TV, Streaming TV and Social Final Expense Calls: How the Callers Differ

Final expense call vendors usually sort their calls by where the ad ran. You'll see TV, streaming TV (often called CTV) and social media on the menu. The price can differ by channel. The person on the other end can differ too, though less than the labels suggest.

Here's what each channel usually means, what to expect when the phone rings and how to keep from building your whole day around a label.

TV calls

A TV call starts with a commercial on regular broadcast or cable TV. The ad runs, a senior writes down or remembers the number and dials it.

These callers are often at home. Many are retired. They called on purpose, sometimes after seeing the same ad several times. Some will have a pen and paper ready. Some will have their reading glasses on and the TV still playing in the background.

What helps on a TV call:

• Speak a little slower than you think you need to.
• Ask them to turn the TV down before you start the health questions. "I want to make sure I hear you right. Could you turn the TV down for me?" Most people are glad to.
• Expect the caller to remember the ad more than the company name. "I saw the one with the man by the lake" is a normal way to start.

Streaming TV calls

Streaming TV, or connected TV, means the ad played inside an app on a smart TV or a streaming device. The ad itself can look just like a regular TV spot.

From your side of the headset, a streaming call often sounds like a TV call. The senior is usually at home, watching a show, and dialed from a nearby phone. Some vendors sell connected TV final expense calls as a separate product. Others fold them into TV. Ask how your vendor handles it, because it changes what you're comparing.

One thing to watch: the caller doesn't know or care what channel the ad ran on. Nobody says "Hi, I'm calling from a streaming ad." Don't ask them. It wastes the first seconds of the call.

Social calls

A social call starts with an ad in a feed, usually on a phone. The senior taps the number or dials it while they're still holding the phone.

That changes the setting. A social caller might be in a parking lot, at a kitchen table or on a lunch break. They might have tapped on impulse. They're also already on a mobile phone, which means a call can drop if they walk out of range.

What helps on a social call:

• Answer fast. A caller who tapped a button can hang up just as quickly.
• Confirm they can talk. "Are you somewhere you can talk for about fifteen minutes?" If not, ask for consent on the recorded line to call back at a time they pick.
• Get the basics early. If the call drops, you want their name and a callback agreement already on the recording.

Don't plan your day around the label

Channel labels help you read a vendor's offer. They don't tell you who is about to talk to you. A TV caller can be in a hurry. A social caller can be sitting at home with nothing else to do that afternoon.

Every one of these callers dialed about final expense coverage. Your opening is the same on all three. Give your name, say you're licensed in their state and ask who the coverage is for. Then listen.

Where the channel does matter is your budget. Track your own results by channel for a few weeks. Look at what you spent, how many calls turned into a real conversation and how many policies you placed. That tells you more than any vendor's description of their audience.

Questions to ask a vendor about channels

Before you buy calls by channel, get straight answers:

• Which channels do the calls come from, and can I see the ads?
• Is streaming TV sold as its own product or bundled with TV?
• Does the price per call change by channel?
• Can I turn one channel off and keep the others?
• Are the calls exclusive to me no matter which channel they came from?

If you want the rest of that list, this checklist for buying burial insurance calls covers billing, disputes and how to judge a vendor before you spend money.

The short version

TV callers are often settled at home. Streaming callers usually look a lot like TV callers. Social callers are on their phones and can slip away faster. All three called about the same thing, so treat them the same way in the first minute and let your own numbers decide which channels earn your budget.