9 Tips to Make Selling Medicare Easy

Did you know that more than 55 million Americans rely on Medicare for health coverage? What’s more, every day, 10,000 people reach 65 years of age and become eligible for Medicare.

If you’re selling Medicare, this is good news. As the senior US population increases, so does your market base.

However, to be successful in selling Medicare coverage, you have to know the right strategies to implement. Insurance sales is a competitive arena. The more insider tips you know about, the better equipped you’ll be to serve clients and close more sales. 

Ready to ramp up those Medicare sales? Read on to find out 9 effective tips for selling Medicare. 

1. Diversify Your Portfolio

The first of our tips for selling Medicare coverage is to diversify your portfolio. 

There are a plethora of Medicare plans and carriers out there, and chances are, your clients also have a range of differing needs. While some clients might want the kind of comprehensive coverage that Plan D or G can offer, others might be after simpler plans, such as plan N.

Plans from different carriers also come at varying rates, and carriers offer different benefits with certain plans.

One of the most important steps in how to be a better insurance agent is to always strive to serve your clients to the best of your ability. Offering a wide range of plans from a diverse set of carriers gives your clients lots of options and allows you to better serve their needs.  

It also elevates you in clients’ eyes. Imagine you were trying to buy Medicare coverage, and you spoke with two agents, Sam and Lesley. While Sam seemed like a nice guy, he didn’t seem to have a lot of options to offer you.

Lesley, on the other hand, had a vast range of plans and carrier options and could recommend a curated selection that truly fits your needs.

Which agent would you go for? Lesley, of course.

2. Complete Your AHIP and Carrier Certifications As Early As Possible Each Year

Another tip for generating more sales as a Medicare insurance agent is to complete your AHIP and carrier certifications as early as possible each year.

All agents selling Medicare have to complete annual AHIP training and carrier Medicare certification. The sooner you get this done, the better.

If you leave this to the last minute, you might not be able to start selling next year’s plans as soon as they become available.

On the other hand, if you get your certifications done early, you’ll have ample time to learn about the new plans in your portfolio and organize your Medicare enrollment kits. After this, you’ll be ready to start selling the new year’s plans as soon as October 15th rolls around.

Medicare’s busy season starts on the 15th of October, so if you can start selling plans right out the gate, you can maximize the busy period and make more sales and commissions for the year. 

3. Get the Right Training

Whether you still need to learn how to become an insurance agent or you want to discover how to be a better insurance agent—getting the right training is essential. 

One of the first steps how to start selling Medicare is to get licensed and receive your AHIP and carrier certifications.

Most states require you to complete some basic coursework before you can take your insurance licensing exam. However, this won’t teach you how to be a top-selling Medicare agent.

If you really want to excel at selling Medicare, the right training is what you need to boost your sales numbers. Instead of learning everything by trial and error, you can fast-track your growth and success and enter the field armed with top-notch knowledge. 

Alternatively, have you been selling Medicare for some time but aren’t seeing the results you want? If so, investing in Medicare sales training could be exactly what you need to start accelerating your sales numbers and building your income.

Here at InsuranceSales101, our passion is helping new and experienced agents master the right techniques and strategies to become top-performing agents in the Medicare space.  

A lot of the training programs that are available don’t give agents the support or resources they need to truly excel and push the needle.

If you sign up for our Medicare training program, we will provide you with hours of on-demand training, one-on-one coaching and support, case studies, and more. Our customers also get exclusive access to discounts on tools and services for things like website design and development, leads, E&O coverage, etc. 

This will help you kickstart your business with everything you need and allow you to cut down on start-up and operational expenses. 

4. Make Sure Your Rate Sheets and Applications Are Up-to-Date

As a Medicare insurance agent, it’s vital that your rate sheets and applications are up-to-date. Carriers make changes to their rate sheets and applications all the time, so make sure you always have the latest versions. 

If you don’t, this can severely impact your reputation with clients. Imagine you advise them on a specific product, only for them to find that the rate is higher than what you specified?

Or, what if their application is delayed because you have an outdated version of the document? 

Neither of these scenarios is going to make you shine in your client’s eyes.

Therefore, make sure you pull carriers’ rate sheets and application docs frequently.

5. Leverage Carrier E-Apps

Do your carriers have e-apps for agents to use? If so, make sure you are leveraging these.

E-apps streamline and speed up the application submission process. For one, most carrier e-apps will notify you if you have left a field blank. 

With physical forms, it’s easy to accidentally leave a field blank. This can result in delays and holdups in the application process. Delays and holdups mean a longer wait until you close the sale and earn your commission.

With e-apps, you also won’t have to worry about whether you’re using the most up-to-date application because the e-app will use it by default. 

E-apps also simplify what documents you need to pack for an application.

6. Create an Online Sales Funnel

Unless you have a background in sales and marketing, you might not be aware of how important a strong sales funnel is. Nowadays, it’s relatively simple to create an online sales funnel.

You can use things like search, display, and social media ads to get in front of new leads. You can also engage in content marketing and create things like blog posts, videos, and infographics to reach your target audience.

From here, you can take steps to draw leads further into your sales funnel by directing them to your email list or a landing page with a call to action to book an appointment. 

7. Offer Free Medicare Help at Events and Public Locations

Besides creating an online sales funnel, you can also connect with people physically who need help with Medicare. One way to put yourself out there is to offer free help at places that seniors frequent.

Analysis of helpline data shows that many older adults have difficulties navigating the Medicare program and figuring out what type of plans they need.

As an insurance agent, your job is to help people decide what plans are best for their needs and budget. Offering to help people free of charge and with no obligation to purchase through you is a great way to generate leads. 

If you serve these leads well, there’s a high chance that they will purchase their plans through you and join your book of business. 

8. Sell to Your Existing Book of Business

If you are new to selling Medicare insurance products but have already sold other insurance products, you can also utilize your book of business to generate new leads. 

Let’s say you sold an insurance product to John in the previous year. John is now approaching his 65th birthday. What would be more natural than to call up your client and ask them how it’s going with their policy?

At the same time, you can mention that you have added Medicare products to your portfolio, and if John ever needs any assistance with Medicare, you will be happy to help.

9. Ask for Referrals

One of the best tips for selling Medicare (and almost any other type of insurance) is to ask for referrals. A lot of agents feel shy about asking their clients to refer them to their family or friends.

However, if you have served your client well, why wouldn’t they want to refer you to someone they know who also needs help selecting a Medicare plan? Often, they just need a reminder from you.

As you build up your book of business, referrals can become a powerful source of new leads. Stats show that salespeople who pursue and exploit referrals earn 4-5 times more than those who don’t. 

Do You Need Help Selling Medicare?

Medicare can be a lucrative insurance type to sell. Thanks to the expanding market and complexity of Medicare plans, there is a lot of opportunity to sell this insurance type. If you implement these tips for selling Medicare you’ll be off to a great start.

Are your Medicare sales not what you’d like them to be? Or maybe you’re a new agent and feel overwhelmed and unsure how to begin?

Our Medicare training is aimed at both new and experienced agents. You will learn advanced sales and prospecting strategies that can transform your sales numbers.

Accelerate your Medicare insurance career.