You’re Already Winning with Final Expense—Now Here’s How to Scale Smart

If you’re already working final expense leads and wondering how to earn more per client—without spending more money on leads—this post is going to show you the way.

But before we go any further, I want to make something clear: this isn’t for brand-new agents. If you’re in your first six to twelve months of selling, stick with one product and get good at it. One great system, one offer, one focus—that’s how you build a foundation.

But once that’s dialed in?

Then it’s time to unlock the real power of your book of business.

So let’s talk about the 3 best cross-sell opportunities to increase income, improve retention, and serve your clients on a deeper level. These are the same products I’ve helped agents use to scale their business—without running more leads or hiring a massive team.

#1: Why Children’s Whole Life Insurance Is Your Secret Retention Weapon

Let’s start with one of the easiest and most underutilized products you can offer—Children’s Whole Life Insurance.

Here’s why I love it:

1. It’s simple to explain.

2. Clients already care about their grandkids.

3. It locks in your business long-term.

This last point is something most agents don’t think about: retention. When a policy covers both the client and their grandchild, it’s significantly harder for a competitor to replace. Even if another agent comes along with a cheaper premium or better terms, your client’s emotional connection to that children’s policy creates resistance to canceling.

Think about that.

It’s not just a feel-good add-on—it’s a business retention strategy.

Sure, the commissions aren’t earth-shattering. These policies tend to have smaller premiums and face amounts. But over time, when combined with your base final expense sale, they increase your household case size and help you build stickier business.

You can offer it through a rider with companies like Mutual of Omaha or Foresters, or as a standalone product. Either way, it works.

#2: How Annuities Can Add $5K–$40K to Your Bottom Line from a Single Sale

Let’s talk about the big leagues for a second—annuities.

If you’ve never sold one, you might assume they’re complicated or reserved for financial advisors. But the truth is, they’re a lot simpler than you think—especially when you’re working with someone who knows what they’re doing.

So, what exactly is an annuity?

It’s an insurance product that allows people to protect and grow their money—without the roller coaster of the stock market. Think of it like a retirement vehicle with safety rails. No huge risks. Predictable returns. Built for folks who want their money to work without worrying it’ll disappear overnight.

Now here’s the wild part:

Many of your final expense leads—yes, the same seniors you’re talking to daily—have cash sitting in low-interest savings accounts or old retirement accounts that they don’t know what to do with. These are perfect candidates for annuities.

One of our agents recently made over $40,000 on a single annuity sale. That’s obviously not every deal—but even a $100K annuity pays out $5K–$6K on average.

We’ve built an internal training system that walks our agents through every step of the process, with live one-on-one coaching. My trainer Stephen Burgess—who’s been with us since 2016—is in the trenches helping agents every single week close these kinds of deals.

You don’t need to be a financial expert.

You just need the right questions… and the right support.

#3: Cross-Selling Medicare—Your Future Residual Goldmine

Third on the list, and arguably the most strategic long-term play, is Medicare.

If you’re already talking to seniors about final expense, then guess what? You’re already in the right room.

Every one of those prospects either has Medicare or is about to. That makes Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement a no-brainer cross-sell.

The caveat? It’s not instant money.

Medicare is a residual-based product. You won’t get rich overnight, but if you’re in this business for the long haul, building a residual stream matters. With every client you help, you’re stacking predictable income month after month, year after year.

Now, I’ll be straight with you—getting started with Medicare is a bit of a process. There’s training. Contracting. Compliance hoops. But once you’re through it, you’ve added an entirely new revenue stream on the exact same leads you’re already paying for.

We help our agents get licensed, trained, and ready to go. And the upside is this: once you master the sales system for final expense, Medicare fits right into your process like a glove.

Start with One, Then Add As You Grow—The Crawl, Walk, Run Method

Let me circle back to something I said at the beginning—this isn’t for beginners.

Too many new agents fall into the trap of trying to sell everything to everyone and end up selling nothing to anyone. That’s why we coach our agents to follow a very specific growth path:

1. Crawl – Start with one product. Learn the system. Master the script. Build confidence.

2. Walk – Once you’ve got your sales process down and consistent revenue coming in, then explore a second product like Children’s Whole Life or Annuities.

3. Run – After 6–12 months, you’re ready to add Medicare and start building a real business model with multiple streams of income.

That’s how we do it inside The Ford Insurance Group. We don’t just recruit and throw you to the wolves. We back our agents with one-on-one mentorship, practical training, and live deal support—plus a “make money” guarantee.

Let’s Recap the 3 Smartest Cross-Sells for Final Expense Agents

If you’re serious about growing your business without doubling your work, here’s what to focus on:

1. Children’s Whole Life Insurance – Easy to sell, emotionally driven, and improves retention like nothing else.

2. Annuities – High commission potential and great for prospects with retirement money sitting idle.

3. Medicare – Long-term passive income and a perfect product for your senior market, once you’re ready.

All three are powerful.

All three are proven.

And all three are supported by our training program, if you’re ready to level up.

Ready to Go From Agent to Business Owner? We Can Help.

Here’s the bottom line:

You can absolutely make a full-time living selling one product.

But if you want to build a real insurance business—one that generates multiple streams of income, helps more families, and builds long-term wealth—cross-selling is the next step.

When you’re ready, we’ll help you make that leap.

We’re not just a recruiting agency. We’re a mentorship-first organization. And we have real systems and real coaches ready to help you turn your potential into profit.

If that sounds like the kind of business you want to build, you can learn more about how to work with us at:

👉 davidduford.com/FAQ

Let’s build something that lasts.

Let me know if you’d like a shorter version for Instagram captions or post slides!

Thank You For Reading

Thank you for reading. In addition to growing our team, my company also offers products and services to help independent insurance agents increase their production and profitability.

If You’re Looking to Join an Agency

The DIG Agency specializes in helping agents become top producers selling final expense life insurance 100% from home using our free lead system. We provide high-quality training, expert coaching, and the technology tools you need to succeed — whether you want to work part-time or build a full-time career.

As your skills grow, you’ll have the option to transition into a broker role, where you can buy your own leads, earn higher commissions, and even build your own team — all without any forced recruiting or MLM gimmicks.

If you’re serious about building a real career in final expense sales, visit https://www.davidduford.com to learn more. Watch the Overview Video on the homepage to see exactly how our system works.

If You’re Already an Agent and Want Better Leads and Tools

Whether you’re independent or already working with another agency, we can help you get more high-quality leads and streamline your sales process. Here’s what we offer:

• FE Leads Direct
  Order exclusive final expense leads at wholesale pricing through our done-for-you lead management system. These are the same leads our top producers work every day. Learn more at https://www.GetFELeads.com.

• DIG Dialer
  Designed for insurance agents selling any product, the DIG Dialer helps maximize your calling efforts. It’s the same dialer we use at The DIG Agency and has boosted our presentation rate by up to 300% compared to other dialers. If you want more presentations and more sales, visit https://www.digdialer.com for details.

• Final Expense CRM
  If you’re a final expense agent looking for a field-tested CRM to manage your leads and clients, check out Final Expense CRM. Designed specifically for remote sales, it features Grace AI to help pre-set appointments and automate follow-ups to increase your sales opportunities. Try it for free for 14 days at https://www.finalexpensecrm.com.

Wherever you are in your career — new agent, experienced producer, or independent broker — we’ve got the tools, training, and resources to help you sell more, earn more, and build the business you want.