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The most important asset you have as an agent is your existing client base and they are essential to helping you grow your business. By taking the time and effort needed to stay in contact with those clients, your business will grow both by new sales to them through cross-marketing additional products such as Final Expense or Hospital Indemnity, and by their qualified referrals.

Many agents think that keeping in touch with the clients in their database takes too much time, effort and money. However, when you consider the return on your investment the solution is finding ways to communicate that are time-efficient, inexpensive, and effective.

Studies show that in order to keep in front of your clients you need to touch base with them approximately 14 times a year. Luckily, there are many different resources you can use when communicating with your clients. It could be through email, phone calls, snail mail, postcards, birthday and/or holiday cards, or in person meetings. There isn’t necessarily a textbook "best" or most effective way to touch base, but by mixing your communications with a variety of interesting and valuable methods works well.

Though the idea of sending out so many correspondences to each of your clients may sound daunting at first, it’s important to remember that whatever you decide to send doesn’t need to be large or expensive; It only needs to be of value to your clients. Plus, when you keep in contact with your clients a little over once a month you will remain at the forefront of their minds leading to positive reviews and referrals when talking with their friends and family.

Source: LifeHealthPro

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When things are going well, picking the low-hanging fruit works and your business continues to run. The process is easier and it’s comfortable because you’ve gotten so good at the technique needed to turn those prospects to clients. Some producers continue with this method because they feel like the risk isn’t greater than the reward. Take courage to stretch yourself and your business!

Obviously you should continue to pick the low-hanging fruit, however at the same time you should “keep your ladder handy” for those higher opportunities. The important thing to remember is not to get lazy or into a rut. Remember that picking the low-hanging fruit is a complacent, low-energy, passive activity. When you reach higher, it’s more strategic and proactive. Plus, the low-hanging fruit will not always be available. In order to prevent decreases in your business, implement a diversity strategy so you can continue to bring in revenue from different sources.

For some this will be identifying a new niche market to get into. Choose one that isn’t being served or one that is maybe being served by a competitor you know your business is superior to. For others it will be assigning different members of their staff to the low-hanging fruit which leaves them time to pursue new markets or challenges in order to expand their business. If you’re only concentrating on the low-hanging fruit you aren’t paying attention to the bigger picture and your business could get blind sighted.

The Titanic is a good example. No one thought the ship would sink. However, it did. What sunk the Titanic wasn’t the ice they could see but the ice they could not see – the ice they neither anticipated nor planned for. Have your plan ready for the circumstances outside your control; you and your company depend on it.

Source: LifeHealthPro

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By building an effective brand for your business you can separate yourself from the competition in this industry. Creating an effective brand is one that convinced people to buy “you” before they step foot into your office or talk to you over the phone. Determine your brand in your community and see if people already know who you are. If they do, what is the brand they identify with your name? Does is help to separate you from the competition or does it lump you in with everyone else?

Here are some ways to develop a positive brand that allow you to stand apart from your competition:

• Old-fashioned values. This means treating people with respect; explaining things in a way people can understand, and listening intently so you can truly hear your client’s needs. You are always focused on your client’s agenda, not your own. If you say you’re going to do something you do it, and if you make a mistake, take responsibility and find a solution as soon as possible.
  
  
• Expert knowledge. Be among the absolute best at what you do. Study the art of our craft and become an expert in the field. Also, it’s important to know the products you represent. It’s been said the products you recommend will only account for 10 percent of your success in gaining new clients. So you should know 100 percent of that 10 percent.
  
  
• Genuine understanding. Since in the Medicare Supplement field you will be working almost exclusively with either retirees or people getting ready to retire it’s important to understand what your clients are going through. Become an expert in your niche. You don’t need to be jack-of-all trades but rather a specialist in your field. Genuine understanding can only be demonstrated over time by having a passion for serving the needs of your clients.

An effective message and brand along with a great marking plan can lead to the successful practice you’ve been working toward. If you have any questions, please give your marketer a call at 1-800-998-7715.

Source: LifeHealthPro

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When you think about doubling your sales you most likely think that it would take twice as much time and money spent prospecting and selling. However, according to Donal Daly, CEO of TAS Group, an agency focused on helping sales professionals be more productive and effective, that’s not always the case. They’ve identified that you can double your sales by making small incremental improvements to your sales process. Here’s what you can do to work toward doubling your sales:

1. Pre-qualify your sales leads 20% more accurately. By purchasing higher quality leads you are less likely to be calling the people not in your target demographic. Take a look at what areas you have been successful and where you haven’t been doing as well. Create a quick profile of your ideal customer and target those specifically.
   
   
2. Disqualify your sales leads 20% faster. At this point in your career you’ve learned to identify pretty quickly which prospects don’t need your product or don’t have the money to afford it. Don’t waste time with those false opportunities! Politely end the conversation as quickly as possible and move on to the next prospect.
   
   
3. Close 20% more of your opportunities. Obviously, the more opportunities you close the more customers you will have, and thus the more money you will be making. However, where doubling or tripling your close rate is probably impractical right away, anyone can make a 20% improvement. The easiest way to do this is to stop trying to sell and instead listen for your “go-ahead signals” during conversations with prospects. Put aside a fear of failure and ask for the business.
   
   
4. Increase the average value of each deal by 20%. There is a fixed amount of time and money connected to each of your sales efforts. Making two deals for $300 each takes far more time and effort than one deal for $600. Therefore, it’s important to constantly be aware of additional ways that you can help the customer. Maybe they might also be interested in a Final Expense or a Hospital Indemnity product during a Medicare presentation. This is not upselling; it’s providing a better service to your client.

Then numbers work out like this:
How much you’re selling now: $100k
After eliminating 20% of your bad leads: $120k (better use of time)
After disqualifying 20% more non-opportunities: $144k (better time usage)
After a 20% increase in your conversion rate: $173k
After a 20% increase your average total sales could be: $207k

For any questions or further discussion on improving your sales or the best lead companies feel free to contact your PSM marketer at 1-800-998-7715.

Source: Inc.

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As you get your marketing plan for 2013 together, one of the things you might want to consider implementing into your business is e-mail marketing. This can be a very cost effective way to reach prospects and connect with them early on. Whether you’ve been e-blasting for years or you are just getting started, here are a few things to use as an outline when putting your campaigns together..

• Use your prospect’s first name: Most e-blast software has a personalization feature that allows you to use your prospect’s first name. When you use the first name in the subject of the e-mail studies show that a person is more likely to open it. Your message cannot be read if the recipient doesn’t open it first.
  
  
• Be urgent: Use a time sensitive subject like “Webinar Starts in One Hour” or “Be Sure to get this Great Product Now” in order to entice your prospect to open the e-mail and read it.
  
  
• Make it mysterious: Create curiosity by using questions in the subject and body of the e-mail. For example, instead of saying “Twitter is the #1 Social Media Platform” ask “What is the #1 Social Media Platform?”
  
  
• Deliver exclusivity: Give your subscribers preferential treatment. If you just posted a YouTube video, for example, be sure your subscribers are the first to know.
  
  
• Be consistent: Send your e-mails at roughly the same time each day and keep the form consistent. This will train your audience to expect your messages, and make it easier for them to read regularly.
  
  
• Split testing: Curious which campaign will bring the best response? Try doing an A/B test and send one version to half your audience and the other version to the other half. Keep track of the analytics to see which gave you the best response and cater to that going forward.
  
  
• Less (copy) is more: Stay away from writing a long drawn out e-blast. Aim to keep them short, sweet and punchy.
  
  
• Include a P.S.: This could be a call to action, a quote, a statistic, or anything else you could use to grab your audience’s attention.
  
  
• Use a strong call to action: How do you want your prospects to reach you once they are interested? Whether it’s by filling out a form on your website or giving you a call, make sure it is obvious to your audience and easy to execute.
  
  
• Use a picture in your signature: People crave human connection. Consider putting a personal photograph next to your signature to remind your clients the e-mail came from you personally, and not a robot.

Staying in front of your clients is important in this competitive environment. If you have any questions about e-mail marketing, what platforms to use, and where to find templates for your e-blast, feel free to call your marketer at 1-800-998-7715.

Source: Senior Market Advisor, LifeHealthPro

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As you put together your 2013 goals, now is a great time to look at your business model and decide how you will approach your sales this year. If you haven’t been seeing the results you expected, you may also want to take this time to review your sales process and look for new ways to work with your prospects. In Hal Becker’s book, Can I have 3 Minutes of Your Time?, he describes the five habits Xerox’s most successful sales people have in common. Sometimes just a small change can make a big difference.

Here are the five things to keep in mind as you prospect:

1. Listen. Spend more time listening and asking questions than talking. This helps you tailor your approach to what your prospect is interested in and keeps them engaged in the process.
   
   
2. Focus on benefits. Every time you think of a feature of a product, translate it into a benefit for the client.
   
   
3. Find out more. Selling is an investigative process. Ask for more information so you can zero in on what the prospect wants. Once you know that, you can choose a product that is perfect for them.
   
   
4. Address their concerns. The best salespeople do not ignore negative statements or body language. Instead, they talk about the client’s concerns and offer a resolution.
   
   
5. Close strong. Master identifying closing signals, especially the subtle ones, like leaning back in a chair, and act upon them immediately, closing the sale.

Engaging your prospects, focusing in the benefits, finding out more, addressing concerns, and closing strong are all ways to improve your client approach. Make these five techniques a habit and they will work for you and your business as well. If you have any other question about prospecting, be sure to call your marketer at 1-800-998-7715.

Source: LifeHealthPro

Websites can be overwhelming to business owners. Everything from choosing layouts, to creating content and keeping it updated takes time and considerable resources. However, even if you’re unable to commit the time or money to creating a comprehensive website at this point in your business, a landing page is a good option. Your landing page serves as your online business card and can be as simple as one page with your contact information, a short introduction to your business, and a contact request form. This is a quick and effective way to establish your web presence and legitimize your business.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are creating your landing page:

1. Have a Strong Call-to-Action: What do you want your prospects to do when they reach your website? Do you want them to call you for more information? Submit their information via an online form? Join your educational mailing list? Whatever it is you want from your visitor, make sure it is obvious.
   
   
2. Include Credibility Indicators: Request a few testimonials from your happy clients to post on your landing page. Seeing that other people are happy with your service will help those on the fence about working with you make the decision to move forward.
   
   
3. Keep it clean and simple: You don’t want your landing page to become too busy, crowded or hard to read. Eliminate all of the unnecessary information; break down content to small, easy-to-read paragraphs, and use bullets to highlight the most important points.
   
   
4. Use video: Use your landing page to introduce yourself to your prospects and talk about your products. You can also use video for an educational opportunity to help prospects make a more informed decision on which product would work best for them.
   
   
5. Measure effectiveness: Once your page is live be sure to check your analytics and click rates. You may see cause to change your layout or verbiage. Experiment until you see the results you are looking for.

With a landing page you still choose a domain name, but the size of the website is much smaller. It can be created easily via several template site options, and is easy to maintain yourself periodically. For more information on setting up your landing page and advice on the best information to include, contact your PSM marketer at 1-800-998-7715.

Source: Senior Market Advisor

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Even the best sales people have calls that go sour. Sometimes a lead that was warm goes cold and other times a client who looks promising walks away. However, knowing when to change up your talking points, delivering your talking points in multiple ways, preparing alternative educational techniques, and asking open-ended questions can not only turn those sour calls around, they can even save some of them. Otherwise, in some cases, it’s best to know when it’s time to give up and move on to the next prospect.

• Get Away from Your Script – Rather than reading directly from a script, trying listing only a few talking points and asking open-ended questions. Scripts can often depersonalize you call and make your prospects feel like just another number on your list. By asking open-ended questions and only using talking points to help you remember to mention key features, you are free to allow the conversation to progress organically.
  
  
• Provide Alternative Information Methods – If you found you’ve caught someone on a bad day or seems to be in a rush to end the call, offer to send them more information. It’s a good idea to have supplemental materials available in version that can be either mailed or emailed depending on the preference of the prospect. Schedule a follow up call to see if you can discuss the materials at a time that is more convenient to them.
  
  
• It is All About the Customer – If you can, it’s important not to blindly call a prospect. Gather your notes from previous conversations to remind yourself what you’ve discussed previously and what points you should make on this call. Knowing as much as possible about the prospect as you can before you pick up the phone reduces a significant amount of risk. Also, though it can be easy to get caught up when talking up your product, remember to focus on the prospect and determining their needs. Apply the information to their specific circumstances.
  
  
• Use Open-Ended Questions – Even after preparing for a call you can find that your research and the client on the line don’t match up. In these cases, don’t panic. Instead, fall back on open-ended questions to discover more about the prospect you are speaking with. Be genuine and concise, asking what you need to know in order to learn about the needs of your prospect.
  
  
• Know When to Give Up – If the call becomes unsalvageable, don’t fight it or let it drag on, instead end the call before you reach a dead end. That way the sale might not be lost, even if the call did not go as well as you hoped. You can choose to schedule another call or follow up with an email. A bad sales call doesn’t necessarily mean the loss of sale. It’s an opportunity to learn from and try again.

The most important tip for calling is to not give up if they go sour. When you approach calls positively, with a good amount of persistence, your sales will be rewarded. Every call is another chance to hone-in and improve your sales strategy. The more calls you make, the more experience you will have, and the easier it will become.

Source: InsuranceNewsNet

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With just a month left to prepare for the Annual Election Period (AEP), Precision Senior Marketing wants to make sure you are ready to make it your most successful one yet. For the first time we are offering an “In-Store” Pharmacy Program for our agents during AEP. This program is an in-store insurance selling platform with access to 22,000 pharmacies to choose from nationwide. Including Walgreens, as well as independent stores, this program will allow you to meet with customers as they visit their pharmacist with questions regarding Medicare’s Part D benefit.

The is an excellent way to connect with the seniors in your community and grow your business through referrals. Once you establish a relationship with the pharmacist at your location, you can become their resource for those customers looking for the best coverage to suit their needs. You can keep a flexible schedule and coordinate what time is busiest for the pharmacy you are assigned to. You might also think about leaving a time sheet at the pharmacy for consumers to request a time to meet with you.

This is one of the largest “in-store” agent programs ever created. The Pharmacy Program is affiliated with an affordable Part D plan that gives agents full support, free personal training and certification, as well as kiosk and supplies. Ask your marketer for more information on this exciting new product entering the market. The complete unveiling happens October 1, 2012.

We’re excited by the response so far to this program and are starting to assign pharmacists to their locations and certify agents to sell. For the best selection of pharmacies, be sure to contact us! Partner with PSM to make the best use of this AEP selling season.

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Precision Senior Marketing is looking for New Agents that want to get in on the ground floor of our Prescription Drug Plan being launched in Partnership with Community Pharmacies across the Country. We will be partnering with a preferred network of over 22,000 trusted community pharmacies including select large national pharmacy chain locations, the largest national pharmacy chain with over 8,000 stores.  The pharmacy program is currently planned to be offered to qualified seniors in all 50 States, plus Puerto Rico.

This new pharmacy program expects to have the largest "in-store" agent program in the country for 2013 Medicare open enrollment. Upon completing a free certification course and qualification process, agents will receive $0 access to a product-branded agent kiosk located inside select pharmacies within our network of preferred pharmacies.

By teaming up with select large pharmacy chain locations and a national network of trusted independent and regional neighborhood pharmacies across the country, this opportunity will be uniquely positioned to play a significant role in shaping prescription solutions for seniors. This program has been designed with community pharmacists to address the shifting Part D landscape and to meet the ever-changing needs of the current Medicare population, in addition to the 10,000 people who are turning 65 every day across America.

If you are a self-motivated and competitive individual who is looking for a unique and rewarding new opportunity, join the PSM team and take advantage of this ONCE IN A LIFETIME PROGRAM!

Build a better life for your family while making a positive difference for others!

Request Information online or give us a call at 1-800-998-7715 to be assured you get your choice of pharmacy. Locations are limited and filling up fast! We hope that you take this opportunity and look forward to continuing to offer you ways to grow and strengthen your business in the future.

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