This guest blog post was written by Mike Gattorna. Mike co-hosts a weekly vlog, Medicare Cafe, with Olivia Richardson at Senior Marketing Specialists. As co-hosts for the weekly vlog, Mike and Olivia sit down, drink java, and talk shop on what's going on in the Medicare industry.
Congratulations! You survived AEP!
Now what?
This is the time of year agents have the biggest check, that January AEP commission check, and the most time on their hands.
Now is the time to really solidify that relationship between yourself and your clients. If you met with them in October, it has been almost a whole quarter since they have last spoken to you. What does a great post-AEP look like? I’ll break it down in 4 steps:
- New Plan Features
- Resources
- Cross-Selling
- Referrals
Discuss New Plan Features
Do your clients know the ins and outs of their new plan?
One of the #1 driving factors for Medicare beneficiaries to change plans during AEP 2019 was dental. While some Medicare Advantage plans may have decent dental coverage, others may only offer a cleaning or two for the year. Your clients may not be aware of this and are expecting a deep discount or complete coverage for a filling or other procedure—and when that does not happen, they may reconsider keeping that plan next enrollment period.
This may also cast you in a negative light as they may have felt you said dental coverage and it did not meet their expectations. When other agents come calling, they may be more receptive to meeting with them.
Q1 is the time to reconnect with your clients and make sure they know all of the features and benefits of their new plan, so they know what to expect and to help them avoid any surprise medical bills.
Share Resources
What other resources could your clients benefit from?
If all you are offering are solutions that are tied to buying something, your clients may view you as “just another salesperson.” There are numerous resources in the market, usually local or regional, that your clients may benefit from.
From non-profits, food banks, ways to save on prescription drugs, disease-specific organizations, and others, you can offer your clients resources that do not require them to write a check to you for additional coverage.
Cross-Selling
While I realize we just talked about not going into an appointment with both guns blazing trying to sell a policy, when you offer solutions that do not require a purchase and then show them a policy that can help—that policy will be in a far better light.
Why? Because your solutions are not just sales.
When you offer a resource or two prior to offering a policy for them to purchase, you are demonstrating that you are not just there to sell plans but to also offer solutions.
Pursue Referrals
Everything you’ve completed so far will pave the path to referrals. The more your clients know you are there to help them and not sell them, the more apt they will be to tell their friends and family about you.
What about clients and prospects you did not meet with during AEP?
With the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) back from January 1st through March 31st, you have an opportunity to offer a change to Medicare Advantage members. It is important to remember most plans change from year to year, so they may have additional benefits that were not available prior.
Tracking Your Success
A great CRM, like AgencyBloc, can not only help you keep track of your policies, it can also help you with potential sales and retention. Using AgencyBloc as a partner and trusted assistant (not just a database) will result in greater success!
Learn more about converting the low-hanging fruit in your book of business
Selling to existing clients is significantly easier and more cost-effective than selling to a new prospect. Learn how to identify your book of business' low-hanging fruit and the tools you can use to convert them on more policies.
Read the Blog
Posted
by Mike Gattorna
on Tuesday, February 25, 2020
in
Insurance Agency Management System
- client retention
- data management
- productivity