Spreadsheets for Medicare Clients

[DS4]

Do you drive to their home to collect premiums or make them come to you?

Over the past 12 months, I have probably made 3 house calls. That is a large number compared to prior years.

 

[sshafran]

Todd, you need to put the leads in alphabetical order so that if a prospect calls, you get his lead card immediately. You don't need to search 31 days to find the prospect.

With technology the way it is - when a prospect calls, if your phone is integrated within your CRM, it should automatically pull up the inbound caller's name, prior call notes, documents, attachments, drug lists, plan recommendations, address, etc.

"Yes, John, I remember you - we spoke 2 months ago, you weren't sure whether you were going to retire and come off of your employer plan and take Medicare in May or keep working - I remember you"

 

[somarco]

Over the past 12 months, I have probably made 3 house calls

Nice to see you are still in the game.

Probably been a dozen years since I went to someone's house. I might meet 2 - 3 people a year for coffee and business. Everything else by phone & email.

 

[Todd King]

Todd, you need to put the leads in alphabetical order so that if a prospect calls, you get his lead card immediately. You don't need to search 31 days to find the prospect.

Also, you don't need a stack of index cards with number because you entered the date on your calendar which automatically pops up.

You name would be in the K alphabetical cards and your name would be on the calendar on April 5 to remind me to call back.

I search through my alphabetical daily to see if it is time to follow up with a phone call without making me sound like a pest. Example: I mailed you a brochure exactly one week ago today. If I call sooner, that's no good. Sounds pushy. Even if the name was on my calendar, I would need the lead card notes to refresh my memory when I call.

Remember, this system is for the new comers who can't afford the monthly payments for a crm. They don't need a crm until they start building a good list of prospects.

I must have misunderstood. I really thought you were talking about this mainly for the purpose of calling clients in the sense of prospecting. I didn't know you were talking about clients that were already with you.

The method I was talking about is strictly for prospecting, not existing clients.

 

[kstein]

,

What crm and phone set up does this!

 

[sshafran]

What crm and phone set up does this!

Zoho CRM + Twilio (or other outside provider) set up in their "Telephony" (formerly called Phonebridge).

Youtube has some videos on it.

I'm sure other CRM's have this type of functionality.

It really is great because sometimes you can't quite remember who client x is even though you wrote his/her Med Supp 8 months ago... and seeing their file immediately is helpful.

 

[goillini52]

Your spreadsheet can be Excel or a free spreadsheet from OpenOffice.org. You can also use Google Sheets (it's free and stored in the cloud but bulky to use). Back up your data on a flash drive ($12 at the office supply stores) and store the flash drive in a location away from your office.

You mean someplace like your daughter's dresser?

 

[Bevo]

I'm sure other CRM's have this type of functionality.

This type, and about 1000 other types of highly useful functions that a CRM provides. To each his own and use whatever works best for you, but I'm finding the more people I talk to NOT using a CRM has nothing to do with any variable other than FEAR of technology which is understandable.

Take the plunge, put the time and effort into learning and go for a CRM. You'll wonder why you waited so long.

 

[kgmom219]

Didn't know anyone still used paper prospect cards and files any more.

A college friend was once a Mass Mutual agent and he had the neatest system I had seen. I don't think it was the Al Granum OCS but similar in some ways.

He had two (or more) long wooden boxes, similar to the library card catalogue drawer. The cards were index card size, maybe 4x6, and tabs at the top. There may have been more than one card for each prospect or client.

If your client/prospect had a May birthday you would punch a hole in the May tab. July birthdays had a hole in the July tab and so forth.

He also had an object like a long ice pick. To find his May birthdays he stuck his "pick" through the first May hole and all the way to the back of the box/drawer. When he pulled up the pick he had everyone with a May birthday.

No idea what the system was called but we were impressed with the simplicity.

Maybe another old timer knows what I am talking about and can do a better job of explaining.

That's one card in a nutshell

I'm in the bottom 10 for tech skills. I use capsule CRM at $12/month. All the client info is there, emails get copied there via dropbox, you can create tags for reporting and tasks based on date. It doesn't have an auto-dialer, but I'm not even sure what an auto dialer IS. I can still dial a phone

 

[anomie]

I have used a wide arrangement of CRM's over the years. Here's one that provides great customer service/support and is priced right($10 per month). www.lessannoyingcrm.com. . Though it is not specific to the insurance industry, there are templates that may suit your needs. It might be a good place to start to see if a CRM is for you.
Less Annoying also offers a 30 day trial to test the waters
BTW, they live up to their name too. LOL