There is a story in the news this morning that says that our DNA is a significant, determining factor of whether or not we will be successful in life.
BULL.
The study goes on to say, at the very end, that 4% is influenced by our DNA.
I say that 96% is determined by our CHOICES.
As always, for helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:33 — 8.5MB)
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It’s about community – we need interaction with people at various stages of their business to be reminded that we are in business FOR ourselves but not BY ourselves. You are not alone!
This business can make one feel alone and isolated. We have to break through that, reach out and make relationships, and encourage each other. Don’t suffer in silence. You are going through what we have all gone through but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s called RESIDUAL INCOME. Yes, it’s worth it.
Happy Independence Day! I hope you all have an AMAZING July 4th with your loved ones!
As always, for helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:17 — 17.9MB)
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Should you sell Medicare Supplements?
Why should you sell Medicare Supplements
and How do you sell Medicare Supplements by phone?
These are questions answered in this 2014 webinar by Chris Westfall of http://MedicareAgentTraining.com, a membership site for Medicare Supplement professionals with tools, latest industry updates, and training on how to effectively market Medicare Supplements across the country by phone
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:34 — 51.8MB)
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How you approach each conversation makes all the difference in the world. Facts tell, stories sell. You have to learn to connect emotionally to the needs, desires, fears, and frustrations of the prospects before you can FACTUALLY communicate their options in an effective way.
If you try to communicate like Mr. Spock on Star Trek, or Joe Friday, the detective “Just the facts, Maam.” you will never be able to scale your business effectively or generate happy referrals from your smaller-than-necessary client base.
The most effective thing you can do is work on your ability to EMPATHIZE and communicate based on THEIR world view, not yours. You can only do that with a huge emphasis on listening vs. telling every fact that you know.
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:49 — 11.1MB)
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We all experience frustrations with carriers from time to time, BUT, you don’t want to be the one having your contract terminated because you cannot control your mouth on the phone with the carrier, trying to fix a problem by creating new ones!
Please be nice to the folks that support us, even the commission folks when things get screwed up. Even the Underwriting department when they’ve screwed something up. We must remember that we are in the people business and people make mistakes. We all do.
The best advice is to make sure your reputation is one of someone they enjoy doing business with and that you don’t cause someone working at one of these companies to have a crappy day because you have one issue. Your reputation, in this very small niche of Medicare insurance, will definitely get around – good or bad, over time!
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:12 — 5.0MB)
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What do you tell people that you do for a living?
Do you keep your financial practice top secret?
By telling others what you do, including friends and family, you COULD be turning on the faucet to opportunities to help those you care about and those they know, too.
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:42 — 7.0MB)
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Very common question, “Can I start as an independent agent with no money and very bad credit?” The short answer is: NO
This video seeks to answer one of the most common questions a new, potential agent has about starting as an insurance agent, either with Medicare Supplement sales or Final Expense life insurance.
With bad credit, companies are not likely to advance commissions. With really bad credit (recent bankruptcies, pending/recent foreclosures, etc.) they are not likely to contract with you at all.
Why? Because they see it as a fiduciary risk where your intentions might be to stay afloat, financially, at any cost, including costing them money by writing bad or fraudulent business.
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:40 — 10.2MB)
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Is it too much trouble to actually control the incoming prospects into your MARKETING business? No, it is a huge facet of any business, to control its marketing. In this, or any other MARKETING business, this is something best to NOT to pursue blindly with a credit card in your hand.
It is WORTH learning about marketing. It is WORTH testing different approaches until you find the one that fits you the best. It is worth attending conferences, networking with other agents, researching ongoing trends in lead generation so that YOU can cut out the “middle man” and do it yourself. Imagine, if your leads are marked up 100%, which is really around 500%, but if they were just marked up 100% and you continued to rely on that lead generation method for a 20 year career.
Much much have you lost in 20 years where you could have merely decided to invest once in the knowledge to do it yourself and reap the rewards month after month, year after year. Cut out the “middle man”. Do it yourself.
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:21 — 13.9MB)
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If you are comfortable where you are, great! Keep doing what you’re doing.
Whatever you’re comfortable doing is your current state of limitation. Just outside of your comfort zone is where your BREAKTHROUGH is.
Choosing what state to sell in, how to sell (face to face vs. phone), etc. can mean the difference between $30,000 a year in income vs. $80,000 PER MONTH in income.
It’s up to you. It works.
You do what you’re comfortable doing.
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Success and Failure in the Medicare niche of the insurance industry. This was a frank conversation on a recent Saturday morning.
Key: Focus on your strengths, fill your weaknesses with others who are best in that area. You cannot be all things to all people. Knowing where I’m weak allows me to hire to compensate for that.
For LIVE updates, make sure to “Like”: http://Facebook.com/medicareagenttraining
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:29 — 40.5MB)
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This is the question submitted by one of our members, and it is asking when to hire additional help as the business is starting to grow. (Read by speech-to-text with the computer voice!)
“So, I re-watched your video from a couple weeks ago about delegating authority. I know that I am very new, but I am trying to streamline the learning curve as quickly as possible and grow the business as fast as I can. I wanted to ask your advice…
If I were to hire one person now to help me, could you give me an idea of what duties would be most important?
1) Should I hire a licensed agent or an administrative person? Or hire somebody to perform admin duties who is also licensed so he/she can also write business?
2) How do you recommend I pay them? (hourly, flat fee per deals, etc.??)
3) Do you pay your staff as independent contractors, or do you W2 them and pay payroll taxes, etc?
I am currently working all day from about 7:30am until well into the night sometimes 10-11pm trying to do all my administrative chores while making cold calls in the am, and during the peak hours in the pm, and also following up on all the calls my telemarketers set up for me throughout the day (I bought trained telemarketers through http://TrainedTelemarketers.com )
I started doing this full time in the middle of October. So the first couple months were a bit slow, and now things are starting to come together, but I want to automate and delegate more. 2 weeks ago I had 5 new applications and last week I had 6. This week I have 0 so far. My goal each week is 7 new apps. I have not hit it yet. I’ll be happy if I hit 20 for the month. I’m having good conversations but I hoping you can give me suggestions to improve. I’d like to know how your business is set up. Perhaps your operation is too big, but maybe something like the way Eugene has set his up is something I can model. It’s my understanding he has himself, one or 2 agents and an admin person.
So if I could only afford to bring on one person now, where would my money be best spent, or am I putting the cart before the horse?”
See: http://MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:35 — 8.5MB)
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Every professional uses a checklist in their business so that important items are not missed on a regular basis. In this latest edition of Medicare sales training, Chris Westfall talks about how NOT having a checklist can bring liability, bad reviews, and angry clients.
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:37 — 6.9MB)
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Even the Pony Express only lasted 19 months before a better method of communication was found!
“During its 19 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days. From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it became the West’s most direct means of east–west communication before the telegraph was established and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States.”
What method have you settled on for the marketing and communication of your insurance proposal to clients? Are you still using the insurance version of the old Pony Express? Perhaps, if your horse is tired, it’s time to change horses – or better yet, change methods altogether?
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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The words you use can have an impact on whether or not conversations are productive or they are not. Sometimes, subtle things you say can influence the conversation in a negative way.
Here is one example in this video by Chris Westfall, talking about triggers that lead to an interruption in the flow of the telephone sale when it comes to insurance or anything else.
See: http://MedicareAgentTraining.com for more help on how to sell Medicare insurance by phone
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:59 — 3.2MB)
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Do you take the machine gun approach to leaving a voicemail?
Or are you thoughtful in the message that you leave, encouraging with your tone of voice, diction, speed, and message for the person to call you back?
This is a drastic example of what not to do..
1) Who are you?
2) What are you calling about? (“What’s in it for me?”)
3) Phone number given, twice, at writing speed.
For helpful agent information, visit MedicareAgentTraining.com
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:23 — 3.6MB)
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