Genuine Discussion on MA Regulations

[UKTX]

I am not looking for info on training or cross selling.

I am looking to see what/how Medicare agents (and I don't mean FE/Health/PnC agents that cross sell) market their business. I mean actual agents where Medicare is their focus/primary line of business.

Its more HOW they are marketing/getting leads for their line of business.

 

[Northeast Agent]

I found DM for Medicare to be frustrating. I'd get a good return rate, but had a hard time getting people to pick up the phone. The ones that did call back would either say they were already working with another agent, or planning on working for a few more years.

I've done a few educational events, they work and I will be doing more. Lately I've been getting referrals. I was doing food banks, but the people I met seemed to be on SSDI and nowhere near their Medicare effective date.

I got myself into chargeback hell/lead debt with financed DM leads when I was new to FE a few years back. Had no idea what I was doing and was on an 80% contract as well. After that fiasco I started cross-selling it to my Medicare clients instead of buying leads.

Tomorrow I'm buying a batch of Facebook FE leads and am going to try that and cross-selling Medicare as well.

 

[Chazm]

What do you mean mish mash? There's never only one way to skin a cat.
Someone mentioned here that they do DM. Someone else mentioned educational seminars. You could also work internet leads.
It's up to you to decide which way to go.

Actually, you've received excellent advice that you chose to ignore. I used to do DM for Medicare and if I sold a certain amount, I got a discount on my next DM mailer. Do you think if I had a client that wanted a FE policy I would tell them no? Or not ask them? Because my FE FMO was with someone else? No way

Why not? Because I'm here to make money and I'm not an ***. Your FMO is not doing you a favor by subsidizing your mailer. They are profiting off of you. Pull your head out of the sand and go make money.

 

[hockeyday]

I am not looking for info on training or cross selling.

I am looking to see what/how Medicare agents (and I don't mean FE/Health/PnC agents that cross sell) market their business. I mean actual agents where Medicare is their focus/primary line of business.

Its more HOW they are marketing/getting leads for their line of business.

You may not be looking for training but you neeed it,

 

[UKTX]

Guys, I am not new to this. I have been in the business 15 years. I get 25 FE DM leads per week and do well with it.

I wasn't necessarily looking for a critique of my business model. I was looking for a discussion on how Medicare agents target their market.

@Chazm I haven't chosen to ignore anyone or anything. But thanks for letting me know you are not an ***

I am not looking to piss anyone off.....if you actively market medicare, what are you doing?

Forget that I am an FE agent. That's not important.

If an agent picked up a UHC contract today, what would they do? How would they do it?

 

[LostDollar]

I am not looking for info on training or cross selling.

I am looking to see what/how Medicare agents (and I don't mean FE/Health/PnC agents that cross sell) market their business. I mean actual agents where Medicare is their focus/primary line of business.

Its more HOW they are marketing/getting leads for their line of business.

(Caveat, a 2 yr reader in the Sr Forum, but NOT an insurance agent.)

My advice: Think about why you are asking the question and then either ask a different one or pay attention to the CONCEPT BEHIND the advice you are being given.

I am incapable of imagining the response that would happen if I was to come on here and say something like:

I have decided the best way for me to make money selling insurance is to sell both FE and Medicare products. I am going to do FE mailings and Medicare mailings. I will run FE leads on the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month and Medicare leads on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month.

Something like that seems to me to be what your responders think you are suggesting you want to do and they are responding with the conceptual advice they would give to another agent in that situation.

If you want to transition from FE sales to Medicare sales, ask that question. If you are working to develop an agency with someone else selling the Medicare, ask that question. If you are working from the basis of you selling both, pay attention to the answers you have received.

The idea of selling both FE and Medicare is a repeating idea which has been discussed here many times over the last 2 years. The conceptual approach presented to the grasshoppers is always CROSS SELL. Choose one as your primary product and design your prospect acquisition system for insurance sales to that type of prospect. Then develop the necessary skillset(s) to present other insurance products as a crosssell. I think it unlikely that anyone would recommend you expend the time and finances to develop primary type leads for both FE and Medicare when there is only one person to work them.

 

[Chazm]

Guys, I am not new to this. I have been in the business 15 years. I get 25 FE DM leads per week and do well with it.

I wasn't necessarily looking for a critique of my business model. I was looking for a discussion on how Medicare agents target their market.

@Chazm I haven't chosen to ignore anyone or anything. But thanks for letting me know you are not an ***

I am not looking to piss anyone off.....if you actively market medicare, what are you doing?

Forget that I am an FE agent. That's not important.

If an agent picked up a UHC contract today, what would they do? How would they do it?

The marketing strategies have been mentioned here.

If you pick up a UHC contract you A) sell to your existing clients with a letter B) ask your new appts what they have C) send out direct mail cards to people turning 65. D) send out direct mail cards to 66+. E) buy internet leads F) do educational seminars to t65's

 

[Newby]

My FE leads are tied to my FE IMO and my Medicare is with another IMO so I am not that comfortable using the leads they subsidize to make sales that they are not a part of

I was just curious as to how agents that focus specifically on MA actually marketed to that sector.

Responses so far appear to indicate a mish mash of anything goes and there doesn't seem to be a structured method like there is for FE.

As long as you are placing all your FE biz under your FE Upline, they aren't going to care who you write your Medicare through off those leads. It's good to be loyal to the guys providing your leads. But adding the Medicare sales just solidifies your FE biz and makes you a more financially stable agent.

 

[hockeyday]

Guys, I am not new to this. I have been in the business 15 years. I get 25 FE DM leads per week and do well with it.

I wasn't necessarily looking for a critique of my business model. I was looking for a discussion on how Medicare agents target their market.

@Chazm I haven't chosen to ignore anyone or anything. But thanks for letting me know you are not an ***

I am not looking to piss anyone off.....if you actively market medicare, what are you doing?

Forget that I am an FE agent. That's not important.

If an agent picked up a UHC contract today, what would they do? How would they do it?

I buy fe dm leads and ask them one simple question who takes care of your medicare, the question will get me 250 MA policies this year, the training is knowing what and where to go when you get an answer

 

[LostDollar]

The marketing strategies have been mentioned here.

If you pick up a UHC contract you A) sell to your existing clients with a letter B) ask your new appts what they have C) send out direct mail cards to people turning 65. D) send out direct mail cards to 66+. E) buy internet leads F) do educational seminars to t65's

G)Build your book to where you get more referrals than you can handle ?
H) Cross-sell to FE customers if your primary product is FE ?

(And if you did supplements, you could add buy a list and door knock it ?)