The Resource Blog
|
There's a "new" plan on the block and it has very similar coverage to Plan G. If your clients are unable to purchase a Medicare Supplement Plan F due to MACRA, then you may tend to encourage them to purchase a Plan G. And that's always been a smart move. However, the differences between Plan G and Plan N are as follows:
Here's where it gets really interesting though. The vast majority of Plan N policy holders never end up paying the Part B excess charges because nearly every doctor in the U.S. (96%) who accepts Medicare, only charges the amount Medicare has approved for their services. So what does that mean? It means that your Plan N clients will likely only pay the cost-share copays and the Part B deductible.
Let's dig a little more into the Plan G vs. Plan N discussion. Due to MACRA, Plan G is now available to customers with 6 out of the 7 Guaranteed Issue rights. This will increase the pool of high-cost policy holders and place more and more pressure on insurance carriers to raise their premiums to cover those costs. Last year was the first year of newly eligible clients with this many Guaranteed Issue rights for Plan G, but every year that will steadily increase as more and more people age into Medicare. So what does this mean? It means Plan G premiums will likely increase faster than those of plans with fewer Guaranteed Issue rights, such as Plan N.
So, to wrap this up. If your clients purchase a Plan N, they will have identical coverage to Plan G, their premiums will likely not increase as quickly as those who have Plan G, and their out-of-pocket costs will be the Part B deductible and any copays they may incur. It's clearly a win/win! Consider offering Plan N Medicare Supplements to your clients; explain to them the cost differences, and how in the end, Plan N will be their better option.
Questions? Reach out to our Medicare gurus, Cassandra and Derick for more information.
You just got your Health and Life insurance licenses and now you're ready to start selling! But before you can leap into the world of insurance, you need to find a partner who will be there to work with you and support you. So, who is the best FMO? Well that depends upon what you're looking for. We'll go through the highlights of what you should look for and why you need to partner with one.
An Insurance Marketing Organization or FMO (Field Marketing Organization) is the liaison between you and the insurance carriers you wish to contract with. Unless you decide to become a captive (career) agent with one insurance company, you have to go through an FMO to get contracted with different carriers. By doing so, you have the ability to work with as many carriers as you like and offer your clients an array of insurance products.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to partnering with an FMO, but some important things you want to consider before placing all your contracts with one organization are: longevity in the industry, selection of carriers and products, commission structure, education and training, marketing and sales support, lead generation and finally back office support. It's easy to Google "best FMO" and have a list of agencies come up, but to determine which one will be the best fit for you depends upon several things. And when you're vetting which FMO meets your needs be sure to get answers to the questions below.
Selling insurance products and assisting Americans with their insurance needs can be highly rewarding. After all, everyone needs insurance. When you partner with an organization that wants you to succeed, you're headed on a path for success. Do your research and be sure you get a good feeling about the organization before committing. The right FMO will fuel you with all the tools and resources you need to have a rewarding and profitable career.
You're scratching your head again. You don't know how to get more clients. You want leads to just magically appear. Well, here's the reality. That's not going to happen. You have to take action. Break down your day from the moment you get to your desk until you walk out of the office. What fills your day? Is it responding to emails? Is it client phone calls? Is it submitting applications? Is there a chunk of your day allotted for marketing? If not, then now's the time to carve out an hour a day to share some content or run an ad. You have to market yourself. There's no way around it unless you have an influx of clients and can't possibly keep up with all of their demands.
How do you do that during a global pandemic? You do that online. And yes, attention spans are shorter than ever these days because people spend hours scrolling through endless content. But if your content strikes a chord with someone and that person turns into a new client, you've started the snowball effect. What is the snowball effect? It's exactly what it sounds like. Marketing takes time. There is no instant payoff, unless you happen to share something that goes viral and you're all of a sudden internet famous. And yes, that happens every now and then, but let's be clear, you do not want to base your marketing strategy on a hopeful post going viral. Marketing takes commitment, dedication and hard work. You have to be consistent and share content regularly. What content do you share? Helpful, informative content that educates the consumer. Don't plug yourself non-stop. That turns off likely prospects. Share content that showcases your knowledge and your willingness to help others. Make it easy for people to click, read more, and get in touch with you. Consistency is key. Running ad content on social media platforms (specifically Facebook) is economical and simple. It's not rocket science. Facebook does the majority of the work for you. And once you start running ads, you'll realize how easy it is. To be clear, it will take several tries before you figure out what content draws the most attention and what demographics to target. But once you get those clicks, which eventually turn into leads, you'll be happy you made the investment. Where do you get the ad content? If you're a contracted agent with us, we'll help you with ad content. We'll work with you to create photo or video ads that will speak to people and will encourage them to learn more about your services.
It would be great if we could all get instantaneous results with our marketing efforts, or had an endless supply of money to fuel ad spend, but since that's not the case, we're here to work with you and teach you. The more content you share, the more people will become more familiar with your brand (agency) and will reach out to you when an insurance need arises. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
Cold calling isn't dead, and although it may get tiresome, it's still an effective way to grow your client base. Below are our best tips for cold calling Medicare eligible prospects. Remember to be mindful of their time, and don't be pushy. No one likes a sales-y approach. Introduce yourself and explain why you're calling and how you can educate and assist your potential client.
2020 was an interesting year in terms of business in the insurance industry. Everyone has been impacted by COVID-19 in one way or another. Working remotely and meeting people virtually have been some of the biggest changes as to how we go about doing business. Zoom and Google Meet sessions are commonplace now. Seniors are more adept at using technology than ever before. With a vaccine now available, the question we all want to know is "Will 2021 return to the way we did things BC (Before Corona)?" Doubtful. Now that we've incorporated more technology into our daily lives, it's only natural that we will continue to rely on these tools - especially given the fact that we're not out of the woods in terms of this pandemic.
Seniors use Facebook, order groceries and prescriptions online, FaceTime with family and use tele-health features to meet with their physicians.
Although many agents did meet with clients face-to-face this past year, it's in everyone's best interest to avoid doing so if at all possible. Some older clients may not have access to technology, making traditional meetings the only way to review coverage and issue new business. If you find you have older clients in this situation, it's sometimes advantageous to find out if they have children or friends who can assist them with a virtual meeting. Seniors continue to be a high risk group for COVID-19 and minimizing their exposure is essential even with a vaccine now available.
Among the marketing tools we recommend using, we still have some old fashioned methods that can target those who prefer getting advertisements the old fashioned way. Prospecting with mailers or door hangers is still a viable way to let potential clients know about your services. Utilizing our T65 Prospecting tool can help with this form of marketing. And of course we offer all of our appointed agents free prospects, so the tried and true method of cold calling, albeit tiresome, can still be fruitful. Implementing as many marketing tools as possible is the best way to grow your book of business. It doesn't have to be a daunting task either. We can provide you with marketing materials, advice and support in your efforts.
We've added several new technology tools this past year, and we hope you've taken advantage of them. Our biggest tool, was the launch of our new MedicareCENTER. It boasts one universal login to access an array of Medicare tools accessible on any device (MedicareAPP, MedicareLINK and Medicare Supplement quoting via CSG Actuarial). This tool also includes a Learning Center, as well as a built-in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to manage your clients.
We also brought our new T65 Prospecting tool to the table which allows you to prospect for Medicare-eligibles in any geographic area you're licensed to sell in. It's a quick registration form and you get immediate access to prospects' names, addresses and dates of birth. This tool also includes a quoting feature. Lastly, we encouraged and worked with our agents to use Zoom to hold virtual client meetings and webinars. This free tool has made the need for face-to-face meetings obsolete. We held countless meetings with our agents via Zoom this past year. If you haven't used it, it's a quick download and it's very user-friendly. As each new year approaches, we look for new ideas, strategies and ways to grow. Below is a list of marketing concepts you can implement in the coming year to grow your business and make 2021 more profitable than ever.
|
Categories
All
|
Connect800.928.4998
919.489.3600 919.419.0401 (fax) info@tbrins.com 1480 Chapel Ridge Road Suite 200 Apex, NC 27502 |
The Brokerage Resource, LLC. © 2024
|
|