paid listing in a zip code, we bump the newer subscribers first. Those who have been in that zip code the longest have seniority.
IMPORTANT: To ensure that Jeremiah and Pat aren't overwhelmed with this process, Compulife will not be accepting new zip code purchases during November and December. This will freeze our current zip code listings to the end of December.
During the first week of November we will process the changes as a result of bumping. We will remove bumped zip codes from subscribers paid listings prior to the invoicing of renewals for 2016. Those who ask us to move their free listings into those other zip codes will have those moved listing appear in January, not before.
Further, after the first week of January we will remove those listings that were not renewed (paid) and post the new list to the www.term4sale.com web site. At that point you would be well advised to check the site to see if there are listings that you want, that have now opened up.
TIP: Make a note of this in your calendar. You need to check the January 2016 Update News very carefully, to learn the date when you can see the newly available zip codes. These will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Every year there is always a land rush as people swoop in to scoop up newly available zip codes in good areas.
That's why the referral program is SO IMPORTANT. If you can ADD free zip codes to your account, which are then paid to the end of 2017, it means that you can use those additional FREE zip codes, in the first week of November, to bump paid listings. Making referrals to Compulife is the ONLY WAY you can add additional FREE zip code listings.
For example, let's say that you refer 10 new agents to Compulife, and they all do the tutorial to get their free subscriptions to the end of 2015. You will receive 10 FREE zip code listings to the end of 2017 (a $375 value). For the balance of 2015 you can only select zip codes that are available. You can check to see what is available here:
IMPORTANT: In the first week of November you can ask to move those 10 FREE zip codes and BUMP 10 paid zip code listings which you would rather have (ONLY in your local area). Those free zip codes will be FREE to the end of 2017.
VERY IMPORTANT: When you come to 2018 you will have the right to keep those zip codes by paying to renew them.
Do you UNDERSTAND the value of this offer?
If it hasn't hit you by this point, try reading it again. If you still don't get it, call me (Bob Barney) at (888) 798-3488.
In becoming a part-time sales person for Compulife, it means that you can bank some FREE zip codes for 2015/2016/2017. Those zip codes can then lead to more life insurance sales through www.term4sale.com.
And this isn't that hard. After all, it doesn't take much of a salesman to give stuff away for FREE.
And here is why this is even more important. It is becoming more and more difficult for new subscribers to find good zip codes that are available. That means that your FREE zip codes are becoming more important because it often takes a free zip code to get a good zip code in your local area. The problem with that is that three is the limit of free zip codes with a subscription. After that you have to buy zip codes listings and they are on a first come, first served basis.
Therefore, the ability to get more FREE zip codes in your area is really important. It represents the ONLY way that you can get people who buy and renew the codes that they have in your area, bumped out of those listings. The time that you take to promote Compulife in the next few weeks can provide you with an enduring benefit with respect to insurance sales.
No doubt some folks who got in the listing game early, and who bought some of the best zip code listings, will be unhappy about this. Our advice for those subscribers is to take advantage of this same special offer and lock down a bunch of zip codes in their own local area, by getting those for free. That saves you money, and that locks down those zip codes. Our goal is to have a STRONG local presence in all the zip code listings. It's not that buying paid listing outside your immediate area is unwelcome, it's just more important that we have lots of subscribers able to derive sales from their own local area.
But we still have a problem. Even brand new subscribers who have three free zip codes to place, are finding it tough to get a good zip code listing in their area. Many are already full. New subscriber are being told that they have to wait until November to bump some of the paid listings, assuming that they have become a paying subscriber by that time. They have to settle for what is available until then. For that reason we still need to thin the herd and we will need to make some further changes to paid zip codes listings for 2016.
Second, we will decrease the maximum number of paid zip codes from 400 to 360 for standard license subscribers. The price for the zip codes over the personal use allotment (91 to 360) will be unchanged at $1.50 per month (times 12; $18 each per year).
NOTE: The number of paid listings is in ADDITION to your free zip codes listings. If you have 10 free zip codes listings, then you can add 90 or 360 to those 10.
The principle in making these changes is to broaden the number of Compulife players on the field. We DO NOT want any one customer capitalizing on the benefits of www.term4sale.com. We prefer that a majority of subscribers derive a benefit from the site, not just a minority getting a huge benefit. In the meantime we also hope to continue to grow traffic to the site. While we make the slices of the pie thinner, we are trying to make the pie larger. In the end it may mean you have fewer listings but they should still produce the same number of contacts and sales. That's our goal.