How Medicare agents make Q4 drive their business year-round

It’s no secret that AEP is the busiest time of year for a Medicare agent. However, when the calendar rolls over to the new year, many of you ask “Now what?” Beat the Q1 doldrums by making one quick adjustment to your AEP appointments.

More work? In Q4?

Here’s the tweak: During each and every AEP appointment you have this year, set a follow-up appointment in February or March. Don’t wait until January to set these appointments– you want to avoid cold-calling and games of phone tag.

But why?

When setting the follow-up appointment, your clients should see it as an opportunity to review their shiny new coverage. For you, there’s three main advantages:

• The appointment creates another touchpoint for you to strengthen your client relationships
• You’ll have another opportunity to introduce lines of coverage you may not have been able to during AEP
• Building a great experience with and for your clients gives you another opportunity to earn referrals

And how?

The follow-up appointment lets you demonstrate both your expertise and commitment to caring for your clients. Three things to consider during the appointment:

• Explore a value-added service or benefit that your clients may not remember. For example, if you know the client is expecting a surgical procedure soon, walk them through any decision support, transportation or meal services offered by the plan.
  Address issues, concerns or gaps uncovered during the AEP meeting. Maybe someone mentioned a concern about paying for a hospital stay. This is a prime opportunity to bring up a hospital indemnity plan.
  Tell them what to expect the rest of the year. Perhaps you send out quarterly newsletters, or hold regular client appreciation events. Let your clients know when they’ll hear from you next – and start planting seeds about setting appointments during the next enrollment period.

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Action Benefits is a trusted name in providing attentive service and guidance to independent agents during AEP and beyond.