Four Ways to Power Through AHIP- Reboot

“This is a reboot of Brandon Clay’s Blog Post from last year. This advice is so useful we wanted RBI agents a chance to see it again!”

When are you going to start your 2017 AHIP certification?

While the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, AEP, is still months away, I consider right now to be decision time for the training agents must go through in order to be Ready To Sell. What you do in the next few days and weeks will set the tone for how things will go over the next several months and into 2017 for your senior insurance business.

Want to be ready to preserve your current book of business and write new opportunities?  Then today is the most important date on your calendar.

Start your 2017 AHIP certification now, not later to avoid stress and to concentrate on scoring at least 90 percent. Image courtesy of Wikipedia

AHIP

Here are four simple ways to keep October 1st from becoming crunch time by deciding to act now:

1. Consider paying for your AHIP 2017 training. For me, nothing says commitment like spending my hard-earned money on something.  Yes, I understand some of you will wait for the carriers to launch their own training for a discount, and that is a great idea (In fact, my wife does this). However, don’t let the one or two weeks’ difference turn into one or two months before you actually begin your 2017 AHIP certification.  As I looked at my upcoming schedule, I saw the early start was worth more than the savings I would get if I had waited for a carrier discount. I looked up my login information from last year, filled in my credit card information and just a click later, I got immediate access to AHIP 2017. Here’s a link for $50 off provided by RBI.

While I have not yet finished, I have done something that makes most people feel almost as good — I started. You may want to pay for your AHIP up front to avoid stressing out about it later.

2. Download the slides and start reading. Did you know you can download the AHIP slides as a PDF? If you have a slow Internet connection, downloading AHIP 2017 content can make studying much faster than accessing it online. Personally, I don’t like reading while sitting at my computer, so I downloaded all five modules and put them on my iPad.  Over the next three days, I’m planning on reviewing the downloaded slides while riding the stationary bike at my gym. When I’m listening to ’80s music and wiping sweat off my brow, AHIP doesn’t seem as tedious!

3. Pace yourself. If you are a seasoned senior insurance advisor, then the material on the 2017 AHIP is more of a refresher.  If you are new to the business and this is your first AEP, then it will feel more like a university course. Break the five different modules into smaller, more manageable pieces to make it go down easier. You will retain more information this way and score higher on the test!

4. Take the test.  My strategy is simple: I take the test four days after I pay for the course. Because I have already gone through the material at the gym, I allocate two hours for one final review of the modules online. At the end of that session, I take the test (By the way, it’s open book!).  Even if you are a 20-year industry veteran like myself, don’t take the test until you have read all the material! With three attempts to score 90 percent, you have none to waste.

Yes, even for me, hitting the “grade now” button is a little unnerving, but then the passing grade comes.  I will print out my certificate with a sense of satisfaction knowing that one major part of the process is complete.  I can’t celebrate too much as there’s still much work to do when it comes to senior insurance sales.

Agents who subscribe to The Agent’s Advantage can save $50 off their 2017 AHIP certification. Click here to learn more about this offer and how to get your entire AHIP cost reimbursed by RB Insurance when you make five Medicare Advantage sales.