Referrals that Empower: 3 paths to timely results

Our RBI team includes licensed life and health agents with a combined 50+ years of experience in the field.  As you can imagine, they know how to get referrals that empower not just their business, but also their own personal growth as agents. 


Charlie Ferrell, National Sales Manager, started as a senior insurance agent more than 12 years ago. His expertise is in Medicare, specifically Dual Eligibles and Low Income Subsidy clients.

Rob Bever, Director of Compliance, has more than 15 years in the Medicare/senior insurance market. He has around 1500 enrollments under his belt and specializes in the Dual Eligible market.

James Gramp, Sales Coordinator/Independent Agent, though James has only been an agent for about 2 years, his clients are already raving about his great service!

Bob Bever, Founder, got licensed as a life and health agent in 1978 and has applied his excellent service to his clients and agents alike! His success is the reason we’re all here!


Compliance Tip

Referrals that Empower: 3 paths to timely results

Contributions from the RBI Team



Every agent spends a significant portion of his or her time thinking about, reading about, and planning (or executing plans!) to increase sales. It’s what all of us want as agents because, after all, more sales mean more commissions, which means more security for our pocketbooks and our families. One of the most important ways to get more business is to ask for referrals. But if you read articles about this topic, you’ll notice a theme telling you to ask for referrals, but no one ever tells you how to do this. No more! RBI is here to end this trend.  Our tutorial will teach you to increase your sales with referrals that empower your business to the next level. Here’s our top 3 recommendations, plus our bonus round for agents that want to build a referral system they can “wind up and walk away.”

Referrals that Empower

“Increase your sales with referrals that empower your business!”

Number 1: Learn to pre-qualify clients

Charlie Ferrell, RBI’s National Sales Manager, is fantastic at getting referrals.  We asked him for his best advice on how to build a referral base he doesn’t have to think about every day and his number one piece of advice was to pre-qualify every client before the end of the appointment, whether you sell them a plan or not. Charlie does this by understanding that every appointment with every client is about education. “If you are educating your clients on how Medicare works, it leads seamlessly into asking the question at the end, ‘Have I helped you understand Medicare better?‘” Charlie says. “If I have done my job right, my clients know what their options are, so when I hand them a business card and say, ‘Please give this to anyone that you know who could use my services,’ the response is always positive.”  To implement this strategy, you should make sure that you do a good job educating your clients in Medicare before you present individual plans. You’ll spend a little more time with each client, but you’ll build a strong and loyal client base. This makes asking for the referral at the end of the appointment more natural.

Number 2: Make yourself accessible

“The key to good referrals is ease of contact for your clients,” says Rob Bever, RBI’s Director of Compliance. “With the CMS Medicare Marketing Guidelines, most of my referrals come outside of appointments these days, usually within 1 week of my follow-ups.” What are those follow-ups? Rob says he hands out “piles of business cards” and reaches out to his clients with follow-up letters, birthday cards and other types of letters. He usually get some referrals about a week after his birthday card or other letter reaches his client. “If my clients have 20 business cards on hand and I’ve told them, ‘If you have any friends or neighbors who have been having trouble with their insurance, have them call me,’ I’ll get referrals that way.” The bottom line? Stay in contact with your clients through phone calls, letters and other outreach. Clients can’t refer friends to you if they don’t have a way of contacting you.

Number 3: Emphasis on value

James Gramp, RBI’s Sales Coordinator extraordinaire, says his “ask” always focuses on the value he brings to the table. “If I have done my job in the appointment, the closing statement is easy enough. I usually say something like ‘If you have friends or know someone with questions about Medicare, I’m happy to help. My services are completely free, they can just give me a call.” Jim says he always makes sure to emphasize that he is available for questions, and that he is there to serve his clients’ needs without a price tag.  Pro tip: “Make sure referrals from your clients know that they have to call you due to government regulations. I usually state that explicitly in my appointments so there is no confusion,” James says.

Bonus round: Provide exceptional service and your referrals will come to you

Bob Bever, RBI’s managing member, has been in the insurance industry for over 35 years. His expertise is invaluable for picking up referrals that empower. Here’s his take, “Building your business by referrals really comes down to one statement: be the best agent that you can be. I always leave 4 or 5 business cards with my clients and tell them if they have any issues to call my mobile number. But if you build that expectation you have to fulfill it as well. Be what you advertise. My success came to me because I was willing to answer my phone anytime day or night and provide service to my clients right then.” Bob shares that when you take the time to build a rapport with your clients and then give the best customer service possible, your clients will talk about their experiences. “I still get referrals from some of my clients that I first got in the 1990’s.”

Did you like our referral advice? Do you have advice of your own? Call us at 1-800-997-3107 and tell us how you work to expand your business! If you like this article, chances are good you’ll like this one and this one. Not yet an RBI agent? Check out our list of carriers to get started contracting today! 

Subscribe to the RBI Agent’s Advantage Blog for a weekly newsletter digest of great Medicare content, like the latest in carrier news, tutorials, video roll-ups and more!


Agent's Advantage Blog
Agent's Advantage Blog

ICYMI Contracting for Success Wrap-up

Charlie Ferrell

National Sales Manager


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! 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!”

ICYMI Contracting for Success Wrap-up

Charlie Ferrell, National Sales Manager



If you know anything about RBI, you know that we are passionate about saving YOU time and money. One of the ways that we do this is by helping you to work smarter not harder! Our most recent Medicare Intensive “Contracting for Success” was all about building a portfolio of products that does the heavy lifting! If you weren’t able to attend, here’s the ICYMI Contracting for Success Wrap-up! 

ICYMI Contracting for Success

What we covered:ICYMI Contracting for Success Course

Would you like to sell to 80% of the people you meet? With our portfolio approach to senior insurance, this goal is within reach. Most insurance agents focus on a single product, and stay in their comfort zone to try and make sales. Instead, we urge our agents to work smarter, by picking up a few other types of products.  When you have a portfolio that is more extensive, you have the ability to convert more of the people you meet, because you’ll have the plans that they need.

We help you convert 80% of your leads to clients

The three types of products we focus on are

  1. Final Expense
  2. Indemnity Products – such as Hospital Indemnity, Dental and Cancer policies
  3. Medicare products – such as traditional Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage products

We suggest that you pick up 3 or 4 carriers for each category, and become the expert in who those carriers are and how they work together.  Clients will be able to tell that you have done your research. As an added bonus, when you have more to offer to clients, you’ll be able to spend more time with fewer clients, with better results. In essence, you inoculate them from being poached by another agent. This means that your clients are less likely to move to a different agent because they recognize your commitment to their needs.

What’s the bottom line?

Agents who approach their business as a whole portfolio are more successful! Consider this powerful example: this past AEP, one of our agents in MI added Hospital Indemnity to his portfolio. During AEP, he included this additional product in his client meetings and 90% of his new clients signed up for a hospital indemnity product! This translated into over $20,000 in commissions received before the end of AEP.

RBI – We Make It Happen for You

If you weren’t able to attend the Contracting for Success class this week, you can watch the recording by clicking here. You can learn more about RBI’s carrier partners by clicking here. Call our office today at 1-800-997-3107 if you want to get more information on how to get started! We are here to make it happen for you!


Agent's Advantage Blog
Agent's Advantage Blog

Medicare Supplements 101 Revisited for 2017

If you’re not an expert in Medicare Supplements, it’s time to get educated! Our Medicare Supplements 101 article and webinar is here to help! Newly updated for 2017, this article will help you get started now!

A Brief History

Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans have been around almost as long as Medicare, and just like Medicare, have transformed over the years. It began as a variety of different coverages state by state, and was ultimately standardized by Medicare in 1992. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 replaced many voluntary guidelines with new Federal standards. Nearly all states adhere to these standards with a few exceptions. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are three states complying with Federal guidelines without using the standardized A through N plans.

Medicare Parts A and B cover most medically-necessary inpatient and outpatient services. Unfortunately for consumers, Medicare does not cover all medical costs, leaving beneficiaries responsible for a portion of the costs. Let’s take a quick look at Medicare Part A and B, and then take a look at Medicare Supplements 101!

Medicare Part A

The two largest costs associated with Part A are the Hospital Deductible ($1316 in 2017) and days 21-100 ($164.50 co-pay per day) of the Skilled Nursing Benefit. There are also some costs associated with Hospice care which Medicare does not cover. Medicare DOES NOT cover the cost of room and board if someone is using a private hospice facility. While the Hospice benefit does cover the doctors and additional care needed, it does not cover the facilities charge of around $300 per day in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility. As you can imagine, the bills pile up quickly!

Medicare Part B

Part B has a yearly deductible ($183 in 2017) and 20% coinsurance for all Part B-covered services, including chemotherapy. There is no cap on how much a beneficiary is responsible for under traditional Medicare Parts A and B so chemotherapy treatments for example, could be financially crippling.

Medicare Supplements 101 to the Rescue!

 Medicare Supplements 101 coverage A-N chart

Depending on the plan, Medicare Supplement A through N policies cover all or a portion of the gaps in Medicare coverage. Because of the Federal standardization, the included benefits for each plan type is identical across all insurance carriers. The only difference is the premium. It is no coincidence that 57% of all Medicare Supplements have enrolled on Plan F policies- the benefits are generous and the added coverage provides financial protection.

  • National Guaranteed Issue rights only apply to Medigap Plans A, B, C, F, K, or L . Some states have their own Guarantee Issue periods. With Plans D, G, M and N, the beneficiary will likely be subject to medical underwriting.
  • Excess charges can occur when a doctor does not accept Medicare assignment. The beneficiary can be charged up to an additional 15% of the Medicare allowable rates.
  • Plans C, D, F, M and N all include a Foreign Travel benefit.  Beneficiaries pay a $250 deductible and their Medigap policy will pay 80% of the remaining charges, up to $50,000.
  • HD-F, K and L all have deductibles and maximum out of pocket expenses which are set by CMS every year.
  • Plans C and F cover the Part B deductible. For those of you familiar with the Medicare Access and CHIP Re-authorization of 2015 (MACRA for short), Medicare Supplement plans C and F will not be available for sale to new Medicare beneficiaries after Jan 1, 2020.
  • Plan N has a $20 co=pay at a doctors office and a $50 co-pay at the Emergency Room

Keep an eye out for more information on Medicare Supplements 201, Open Enrollment, Underwriting and Guaranteed issue situations.

This is a just brief overview of Medicare Supplements. For an in depth explanation and more, click the button below for the recording of Part 1 of our webinar series on Medicare Supplements.



Contact us today to get contracted with the highest rated carriers in your area. Many plans are only competitive in certain zip codes so don’t be fooled by all their hype. Call 1-800-997-3107 and let us help you with all of your Medicare Supplement contracting needs.

Updated 3/6/2017; Originally Published 5/16/2016

Video: Marketing for Success Roll-up

Did you miss Webinar Wednesday this week? Catch up by watching our Marketing for Success Roll-up, below!



We couldn’t close out the work week without telling you about our fantastic Webinar Wednesday topic this week! If you’ve been following along on our webinars, you’ll know that we love bringing you amazing (and useful!) content to help you improve your sales! Our Marketing for Success Roll-up is here to tell you exactly what you need to know in order to increase your ROI on marketing!

Many agents think about marketing on an as-needed basis.  The problem with approaching marketing in such a haphazard way is that there is no way to track your results. Instead of practicing the “RAM” method of marketing, RBI is here to help our agents follow the MAPS method.

What is the RAM method? Random Acts of Marketing

What is the MAPS method? Building a marketing system that is Measurable, Actionable, Profitable and Scalable.

Watch our roll-up below for more information!

Marketing for Success Roll-up

Look for this symbol on all our new “60 Second Roll-up” videos!

Like what you heard? Click here to watch the full recording of “Marketing for Success.”  To learn more about how RBI can help you be a better agent, click here.

Want to get started? You can see a list of all our carrier partners by clicking here. For more details, call us at 1-800-997-3107 and speaking to our experienced sales team!   



UPDATED 2017: Agents Don’t Work Alone: Build a network of professional friends

Charlie Ferrell

National Sales Manager


NOTE FROM RBICharlie Ferrell, our National Sales Manager, is celebrating a work-a-versary today! On this day in 2015, Charlie made the switch from being an state manager/MGA to working full-time at RB Insurance Group — and we are so glad he did!  If you’ve called RBI for advice, you’ve probably talked with Charlie for help on individual markets, MAPS planning, or even real-time client advice. Today we celebrate Charlie’s amazing contributions to RB Insurance by bringing back one of his earliest blog articles as National Sales Manager. Though it’s newly updated for 2017, the content is as wise and relevant today as…well…as Charlie himself.

UPDATED 2017: Agents Don’t Work Alone

Build a network of professional friends

National Sales Manager: Charlie Ferrell



You may have heard the expression “You can’t be everything to everyone.” That’s just as true in the insurance business as it is in everyday life. In order to serve my clients, I’ve found I need to align myself with others who can fill in the gaps between my Medicare knowledge and expertise.

Breaking Bad Habits:

If you’re like me, you frequently find yourself fielding questions from clients on topics beyond your scope. I’m going to be totally honest with you: when I started getting more clients calls than I could handle on subjects like wills or Medicaid planning, my main referral source for years was Google. At a certain point, however, I started getting tired of hearing myself say, “Let me see if I can find someone who can help you.” There’s nothing I can do about not knowing absolutely everything about senior health insurance and finances, but I felt I could do better than sticking the duty of due diligence on my clients.

Build a network of professional friends

“Networking can be mutually beneficial for agents, lawyers, financial advisors.”

That’s why I decided in 2014 to get smart about networking. I knew it would be more helpful to my clients if I could recommend someone I personally knew and trusted for their financial or legal questions. I also knew I’d be investing in my book of business because networking can be mutually beneficial for agents, lawyers, financial advisors— their clients are probably going to need Medicare advice at one point or another!

Building New (and GOOD!) Habits:

I called a few of my longtime clients and asked them who they go to for advice. They recommended a few highly respected attorneys they had had good experiences with, one of whom deals exclusively with Medicaid planning. He helps families protect their assets when someone needs to go into a nursing home. Another attorney I reached out to specializes in wills and trusts: a perfect solution for me, since sometimes a client needs a simple will. Other clients need the whole package that puts all of their assets into a trust, especially if they have homes in multiple states and don’t want their kids to have to go through probate to spend if it isn’t necessary.

Lastly, I found a CPA to help my clients with their tax questions and financial planning needs. I now feel confident that my network has my clients’ best interests at heart and that I can depend on them returning the favor by sending their respective clients to me. I estimate that 10 percent of my new clients in 2015 came from my alignments with outside experts.

What I Learned:

It’s amazing what you can get when you ask your clients for their input. I noticed right away that my clients were much more engaged, and so were more likely to refer their friends and family to me. For these clients, it was clear that I valued their opinion. Second, I found this exercise reconnected me with some of my clients I hadn’t spoken to in a while.

Personally, I’m excited whenever I can help others. As agents, most of our clients are looking for someone they can trust to help them with life’s difficult decisions. You can be that trusted advisor for Medicare, and you can let others offer valuable advice on finances and legal arrangements. Your clients will benefit, you will benefit, and your new network will benefit as well. The bottom line is these professional relationships are a win-win-win.

Are you ready to get started? Build a network of professional friends to strengthen your business today! If you don’t know how to take the first step, click here to watch our recorded webinar “Finding Dual Eligibles” or call our team of experts today at 1-800-997-3107!


Updated: 3/2/2017; Original post date: 12/3/2015


Agent's Advantage Blog
Agent's Advantage Blog

End of the Month Wrap-up

James GrampJames Gramp

Sales Coordinator/Independent Agent

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.

End of the Month Wrap-up: Client Retention in 3 easy steps!

RBI Sales Coordinator and Independent Agent: James Gramp



It seems like every year the days go by faster and faster.  It’s already the end of February, so I’m going to share with you my end of the month wrap-up and a few best practice tips to help you stay in touch with your clients so they remember who to call when they have questions or problems!

Here’s three ways that I keep my business on the books:

End of the Month Wrap-up

If you send a letter to your clients, hand sign it for a personal touch!

Number 1: Thank You Letters

The best piece of advice I can give you is to send your new clients a thank you letter.  This is a great way to make sure your clients remember your name.  Just think of all the seniors you run into during AEP who say they can’t remember who helped them enroll in their current plan. You do not want to be “that” agent.  Instead, by sending a thank you letter, you will stay in touch. The letter should be simple: thank them for the opportunity to be their health insurance agent and include a few business cards. Ask your clients to hand out your card to any friends or family who have questions about Medicare.  In my letters, I also like to include a picture of myself at the bottom and I always hand sign it to add a more personal touch. Depending on how many enrollments you do a month, you can personalize your letters even further by handwriting the whole note!

Number 2: Updating CRM records

This one should be a no-brainer. You should be using a CRM system to manage your clients to help make your life easier, because who likes excel spreadsheets? I use the Medicare Sales Engine, or “MSE” – which is RBI’s own agent-built CRM system. I usually update my client’s CRM record the same day I make the sale so I don’t forget, but if you haven’t yet done so, be sure to update your clients records now. If you use the MSE, check that you have converted the leads you sold into clients.  Another MSE feature I use all the time is tracking commissions: just enter the product you sold, and the commission you expect to be paid.  If you entered the information correctly, you’ll see the potential renewals for the next year on your dashboard.   The end of the month is a good time to check that your commission records inside the MSE match the statement from the carrier. The best part is that RBI provides the MSE tool completely free for contracted agents!   You can get contracted here today!

Number 3: Follow-up Call

Two weeks after I’ve enrolled new members, I like to give my clients a call to make sure they’ve gotten their welcome letter and all their member ID cards.  I usually open the conversation up by saying something like “I just wanted to make sure you got your new member ID card.”  If they haven’t, it’s time to set-up a conference call with myself, my new client and the carrier, to have the ID card re-sent.  Your clients will love the fact that you’re being proactive in asking about their experience and solving their problems.  As a bonus for us as agents, this is also the perfect time to ask for referrals.  Let your clients know that if they have any friends with questions about their Medicare to give you a call.  Be VERY clear that you cannot call them, they have to call you. You’d be surprised how many follow-up with you!

And that’s it!  As you can see, my end of the month wrap-up is just three simple steps.  If you can implement these “best practices” to your business I can guarantee that you’ll see more business stay on the books and also bring in more new business from happy clients when they refer their friends to you!

Click here to learn about the Agent Market Edge and how RBI works with print and fulfillment companies to bring you exclusive pricing! If you’d like sample ideas for client letters give RB Insurance Group a call today at 1-800-997-3107 to see firsthand how RBI can help you take your business to the next level! 


Agent's Advantage Blog
Agent's Advantage Blog

Video: The Power of the Portfolio Roll-up

Did you miss Webinar Wednesday this week? Catch up by watching our The Power of the Portfolio Roll-up, below!



Do you know how to make your contracts work for you? It’s not uncommon for agents to only contract with a single carrier or type of product. RBI wants to help you put more dollars in your pocket. If you are not sure where to start, watch our The Power of the Portfolio Roll-up below.

Cut back on stress during certification season, and build a portfolio that works for you.  Here’s what we covered:

  • Planning your sales around product types
  • Using Final Expense and Hospital Indemnity to find leads
  • Working with RBI can get you marketing support that you won’t find elsewhere
  • Join Justin Bever, Director of Marketing in our 60 Second Roll-up below for more details!

Reboot: Finding Dual Eligibles Roll-up

Look for this symbol on all our new “60 Second Roll-up” videos!

As you heard, there is a lot of opportunity to grow your business by being intentional in how you contract with carriers. If you would like to get more details, you can watch the recording of the Webinar Wednesday, by clicking here.

Click here to attend our event “Contracting for Success” to learn even more about how to build a portfolio that works for you! You can follow this link to see a list of our carrier partners and get contracted with additional product in your area.

Still not quite sure what’s next?  RBI has resources for you! Click here to sign up for our Medicare Marketing Crash Course on March 28.  Attend in person at RBI’s Chandler, AZ office, or join us via live stream!  Call RBI at 1-800-997-3107 to speak to our expert team! 


Agent's Advantage Blog
Agent's Advantage Blog

RBI: A Different Kind of FMO, or How RBI Works for YOU! (Part 2 of 2)

Justin Bever

Director of Marketing: Justin Bever

Author Bio: In his 9 years since joining the family business in 2008 as a Broker Support Representative, Justin has made innovation his top priority. Justin is passionate about bringing technology into agent’s toolboxes, and has developed tools such as a direct mail program for lead generation (2011); Medicare Compare (2013), an online tool for beneficiaries complete with its own brand identity; and the Medicare Sales Engine (2014), a fully integrated Client Relationship Manager for agents.  Justin’s most recent accomplishment is the Agent Market Edge (2016), an online portal that integrates RBI and their print + fulfillment partners to make marketing accessible to agents. When he is not leveraging technology to produce exciting new tools for agents, Justin’s hobbies are skiing, hiking, and cooking exquisite meals in the company of his high school sweetheart and wife, Cassie.

RBI: A Different Kind of FMO

or How RBI Works for You!

Director of Marketing: Justin Bever



As we talked about last week, the essentials of an effective FMO relationship comes down to this simple question: does your FMO save you time and money? The RBI answer is a resounding YES. When you’re done reading today, you’ll have all the facts about what makes RBI a different kind of FMO, and how RBI works for you! Here’s a quick breakdown:

We save you time with our innovative tools, to help you be more efficient.

RBI specializes in developing proprietary tools to make your life easier! We created a one-stop shop for contracting, to streamline your portfolio: choose as many carriers as you want, and get started.  Our RBI contracted agents have access to the Medicare Sales Engine, our CRM tool for RBI-contracted agents. This free, 100% HIPAA compliant system enhances your daily planner, client files, and turns your phone into a mobile office. We have some of the most dedicated staff in the industry and they know their stuff!  Our team is constantly evaluating and updating our tools based upon feedback from our agents.

What does this mean for you?  Well, it means that when you use one of our tools, you get certain guarantees. First, you’ll be able to get a hold of our team for questions, just by calling our toll-free number. Second, you can participate in our live training for our tools, or watch our training videos on your own time. Lastly, if you have a great idea on how a tool could be better and let us know, it actually gets implemented.

We save you money by getting you the best prices.

RBI Team

The RBI Team: We Work for You!

Of course, we don’t stop there – after all, saving you time means saving you money too! Our Agent Market Edge portal integrates with our print and fulfillment partners, so you get access to exclusive pricing. Not only will you get great deals you can’t find anywhere else, but your marketing credits automatically appear in your account. Marketing credits, you say? Direct agents earn $125 in marketing credits for every 5 Medicare Advantage sales. Click here to see how it works. Have an agency? Agencies can participate too, at different rates — call for details!

Not sure what you need to meet or exceed your business goals?  RBI has a fantastic team that can help you evaluate where you are now to find out how to get to the next level! We start with a one-on-one appointment with one of our experts, then build a custom marketing plan to achieve your goals. Our plans use the MAPS method to make sure your plan is Measurable, Actionable, Profitable and Scalable.

In addition to print and fulfillment discounts, RBI partners with you in other ways. When you contract with RBI, you earn the maximum commissions on all contracts. We also offer discounts on your annual AHIP certification as well as E & O Coverage.

RBI is different than other FMOs, because RBI works for you.

Our agents deserve the very best that we can offer them.  RBI takes this very seriously, and when you contract with us, we commit to making your goals happen for you. So let’s get back to the basics. What sets RBI apart from the rest? Simple. Your business is worth more with us, because we work for YOU.

RBI works for you – by offering contracting with a wide variety of carriers throughout the United States.  To get started, call our office at 1-800-997-3107 and speak to our contracting department! Check out some of our training videos by clicking here.



Video: Reboot: Finding Dual Eligibles Roll-up

Did you miss Webinar Wednesday this week? Catch up by watching our Reboot: Finding Dual Eligibles Roll-up, below!



Our Dual Eligibles webinar was so popular we brought it back with this reboot! Dual Eligibles are a very under-served market, due in part to a lack of training for agents. RBI is here to fix this problem. If you are not sure where to start, watch our Reboot: Finding Dual Eligibles Roll-up below.

Here’s a few things you may not know about Dual Eligibles:

  • A Dual Eligible client is someone who qualifies for both Medicare (a federal program) and Medicaid (a state program).
  • Dual Eligibles have a year-round SEP, or Special Enrollment Period, which means they can be enrolled into a plan year-round.
  • Dual Eligibles are a very underserved community, with many members not fully understanding what help is available
  • Join Charlie Ferrell, RBI’s National Sales Manager, in our 60 Second Roll-up below for more details!

Reboot: Finding Dual Eligibles Roll-up

Look for this symbol on all our new “60 Second Roll-up” videos!

As you heard, there is a lot of opportunity to grow your business by serving this community. If you would like to get more details, you can watch the recording of the Webinar Wednesday, by clicking here.

Click here to attend our event “Contracting for Success” to learn how to build a portfolio that works for you! You can follow this link to see a list of our carrier partners and get contracted with a Dual Eligible product in your area.

Still not quite sure what’s next?  RBI has resources for you! Click here to sign up for our Medicare Marketing Crash Course on March 28.  Attend in person at RBI’s Chandler, AZ office, or join us via live stream!  Call RBI at 1-800-997-3107 to speak to our expert team! 


Agent's Advantage Blog
Agent's Advantage Blog

Your FMO Should Work for You (Part 1 of 2)

Justin Bever

Director of Marketing: Justin Bever

Author Bio: In his 10 years since joining the family business in 2008 as a Broker Support Representative, Justin has made innovation his top priority. Justin is passionate about bringing technology into agent’s toolboxes, and has developed tools such as a direct mail program for lead generation (2011); Medicare Compare (2013), an online tool for beneficiaries complete with its own brand identity; and the Medicare Sales Engine (2014), a fully integrated Client Relationship Manager for agents.  Justin’s most recent accomplishment is the Agent Market Edge (2016), an online portal that integrates RBI and their print + fulfillment partners to make marketing accessible to agents. When he is not leveraging technology to produce exciting new tools for agents, Justin’s hobbies are skiing, hiking, and cooking exquisite meals in the company of his high school sweetheart and wife, Cassie. 

Your FMO Should Work for You (Part 1 of 2)

Director of Marketing: Justin Bever



We get a lot of calls at RBI from agents that find us online and they tell us the same story: I’m struggling to make the sales that will set me up for success long term.  When we ask what kind of support these agents are getting from their upline or FMO, many times the answer is a “they call me before AEP but not the rest of the year.” Another favorite answer is “they call me all the time, but when I need help, they don’t return my calls.” Oftentimes the response is a simple “my FMO doesn’t support me at all.” At RBI, we think that’s unacceptable, because an agent that isn’t getting the support from an FMO, is an agent that won’t be effective at making sales. In other words, your FMO should work for you!  Here’s 5 secrets that you should keep in mind when evaluating your FMO relationship, because you are worth it!

The 5 secrets your FMO never told you:

  1. Training is king. As agents, your ability to be effective in the field is directly related to your sales ability. Your FMO should know this, and be actively supporting you to be a stronger agent. Are you a part of a FMO that has industry knowledge to help you grow? What about training opportunities?  Do you have access to tools to expand your expertise?
  2. Look for measurable benefits. When you think about any business goal or relationship, it’s important to think in terms of measurable benefits. As a small business, you know that your time is worth something. So put your relationship with your FMO into those terms too. Does your FMO save you time or money? Does your FMO enable you to be more efficient in how you allocate your resources? Does your FMO provide you tools that help you to save money?  Is there training available to help you grow your business?

    Your FMO Should Work for You

    If your FMO is a megaphone, is it getting your message across?

  3. Marketing support is a must! Though many agencies claim to be a “Field Marketing Organization,” very few actually provide REAL marketing services to agents. If you are the only one marketing your business, your ability to bring in new sales is going to be very small. Your FMO should work for you, amplifying your marketing efforts so that your reach is broader, deeper, more effective. Picture your FMO as a megaphone – is your megaphone working?  Are you talking into the right end?  Is it pointed in the right direction?  Is it a big enough megaphone to be effective?
  4. Ask about Compliance Support. As much as we talk about compliance in the Medicare insurance industry, it’s an area that agents often overlook in an FMO relationship. Having a compliance resource on call is a powerful way to protect both yourself as an agent, as well as your clients’ best interests.  Are you getting the most out of the resources available to you? Can you call with compliance questions? Does someone from your FMO look over your postcards and letters to make sure you’re compliant? Does your FMO handle any allegations on your behalf, or are you on your own?
  5. Focus on Customer Support. When you call your FMO, do they answer the phone? Are you able to get answers to your questions or do you get the run-around? If they need to call you back, do they follow up in a timely manner? Does your FMO advocate for you with carriers?  Your FMO should be fun to work with, and should make your life easier!  If they are not, it’s time to take a serious look at why you are sticking with that relationship.

We Make It Happen For You!

At RBI, we take the trust that our agents have in us very seriously.  Your success is our success. Stay tuned, as next week we will talk about how RBI is committed to being a different kind of FMO!

 To find out how RBI will pay for the cost of your AHIP, click here. Interested in getting started on contracting? Click here to see a list of carriers, or call us at 1-800-997-3107 to speak to one of our expert sales team!