Insurance as income replacement? and funding???

[Crabcake Johnny]

Well, you have different hospitals then we have in MD. Both of my neice's are RNs and in both hospitals under no circumstances is anyone allowed to solicit the staff without approvel from the hospital which is absolutely impossible to get. After all, what's in it for any hospital to allow an insurance salesmen in to drum up business for themselves?

At the hospital one of my niece's works at one of the heads of the dep't said allowing me to come in would be like the hospital "endorsing" my agency which they cannot do for liability reasons.

So you must have some pretty flexible hospitals there - just walk in, hit the person in charge and say you want to solicit the staff for insurance? And cheesecake gets you in the door? Not here it won't.

 

[James]

Well, you have different hospitals then we have in MD. Both of my neice's are RNs and in both hospitals under no circumstances is anyone allowed to solicit the staff without approvel from the hospital which is absolutely impossible to get. After all, what's in it for any hospital to allow an insurance salesmen in to drum up business for themselves?

At the hospital one of my niece's works at one of the heads of the dep't said allowing me to come in would be like the hospital "endorsing" my agency which they cannot do for liability reasons.

So you must have some pretty flexible hospitals there - just walk in, hit the person in charge and say you want to solicit the staff for insurance? And cheesecake gets you in the door? Not here it won't.

Your joking me right? Wow, how life is different up above the Mason Dixie Line! I was brought up in Highlands NJ, till I was a teenager of about 13, always wonder how life would of been different if we would of stayed, just can't imagine it when I hear this kind of talk.

Yet though, DI Agencies do this all the time in this neck of the woods and all over as I understand it so I don't think it isn't done there but I really don't know business in Maryland or the Nothern States? Yet I do remember when we moved out of Jersey to TX my parents were shock because the Police and Military had open door policies to the schools for recruitment, they were shocked because in NJ that was not permitted at all, so I have no doubt attitudes do differ in certain areas.

 

[James]

First expierence in the Hospital marketing was with the DME company, peddling Oxygen. Than a DI agency got me to book rooms for them, and they did others in this area coming out of NC.. I don't know, I'll check into it and see if any are doing this in your area, can't be that hard to find out. I really don't see your reasoning, I mean insurance and financial planning are at least IMHO a great service for professionals, such as RN's.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Under no circumstances are you gonna be able to solicit a hospital. My sister-in-law runs the occupation health unit of John's Hopkins - she couldn't even get me in. In fact, they wouldn't even allow my flyers in the employee break room. No one can solicit - period. Both my neices's are RNs - both in the neo-natal units. Both talked to their supervisor and it was a no-questions asked "absolutely not" answer - you cannot solicit hospital employees. Now, if you have a different arrangement that's cool. But if anyone from this board walked into 50 hospitals 49 of them would toss them out right at the reception desk.

You don't just stroll into a hospital. You hit the front desk - then it's "what's your purpose here?" After that, it's all downhill. I can't even get in with two RNs and a sister-in-law who runs an entire department.

It's hard enough for people selling medical equipment to get appointments. Insurance salesmen?

But again, your experiences can vary.

 

[James]

I suppose it does. Hospitals around here have vendors of all sorts camped out in their resturants for crying out loud! One time I had to laugh, they had what appeared to be a Flea Market setup at Baptist in their cafateria, and UT does the same about three times a year.

Usually when I do it I go to the specific unit or section and set it up with them and they reserve the room, no questions ask by anyone.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

You walk into a hospital, go past the reception desk, stroll into a specific unit and find the person who runs it to get the employees together to sell insurance they don't ask questions? Unlikely.

 

[James]

You walk into a hospital, go past the reception desk, stroll into a specific unit and find the person who runs it to get the employees together to sell insurance they don't ask questions? Unlikely.

We don't have arm guards or nothing like that, in fact most of the entrances you don't even see the reception desk at most hospitals or at least the bigger ones, if you do see one more than likely they are of little help but they will give you directions or numbers if you ask.

I than go to each nurses station and introduce myself and ask if I can hang a poster in the break room, or likely since I know some I just strike up a conversation. While hanging up the poster or flyer I simply ask what day and time is good to bring in a luch platter or bagels, I never had a no to that one! Free food is always welcomed.

I don't know where the problem is with you? Let me ask you this, do you know of a person that networks with Hospitals? Such as a Case Manager or Promoter of a, lets say a Nursing home or a Assisted living facility? If you do they are quite notorious for this, ask them to aid you in this. Yet in the end if you still have problems than I guess you'll have a bigger one with this if I informed you that DI rep's do this all the time to peddle DI to Interns doing their internship at hospitals! Yet that is so competitive of a market, DI to upcoming Dr's, gotta hit them early, I hear they are being hit now at Colleges and Universities including their first year. Yet though if you do Dr's, you can always get the Drug People to pay for the food by giving them the first 5 minutes of the meet.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

You definitely will have better luck at the smaller hospitals that will most likely be more relaxed. My personal experiences involved hospitals like Mercy Medical Center and John's Hopkins that are run like small countries. Very strict. One my my neice's told me that if she was caught putting out my fliers in the breakroom she could be fired.

You can obviously walk past the reception desk at most large hospitals, hop into the elevator and go anywhere you want. But most likely when you get to the nurses station they'd call security on you.

 

[James]

I don't care how big the hospital is or how big that building is, if I want in I get in one way or another. It brings me back to the old talk my daddy had with me about girls back when I was first getting into girls. As a teenager I was afraid to ask out the pretty girls, you know most men/boys suffer from this, we think that the pretty girls were somehow different. Then you see them walking down the street with a real loser or so it seem? Well my daddy told me a secret that really worked! Talk to the pretty girls like you do the not so pretty ones, and you know it worked! That is one lesson I'm glad that I learned at a young age.

The same applies here, obviously there are professions that we should be hitting, and if you are selling life to the middle class and you don't target the medical people you are making a serious mistake. Now if you are staying busy with other markets fine, if you find no connection and have no interest that is fine. Yet I've been for the last 15 years surrounded by medical people including my marriage, for me it is a natural market that comes out of my COI. I'm diffently not going to sit here and have someone that doesn't even sell life per say tell me or others this or that isn't possible, that is just to common denominator most identify with, the "I can't" for one reason or another. Yet if you gonna to succeed sooner or later you have to go and ask, amazing what happens when you start asking instead of assuming something.

 

[H&L]

I think I would rather cold-call and walk into small businesses in a strip center than try this stuff out.

Maybe it is because I am only 26 but there isn't a way in the world I know more than maybe 100 people so "COI" doesn't seem to be a big help either.