Setting Boundaries/Drawing the Line With Difficult Clients

Northeast Agent

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Pennsylvania
What hours do you run your business and make yourself available to clients? Where do you draw the line at demands?

I'm mostly a field agent and tell clients they can reach me between 8:30am - 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. If they let me know ahead of time, I can schedule something in the evening or a Saturday morning. No Sundays.

However, I have a few (like everyone else) that are needy, demanding or just a p.i.t.a. They call in the evenings, early a.m. and weekends. If they can't reach me by phone, they will text and/or email.

One lady (neighbor) called on Sunday and left a message about the Donut Hole and demanded a call back. I stood my ground and didn't call her back until yesterday morning. Reminded her that I've sent her information several times about the SPAP, which she and her husband may qualify for. I went by her place, dropped off the information again and listened to her rant about Part D. She's very secretive about their finances and thinks everyone is out to "get" them.

Another new client is a fellow agent. He knows enough about Medicare to be dangerous, but not enough to sell it. I recently enrolled him in N (no excess charges in PA) and Envision Rx (not on any drugs). He hemmed and hawed between this and G for a while. A few days later he called and left two frantic messages early in the a.m. When I called him back at 8:30 a.m. and asked what the emergency was, he said his buddy's, "Medicare Girl" told him to get on G and a different PDP. He was freaking out about if he needs a "medium" PDP in case he "gets cancer" someday. I again told him he can change plans during AEP, and if that's a concern (he also has a cancer plan he wrote himself) he can research possible drugs for hypothetical cancers and I'll look up the tiers and he can switch plans. He's an older single father and said he heard there's special plans for those on Medicare with minor children and wanted me to research this. I said there's no such thing, I don't have time to research this and now he's not speaking to me.
 
He was freaking out about if he needs a "medium" PDP in case he "gets cancer" someday. I again told him he can change plans during AEP, and if that's a concern (he also has a cancer plan he wrote himself) he can research possible drugs for hypothetical cancers and I'll look up the tiers and he can switch plans. .

This is "preaching to the choir", but I discovered this year that there is a significant flaw in that idea.

I was really pleased this year because I thought I had found the nice generic plan for KS. I ran my specific drugs and got one plan. I then made a list of 10-15 generics, my specific ones plus some one off pain meds I've had after surgeries and some meds I've seen other family members take, and got a different plan. It was a little higher for my specific meds but had a great overall picture, so I thought "this is the one".

Then I had a rude awakening. Sometime early in 2019, someone posted a kinda pricey generic, I can't remember if it was for cancer or a chronic condition like diabetes or arthritis. Just for grins, I did some looking, and discovered that particular drug had a higher tier on my plan than on some other plans, and due to the cost of the drug, one of the other plans would have been much better.

So, until he gets cancer, and knows the specific cancer and drug needed, I doubt he can choose the "best" plan, even looking for a "medium" one. :D

Now convincing him of that may be another story.
 
It's a fine line between being available to clients and having time for yourself. It's also different for a F2F agent vs phone sales.

I left the field over 20 years ago because I didn't have the time to devote to clients, make new sales, revisits, etc.

Regardless of your business model if you give out your cell phone you are essentially advertising "call me anytime".

I don't give out my cell.

They can call my in home office and get me or voice mail.

They can email.

This way I am in control of my business hours.

If I respond to someone via email at 6AM or 11PM that is MY choice, not theirs. A crisis to them is not a crisis to me.

Some of my clients call or email about everything. I call them back when I am in the frame of mind to deal with them.

Most clients will be respectful and won't call nights and weekends. Every one knows I will call them back, or email if it is after hours, weekend or holidays.

They are OK with that arrangement.

I have the luxury of controlling most aspects of my business. When I was trying to build up my block it was a lot different. Even then, I handled a crisis in the same manner.

If your clients learn they can interrupt your life at any time some will take advantage of you.

Don't let them do that if you want a life.
 
1st as far as calling emailing on weekends, Does not concern me, I do that too, I don't expect an answer till Monday but while it's on my mind and I got time ill email question or concern to whatever I am dealing with

IF you clients do so no problem you don't have to answer, I do end up answering though if I don't want to deal with it when I am calling leads on Monday But I let them know its not usual

As far as the doughnut hole, I understand it can be confusing and scary to some if this lady was mine and it was her first time I would help her with patients if it were her second time, I would remind her we went through this Go through it again not so much the 3rd time if she is just a pain, Let her go somewhere else
 
The second guy, I would say I can do whatever you want, and remind him why we went with N in the first place but say if you want G we can do that too

As far as PDP, I would say we can go with a drug plan that is more suited for cancer drugs however it cost more and all your drugs will be subject to deductible and have higher generic copays, Also if you get diabetes might not be the best plan for insulin or if you get other conditions the same,

Remind him there are a few plans that are designed for people who are not taking many meds or take only generic the rest all have their own nitch, If I ran formulary for 20 people that have dif med conditions and each have a dif high cost drug each would come out with a different plan

In addition which cancer drug can land you on dif better plans, and some will land you in the dough hole in the first month then it doesn't matter much which plan you have

This is why we can change every oct with your changing needs

I would go through this once I would not have the patience if this is an ongoing issue
 
AS far as the last I would say there is no such thing, There may be plans for minor children only not with a parent on it, you can check out healthcare.gov, I don't do under 65

Also I would not give out my cell to any client, my office and email only
 
It's a fine line between being available to clients and having time for yourself. It's also different for a F2F agent vs phone sales.

I left the field over 20 years ago because I didn't have the time to devote to clients, make new sales, revisits, etc.

Regardless of your business model if you give out your cell phone you are essentially advertising "call me anytime".

I don't give out my cell.

They can call my in home office and get me or voice mail.

They can email.

This way I am in control of my business hours.

If I respond to someone via email at 6AM or 11PM that is MY choice, not theirs. A crisis to them is not a crisis to me.

Some of my clients call or email about everything. I call them back when I am in the frame of mind to deal with them.

Most clients will be respectful and won't call nights and weekends. Every one knows I will call them back, or email if it is after hours, weekend or holidays.

They are OK with that arrangement.

I have the luxury of controlling most aspects of my business. When I was trying to build up my block it was a lot different. Even then, I handled a crisis in the same manner.

If your clients learn they can interrupt your life at any time some will take advantage of you.

Don't let them do that if you want a life.
Even if you find the " right" one, formularies are subject to change. My plan went from great to so so because a change moved my drugs to a higher tier.
 
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AS far as the last I would say there is no such thing, There may be plans for minor children only not with a parent on it, you can check out healthcare.gov, I don't do under 65

Also I would not give out my cell to any client, my office and email only
Vice, aren't you in TN? If a child is eligible for TNcare, the parent or guardian is eligible for TNcare until the child is 21. Don' t know when this change took place but ran into it when presenting a cancer plan last week. When I learned she had TNcare, I told her it would do no good for her to buy the cancer policy because TNcare would claw back any benefits she received .
 
Vice, aren't you in TN? If a child is eligible for TNcare, the parent or guardian is eligible for TNcare until the child is 21. Don' t know when this change took place but ran into it when presenting a cancer plan last week. When I learned she had TNcare, I told her it would do no good for her to buy the cancer policy because TNcare would claw back any benefits she received .

I don't know

I know when my children qualified My wife and I still had to have cov on an exchange,

Now last couple of years, we all have to have cov through exchange
 
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