- Press Release:
Pre-Paid Legal Services Launches Seventh Year of Advanced Product Training
Quarterly Training Program Offers Associates Road Map to Success
ADA, Okla., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — On Saturday, Feb. 27, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (NYSE: PPD) will complete the first quarter 2010 program of Advanced Product Training (APT), an initiative designed to help PPL associates (the external sales organization) succeed in marketing PPL’s legal service product offerings to individuals, employee groups and small business owners throughout the U.S. and four provinces of Canada.
Since its launch in February 2004, more than 144,000 attendees have participated in APT events which are now held in more than 60 U.S. and Canadian markets served by PPL. On average, the quarterly events draw an estimated 6,000 attendees from among the base of independent PPL associates.
The four-hour program — the first in a series of in-service training and educational programs offered by PPL — includes detailed summaries on the company, its products and services, the member base and the independent provider law firm network. Of equal importance, the APT offers associates keys to success in building a successful business and in sustaining quality member relations. Each local market APT event is conducted by a PPL-qualified trainer and on average the trainers have nine years of experience with the company. Most APT events also include a presentation by an attorney from one of the 40 independent provider law firms that provide legal services to PPL members (customers).
“Advanced Product Training provides a concrete foundation for the success of Pre-Paid Legal Services associates,” said Keith Davis, PPL’s manager of Group Marketing and the coordinator for the APT events. “Based on internal research, we have found that associates who participate in the APT out perform non-participating associates by a considerable margin. In the month following an APT event, participating associates outsell non-participating associates in new memberships by a margin of 14 to one and recruit more new associates by a margin of six to one,” Davis said.
Through February 20, 2010, 50 separate first quarter 2010 APT events have been conducted and the remaining 15 events will be held on Saturday, February 27 at various U.S. and Canadian locations such as, Florida; Hillside, Illinois; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Toronto, Ontario.
Other quarterly APT events for 2010 are scheduled for May 15, August 21 and November 13. The fee for the APT is $20.
About PPL — We believe our products are one of a kind, life events legal service plans. Our plans provide for legal service benefits provided through a network of independent law firms across the U.S. and Canada, and include unlimited attorney consultation as well as will preparation, traffic violation defense, automobile-related criminal charges defense, letter writing, document preparation and review and a general trial defense benefit. We have an identity theft restoration product we think is also one of a kind because of the combination of outside vendors and our provider law firms. More information about us and our products can be found at our homepage at http://www.prepaidlegal.com.
Forward-Looking Statements — Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, regarding our future plans and objectives and expected operating results, dividends and share repurchases and statements of the assumptions underlying such statements, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain assumptions that may not be correct. They are subject to risks and uncertainties incident to our business that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the reports and statements filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including (among others) those listed in our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, and include the risks that our membership persistency or renewal rates may decline, that we may not be able to continue to grow our memberships and earnings, that we are dependent on the continued active participation of our principal executive officer, that pending or future litigation may have a material adverse effect on us if resolved unfavorably to us, that we may have compromises of our information security, that consumer purchases of discretionary items may be impacted by a downturn in the economy, that we could be adversely affected by regulatory developments, that competition could adversely affect us, that we are substantially dependent on our marketing force, that our stock price may be affected by short sellers, that we have been unable to increase our employee group membership sales, that our active premium in force is not indicative of future revenue as a result of changes in active memberships from cancellations and additional membership sales and that we have repurchased more than half of our outstanding shares. Please refer to pages 16 through 19 of our 2009 Form 10-K for a more complete description of these risks. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward looking statements in this release.
CONTACT:
George Snyder of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.,
1-580-421-6339, cell, 1-580-310-4067
georgesnyder@pplsi.com
(desk)