With updates Medicare, a new proposed Medicare system, a new benefit from FEMA to our clients, and how to get leads back on the phone…
This is our internal office meeting from April 19, 2021:
See the video:<!@split@>
With updates Medicare, a new proposed Medicare system, a new benefit from FEMA to our clients, and how to get leads back on the phone…
This is our internal office meeting from April 19, 2021:
See the video:<!@split@>
You have leads, but how do you get them to stay on the phone? Here is what we have found to work.
If you have been getting hung up on, never even getting to the part where you can help people, you need to watch this.
Members-only can … watch the video:
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Cigna was kind enough to put on a LIVE webinar training from Jeb Blount's organization. We first recommended Fanatical Prospecting back in 2015 on the MedicareAgentTraining Facebook page. {See the link where you can get the awesome book here.}…
This is an interview with Hunter. He lives in Ohio and sells 100% by telephone in multiple states.
Hunter talks about his lead generation method and what he says on the phone.
He came from a background with a Cancer insurance-focused agency and talks about his approach with that, too.
From how he schedules his day to how he unwinds at the end of the week, Hunter tells all in this informative and inspiring interview:
&
See the video below.. but the short conclusion: It is established that cold calling seniors as the basis for generating Medicare Advantage sales, using the premise of Medicare Supplement calls, is known as “bait and switch” and is illegal, per…
This is an interview with Daniel Joy, of Mindfulware. They develop software for insurance carriers, FMO's and MGA's who want to increase sales and use technology to do so. They designed one of the most-liked E-apps that we are currently…
Are you having a difficult time getting your prospects to answer your call when you are calling them back?
This is very often due to the fact that you are calling from an area code outside of their service area. One study showed that you can increase answer rates by 40% by using local Caller ID. Is this compliant with the Trust in Caller ID Act of 2009? Yes, when you in fact own the rights to the number you are calling from.
There is an active discussion going on in the Member Forums here at MedicareAgentTraining.com where agents are sharing their solutions to this issue.
Come see this discussion going on now in the member forum!
Occasionally, Chris will do a LIVE broadcast via Facebook or Youtube in a public setting. These are general in nature but sometimes helpful for those traveling the same journey of building a Medicare empire. In this 37 minute video, Chris…
Prospecting? How Many Times Should You Call? POSTED ON FEBRUARY 22, 2016 BY MICHAEL PEDONE “What is the number of times a Sales Development Rep (SDR) should attempt to contact a prospect before moving on?” Before you put a system…
We’ve all been there – you call your prospect back at the appointed time for your presentation and they tell you any of the following:
This isn’t a good time, OR
They only have a few minutes, OR
They ask you in an exasperated tone, “How long will this take?” OR
They tell you they have a meeting in 10 minutes, can you give them the information anyway?
Or any other put off that will cut short the 30 minute comprehensive presentation you had planned.
Most sales reps respond to these objection-like receptions by asking if they would prefer to set another time. That response might be appropriate with the first put off – the “This isn’t a good time,” – but with any of the others, I have a better technique for you.
Let’s start at the beginning. First, when you get this kind of response from a prospect you qualified a week or so ago, don’t be surprised! Face it: it’s a law in all sales – Leads Never Get Better! If you sent out the hottest lead ever, a “10” on a scale of 1 – 10, then when you call them back, have you ever noticed that now they’re about a “7”?
And of course since most sales reps don’t qualify thoroughly enough, most of the leads they stuff into their pipeline are made up of sixes and sevens. And you can imagine how they are when reps reach them. So expect that your leads are going to drop in interest and receptiveness when you call them back, and then be prepared with a best practice approach to handling them. Here’s what to do:
Whenever a prospect responds to your call to do a presentation with one of the responses above – the “How long will this take?” – kind of response, don’t offer to call them back later, rather, get them to reveal their true level of interest to you and get them to tell you exactly how to pitch them to get the deal. Here are a number of statements you can use to do just that:
Responses:
“Sure, I can take as long or little as you need. Let’s do this: why don’t you tell me the top three things you were hoping to learn about this, and I’ll drill right down and cover those areas for you. What’s number one for you?”
OR
“Absolutely, we can do this pretty quickly. Tell me, what would you like to know most about how this might work in your environment?”
OR
“I understand, sounds like I caught you at a bad time. Let’s do this: If you needed to see or learn just one thing about this to determine if it might actually work for you, what would that be?”
OR
“No problem. Our presentation is pretty in depth, but I can do this. Go ahead and tell me two things that are absolute deal breakers for you, and I’ll see if we pass the test. And then if we do, we’ll schedule some more time later to go into detail on how the rest works, fair enough?”
OR
“In ten minutes, I can show you some things that will help you determine whether or not you’d like to spend more time with me later. In the meantime, let me ask you – what would you need to see the most to say yes to this?”
OR
“I understand, we’re all busy. Let me just ask you: has anything changed from when we last spoke?” (Now REALLY listen…)
OR
“Tell you what: let’s reschedule something for later when you have more time, but in the ten minutes we do have, let me ask you some questions to determine whether this would still be a good fit for you…” (Now thoroughly re-qualify your prospect)
As you can see, the responses above are all aimed at getting your prospect to reveal to you both their level of interest and what it is going to take to sell them – or whether or not they are still a good prospect for you. Have some fun with these; customize them to fit your personality or the personality of the person you’re speaking with. Find your favorites and then, as always, practice, drill and rehearse until they become your automatic response when your prospect tells you they don’t have time for your presentation.
Reprinted from Mike Brooks:
http://mrinsidesales.com/insidesalestrainingblog/seven-things-to-say-when-prospects-dont-have-the-time-for-your-presentation
A video that was supposed to be private feedback between Chris Westfall and one of his telemarketers in the Philippines was accidentally left PUBLIC on Youtube. It now has over 1,000 views and has some good tactical information for all telemarketers. In this video, there is an example, from Chris' telemarketer, revealing the “pause of death”, where 95% of folks were hanging up on the call as a direct result.
Once this pausing was corrected, the results took a dramatic turn and the campaign was successful.
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The information in the video is repeated quite a few times, but there is some good information at the end, too, about the inquisitive, non-confident way in which each sentence was ending, by the telemarketer. Each statement sounded like a question, leading the prospect to believe that the telemarketer was 1) unqualified 2) not confident and 3) scared out of her mind.
Here's the video:
For more specific information on hiring a telemarketer, outsourcing and more, see this link from MedicareAgentTraining.com
(Non-Members won't see results.)
I've been considering a stand-up desk and wireless headset for some time. My research led me to purchase a Sennheiser Office Runner wireless headset from Amazon where I found it for only $200 which included shipping and no tax (refurbished…
Are you generating your own leads using telemarketing? This is very valuable advice and a roll play of a very typical sales call using the predictive dialer. Cold calling for Medicare Supplement sales is simple, but it's not easy. This…
Sometimes when you hear one, two, or three agents tell you that something is working, it is still hard to believe that you can do it, too. I get that. So, I'm bringing you more detailed, step-by-step information on how…
I've been often asked, “Should I work each day until I reach two or three sales in that day, then stop for the day?”
Medicare sales training involves more than just knowing who to call, what to say, and what company to write.
There is much more information in the member's area.
Here is the answer:
Several states have more restrictive calling time restrictions than those published by the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.
Federal rules dictate no calls before 8 AM or after 9 PM, and apply to all calls that do not have a more restrictive state requirement listed below.
Please be aware of these restrictions and keep in mind that violations may amount to $16,000 per call.
STATE CALLING TIME RESTRICTIONS
Alabama 8 AM to 8 PM (Monday-Saturday) Calls prohibited on Sunday and state and federal holidays
Connecticut 9 AM to 9 PM
Illinois Security sales only 9 AM to 9 PM (Monday- Saturday), 12 PM to 9 PM(Sunday)
Kentucky 10 AM to 9 PM
Louisiana 8 AM to 8 PM (Monday-Saturday) Calls prohibited on Sunday and state holidays
Massachusetts 8 AM to 8 PM
Michigan 9 AM to 9 PM
Minnesota 9 AM to 9 PM
Mississippi 8 AM to 8 PM (Monday-Saturday) Calls prohibited on Sunday and legal holidays
Nevada 9 AM to 8 PM
New Mexico 9 AM to 9 PM
Rhode Island 9 AM to 6 PM (Monday – Friday), 10 AM to 5 PM (Saturday) Calls prohibited on Sunday and state and federal holidays
South Dakota 9 AM to 9 PM (Monday – Saturday) Calls prohibited on Sunday
Texas 9 AM to 9 PM (Monday – Saturday), Noon – 9 PM on Sunday
Utah 8 AM to 9 PM (Monday – Saturday) Calls prohibited on Sunday and legal holidays
Wyoming 8 AM to 8 PM
Excerpt from SeniorAgentPodcast on iTunes:
This is a question that was asked by a new agent this week.
The agent said she had heard that you can lose your license, pay a fine, etc. for cold calling someone about Medicare plans.
What the agent is referring to is the marketing of Medicare Advantage Plans.
You can find the marketing rules from CMS about Medicare Advantage plans here.
However, in most all states, it is perfectly legal to telemarketing / cold call, door knock, and approach seniors about Medicare Supplement plans.
Only one state has restrictions on the marketing of Medicare Supplement plans.
That state is Ohio. Their law prohibits the following for both Medicare Advantage AND Medicare Supplement marketing.
(2) Any of the following unsolicited contacts with a Medicare-eligible person:
(a) Door-to-door solicitation including leaving information such as a leaflet, flyer, or door hanger at a residence, or leaving information such as a leaflet or flyer on someone's car;
(b) Approaching individual prospective applicants in common areas (e.g., parking lots, hallways, lobbies, sidewalks, etc.);
(c) Telephonic solicitation including leaving electronic voicemail messages;
(d) These prohibitions on marketing through unsolicited contacts do not extend to mail and other media (e.g., advertisements, direct mail), or unsolicited contacts with prospective applicants with whom the entity or insurance agent has a business relationship.
Near the end of this podcast, I have several suggestions for various new ways to market Medicare Supplement plans through centers of influence.
Those referenced interviews are found at MedicareAgentTraining.com
Hear the audio of the podcast answer here.
Also on the topic of telemarketing – You CANNOT call folks for Medicare Advantage plans, as said before:
This is a replay of Mike Brook's webinar: Overcoming Initial Resistance. While Mike uses this webinar to sell his book of scripts, there is great content here. Click the image to see the video: …
Employing a Screener- Here, Chris interviews his screener as they reveal the best ways to screen a potential lead and head toward an application. (From 04/12) If you want to explore outsourcing your cold call telemarketing to the Philippines, it's…