What's in your book shelf?

[somarco]

I stand by my comments that selling H S A 's online is swimming upstream.

Good to know you feel that way. Perception becomes reality.

95% of the plans I sell do not have copays and have high deductibles.

About half of those are HSA compatible plans.

98% of what I do is online & over the phone.

You probably should go back & read his book again. Yes, it does advocate individual vs. group insurance but also suggests higher deductibles & HSA plans.

Saw a report today that says about 4% of the population is covered by individual insurance. Still a very big market no matter what you are selling or how you are doing that.

That means I need to get started. There are about 200,000 in my state that have not yet bought from me.

 

[newmindfashion]

No One Here Gets Out Alive

 

[ajtour42]

Totally agree with Somarco about learning medical terms and being informed regarding new treatments . . . and their costs.

When I talk on the phone with a client and learn what meds they're on, I immediately use an online tool provided by one of my carriers and print a price list showing what they can save if they buy 90-day mail order and/or by switching to one of several generic alternatives. I add a note suggesting they discuss these alternatives at their next physician's appointment. This goes into the presentation folder for when I meet with them. At that point, they know I'm not just there to spout off facts about deductibles. I'm really trying to help them save every penny possible on their healthcare and offset the "ouch" that comes along with paying out-of-pocket with HSA's.

But, back to the bookshelf . . .

Those who have read my posts know that I literally fell into this business a little over a year ago because my father (an independent agent) died suddenly, leaving a book of business behind. I don't love health insurance . . . at all. But, I'm good at selling in general because I learned by osmosis from growing up with him.

He was, as some of my clients have pointed out, a natural salesman, able to relate to literally any kind of person he encountered. As far as I can tell, he never read a single book about selling. It was just in his genes. He was an English major, and his extensive bookshelves have not a single business book on them. Instead, they're filled with Faulkner, Hemingway, Russo, James Joyce, Kipling, etc. Before I was born, he was a regional sales manager for Sanyo in Dallas, covering a territory from Oklahoma into Mexico. Before that, he played pro football, lived in three different states, served in the Army, was married twice, etc. The man dated Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders! Consequently, he felt as comfortable with a dairy farmer as he did with a Japanese exec at Sanyo.

IMHO, he knew how to sell because he knew how to live and wouldn't take *&^$ from anyone. And, he was real. If a carrier treated one of his clients unfairly, he quit selling for that carrier. Period. People liked that!

So, to make a long answer longer . . . my bookshelf has no 'sales manuals' (other than college textbooks I never reference). Instead, I've got mostly Anthony Bourdain, Richard Russo, Rick Reilly, and the Bible.

** That said, if someone would write an underground guide to getting subpar clients through underwriting with top-notch carriers, I'd buy it (ha). ***

 

[somarco]

I immediately use an online tool provided by one of my carriers and print a price list showing what they can save if they buy 90-day mail order and/or by switching to one of several generic alternatives.

That's cool. Which carrier?

I do some similar things but nothing as formal as what you do. Some folks must think you have 2 heads when you suggest making wiser decisions on meds. I have had women hang up on me after pointing out their meds are running in xs of $500/month and maybe they should talk to their doc about switching to something just as effective but less expensive.

Women can be logical but tend to look at these things emotionally.

 

[ajtour42]

The online prescription program is https://www.rxaminer.com. Give it a try. I log on through my American Community HSA (administered by Health Equity). When I go to my Health Equity account, I can pass through directly to RXaminer.

I think the general public can register for an RXaminer account. Not sure whether there are any related fees.

Health Equity also has, for its members, a really cool medical treatment pricing tool. You put in your zip code and choose a procedure, and it will tell you the average in-network and out-of-network cost of that service. It helps people budget when, for example, they know their child will need his tonsils out at some point this year. It also helps clients see how expensive health care really is!

 

[somarco]

That's neat. I did have to register. Looked up some meds for a client. Rushed for time but didn't see a button to email the report. I guess I can print it as a PDF and send it that way.

Vimo has similar information on medical procedures. Have not compared it to the Health Equity site.

thx

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Pretty good site. I joined. I'm not on any meds though. Maybe I'll get on one so I can try out the site.

 

[lifesettlementadvisor]

LISA Whitepages

 

[BKrocko]

LISA Whitepages

I think I used to date her!

 

[bluemarlin08]

Death in the Tall Grass by Peter Capstick, big game guide in Africa.