You have another AEP under your belt – almost. The last three weeks of AEP are crunch time. To make sure this year is your best year (or if this is your first year, to make sure that your Medicare insurance career has a stellar start), you need to maximize your results in this final stretch.
Reassess Your Plan
Going into AEP, you probably had a plan for the entire seven-and-a-half-week period. Plans are great, but they also tend to go awry.
Go over your plan again and see whether you’ve managed to stay on track. If you have, that’s fantastic! If you haven’t, don’t panic. You have three more weeks to catch up.
Figure out Where You’ve Gone Wrong
If your plan has gone off the rails, it’s time to do some quick troubleshooting and figure out how to correct course.
- Are you wasting too much time? Find a way to limit distractions in the final stretch.
- Are you trying to accomplish too much? There are only so many hours in the day, so if you’re trying to take on more than is possible, you’ll need to prioritize your time for the remaining three weeks.
- Are clients not responding? Make sure you’re contacting clients in their preferred channel. If you’re having a hard time connecting, try changing the time you reach out.
- Are clients not showing up for appointments? You go to a client’s house at the scheduled time – and they’re not there. You log on for a remote appointment, and you’re the only one online. No-shows can be a big waste of time. Try sending a reminder ahead of your meeting to make sure your client hasn’t forgotten.
- Did you forget about certain tasks? It’s possible you left something out of your initial plan, and that’s messed up your schedule. Now that you know what you left out, fix your schedule for the rest of AEP.
Finalize the Final Stretch
Now that you’ve reassessed your plan, it’s time to finalize your schedule for the last three weeks.
- Make a list of everything your need to accomplish in the next three weeks.
- If there’s simply too much to do, prioritize the things that must be done.
- Create a schedule. Make sure to build time for follow-ups and paperwork in your schedule.
- Give yourself time to breathe. The last three weeks will be busy. You may need to push yourself, but you still need some time to recharge and destress. The Greatist has 40 ways to relax in five minutes.
Stay in Contact with Clients
There is not much time left, so this is your last chance to reach out to any clients or prospects you haven’t been able to connect with yet.
After AEP ends, you’ll want to continue to stay in contact with them and make sure that your clients are happy with their plan selection. This will help with retention next year. And if any of your clients say they are unhappy with their plan and want to switch, you can help them during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period that happens January to March.
Keep an Eye on Submissions
If there are any problems with enrollments, you want to fix the issue as soon as possible. Keep an eye on your submissions and make sure that everything is going through.
Don’t Get Sloppy
You might be getting tired, but it’s not time to throw in the towel just yet. Keep the energy going strong.
- Stay in compliance. You need to have your Scope of Appointment forms filled out. You also need to adhere to new recording and disclaimer requirements.
- Keep on top of your submissions. You don’t want any of your enrollments to fall through the cracks. Make sure you’re submitting everything correctly and on time.
Reflect on Your Results
During AEP, you’ll probably be too busy for any major self-assessments of your overall Medicare sales strategy. However, if you’re noticing that things aren’t going well – for example, if you’re losing clients to other agents – it’s good to note this.
After AEP, you can use these insights to start working on your strategy for next year. You may need to contract with more carriers, for example, or you may need to find better resources to support your Medicare sales efforts.
Looking Forward to Next Year
Once AEP is over, you’ll have time to relax. Treat yourself to something nice, and let the promise of that reward power you through the last three weeks of AEP.
We’re here to support you. Get in touch.
