Learning from Lost Medicare Insurance Sales

As exciting as securing a sale is, losing a sale can be pretty disappointing. To put a positive spin on a negative situation — every lost sale is a learning opportunity.

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When you fail to close a sale, consider it a chance to ask yourself “What went wrong?” and “How can I prevent that from happening in the future?”

We’re examining a few possible reasons why a lost sale could happen and providing suggestions for how you might be able to prevent it!

Your Portfolio Was Lacking

You’ve gone through your portfolio’s plan options, but you just don’t have what your client is looking for, or what would best meet their needs.

Solutions

To start, it’s always a good idea to keep a diverse portfolio of insurance products. This heightens your chances for successful sales and opens the door for cross-selling. An example of an ideal portfolio includes:

• At least two Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and Medicare Supplements
• A minimum of one stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP)
• At least one hospital indemnity plan (especially if selling MA plans)
• At least one dental, vision and hearing plan (especially if selling Medicare Supplements)

Keeping a diverse portfolio heightens your chances of successful sales and opens the door for cross-selling.

Now, it’s possible you won’t always be equipped to sell the plan your client is looking for. However, you can increase the probability by making sure you’re contracted to sell the hot plans in your market area. Finding this info could take a little research, but luckily, Ritter can make this easy by doing the fact-finding for you! Our sales specialists can put together a free state and region-specific Smart Sheet that provides an outline of the competitive carriers and plans in your local sales market.

Once you’re armed with that information, you don’t have to dread the contracting process because Ritter can make that easy for you, too! Our online contracting system called Contract Now makes the task quick and simple by prefilling your info from your agent record and indicating exactly which documents to submit for each carrier. If you need assistance throughout the process you can call and speak to a real, live human being — one of our friendly and knowledgeable contracting specialists.

Having your portfolio stocked with a selection of quality plans could save you from a lost sale due to a lacking portfolio.

Your Sales Approach Wasn’t on Point

Everyone has an off day now and then but being prepared and having a set sales approach can help prevent any mishaps during your meetings!

Solutions

A good and effective salesperson possesses qualities like positivity, resilience, enthusiasm, and adaptability, to name a few. In every appointment, you want to make sure you’re giving off a friendly and confident vibe that makes your clients feel comfortable with you and confident in your abilities and knowledge. Some days, putting on a smile can be hard — stress from work or personal issues, or just a bad day can make being positive and enthusiastic a real challenge. In cases like this, use methods to try and cheer yourself up before meetings. Listen to a favorite song, watch a funny video, or treat yourself to a special snack beforehand. Do whatever you can to raise your spirits and keep the negativity you’re feeling from creeping into your plan presentation.

It’s important to be an active listener and mindful of what you’re saying and how you’re saying it.

It’s also important to be an active listener and mindful of what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Being an active listener entails paying close attention to your clients and what they say, responding directly to their comments, and answering all their questions. You might get eager to answer a question or make a comment right away, but resist the urge and let your clients fully finish what they’re saying before you chime in. No one likes being cut off in conversation, even if it’s done with the best intentions.

When you do respond in conversation with your clients, be aware of how you’re communicating — your body language, tone, eye contact etc. If you’re speaking to older Medicare clients, you definitely want to make sure you aren’t using elderspeak. With this type of communication, patronizing language or simplified words are used along with a high-pitched tone (like one you might use to speak to a child). You don’t need to assume someone over the age of 65 needs simplified words or phrases. They’ve had years to expand their vocabularies and if they’re new to a word or concept, they’ll ask for clarification. You might use elderspeak intending to be polite but older adults usually take it as an insult. So, just relax, speak normally, and make a conscious effort to communicate with clients of all ages with the same professionalism and respect.

So Many Sales, So Little Time

The Annual Enrollment Period is a small window of time for all the Medicare sales you want to make. Having the prospects but not enough time to meet with them all is a good and bad thing. You’re a well-liked and credible agent with a healthy client base, but there’s only one of you and so much you can get done.

Solutions

We’ve mentioned the benefits of joining a field marketing organization (FMO) before on our blog. From product and contracting support, to enrollment issue troubleshooting and back-office support, an FMO can provide these services and more. It’s also typical for FMOs to have their own exclusive sales technology and resources. Ritter is no exception and has a collection of proprietary tools that can save you time. The Ritter Platform is our high-functioning dashboard with quoting, commissions tracking, contract management, and more tools all together on one interface.

Ritter’s partnership with Integrity also offers a great advantage for agents. Through PlanEnroll, you can create a Personal Agent Website to share with clients who can then:

• Review and compare plan quotes
• Complete an enrollment application online
• Create a profile on PlanEnroll to help manage their info
• Access a library of helpful resources
• Receive personalized nurture marketing emails based on on-site actions

If you have a large book of business that keeps expanding, an option you can consider is developing your own agency.

You can also consider hiring an assistant for your business to help with tasks like managing your appointments and taking care of various paperwork. Another option you can consider is developing your own agency! We understand this might seem daunting, but resources like Developing an Agency — Your Guide to Getting Started, can help you begin the process and know what to expect as you go. If you have a large book of business that keeps expanding, acquiring downline agents to work some of your leads is a great way to make sure you don’t miss out on sales, and give other insurance agents a chance to succeed and grow their skills.

Want a breakdown of creating and maintaining your own agency? Download our full agency guide. Get your free copy!.

To be candid, losing a sale stinks, and sometimes it just won’t work out, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a good agent! In every business there are ups and downs and always opportunities to learn and improve. Sometimes, a little help can go a long way, and Ritter is prepared to provide all the help and encouragement you need. Become a Ritter agent for free today and let’s grow your business together!