Liran Hirschkorn – Founder of BestLifeQuote.com

[quote style=”boxed”] Taking action in business is key. You can’t just have a list of great ideas and never have the guts to implement them.[/quote]

Liran Hirschkorn is an independent life insurance agent and founder of BestLifeQuote.com, a national life insurance agency. His mission is to help individuals across the U.S find the best rates on life insurance, specializing in helping those who have previously been declined coverage. Liran’s expertise is in high-risk life insurance and understanding the unique underwriting guidelines of more than 30 life insurance companies. Liran lives in New York City with his wife, their two daughters, and their dog, Fluffy.

Where did the idea for BestLifeQuote.com come from?

Prior to launching a national life insurance agency, I was selling life insurance locally in New York, but I knew there was a better way to market that would reach more people — taking my business online. The concept was to focus on inbound marketing as opposed to the traditional way of networking and selling to friends and family.

What does your typical day look like, and how do you make it productive?

My typical day consists of wearing a few different hats. The first hat is as an independent agent, calling new leads that come through the website and speaking to them about their life insurance needs. As new leads come in throughout the day, I call them as soon as possible due to the competitive nature of my industry. I also manage the live chat feature of the website, work with case managers on existing life insurance applications to make sure they’re moving along, and communicate with existing clients.

The other hat I wear is marketing manager, which consists of working with writers to develop content for the blog, reviewing and publishing content, coming up with new ideas to market, and implementing projects I’m working on.

As far as being productive, I use tools to help me make sure I get things done. I schedule calls on my calendar, use the Things app to manage my to-do list, and keep track of client communications with Evernote. Ultimately, I think my productivity comes from being passionate about what I do and being self-motivated. To be a successful business owner, that drive has to be there.

How do you bring ideas to life?

When I get an idea, I write it down immediately. Some I know I’m going to implement relatively quickly, while others are stored in a “someday” file, which I review regularly. Once I’m ready to bring an idea to life, I start researching, then implementing. Taking action in business is key. You can’t just have a list of great ideas and never have the guts to implement them.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

I’m excited about how technology is making the life insurance industry more accessible to more Americans. Traditionally, life insurance agents sold door-to-door in the wealthiest neighborhoods, creating an underserved middle class. With access to the Internet and insurance companies accepting electronic signatures on applications, consumers can now buy life insurance much more easily. This technological expansion of the industry is exciting to me.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I’d like to think that I have a very strong work ethic and work harder than my competitors.

What was the worst job you ever had, and what did you learn from it?

I can’t really say I’ve had a “worst job.” Even experiences that weren’t ideal were a stepping stone to something better or a learning experience. The biggest thing I’ve learned from having jobs is that I don’t want to work for anyone.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I can say that from a marketing perspective, some strategies have worked out very well while some haven’t. If I started again, I’d only use strategies that work 100 percent of the time. But as a business owner, I don’t look back; I look forward and only focus on the things I can control.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Entrepreneurs are always dealing with ups and downs — it’s the nature of being in business. I constantly work on maintaining a success-based mindset. This philosophy ensures that I can get over the hurdles and move forward to improve my business every day. Personal development is also something everyone should focus on because when you improve yourself, you improve your business.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Focusing on what consumers are looking for and solving those problems has been key to growing the business. Specifically, I focus on creating content that’s educational and answers questions consumers have in every area around the topic of life insurance.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I don’t see it as failure if you get back up and keep going. Failure is giving up. I’ve had challenges in my business, especially in getting web traffic — that area has had ups and downs. But each setback has led to a new idea to overcome challenges.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I wouldn’t want to give the readers a mediocre idea, and if I had an amazing idea, I’d implement it myself.

Tell us something about you that very few people know.

I practice Transcendental Meditation.

What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?

I use Infusionsoft as my CRM and love the automation it provides. I also use
Yesware to track emails. I love that I can see when prospects open emails, which helps in the sales process.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I recommend “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill because developing yourself and your mindset is the key to success in life and business.

What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?

I’m a big fan of Tony Robbins and have attended his live seminar, Unleash the Power Within.

Connect:

Twitter: @LiranHirschkorn
LinkedIn: