March Producer Profile: Teresa

Teresa has been RB Insurance’s top producer in the state of Georgia consistently since she first contracted with us in 2012. When we caught up with her recently during one of her busy workdays, she shared her enthusiasm for helping others and what’s unique about her market.

Producing for Aetna, Coventry, Cigna HealthSpring, Humana, Medico and WellCare Medicare Advantage plans as well as producing for GTL’s Hospital Indemnity plan, Teresa has submitted hundreds of applications in the past three years. She also writes business for life, accident, term and final expense plans outside of her partnership with RBI.

Previous experience in the industry and being a people person first got her thinking about becoming an agent in 2009.

“I’ve always worked in insurance, but I was on the other side of it, doing underwriting. I got tired of just being behind a desk all day,” she says. “I figured since I love working with people and I’ve been in insurance for 20 years, why not become an agent?”

Teresa adds that the best part about appointments is helping seniors understand Medicare.

“We sit down and do an analysis of what they have going on and what they’re trying to accomplish, then we come to an agreement, look at all the plans and say ‘This is what we want,'” she says. “That’s the joy I have. I don’t try to oversell them or overinsure.”

Teresa shows prospective clients how Medicare works each time even if every appointment does not end with her writing an application and gaining another client.

“I’m kind of like their consultant — I just make sure it’s something they can afford when it comes to purchasing Medicare Advantage and life insurance plans,” she says, adding “These folks are just standing at the door waiting for me. I love it.”

A variety of plans are available in Georgia, where Teresa produces. She says this helps her clients see their options with Medicare Advantage.

“There are so many different plans,” she says. “Once you get with the different carriers you can offer your clients a variety so you’re not risking putting them on a plan that doesn’t work for them.”

Customer service is the vital part of selling insurance — it’s not just about the sale, Teresa says.

“You’re not done once you’ve enrolled somebody,” she says. “You call them back throughout the year and check up on them. You may not be able to check up on everybody, but there are some that stand out, and you know you have to call them.”

As for calling RB Insurance, Teresa says she has a similar experience with our broker trainers.

“I won’t look at anyone else. RBI helped me get through certification when I first started. I was so confused,” she says. “When I call, I don’t even have to worry — with other companies you can’t even get somebody on the phone, but at RBI you can always talk to somebody.”

Thanks for your excellent work, Teresa! We’re here to make it happen for you.

From time to time we profile one of our top producers, taking the time to recognize his or her success and get a feel for what drives him or her to be an agent. Make sure you subscribe to The Agent’s Advantage — you may be featured next!

 

Brandon Clay wants to make you a trusted senior insurance advisor

If you haven’t been mentored by Brandon Clay, you may have been missing out on an entertaining and empowering sales training experience. That is, until this very Tuesday.

Every Tuesday, The Agent’s Advantage is excited to share original, easy to digest posts from the bestselling Sales Crumb Trilogy and 6 Hours to 6 Figures author on topics relevant to any agent. Brandon has also made his tried and true 6 Hours to 6 Figures training available online with an exclusive discount for RB Insurance-affiliated agents.

As you serve, you deserve

With over 20 years of experience in the senior insurance industry and an education from what he calls the school of hard knocks, Brandon teaches agents to approach sales as an opportunity not just to help a deserving group of people meet their needs, but to make earning a six-figure income part of their professional success. Reaching out to agents wherever they may be in their formation ties him closely to RB Insurance’s mission of making success happen for our partners.

“The real effort phase of this business turns a lot of good people away because they don’t get the development and mentoring they need,” Brandon says. “I was very fortunate to get a sales mentor in this business when I was at the high point of my own struggle.”

Every Tuesday, you’ll see Brandon Clay’s guest posts on The Agent’s Advantage. Don’t miss registering for his 6 Hours to 6 Figures online training!

Integrity is Priceless

He adds that agents need a clear motivation and purpose to get them through the “how” of what can be the challenges of the senior insurance industry.

“The only thing that can make someone withstand the No. 1 fear of rejection in an appointment or make them go through all the challenges that, quite frankly, weed out a lot of people is having enough ‘why’ to get you through the ‘how,’ the things you have to do day in and day out,” Brandon says.

Build a portfolio of products and cultivate an audience

That “why” goes beyond conviction for Brandon. Though he aims to inspire and motivate agents, he also maps out the typical Medicare beneficiary’s budget and health needs, showing agents how to offer more than one carrier’s plan plus selling more than one type of plan to take comprehensive care of a prospective client. It may sound tedious, but that’s where Brandon’s charm and penchant for storytelling comes in to show sales are truly about the agent-client relationship.

In the process of teaching agents how to sell a portfolio, Brandon sets the course for increased earnings from a typical agent income of $35,000 to $100,000 or more in a year to a year and a half’s time. He says earning clients’ trust has its ultimate payoff when they refer friends and family.

“What I think throws most agents off besides tending to be one-product-minded and focused is not really learning to cultivate and build an audience,” he says. That’s why he’s dedicated most of the 6 Hours modules to these subjects.

Getting tangible results

“When you bring it all together, my content has to bring you tangible results,” Brandon says when asked what agents’ greatest takeaway from his books and programs is. “Because of my participation in this industry I use the analogy of taking billion-dollar concepts and hitting them against the kitchen table where most sales are being done.”

 Learn more about the 6 Hours to 6 Figures online training courses and subscribe to The Agent’s Advantage.

 

 

 

In King v. Burwell, ACA heads to SCOTUS once more

The Supreme Court proceeded to hear arguments from both sides on March 4 in King v. Burwell, the third legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to reach the nation’s foremost judicial authority. The case will be examining an unclear portion of the health care law that may determine whether subsidies it established to lower eligible individuals’ monthly insurance premiums may only be distributed through state-run exchanges and not through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

The Obama administration’s highly politicized, signature legislation intended to make health care more accessible faces being dismantled if the Supreme Court decides against it, not unlike the situation in 2012, when the court examined and later upheld the constitutionality of the tax penalty for not possessing health insurance in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius.

According to the Associated Press (AP), one phrase in the 906-page law will be scrutinized by lawyers representing four individuals who reside in Virginia and the Department of Health and Human Services. The plaintiff argues subsidies are only available to eligible individuals through exchanges “established by the states” per the law’s wording. Therefore, they say, the federal exchange is not a valid means of distribution. Virginia does not have its own exchange, which means the individuals would have to use the federal Marketplace to apply for subsidies.

Only 13 states created their own exchanges for individuals to apply for subsidies and purchase a plan; currently, individuals living in the 37 states that declined to set up their own exchange may apply for subsidies and purchase a plan through the federal Marketplace.

The main question of King v. Burwell is whether subsidies established by the Affordable Care Act can only be distributed through state-run exchanges and not the federal Health Insurance Marketplace per disputed wording in the law.

According to the New York Times, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the insurance industry’s main lobby, has stated putting an end to the federal Marketplace “would leave consumers in those [37] states with a more unstable market and far higher costs than if ACA had not been enacted.” Individuals who used the federal Marketplace would lose their subsidized coverage if the court rules against the defendant.

USA Today reports the defendant argues ACA must be interpreted in its entirety. It was “designed to provide health insurance protection to ‘all Americans’ [, and this] must be considered paramount to any literal interpretation of those four words.”

The court may affirm ACA’s mission to make health care more accessible and more affordable by deciding in its favor and giving the federal Marketplace an official OK for distributing subsidies to eligible individuals. AP also reports that “federal agencies get the benefit of the doubt” when a law is determined to be too nebulous to enforce; however, if the court rules the law’s wording is too unclear, a future administration may be able to change parts of it.

The simplest observation would be that the letter of the health care law conflicts with its spirit. However, the political ramifications of the court’s possible ruling against ACA would be serious for Republicans and Democrats alike, who have already begun preparing for the 2016 election. The pending ruling’s impact on consumers also has yet to be seen.

RB Insurance will keep agents who have contracted to sell individual plans available on state or federal exchanges up to date on the case’s developments, and it will continue to focus on Medicare products and the dual-eligible market.

Brownies and Med Supp quotes for everyone at Chandler Senior Expo

Visit our Medicare Compare beneficiary-facing quote tool here or call (800) 997 3107 to learn more about becoming a Medicare Compare career agent

Medicare Compare career agents participated in the Chandler Senior Expo Wednesday, setting up one of 50 booths at the Chandler Community Center. We offered free Fairy Tale Brownies to all attendees and held a special drawing for two free boxes of the gourmet sweets for those who registered at our booth. While the seniors enjoyed the brownies, we also quoted them for Medicare Supplements, totally free of charge. It was easy to do with a laptop, Internet connection and the Medicare Sales Engine’s newly introduced quoting tool.

Just over a thousand people gathered at the Community Center, and over 90 of those people registered for our giveaway. Their registration cards could be your Leads — career agents, keep an eye out in your MSE account!

Most of the major Medicare Advantage carriers had a booth, so we fit right in pitching Medicare Compare as a way for seniors to find a plan that best fits their needs. In other words, seniors can be confident we don’t just work for the carriers, we work for them!

Senior expos and health fairs are a great way to interact with seniors and generate Leads if done compliantly. With Medicare Supplements, expos do not require prior registration, unlike prospecting for Medicare Advantage at these events. Remember, no scope of appointment is needed for Medicare Supplement only appointments!

Thanks to local bakery Fairytale Brownies for the treats! Watch a video below to see who won our two free boxes:

How to read The Agent’s Advantage blog

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