Don’t Plan to Fail this AEP

Medicare SEP

About the Author: With his signature common sense, quiet good humor, and brilliant customer service, Jim is an integral part of the RBI team — we’d go so far as to say we’d be lost without him! An Arizona native, Jim manages agent relationships for the East Coast and specializes in the RBI agent tools, especially the Agent Market Edge. Jim has been a licensed health insurance agent for 2 years, and has worked at RBI for almost 3 years. An accomplished bassoonist, he is known around the office for his amazing musical skills. In addition to keeping busy around the office, Jim frequently contributes to our blog, bringing a new agent’s perspective to the RBI online presence.

Don’t plan to Fail this AEP

You may have heard the phrase, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” And you’ve also probably heard that “with great power comes great responsibility.” But I bet you haven’t heard the phrase, “with great planning and hard work comes great success.” That’s because I just made it up and it doesn’t flow as nicely. You can’t just expect to have a successful AEP without putting an ounce of thought into how you’re going to make that happen (much like the phrase I just came up with). Being a Medicare broker that offers a complete portfolio of products means having to comply with many regulations, including the Medicare Marketing Guidelines. Being in violation of these guidelines could cost you your Health Insurance License so it’s crucial that while you start putting together a plan, you remain compliant in marketing for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans.

AEPBuild your Portfolio

Unless you are a super hero and always happen to luck your way into a successful Annual Enrollment Period, we mere mortals will have to stick to smart planning and hard work. This means having the products you’ll need in your portfolio that allows you to sell to at least 80% of the prospects you meet. Justin Bever, RBI Director of Marketing, gave a great workshop earlier in the year about the “Power of the Portfolio”. I would HIGHLY recommend giving it a look, especially if you intend to make a career in the Medicare market. Click here to watch the recording!

Medicare Advantage

As far as Medicare Advantage is concerned you want to make sure you have different carriers and plan types to offer beneficiaries. I always like to have a few competitive HMO’s, a good PPO option, a DSNP, plus any CSNP’s that are available. It’s your job to research the plans available in your market and determine which ones are likely to be competitive. Four things about all MA plans to consider are Network, Formulary, MOOP and cost sharing. If you need help deciding which carriers you need in your market, ask us, WE CAN HELP! Typically carriers will start to release ‘sneak peeks’ of their plan offerings for the new year towards the end of summer (July/August-ish).

Medicare Supplements

It seems like there’s as many Medicare Supplement carriers as there are stars in the sky. When looking at which Medicare Supplement carriers to add to your portfolio, rates aren’t the only thing you should be looking at. You’ll want to see what their outlook as a company is by using the market analytics in our quoting tool. You will want to look for companies that have been more stable with their rates and have a substantial number of lives insured in case the carrier has a bad year in claims. Click here to watch a demo of what RBI’s quoting software can do! 

Discounted AHIP and Carrier Certification

You will also need to take and pass the AHIP certification or an equivalent test. Just like the past two years RB Insurance will be offering all agents a $50 discount off your AHIP exam, all you need to do is subscribe to our blog and register for the AHIP with using the RBI link. Additionally, all RBI agents had the opportunity to be completely reimbursed. The AHIP exam is usually released the third week in June, so be sure to keep your eyes on the look out for our discount to be released in the coming weeks. Shortly after AHIP is released, carriers generally release their roll out schedule and let us know when we can begin the carrier certification process as well.

Goals – the Start of any Serious Plan

Like I said earlier, you can’t expect to have a great AEP without a plan in place. At RBI we develop marketing plans with our agents the M.A.P.S. way. Your plan should be Measurable, Actionable, Profitable, and Scalable. I’ll be doing a more in-depth article strictly about developing a marketing plan, but the basics of building a good plan starts with a goal. Long-term goals like, “I want to buy a Mercedes” are great, but I’m talking short term. Specifically, how many sales or how much money do you want to get out of the upcoming AEP. Who knows, maybe you’ll hit your long-term goal sooner than expected.

Brainstorming with agents on how they can grow their Medicare business is part of my job, so if you have any questions about how RBI can help you get started or grow your book of business, then give me a call directly at 1-800-997-3107!

New Agent: Getting Started

About the Author: With his signature common sense, quiet good humor, and brilliant customer service, Jim is an integral part of the RBI team — we’d go so far as to say we’d be lost without him! An Arizona native, Jim manages agent relationships for the East Coast and specializes in the RBI agent tools, especially the Agent Market Edge. Jim has been a licensed health insurance agent for 2 years, and has worked at RBI for almost 3 years. An accomplished bassoonist, he is known around the office for his amazing musical skills. In addition to keeping busy around the office, Jim frequently contributes to our blog, bringing a new agent’s perspective to the RBI online presence.

New Agent: How to Get Started

So you just got your Health Insurance License and now you’re wondering where you go from here.  Let RB Insurance Group help you avoid many of the pitfalls a new agent can fall into.

Prime the “Pump”

Zig Ziglar said it best, you have to think of your sales pipeline like an old water well. You’re going to have to work hard to prime that old well’s pump before anything starts coming out the other end. But once that water DOES start flowing, it doesn’t take much work to keep it going. The idea here is that acquiring new business is always the most difficult and typically the most expensive cost for an agent. Once you’ve built your Book of Business to a considerable size, you can use your existing clients to bring in new business!

If you’ve done your job right, your clients will trust you as their Senior Insurance Adviser and ultimately refer their friends and family to you. The key here is, you must be proactive. Agents across the US would all be starving if we just sat by our phones waiting for them to ring with a prospective client on the other end. In the famous words of (okay, maybe not so famous… YET) RBI National Sales Manager, Charlie Ferrell. “He who climbs the tree and hollers, is the one that gets the dollars.”

New Agent

Getting your First Clients

I can see it on your face, you’re thinking, “This sounds great and all, but where do I actually start?” Like I said above, when you’re first starting out as a new agent, you’re going to have to work for it. There’s a few different ways you can go about building that precious *Smeagle’s voice from LOTR* Book of Business.

Buying Leads

This is probably the first thing that goes through your head when I talk about getting started. There’s a reason why there are so many companies selling leads: it works. But there is a catch here that’s no secret, it’s expensive. There are a few different routes you can go when buying leads for Medicare Advantage: Direct Mail, Online, and more. Which avenue you choose is going to be largely determined by your target market.

Buying leads a fantastic way to “prime your sales pump”, especially if you have some extra cash to invest in your business. But your best bet is to combine a few different strategies to find new clients and not put all your eggs in one basket so to speak.

Educational Events

Educational events are a fantastic way to fill your sales pipeline with leads. The approach with educational events is more of a long term approach than simply just buying leads. The number one reason for that is, you can’t enroll or accept applications at a Medicare Educational event. So how effective are educational events you ask? Last year one of our agents made over 250 enrollments with leads from educational events. The goal is to put on an amazing event so that the attendees will look to you as a trusted adviser. It’s simple, people buy from people they trust. Now, you do have follow CMS regulations regarding educational events to remain compliant.

One of my favorite reasons for putting on educational events, especially for a new agent? They don’t break the bank!  Your local public library will typically have space available to hold seminars at very little to no cost.

So how do you get people to show up? I like to get permission and put up flyers at different businesses (that are close to your event) to advertise, think of places where seniors are more likely to be. Think of any groups you belong to, church, book clubs, golf buddies, etc. The trick is to let everyone know what you do! Even if they’re not Medicare eligible, I can guarantee you that they know someone that is. Word of mouth is hands down the cheapest way to get people to show up. Last but not least, cold calling. Just the words “cold calling” leave a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths, but it is a great skill to have, especially if you plan on doing Medicare educational events. You have to be careful here though, as you cannot discuss Medicare Part C and D plan specifics with prospective beneficiaries, even if they ask you about it. If you called them and they bring up Medicare Advantage, you cannot talk about specific benefits. You are ONLY trying to get them to attend your educational event, DO NOT try to sell these people over the phone.

Upcoming Webinar on Thursday, March 21st, 2019!

Join RBI National Sales Manager, Charlie Ferrell, for our webinar: “Medicare Educational Events for Newbies!” Use the Button below or click HERE to RSVP!

Also be sure to check out my blog post about the “Power of Voice Inflection” for great tips to improve your phone skills!

Words of Wisdom

Here’s a story from Bob Bever, CEO at RBI. It was November of 2017. Bob was pumping gas, filling up before heading to an appointment across town when the guy next to him asked him about his “Medicare Compare” shirt. Bob spends 3 minutes with him telling him exactly what he does and how he helps people, then hands him a business card. A few days pass and the guy ends up calling Bob and enrolls in a plan that fit his needs. Not bad for a lead that only cost him 3 minutes of his time.

Agents tend to minimize their experience and ignore the people around them every day. People you know, people who you meet in your daily life, have no idea what you do. Spend 3 minutes with these people and tell them exactly what it is that you do and how you help people. Then hand them a business card. Being a new agent doesn’t have to be a struggle! RB Insurance Group has the tools and experience to help you! With a little hard work you’ll be on your way to what we all strive for, that six-figure residual income.

Are you a new agent that’s looking to get started in the Medicare industry? RB Insurance is here to “Make it Happen for You.” We love helping new agents succeed in the Medicare market. Give us a call today to see how you fit in the RBI family at 1-800-997-3107!



2 Simple Sales Tips

2 Simple Sales Tips: Listen and Observe

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Are you tired of hearing about why you should be taking advantage of the great opportunity you have to sell Dual SNP’s year-round? No? Good, because I’m not done talking about it!

Prospecting your Book of Business

Medicare cost-sharing

RBI National Sales Manager: Charlie Ferrell

Charlie started his senior insurance career after a brief 30-year stint in the restaurant industry. In the 12 years since then, he has been blazing trails and setting standards for excellence all over! A native son of Utah, he has been a state manager for RBI as well as a managing general agent for UHC, Coventry, Molina and other carriers! Charlie came to RBI as the National Sales Manager in 2015, and is an invaluable resource for our agents and staff for marketing, compliance, and sales topics! Charlie’s field experience with senior insurance sales has made him an expert in our insurance CRM: Medicare Sales Engine. If all of that wasn’t enough, Charlie specializes in the Dual-Eligible market and is leading the charge behind RBI’s new “Dual Eligibles for Newbies” seminars!

Prospecting your Book of Business

Now that the New Year is upon us and our client are using their plans is a great time to go prospecting. Prospecting you say? But AEP ended a month ago! Use your existing book of business to write more business. There are plenty of additional products to sell. From indemnity products to Medicare Supplement plans to Final Expense. Now is the time to start a dialog about who they know that you can help. If you don’t ask your clients for referrals you are leaving business on the table for others to write.

This is also the best time to contact your new and existing clients that are using a new plan. Get in touch with them and let them know that you value their business and help them use their plan to the fullest. It is much easier to nip a small problem right now before it gets out of control; maybe it’s a different co-pay for a drug they have been taking for a while or the fact that they have to use a different doctor since switching plans. Anything you do right now will cement your place in their mind as their trusted advisor.

We’ve found that new members appreciate calls from their agent after the first of the year to check-in and make sure they have no outstanding questions about their plan or benefits. These calls also allow you to strengthen the bond with your members early in their plan year. To help you out, we have a few tips on topics to discuss with members during the first 2 months. By making the call and using these guidelines, you are able to instill your client’s confidence in you and their plan.

  • Ask if they have any questions about their plan/benefits
  • Review doctor network if appropriate. (Medicare Supplements have no network)
  • Review RX coverage, co-payments and pharmacies (including if they travel)
  • Discuss nurse line available 24/7 (most MA plans)
  • Discuss Extra Benefits (where applicable)
  • Discuss Silver Sneakers/Silver Fit where applicable

Most carriers are now also recommending you call your clients at the 60 and 90 day point as well. Topics are the same as listed above but by now they should have had a chance to use their benefits. If they have not used their benefits, remind them of the OTC benefit (if the plan has one) and how to order their items, especially if the benefit is a monthly or quarterly benefit and if it is a “Use it or lose it” type of benefit.

During your close is the best time to ask for referrals. You can ask for names and addresses but not phone numbers for MA clients. Remind them of the fact that you are not allowed to call their friends if they need help but that their friend has to call YOU in order to be compliant (for MA/PDP referrals). This also reminds them that anyone who calls them may not be following CMS guidelines and further insulates them as your client.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I meet with someone new I always ask them if they’ve worked with an agent in the past and the most common answer I hear is, “yeah, but I haven’t heard from in the past year or two.” The goal of your follow-ups is to not be that agent! The more you stay in front of your clients and help them use their plan, the more business you’ll see stay on the books.

Want even more tips on how to generate more referrals? Give us a call at 1-800-997-3107 and Learn how RBI Works for You. Looking for year-round sales opportunities? Fill out this contract request form, or call our office today to learn more!



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Stay focused on earning money

RB Insurance Group Managing Member: Bob Bever

Bob is the managing member of RB Insurance Group, LLC, an FMO based in Arizona, specializing in providing senior insurance agents with family-style customer service, without sacrificing the tools and resources of a much larger corporation. Bob is an expert in direct sales and leadership, and a proud 4th generation Arizona Native! Bob has over 35+ years of experience in the health insurance industry, and his past experience includes working as a field agent for Intergroup, Health Net, Cigna and Farmers. Since 1978 when Bob first got licensed as an insurance agent, to now, his focus has been on bringing excellence to the senior health insurance industry. Bob has a heart for seniors, and his no-nonsense approach and dry humor have endeared him to the clients and the agents he works with. Bob is semi-retired now, but his values of hard work, a positive attitude, and being an advocate for the needs of his clients continue to be the guiding principles of RBI.

Stay Focused on Earning Money

RBI’s Managing Member, Bob Bever


At the beginning of the year, we talked about how to set realistic goals for the year, and how to make sure your opportunities from AEP didn’t slip away.  If you’ve been dedicated about working hard on your plan this whole time, chances are you’re getting a little worn-out. Not to mention, this time of year brings its own set of challenges. There’s so much sunshine and good weather all around, and fun events like graduations, vacations, baseball games, etc. Human nature being what it is, it’s easy to get busy on the things that don’t actually make you money. Everyone needs a break to get your motivation back, but be careful not to get caught up in the day-to-day of summer fun and forget to check in on your goals. Pull out the list from the first of the year every week and evaluate how you’re doing. Do you need to get back on track?

Stay focused on earning money

stay focused on earning money

This time of year is full of great activities, but stay focused on earning money!

My advice for this time of year is simple: return to the basics.  For those agents that work in the senior insurance market and are not “hobbyists,” you should be spending half to two-thirds of your time in your business. That’s between 30 to 40 hours of your week on work time. And there’s plenty to do this time of year.

Stay in touch with your clients

Don’t forget to be making an effort to stay in contact with your existing clients, whether through a friendly phone call, or a postcard. Your clients are your primary source for new business so be sure to take very good care of them, and ask them to refer others to you as well.  9 times out of 10 the hottest leads you get are referrals from someone the beneficiary trusts.  Over time, this will secure your future for years to come, I can assure you.

Look over your portfolio

Evaluate your contracts, make sure you’ve got all the plans that are competitive in your market. Do you have all the product training that you need to serve your members?

Look for new opportunities

Stay focused on earning money

Grow your business with new opportunities.

If you’re looking for other opportunities, it’s a great time of year to start to make additional contacts with providers, nursing homes, and other community resources for seniors. Many agents will be going on vacation or slacking off this time of year, and if you are able to build a relationship now, or sponsor community events, you’ll be able to reach more potential clients later. Something to keep in mind is that with the changes in government and the rumblings about a new under-65 healthcare roll-out, many beneficiaries are concerned about their coverage. Now is a good time to meet with members to provide some reassurance, and hold educational events to explain how Medicare works with Medicare 101 classes.

Want some ideas of new and different ways to market in your community?

Check out our “Community Marketing” webinar where we talk about the different events and ideas you can do to generate new business! RBI can teach you how to “own your own backyard” and become known as the Medicare expert in your community. Have you completed a contract yet? Call our team at 1-800-997-3107 or click here to complete the Fast-Track and get appointed even quicker!



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Plan Your Best Month Yet

5 Quick Opportunities Now to Unlock Your Best AEP

RBI Sales Coordinator, West Region: Rebecca Howard

If you’ve ever called RBI’s 800 number, chances are good that you’ve spoken to Rebecca! With a background in health care and customer service, Rebecca’s journey to Medicare insurance is a relentless pursuit of the human story. Fascinated by interpersonal relationships, and passionate about treating everyone right, it’s no surprise that Rebecca joins us from the South. A transplant to Arizona from Georgia, Rebecca is a customer service expert and sales coordinator extraordinaire! Rebecca manages agent relationships for the West Coast, and loves training her agents in all the tools and services that RBI offers. In addition to her regular duties, Rebecca is a bit of a word nerd, and serves as RBI’s content editor for the Agent’s Advantage Blog and RBI Classroom.

5 Quick Opportunities Now

to Unlock Your Best AEP Later

RBI Sales Coordinator, West Region: Rebecca Howard


I know, I know. It’s only the first week of May — AEP seems so far away! But the truth is if you haven’t already planned out your marketing leading up to AEP, now is definitely the time to start. AEP is the busiest time of the year in our industry and a great way to avoid that last-minute rush and make sure you have a plan in place is to decide your goals now. Figure out how many sales you want to make first and then decide on a marketing plan. RBI has the tools to help! In fact, here’s 5 quick opportunities to take advantage of now and unlock your best AEP yet.

Number 5: Organize your existing businessUnlock Your Best AEP Yet

If you haven’t reached out to all the old leads in your books, now is also a good time to touch base with a final phone call and personalized letter. It’s also time to make sure that each of your clients’ needs are being met. Pick up the phone and call your clients, or consider sending out a postcard. Make sure that you are asking for your clients to think of you for any referrals. Not sure what to say? Click here and read some advice from the RBI team. Make sure you’re going through your records and reconciling any commissions at the end of the month or interactions inside the Medicare Sales Engine!

Number 4: Learn about additional products

If you’ve had a laser focus on one type of product, it might be time to diversify. One of the best ways to make sure you’re able to serve your clients’ is to be able to address multiple concerns they might have. Have you talked to your members about Hospital Indemnity? What about Final Expense? Does your member qualify for extra help or LIS? Learn about the portfolio approach and then get the product training you need. Check out our calendar to sign up for informative webinars or go back and watch one of our recorded sessions!

Number 3: Pick up additional contracts

Now that you’ve learned about the additional products that will help you better serve your clients, it’s time to pick up contracts! Processing contracts can take the carriers from just a couple of days to several weeks, so it’s important to get started on this in advance. Carriers tend to get backed up with contracting requests right before AEP as well. Don’t get caught in that mess, get contracted now and miss the rush! Click here to see a list of carriers, or request information here.

Number 2: Prepare for the AHIP

It’s that time of year again – AHIP comes out at the end of next month. Get a jump on studying for the AHIP now and be ready to take the exam right away!  Click here to sign up for our 2018 Ace the AHIP webinar and be sure to use our link and get $50 off the price of the AHIP course!

Number 1: Plan your marketing now

AEP is short. What’s the best way to make sure you are able to complete the maximum appointments? Get a steady flow of leads and line up your appointments in advance. RBI’s team loves to help plan this out for our agents. If you don’t know the best way to get that steady flow of leads, watch this recording. Consider hiring a part time assistant to help you set appointments. The better organized you are on the front end, the smoother your AEP will be in the long run.

If you aren’t ready to sell with the most popular plans in your area, let us help you get started! Call our team at 1-800-997-3107 or click here to start the contracting process! It’s time to unlock your best AEP.



Stay Focused on Earning Money
Unlock Your Best AEP Yet
Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4
Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4

Video: Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4 (ICYMI)

This week was the last week of our Carrier Spring Training month and we had a great selection of carriers participate! If you missed the webinars this week, don’t worry! We’ve got the overview here for your portfolio! Watch the videos below: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4!

The first carrier we heard from this week was Molina, a fantastic Medicare Advantage carrier. Molina really tries to go the extra mile with their coverage, especially serving the needs of Dual Eligible or LIS members. Tuesday was Cigna’s day to shine, where we heard about their Medicare Supplements products under their Loyal American and ARLIC brands, as well as the new brand Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC). Wednesday and Thursday had back to back webinars, with Gateway on Wednesday morning going into their plans in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and North Carolina. Then Amerigroup and Allegian in Texas, and Harbor Health Plan in Michigan wrapped up our week! We really appreciate all our amazing presenters this week: Lenny Scroggins (Molina), Ryan McMillan (Cigna), Dan Misner (Gateway), and our own Charlie Ferrell (Amerigroup, Harbor, Allegian).

RBI Carrier Training Highlights Team:

  • Molina by Charlie Ferrell
  • Gateway by Charlie Ferrell
  • Harbor Health Plan by James Gramp
  • Allegian by Charlie Ferrell

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4

Look for this symbol on all our new “Carrier Hall of Fame” videos!

There are a lot of reasons to contract with multiple carriers and it’s important to be strategic in building your portfolio. RBI loves to help agents choose the right products for their business. If you would like more information into each of these carriers, you can watch the full webinar recording with the links below.

Watch the Molina recording. Watch the Cigna recording. Watch the Gateway recording. Watch the Amerigroup recording. Watch the Harbor recording. Watch the Allegian recording.



Click here to get contracted. Click here to see all our contracted carriers.



Check out the upcoming webinars today! Click here to see the full calendar.

RBI wants to see you succeed! If you feel like you’re not getting the support you need to achieve, call us at 1-800-997-3107 and get contracted today!



Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4
Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4
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Looking for an Insurance CRM? 5 Reasons to love the Medicare Sales Engine

Charlie Ferrell

RBI National Sales Manager: Charlie Ferrell

Charlie started his senior insurance career after a brief 30-year stint in the restaurant industry. In the 12 years since then, he has been blazing trails and setting standards for excellence all over! A native son of Utah, he has been a state manager for RBI as well as a managing general agent for UHC, Coventry, Molina and other carriers! Charlie came to RBI as the National Sales Manager in 2015, and is an invaluable resource for our agents and staff for marketing, compliance, and sales topics! Charlie’s field experience with senior insurance sales has made him an expert in our insurance CRM: Medicare Sales Engine. If all of that wasn’t enough, Charlie specializes in the Dual-Eligible market and is leading the charge behind RBI’s new “Dual Eligibles for Newbies” seminars!

Insurance CRM

Looking for an Insurance CRM?

5 Reasons to love the Medicare Sales Engine

National Sales Manager: Charlie Ferrell


If you have been looking for a reliable, convenient and easy-to-use insurance CRM, look no further! Today I want to tell you more about RB Insurance’s flagship sales and lead management system: the Medicare Sales Engine (MSE). You may have already read about our Massive Response Mailers and partnership with Touchstone Marketing to bring you the best prices and deals on print and fulfillment.  Why are mailers and marketing connected to the MSE? Because we have seamlessly integrated your leads from mailers to the MSE! 

“So, RBI, what exactly is the Medicare Sales Engine?”

Simply put, the MSE is RBI’s proprietary CRM system to help our agents manage their leads, clients, commissions, appointments and much more! You can get a lot out of the MSE, especially if you really take the time to learn how to use all of the features.  Let’s take a closer look!

#1 – Built to serve senior insurance agents:

First off, when we began to develop the Medicare Sales Engine over 10 years ago, we started with our own group of senior insurance agents and asked “what would make your life easier?” As a result, the MSE is built around the needs of an agent who is out in the field selling, with features to make you more efficient and to cut back on your busy-work. You can view the Medicare Sales Engine on your tablet, phone, laptop, desktop – any device with an internet connection. With our on-going commitment to excellence, if you have a feature you’d like to see implemented in the MSE, you can call us and we’ll see about adding it to the MSE!

#2 – At-a-glance updates on your business

We recognize that your time is valuable, so we have made sure that the Medicare Sales Engine is very simple and easy to use. When you login, the first thing you see is your dashboard, a snapshot of your business. The dashboard breaks your business into clients and leads sorted by temperature, and displays information so you know exactly where you left off.  This helps you identify your next tasks, trends in your business, or areas of opportunity!

#3 – Seamlessly integrates with lead mailers

Remember when we said that the MSE seamlessly integrates with lead mailers?  Well, we have developed a partnership with Touchstone Marketing and one of the benefits of this relationship is behind-the-scenes system integration. What does this mean for you? Any leads from mailers you purchased from Touchstone Marketing will show up inside your Medicare Sales Engine account. All the lead response information from the mailer, and a copy of the mailer itself will be uploaded to your account. An added bonus? You’ll get an SMS text notification that you have new leads so you can start working on your hottest leads right away!

#4 – An Insurance CRM with the right price tag

Most insurance CRM systems have a drawback — whether it’s a must-have feature like tracking commissions, or the ability to upload your existing book of business, or a bit of sticker-shock when you see the price tag. With RBI’s insurance CRM, the Medicare Sales Engine is free to contracted agents. It’s that easy: when you’ve completed the contracting process, and are ready-to-sell, your MSE portal is generated. You can log in right away, and get started!

# 5 – HIPAA Compliant record keeping, free Quoting Tool, and more!

We only have time for 1 more awesome thing that the Medicare Sales Engine can do, so this one’s a combo. The Medicare Sales Engine is HIPAA Compliant so your records are protected. It’s easy to upload notes, applications, and other records to have an online back-up for your office. We recommend that you take a few minutes each day to update actions you have taken with each lead, such as calling to schedule an appointment. An additional feature that agents love is the built-in quoting tool.  The RBI quoting tool gets real-time CMS updates, so you know you’re getting the most recent information about product availability and pricing. You can use the quote tool to research best plans for your leads and clients, and add notes inside their record about special medical or financial considerations.

We love to talk about the MSE, so if you have any questions call us at 1-800-997-3107! You can also catch up on some of the basics by watching this recorded webinar. To learn more about the quoting tool, watch this recorded webinar.

The Medicare Sales Engine is just one more way that RBI commits to make it happen for you! Get contracted today to get your own free access to this fantastic insurance CRM!




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evaluate you FMO Medicare Advantage

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3 (ICYMI)

Hey, you! We’re back again! As you know, this whole month we’re bringing you the scoop on our RBI Carrier-Partners with “Carrier Spring Training” month! It’s been a great month so far (we’ve definitely learned new things every day!) and we cannot believe that next week is our last week! The time certainly has flown by. If you missed the webinars this week and don’t have time to re-watch them, here’s the RBI sales team to break down the highlights of each carrier, and what they do for your portfolio. Watch the videos below: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3!

To start things off this week, we heard from Mutual of Omaha, on Monday! Then Tuesday, we had a webinar from GTL or Guarantee Trust Life, followed by RBI’s own Quoting Tool on Wednesday, and wrapped up the week with a presentation on SilverScript on Thursday! Our presenters this week — thanks a million: you guys are the best! — were Ken Colvard (Mutual of Omaha and SilverScript), Greg Esposito (GTL) and Brien Welch (RBI Quoting Tool). We watched these webinars and were so impressed with the knowledge base that they bring to the table, as well as some of the great new plans available to agents and members. There was a lot to go over, so here’s the four highlight videos from this week!

RBI Carrier Training Highlights Team:

  • Mutual of Omaha by Charlie Ferrell
  • Guarantee Trust Life by James Gramp
  • RBI’s Quoting Tool by Justin Bever
  • SilverScript by Rebecca Howard


Monday, April 17, 2017 at 9 AM


Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 9 AM


Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 9 AM


Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 9 AM

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3

Look for this symbol on all our new “Carrier Hall of Fame” videos!

When you think about these three carriers, it’s important to understand how each brings something different into your portfolio. Whether you focus on Medicare Supplements, Hospital Indemnity or PDP plans, it’s important to have products that fit well together. And not just each other, but products that will serve the needs of your clients. In addition, this week you may have noticed a bit of a technology theme developing. Each carrier this week has a focus on making your life as an agent easier with online enrollments. And RBI’s quoting tool fits right into this theme. If you aren’t taking advantage of the technology and tools available to you at RBI, now is the time!

Watch the recording: Mutual of Omaha. Watch the recording: Guarantee Trust Life. Watch the recording: RBI Quote Tool. Watch the recording: SilverScript.

Click here to get contracted. Click here to see all our contracted carriers.

Sign up for the next webinars today! Click here to see the full calendar.

  • Monday, April 24 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Hit a Fastball with Molina” Register
  • Tuesday, April 25 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Be a Power Hitter with Cigna” Register
  • Wednesday, April 26 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Be a Clean-up Hitter with Gateway” Register
  • Wednesday, April 26 at 10:30 AM MST/12:30 PM CDT – “Pitch a Shut-Out with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas” Register
  • Thursday, April 27 at 9 AM MST/12 PM MST – “Be a Hometown Slugger with Harbor Health Plan” Register
  • Thursday, April 27 at 10 AM MST/12 PM CDT – “Load the Bases with Allegian” Register

Subscribe to the RBI Agent’s Advantage Blog today!

Did you miss last week’s webinars? Watch the full recording: Aetna. Watch the full recording: United Healthcare. Watch the full recording: Humana.


All videos are for agent use only.



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Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2 (ICYMI)

So if you’ve been following along this week on all our emails and event calendar, you know that April is “Carrier Spring Training” month! We are so excited for this new initiative, and just finished up our second week of webinars! But if you missed these webinars and don’t have time to re-watch them, here’s the RBI sales team to break down the highlights of each carrier, and what they do for your portfolio. Watch the video below: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2!

This week, we collaborated with Aetna, Humana, and United Healthcare. A huge shout-out to our presenters, Daniel Santos (Aetna), Kirk Sanich (Humana), and our own Charlie Ferrell stepping in for Ken Colvard (United Healthcare), who did a fantastic job showcasing their products and what makes them compelling for members.

RBI Carrier Training Highlights:

  • Aetna by Rebecca Howard
  • Humana by James Gramp
  • United Healthcare by Charlie Ferrell

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2

Look for this symbol on all our new “Carrier Hall of Fame” videos!

The RBI bottom line is that all three of these carriers offer something different and that they work together nicely to fill out your portfolio as a senior insurance advisor. We recommend that you contract with all three today because everyone is different and it’s important to have the products that fit the needs of your clients.

Watch the recording: Aetna Webinar. Watch the recording: Humana Webinar. Watch the recording: United Healthcare Webinar.

Click here to get contracted. Click here to see all our contracted carriers.

Sign up for next week’s webinars today!

  • Monday, April 17 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT“Hit a Homer with Mutual of Omaha” Register.
  • Tuesday, April 18 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT“Steal Second with GTL” Register.
  • Wednesday, April 19 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT“Bat 1.000 with RBI’s Quoting Tool” Register.
  • Thursday, April 20 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT“Out of the Ballpark with SilverScript” Register.

Subscribe to the the RBI Agent’s Advantage Blog today

Did you miss last week’s webinars? Watch the full recording: American Continental Webinar. Watch the full recording: Equitable webinar. Watch the full recording: Medico webinar.


All videos are for agent use only.




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Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4

Zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage? Think again.

James Gramp

RBI Senior Sales Coordinator/

Independent Agent: James Gramp

With his signature common sense, quiet good humor, and brilliant customer service, Jim is the other half of the RBI phone answering dynamic duo! An Arizona native, Jim manages agent relationships for the East Coast and specializes in the RBI agent tools, especially the Agent Market Edge. Jim has been a licensed health insurance agent for over a year, and has worked at RBI for 2 years. An accomplished bassoonist, he is known around the office for his amazing musical skills. In addition to keeping busy around the office, Jim frequently contributes to our blog, bringing a new agent’s perspective to the RBI online presence.

Zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage?

Think again!

RBI Senior Sales Coordinator/Independent Agent: James Gramp


As a Senior Sales Coordinator at RB Insurance Group, I talk with agents from all over the country.  Every now and then I’ll talk to an agent who has zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage(MA). These agents usually fall into 1 of 2 camps, either they don’t like the product, or they are afraid of the certifications to be ready to sell.  But MA products are proving to be a really good fit for many beneficiaries and members continue to enroll into the plans. Market penetration for MA plans is growing, and the excuses could be costing you money. Let’s take a look:

Market Penetration for Medicare Advantage

According to Mark Farrah and Associates, in 2015 Medicare Advantage covered over 18 million members or about 33% of the Medicare population and is still showing growth year over year. Medicare Supplement beneficiaries account for just under 12 million.  You can educate people all you want on why you think Medicare Supplements provide superior coverage (and I would agree in a lot of situations) but the fact is Medicare Advantage is here to stay.

Reasons Why Members Choose an MA Product

Zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage

Some members like the additional benefits with an MA plan, like dental or vision.

We recently hosted a webinar about Aetna by Daniel Santos, the Medicare Broker Manager for Arizona. (If you missed the webinar, watch the recording here) If you aren’t aware, Aetna has some great MA plans in Arizona, but also across the nation in other markets. Daniel’s presentation highlighted a few reasons that members like MA plans: many folks prefer to have full coverage in 1 plan, with predictable out-of-pocket costs, and a lot of the time with a $0 premium. Some people like that there is no underwriting with an MA plan. And some folks like the extras that you can qualify for with an MA plan, such as dental or vision benefits.

Overcoming Objections: “I don’t believe in the product”

In my day-to-day conversations with agents, I’ve come across one objection very consistently. “Well, Jim, I just don’t believe in the product.” Or “I just don’t want to sell a product I don’t believe in.”  This usually leads into how a Medicare Supplement plan F or G is the best coverage you can buy. While I agree that plan F and G provide excellent coverage, not everyone is the same. As we saw above, a lot of people are choosing Medicare Advantage for their coverage and the market is growing.  The bottom line is a lot of people (especially healthy people) can’t stomach paying for a Medicare Supplement policy and if you don’t sell them an MA plan then somebody else will.

Overcoming Objections: “There are so many certifications”

The second most common reason agents tell me they don’t sell Medicare Advantage is because of all the certifications involved with MA.  I’ll be the first to tell you how much I LOVE doing my annual AHIP test. (I’m kidding of course.)  I have good news for you though, it gets easier!  I’ve only been in this business for 2 years and if I had to put a number on it, it probably takes me a couple hours at most to knock out my AHIP plus my 5 carrier certifications.  With most carriers doing lifetime commissions for MA, I will gladly set aside 2 hours of my time every 365 days to collect my renewals. 

Now that I’ve convinced you to sell MA, why should you contract with RB Insurance Group? Stay tuned for my next article, “The RBI Difference” and learn how to get your AHIP reimbursed as well as how to earn $25 in marketing credit for each of your MA enrollments!


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Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 4