New Office Walk Through - Expanding to Meet the Need

New Office Walk Through - Expanding to Meet the Need

It's about Community | Help with Insurance Sales

Another LIVE, In-Person Event for MedicareAgentTraining?

Why Even Ask (IF YOU HAD NO INTENTION OF DOING IT?) https://www.facebook.com/MedicareAgentTraining/videos/919763258201491/

https://www.facebook.com/MedicareAgentTraining/videos/900236746820809/

https://www.facebook.com/MedicareAgentTraining/videos/898709483640202/

Why professionals need CHECKLISTS in their business! https://www.facebook.com/MedicareAgentTraining/videos/898679636976520/

The Secret Weapon to Success in Insurance

Secret key to success in insurance sales.

Moving with a Medicare Plan | What Happens When You Move?

What happens when you move and you are on a Medicare plan?

Best Medicare Supplement Leads for Agents

Medicare Supplement Leads - Review

Ending 2017 - Looking Ahead to 2018 for Medicare Agent Training

Looking ahead to 2018 in the Medicare Supplement agent space..

How to combine data files from InfoFree into one file

For a long time now, we have been using our discount code for InfoFree.com to pull data for our various marketing campaigns for selling Medicare supplements by phone and selling final expense by phone.

Well, now I've put together a video explaining exactly how to use the various data files from Infofree and to combine those files into one file for uploading into your CRM or your predictive dialer, etc.

You will most likely want to increase the size of this video and make sure it's playing in high resolution using the spoke wheel on the bottom right side of the video.

The first step, of course is to get your own discount code for Infofree.com here.

Then.. follow the instructions shown in the video here:

Hope it helps!

Christopher Westfall

www.sellmedicarebyphone.com

Emergency Life Alarm - Medical Alarms Save Lives

Emergency Life Alarms, otherwise known as medical alert alarms, are critical for seniors living alone or those who might be prone to accidental falls or health conditions.

FALLS, MEDICAL ALARMS and FALL PREVENTION FALLS STATISTICS: The reality A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine Persons Found in Their Homes Helpless or Dead
 found that 62% of people admitted to the hospital after being found in their homes following a fall were unable to return to living independently.

 Estimated TIME spent incapacitated | % found ALIVE

 Less than 1 hour: 92%
 1-3 hours: 47%
 3-6 hours: 25%
 6-12 hours: 22%
 12-24 hours: 33%
 24-48 hours: 14%
 48-72 hours: 12%
 Greater than 72 hours: 13%

 In just one to three hours after the fall, more than 50% of the undetected victims do not survive. Find out more about the emergency life alarm at http://www.emergencylifealarm.com

New Final Expense Plan is a HIT.

The Forethought final expense plan is a hit with agents and clients, alike.

The rates are great, compensation perfect, and the included riders, such as Accidental Death (included) and the Grandchild Rider, are just enough to make this the top of the tier now when pulling for that application and rate sheet.

Final expense agents have long asked for a plan that has something more than just the typical final expense burial insurance plan. Now they have it. The new Forethought Freedom final expense plan combines three very popular riders FREE in every plan. Not just on the level/best plan, like some carriers, Forethought includes these riders for every one of their plans at NO additional cost.

Their rates are very hard to beat and the application is a simple one. A quick telephone interview tells the agent whether or not coverage is likely to be issued within approximately 15 minutes with the client. This gives peace of mind in knowing that they have applied for the correct plan before leaving the house.

Often agents are asked to reach out to a referral hundreds of miles away, or a few hour's drive. Now, Forethought allows agents to send out the application via mail or fax machine and take that enrollment without having to make the drive. We are hoping they launch a full voice signature option soon, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

For a quick video review on the new Forethought Freedom final expense plan, go here.

A Final Expense Plan You May Not Know About

Obama Admin. Confused over LTC Insurance

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/187949-white-house-opposes-formal-class-act-repeal

Obama opposes repeal of healthcare program suspended last week By Julian Pecquet - 10/17/11 01:51 PM ET President Obama is against repealing the health law's long-term-care CLASS Act and might veto Republican efforts to do so, an administration official tells The Hill, despite the government's announcement Friday that the program was dead in the water. "We do not support repeal," the official said Monday. "Repealing the CLASS Act isn't necessary or productive. What we should be doing is working together to address the long-term care challenges we face in this country." Over the weekend, The Hill has learned, an administration official called advocates of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act to reassure them that Obama is still committed to making the program work. That official also told advocates that widespread media reports on the program's demise were wrong, leaving advocates scratching their heads. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday in a blog post on the liberal Huffington Post website that the administration did not see a way to make the program sustainable. Sebelius indicated her agency hadn't been able to figure out a way to ensure the program providing long-term care paid for itself as required by law. Later in a call with reporters on Friday, an HHS official said work on the program was being suspended. "We won't be working further to implement the CLASS Act. … We don't see a path forward to be able to do that," Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee told reporters on Friday. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, meanwhile, said Monday that repealing the program would not add to the deficit, making Republican repeal efforts that much easier. More from The Hill ♦ Report: Pharma cuts in Obama jobs bill would cost 230,000 jobs ♦ GOP says CLASS Act shows healthcare law deeply flawed ♦ Tommy Thompson to address stem cell conference at Vatican ♦ Budget office gives GOP cover to repeal health reform program The Obama administration sold the healthcare law with the argument that it would lower the nation's long-term health costs, and the CLASS Act was an important reason why. CBO had scored the long-term-care program for people with disabilities as saving the nation $86 billion in spending over 10 years — that's about 40 percent of the reform law's $210 billion in total estimated deficit reduction over the next decade. In a new blog post, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf clarified that last week's decision by the Obama administration not to implement the program means those savings are now moot. Because the program is not being implemented, Elmendorf said a repeal bill would not be considered saving money. "Following longstanding procedures," Elmendorf wrote, "CBO takes new administrative actions into account when analyzing legislation being considered by the Congress — even if it has not published new baseline projections. Beginning immediately, therefore, legislation to repeal the CLASS provisions in current law would be estimated as having no budgetary impact." New baseline budget projections due out in January, Elmendorf wrote, "will assume that the program will not be implemented (unless there are changes in law or other actions by the administration that would supersede Friday's announcement)." In the Senate, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has a bill to repeal the CLASS Act that has attracted 32 Republican co-sponsors. In the House, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) has a similar bill with 48 co-sponsors, including Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois. Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/187949-white-house-opposes-formal-class-act-repeal?tmpl=component&print=1&page= http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/187949-white-house-opposes-formal-class-act-repeal The contents of this site are © 2011 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Heartland National Medicare Supplement Now Available

SellMedicareByPhone.com, a national Medicare brokerage, announced today that it is an exclusive distributor of Heartland National Life Insurance Company's new Medicare supplement product. Approval in many states for 2011, the Heartland National Life Medicare supplement brings the well respected Heartland National line to the independent brokerage market with unmatched personalized service and tremendous value for senior clients.
"Heartland has a history of providing Midwestern-style, personalized service. Our clients will definitely appreciate that approach." says MedicareByPhone.com’s owner, Christopher Westfall.
Started by an agent who began his insurance career by knocking on doors at the age of 18, Heartland National’s Medicare Supplement product line adheres to personalized service and treating the client as they would like to be treated. Heartland National Life Medicare supplement provides stability for seniors with their health care needs, filling in the gap in coverage that Medicare, by itself, does not provide.
SellMedicareByPhone.com is an independent insurance agency brokerage specializing in Medicare Supplement and senior life insurance plans offered through independent agents nationwide.

Planning is more important than ever.. and more people are opting to forego the burial plots now.
A small, $35 to $45 monthly premium to pay for all of it at once with a burial insurance policy certainly make more sense than this!

See the video:


http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/hundreds-sell-their-own-burial-plots-to-make-some-quick-cash

Hundreds sell their own burial plots to make some quick cash

Tough economic times transform funeral industry

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/hundreds-sell-their-own-burial-plots-to-make-some-quick-cash#ixzz1Z6nRClmB

PALM CITY, Fla. - Holly Purkey, 28, is one of many Floridians trying to sell her pre-purchased burial plots for some quick cash. She is selling two burial plots in Forest Hills Memorial Park in Palm City. "This is new to me. Kind of a weird investment," said Purkey, of Port St. Lucie.

The side-by-side plots belonged to her grandparents, who had moved out of state. She bought them seven years ago. Now Purkey, a stay at home mother, wants this cemetery real estate off her hands. She would like $3,000 for the pair of plots in return. "The money would help. That's the reason why I should get these on Craigslist and do something about it," she said.

Sellers are posting online, using burial plot brokers, and also funeral homes to market the real estate. Some of those advertisements show single plots starting at about $1,000, while family plots can go for up to $50,000. 

Julian Almeida owns Palms West Funeral Home and Crematory in Royal Palm Beach. When money gets tight in life, Almeida says many people begin to cut costs when it comes to planning for death. "The cemetery is the part of the funeral that really has gone up drastically," said Almeida.

Almeida has been seeing more people trying to sell off their pre-purchased plots as well as veterans looking into government-financed burials. More of Almeida's customers are skipping the burial altogether and opting for cremation, which makes up about 68% of his business. "It's sort of doubled in the past ten years," he said.

No offers have been made on Purkey's plots yet. She is hopeful that will happen soon. "Really they are no good to me right now and hopefully I won't need them anytime soon," she said.

Sell By Phone - Improve by 160%!!

Our latest weekly webinar had some seriously good content!

After attending a video marketing summit in Tampa, FL, I relate what I learned from Carl White about improving a small marketing business by 160% while cutting 3 hours out of your busy day!

Also, I go over the best script for Medicare Supplement producers from the #1 producer in the United States. This, and strategies like it, are what we use on a daily basis!

Sell Medicare By Phone Weekly Webinar Replay

Join us at www.SellMedicareByPhone.com

These strategies are also highly effective for selling final expense by phone. If you're looking for a final expense script for telephone sales, this is where you should start. Watch the video!http://sellmedicarebyphone.com/062911.htm

Diabetic Life Insurance Niche

From: http://www.prlog.org/11388869-diabetic-life-insurance-niche-boon-to-agents.html

Diabetic Life insurance is a niche with huge potential. More than 30,000,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Diabetes, and an estimated 6,000,000 have the disease but still have not been diagnosed.

Life insurance for diabetics has been very difficult to obtain, until now. Utilizing the expertise of an adverse risk field underwriter, www.SellDiabeticLife.com has carved out a very lucrative niche in this market for independent life insurance agents across the United States.

Agents have found tremendous success using signs, flyers, event attendance, and many more avenues of marketing to reach people with diabetes and let them know that options do exist for life insurance. "One woman that saw our sign last week told me that she exclaimed, "Thank you, Jesus!' when she learned she could now get coverage.", said Christopher Westfall, the agency owner of www.SellDiabeticLife.com. This woman had been turned down four times by companies in the last two years. However, with the guidance provided by the agency, she now has immediate, permanent, and affordable life insurance coverage for her family. "Her goal was to leave a small inheritance for her family", Westfall said, "..and now she is able to do just that."

Agents are encouraged to check out this niche because of the very low entry cost. The marketing campaigns are all typically under $200 to get started and yield immediate and lucrative results. "The ability to help those people who have been declined elsewhere is a great feeling", said Westfall.

Agents seeking a life insurance marketing system that focuses on a growing niche with clients eager to purchase should definitely visit the agency's website. Live video conferences are held on a regular basis to inform the potential agents as to the opportunities that exist, as well as recent case studies from the field.

Agents are typically seeing premiums submitted from $4,000 to $10,000 per week using this system of marketing life insurance for diabetics. The referrals that come from helping those who have been previously declined are very high, too.

Any agent wanting further information should contact the agency's information portal at http://www.selldiabeticlife.com

Good Medicare Agents Are in Great Demand!

We need more good agents!  Seniors need help..

From Today's Tampa Tribune...
http://m2.tbo.com/content/2011/feb/06/PMENEWSO1-medicare-maze/news-metro/

By MARY SHEDDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2011

TAMPA -This was one game Nancy McCoy decided she couldn't and wouldn't lose.
She hadn't been able to afford health insurance for nearly a year. But her 65th birthday in October made her eligible for Medicare, the government's hospital and medical coverage for seniors.
A type 2 diabetic, McCoy submitted the initial paperwork for Medicare months in advance, thinking it wouldn't be long before she would visit her longtime physician for her annual physical.
She interviewed a slew of friends about getting additional insurance to cover what Medicare can't. She researched dozens of plans. She drew flow charts on poster boards and hung them on the wall of her small Tampa apartment, comparing plans that met her medical needs and her monthly budget.
McCoy's 65th birthday came and went, but it wasn't until Jan. 28 that she received confirmation that she has both Medicare and supplemental insurance coverage. She's still waiting to see her doctor; the first available appointment is in March.
"It's hard," she said of the Medicare enrollment process. "And it shouldn't be hard."
Regardless of today's political debate about health care and the future of Medicare, the long-anticipated tidal wave of seniors becoming eligible for benefits is starting to surge. Many of the 2.5 million babies born in 1946, the first of the baby boom generation, are ready to apply. They have been contributing for years to Medicare, established during Lyndon Johnson's presidency.
McCoy's quagmire is a sign of what the estimated 7,000 Americans turning 65 every day could face in 2011 as they enter the bureaucratic maze of Medicare eligibility.
"This is a rude awakening for those who haven't done their homework," she said.
Medicare is health insurance for American workers who contributed part of their paychecks for at least 10 years. Starting at age 65, those contributions, and taxes paid by the rest of the American work force, are supposed to cover 80 percent of the cost of hospital and medical care. A monthly premium also is deducted from a recipient's Social Security check for the medical care, known as Medicare Part B.
But boomers who ignore enrollment deadlines and a series of initial Medicare questions could end up shelling out for penalties, or paying premiums for insurance they don't want or need, said Jim McCulahy, a Tampa Bay area coordinator for Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, or SHINE, hotline. The warning applies to everyone turning 65, including those still working full time.
"I'm sure a lot of these baby boomers will keep working until they're 70 because of the economy and the way it is," McCulahy said.
Timing is critical. Experts suggest contacting Medicare, operated by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, three months before your 65th birthday. It can be done in person, by mail, at www.medicare.gov and through the Social Security Administration.
Do this early and the government's benefits should be in place by your birthday. But wait three months after your 65th birthday and the window to sign up closes, forcing you to wait until Jan. 1 of the next year to enroll in Medicare.
"You want to sign up, but you can't. You have to wait," said McCulahy, who warns that those who are late also face a permanent penalty on the monthly premium taken from Social Security.
Doing nothing has more consequences. If workers don't indicate Medicare plans at 65 and are signed up for Social Security, the government automatically enrolls them in Medicare hospital care known as Part A and the Part B medical care, McCulahy said. That means a monthly deduction of $115.40 from Social Security. That's an enormous mistake for people who are still working and paying premiums for an employer's health insurance plan, he said.
Nancy McCoy didn't have that choice. The mortgage company she worked for left Tampa in 2009, so she opted to retire early. The $1,000-a-month health insurance available to the 65-year-old would have consumed nearly all of her $1,624 Social Security check. So she started the countdown to Medicare eligibility.
Signing up for Medicare was simple, McCoy said. It was deciphering the myriad supplemental and private insurance options to accompany Medicare that left her feeling insecure and isolated. Depending on location, the number of companies authorized to offer insurance for Medicare recipients can number from a few to dozens.
Specifically, McCoy was frustrated by how hard it was to get private supplemental insurance, the additional coverage for the 20 percent of medical costs Medicare doesn't cover. It took countless phone calls, assistance from an area insurance agent and inquiries from a reporter before her contract was confirmed with United Healthcare.
"It was frustrating and difficult," she said. "It was annoying."
Matthew Burns, a United Healthcare spokesman, said the company strives to serve all its Medicare recipients well. The company also offers educational assistance on its website to help people interpret their options.
Private insurers are playing an increasingly significant role in Medicare. In particular, they're combining the multiple pieces of hospital, medical and prescription drug coverage into packages under the umbrella called Medicare Advantage.
The convenience of Medicare Advantage still requires a lot of homework for first-time enrollees, McCulahy said. Most important is making sure your current physicians and pharmacists are included in the plan and that the plan offers what you need.
Also, the uncertainty surrounding the health care debate in Washington is causing many doctors to reign in the number of Medicare patients they treat. Even if you have been seeing the same doctor for 30 years, remember that your insurance is changing. McCulahy said.
"It's really important you make those phone calls," he said.

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www.SellMedicareByPhone.com

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Health Insurance Agents Leaving the Business

Not a day goes by, anymore, where I don't hear from at least one health insurance agent telling me of their woes with commission cuts, advance reductions and tougher underwriting guidelines. As we all know this would happen under Obamacare, some predicted it way back in 2009..





When the President said back then that you did not have to change you existing benefits, if you liked them, he so clearly lied. Now, the federal government is releasing the list of those granted waivers from having to subscribe to the regulations in the new healthcare bill. over 2.1 Million Americans are now exempted. It's  who's who of unions, state and city governments. You can see the list here.

Here's how the waivers break down:

• Of all the waivers granted to date:
  • Employment-Based Coverage: The vast majority – 712 plans representing 97 percent of all waivers – were granted to health plans that are employment-related.
    • Self-Insured Employer Plans Applicants: Employer-based health plans received most of the waivers – 359.     
    • Collectively-Bargained Employer-Based Plan Applicants: Most of the other health plans receiving waivers are multi-employer health funds created by a collective bargaining agreement between a union and two or more employers, pursuant to the Taft-Hartley Act.  These “union plans” are employment based group health plans and operate for the sole benefit of workers.  They tend to be larger than other typical group health plans because they cover multiple employers. There are also single-employer union plans that have received a waiver.  In total, 182 collectively-bargained plans have received waivers.
    • Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs):  HRAs are employer-funded group health plans where employees are reimbursed tax-free for qualified medical expenses up to a maximum dollar amount for a coverage period.  In total, HHS has approved 171 applications for waivers for HRAs.
  • Health Insurers: Sixteen waivers were granted to health insurers, which can apply for a waiver for multiple mini-med products sold to employers or individuals. 
  • State Governments: Four waivers have gone to State governments.  States may apply for a waiver of the restricted annual limits on behalf of issuers of state-mandated policies if state law required the policies to be offered by the issuers prior to September 23, 2010. 

• The number of enrollees in plans with annual limits waivers is 2.1 million, representing only about 1 percent of all Americans who have private health insurance today.

Health insurance agents seeking to move into the senior market because of its stability and exemption from Obamacare should run, not walk, to the nearest exit... NOW!

Visit www.SellMedicareByPhone.com or www.FinalExpenseByPhone.com

Even if you don't believe you could sell over the phone, just get into this market. It's the last lifeboat you have.. and you'll be VERY glad you did when you see the persistency and long term income from this very lucrative niche.


CW

No Excuses

It's a new year and it's time to rock and roll. We have millions of seniors to help and only 365 days this year to accomplish so much!

I really enjoyed this video and thought I'd pass it along. We just came through the most productive and profitable Medicare annual enrollment period in history and STILL there are hundreds of agents that I know that just sat on the sidelines and watched it all happen.

I've heard every excuse in this video, and so much more, as to why agents have not take ANY action toward their own success.

A very rich man once told me, "You can either have excuses or you can have riches; but you can't have both."

Which will you decide?

ObamaCare Failure Evident Sooner Than Expected

If ObamaCare was not the burden on business that conservatives said it would be, and if it would really increases benefits and lower cost, we would not be seeing stories like this:





The writing is on the wall for major medical insurance producers. The time to jump ship is now.

http://www.sellmedicarebyphone.com

Helping Agents Get Started...

It sure has been an interesting year - bringing lots of agents on board and helping lots of them to get started writing business all over the telephone using technology tools they've never heard of - to sell insurance!

Tonight I spoke with a couple of the newest agents as to what they've experienced in their first week.. take a listen - this makes me feel great to hear from agents like this who step out in faith into something they knew nothing about before - and they're making it happen!

Forethought Medicare Supplements - Announce August 23, 2010

http://forethoughtmedicaresupplements.com/Forethought-Medicare-Supplement-Contracting.html

From SellMedicarebyPhone.com, Forethought will be announcing the release of their brand new Medicare Supplement product line on August 23, 2010. Top contracts are still available and will offer LOW RATES for Medicare Supplements, top compensation to agents, and one of top 20 most-stable insurance companies in the United States.

This is a great opportunity for agents to get contracted with, what will be, a top commodity in the Medicare Supplement arena. Get your contract for Forethought Medicare Supplements today!

Visit:
http://forethoughtmedicaresupplements.com

Hard Work Makes Luck

This week I recorded an audio with this very message..and today I saw the video that goes with my original message. The audio I recorded was harsh - it was straight to the point, but it was harshly honest. The message that I had been trying to deliver to my agents is that you don't need leads, you don't need money to get started in this business, you only really need to get off your butt. I was introducing a new audio for our contracted agents where I interviewed Frank who lives in Georgia. Frank is one of my agents who consistently produces significant numbers, week in and week out. Frank does it without leads.

You can hear the audio message here.

And now, here is the video that goes with it...

Cold Calling for Final Expense

Agents ask all the time if it is possible just to cold call for final expense or cold call for Medicare Supplement sales.

Yes, agents across the country do it all the time. Is it more or less effective than having a fresh lead in your hands of someone that is asking you to call them so that they can buy? No. But it is a lot cheaper.

The most common theme from an agent that calls, "I really want to start marketing but I have no money.What should I do?" Cold calling is meant for you.

The cost involved is about 4 cents per name - buy 1,000 to start. We have a link to where you can get this pricing on the best list, already scrubbed against the Do Not Call list, and  perfected toward your target demographics. Just visit our training page for contracted agents. (see tools here).

Then, you might want to consider an auto-dialer, so that you can reach three to four times as many people as just sitting there with a plain old telephone. Ones that come highly  recommended are CallFire and MojoDialer. Mojo used to be the tool of choice, but that has been replaced recently by Callfire, which is now the top solution our agents are using for cold calling.

What to Say

Please watch this short video. This program is HIGHLY recommended and usually consists of a half-day training seminar to learn these secrets. Now, there is a paperback book that shares this insider information. The reviews on this book all contain the highest praise I've ever seen for sales material - from a variety of industry insiders in various sales disciplines. It's good stuff!

 

So, can you start selling final expense by phone or sell Medicare Supplements without leads? Absolutely. It's slow going compared to fresh leads, but it's cash in your pocket with almost nothing out of your pocket to get started.

Christopher Westfall
www.SellMedicarebyPhone.com

Don't Miss Your Piece of Cake

Don't Miss Your Piece of Cake This Time!


I hear from agents all the time as to how they are looking for a fresh, new opportunity. They say they're looking for free leads, a new concept, something that has never been done before. They're trying to get in front of the next big wave of insurance opportunity that has left them in the dust in the past. They often say, "If I had only gotten into Medicare Supplements years ago, I'd be RICH by now!", etc.

Well, if you are an opportunity seeker, I have great news for you now. The ObamaCare "Hope and Change" train has crashed through the medicare world and the damage assessments are being done now. Many experts in our industry agree, the opportunity for those in our industry will be unlike anything in a very LONG time.

Medicare Advantage has, over the past few years, been harder and harder to sell and become such a pain - with all of the regulations, Scope of Appointment form scrutiny, commission reductions, replacement prohibitions, etc. This has now been topped off by a president who wants to eliminate the medicare advantage altogether. See the video of President Obama saying so here.

We are already starting to see the effects in one of the major carriers, CIGNA, pulling out of the 2011 Medicare Advantage bidding process. The Department of Health and Human Services fired off a letter to CIGNA and others, telling them that they must avoid raising rates on their members if they want to stay in the Medicare Advantage market. This, while they're simultaneously cutting the subsidies to the carriers for providing the same service. CIGNA responded by declining to participate in national Medicare Advantage going forward.

This is a trend that will continue. To the extent that they can get away with it - to remain profitable, the insurers will have to increase monthly premiums to their Medicare Advantage clients. They will also have to increase co-payments and other internal costs passed on to the members. HHS has made it clear, however, that they will not be approving such changes. So, backed into a corner, more will be making their exit from the marketplace. 

This will be a horrible blow to the seniors, as I predicted in this video that got rave reviews from all except for AARP - who wrote me a Cease & Desist letter for mentioning what they were up to. They got their bill, and now the results that I predicted are coming true.

This will be a huge opportunity for those agents wanting to help potential clients with medicare supplement choices, as the Medicare Advantage market will begin to dwindle starting in November with thousands of members getting letters explaining that they have 1) Guaranteed issue into any medicare supplement provider for 1/1/11 and 2) They MUST pick a new plan/provider by 1/1/11 or the government will pick one for them.

This happened last year when Coventry left the Medicare Advantage market and it was a huge boost to our enrollment in medicare supplements. That was just the first break, and the tidal wave is coming.

Will it be hard for low income seniors? Absolutely.  Somebody will have to write applications for seniors going onto medicare supplements, though, and it might as well be you.

Agents wanting to take advantage of the new opportunities should visit: www.sellmedicarebyphone.com

Health Bill Slashes Medicare Benefits

From: http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=177286

Congressional Budget Office Confirms Democrats’ Health Bill Slashes Medicare Benefits by $816 for Millions of Seniors
Friday, March 19, 2010

The non-partisan and independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) today released an analysis detailing just how harmful the Democrats’ half-trillion dollar cuts to Medicare will be on millions of seniors. The analysis specifically examines the impact these cuts will have on seniors in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Today, nearly 11 million seniors rely on MA plans for their health benefits, which the Democrats have targeted for $202 billion in cuts. CBO confirmed that if these cuts take effect, 4.8 million fewer seniors will be enrolled in these plans in 2019. So much for the oft-repeated promise of being able to keep what you like.

Furthermore, CBO notes that “Medicare Advantage plans …provide their enrollees with extra benefits” that traditional Medicare does not offer (e.g. dental and vision coverage, reduced copayments, lower premiums, etc.). However, because of Democrats’ drastic Medicare cuts, the non-partisan CBO predicts the value of extra benefits received by seniors enrolled in MA will be slashed by $816, on average, in 2019. So much for the Democrats’ claim that their Medicare cuts won’t harm seniors health benefits.

Selling Medicare by Phone

So now I get asked all the time, "Can I sell Medicare Supplements by phone?"
The answer is now a very easy one. Not only can it be done, but the clients are happier, the cases are issued faster (when using the Electronic Applications) and the clients refer more people. Their message to their friends and family is that the entire process was painless, they did not have to have an agent come visit them, and the whole thing was completed in less than 20 to 30 minutes over the telephone.

When we are using the electronic application from Mutual of Omaha and their related companies (United of Omaha, United World), the seniors watch along with a screen sharing utility. They absolutely love this as they can be heard settling into the process and watching the enrollment take place. They are relieved to see, right on their computer, that their information is being entered into an official form on a secure website and what the reasons are behind the specific questions. They can even pipe up and let us know when we've misspelled a word or made a date error. This means less rejected applications due to errors.

We also have a unique method of obtaining signatures on paper applications that makes the process almost immediate and must less cumbersome than putting together a packet for the mail and then waiting a week to see if it's returned (with the added cost of Business Reply Mail).

As we're bringing on more and more carriers to satisfy the varying needs of clients in newly added states, we are also bringing on more agents that have never before sold Medicare Supplement policies. The attraction to the new agents seems to be the simplicity of the process and the consistency of the renewals.

We're using the site: http://www.medicarebyphone.com, along with http://www.nationalmedicareservicecenter.com for client acquisition, along with others.

Agents interested in learning more about our unique selling process should visit:
http://www.finalexpensebyphone.com

Contracts for the carriers can be found at:
http://finalexpensebyphone.com/CONTRACTING.html

So Thankful

All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have. -Daniel Defoe

I am so thankful for today. Having finally moved into a bigger, nicer office with a great view from the fifth floor, I am now excited to get here every day to see what new adventures await. The feeling from being able to help seniors that are really scared, confused and worried - being able to help allay their fears and help - it's priceless.

Just now, I finished a phone call with an 82 year old woman who had just received a letter yesterday from Advantra PFFS (Medicare Advantage plan) telling her that she was being dropped and is on her own for finding replacement coverage. She went online looking for help and found me. She said she could not sleep last night because she was so worried about what is going to happen with her healthcare plan.

I was able to explain to her the benefits of being on a medicare supplement policy. She was VERY happy to learn that she can now to go ANY doctor and ANY hospital without worrying about networks or co-payments out maximum out of pocket costs like before. She chose to take care of the electronic enrollment right then. That's right, she's 100% computer savvy. She signed the electronic application without one problem.

When we were done talking about products and insurance, I asked her how she felt now, about putting this issue to rest with more freedom than she had before. She paused, and then let out a deep breath. She was so relieved that she didn't have to say anything more. I then encouraged her to seek out her friends that may have received the same letter of cancellation. I assured her that I would take the same time and effort for them as I had with her. She then told me she was taking her piece of paper with my phone number on it IN PER PURSE for when she ran into her friends.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to actually help people. That's why I became a police officer at 19 - I always really wanted to help people. Now, in my new career, I'm able to do the same thing, but with much, much better rewards.


Chris
www.myunlimitedleads.com

Perfect Timing for a New Medicare Player

Gerber Life Medicare Supplements

It's not very often that a new carrier decides to ENTER the Medicare Supplement market.
As many carriers are not renewing their Medicare Advantage and PFFS contracts throughout the country because the federal government has made it abundantly clear that they (Med Adv) will not be around long anyway - it is a GREAT time to be in Medicare Supplements.

Here's some information about this new player in our Medicare Supplement market:

Gerber Products, the baby food people, founded Gerber Life Insurance Company in 1967. Gerber Life is an affiliate of Gerber Products and has shared in their tradition of helping parents to raise happy, healthy children.

Gerber Life, which does business in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada, has more than $33 billion of life insurance in force and insures more than 2.9 million policies. Source: Gerber Life 2007 Annual Statement, December 2007. Gerber Life is rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best. The home office of Gerber Life Insurance Company is located in White Plains, New York. The Operations Division, responsible for issuing all policies and processing benefit payments is in Fremont, Michigan…home of the Gerber Products Company.

Our agents now have the opportunity to represent a new player in the medicare supplement marketplace with a proven reputation in our industry. Gerber Life has the lowest rates in most locations where they operate and great commissions. Click here to find out more about contracting with Gerber Life and more information about our proven cross-selling system.

Getting Paid to Prospect & Free Leads for Final Expense

Some big hitters in the final expense niche have been telling me for about six months that I'm "missing the boat" by not cross selling in our market. They point the the myriad of benefits an agent immediately experiences when they begin with a health product and THEN moves into a life sale. First and foremost, the health "lead" is virtually free.

I probably get 5 to 10 calls each and every day from agents wanting to come with me to sell final expense insurance. From internet searches, they found that my agency has the highest contracts available for street agents to sell for our companies. What happens in 90% of the cases, though, is that they'll get the top contracts available and then sit there looking at that BIG percentage, as if it's going to equate to money in their bank account.

These same agents come back weeks or months later, saying "I would go on a 70% contract for final expense if you'd just give me free leads." Why? Because they either cannot manage purchasing and running their own leads or their closing skills are not adequate with the leads they've had returned to justify their return on lead investment.

Still other agents will call and ask for free leads.. "Do you have free leads?" or "Do you give discounted leads?" These are agents that have bounced from one IMO to another and yet another, seeking releases, new contracts, releases and new contracts again. They think the secret sauce is in the different IMO when it's really in the mirror. Anyway, I digress.

Having made relationships across our great country with those in the top of our field, I have taken the advice of my mentors who have repeatedly told me that you sell more final expense going after the health market FIRST. The leads are then free for final expense - but actually, you get paid for prospecting.

The benefits for starting a conversation about Medicare Supplements with seniors BEFORE mentioning anything about final expense include the following:

1) Seniors love to talk about their health issues going on. They hate to talk about death and dying (final expense).

2) Seniors love to get the best bang for their buck. By representing JUST the most inexpensive Medicare Supplement providers, we can usually save them between $300 to $1,200 per year.

3) We provide found money for life insurance. Why? We save then between $300 to $1,200 per year. That's per person. For a couple, you could easily save them $600 per year and then, very casually bring up what kind of benefit $600 per year would provide to their spouse or children for their burial costs or for a legacy gift to their grandchildren or favorite church or charity.

4) Saving someone money results in referrals!! There is no better way to get news to spread like a virus (viral marketing) like saving someone a lot of money. In the tight-knit senior community, when you have saved a couple $1,000, it is very easy to understand why they start telling everyone they know about the savings you offered. (Especially when using our referral marketing system - more on that later).

5) By leading with Medicare Supplement sales, you're not working the projects. This is a big difference for most final expense agents who work leads in the $0 to $20,000 annual income category and spend many days working in the housing projects or trailer parks. That's not to say that you won't find some seniors in trailer parks, but when you do an initial sort for who you'll be talking with, you can put the bottom floor at $20,000 - not the top. This makes for happier agents, at the end of the day.

6) Medicare Supplements are all the same. Medicare supplements are a commodity. All of the benefits have to be the same from carrier to carrier, based on the plan letter (C, D, F, etc.).
The only question for the senior to decide on, then, is what do you want to pay for it? This makes it a simple decision based on cost. We're only going to represent the lowest cost carriers in any given market. Why would you want to represent the highest cost companies selling the exact same product?

7) Unlike selling Medicare Advantage, we can sell Medicare Supplements 365 days a year. We can call seniors, we can go see them. We can replace whatever they currently have and we are not limited by CMS marketing guidelines. Those guidelines only apply to Medicare Advantage - which the President has made clear will be going away within a few years.

Many final expense agents know absolutely nothing about Medicare or selling Medicare Supplements. That's OK. Training from the best in the industry is provided to our contracted agents. Training, scripts, worksheets, contracts - they're all on our secure website.

The best thing an agent can do is to get contracted with our Medicare Supplement companies. The process takes much longer (usually) than the final expense life companies, so begin the process as soon as possible.

For our agents we have:

1) List source for qualified seniors as low as 3 cents each. The cost goes higher depending on how specific you want to get for your targeted list of seniors. The lists are already scrubbed against the Do Not Call list, so that's not a problem at all.

2) A proven script that has been honed and perfected for over 15 years to immediately let you know if you're getting somewhere with a potential client or wasting your time. It, very quickly, also allows you to gather a valuable database of who your potential clients are already with. This means that if they are not wanting to move right now, you'll have in your database their company information so that you can call them when you learn their carrier has a 20+% rate increase! This very technique has earned agents $30,000+ in one month from simply capturing this data with every phone conversation.


3) A 100% web hosted predictive dialer service that costs just $68 per month. This is not an "automated" dialer that calls people with a recording. This is a dialer that calls YOUR LIST of people and just puts you on the phone with the people as they're answering their phone. You do not have to hear busy signals, the dial tone, the ringing phones, the answering machines, etc. This makes your calling time four times more productive. It also saves on your fingers! You can easily call 100 people within a 2 hour calling block, have conversations, etc. appointments, etc. and skip the 1,000 keystrokes into your phone that this would have cost you! Your fingers will LOVE you for this technology!

4) We have unique selling opportunities in specific geographic regions right now where our carrier is 20% - 30% lower than the nearest competition. It does not matter where you live. You can sell 100% over the phone with these companies. Some of them have 100% electronic enrollment while others want you to mail the applications to the client. In either case, though, remember that you are saving folks between $20 - $100 per month - they will send it back to you!

5) A referral based marketing system that is fully automated and works like magic. You simply plug your new clients into the referral marketing system and it does the rest - fully automated. It sends out birthday cards, Christmas cards, and specially designed referral generating cards with YOUR picture on them and proven, effective script that works like a charm. This system writes in your own handwriting, never forgets a birthday, anniversary, or referral card schedule, and is designed specifically for insurance agents. (See a preview here.)
Many 6 and 7 figure earners in insurance are using this exact system and we have access to the cards they've designed for referrals- just for our team.

My phone has been ringing off the hook as I have mentioned this new, cross-selling system to a few of our top producing agents. While they've been doing great in buying leads and leading with final expense, they recognize the impact of first-year commissions for 6 full years that they earn with Medicare Supplements. For most guys doing this full-time, they add between $60,000 to $70,000 in commissions to the books each year. These numbers compound as you get the exact same commissions in years 1-6.

We have decided to offer just the lowest priced companies in each market. In some cases, this also means that they're the biggest named companies (AARP, Mutual of Omaha). This gives real credibility to your client. But, at the end of the day, it really comes down to price, with Medicare Supplements.

We have the lists, the scripts, the dialer, the training - there is nothing else missing except to plug in those agents that are tired of working the projects, tired of paying $26 per lead, and tired of getting zero referrals in the final expense-only marketplace.

Visit: www.myunlimitedleads.com or www.finalexpensebyphone.com.

CW

Tips from a $30,000 per month final expense producer..

I am very honored to have a new addition to our company, Jody H.
Jody was a consistent, $30,000 a month producer at his last company and has agreed to share his presentation and business style with our agents.

Jody attributes a lot of his success to a consistent lead flow and a great appointment setter he uses. She sets the appointments for him the night before. All Jody has to do is wake up, pull up the appointment schedule online, and go see the people. When he comes home, he pulls up the same document and inputs whether or not it was a sale, etc.



Using this method, Jody sold 220 policies in just 6 months, earning approximately $140,000 in commissions. Now, with us, he has a 30+% higher contract and that is big money. Jody says there is nothing that he's doing that someone else cannot duplicate. It's a matter of learning the system, getting the leads, and going to work.

Just do half of what Jody was doing and produce $15,000 per month! At a 115% contract, that's $17,250 in income generated and $12,937 advanced immediately!

Learn Jody's system and get training and resources 24 hours a day by contracting with us at:
www.finalexpenseagents.biz or www.finalexpensebyphone.com

Happy Birthday America!

We are so thankful to live in a country where we are free
to help other people and get paid handsomely for it!

Getting Started in Final Expense

Want to get started the right way in Final Expense?

First, get contracted. We have great contracts with United Home Life and Foresters for Final Expense. Then after contracting, you have to prime the pump.

This means ordering an initial batch of leads (preferably 2,000 or 3,000 mailers) and once that pump is primed (with an initial order) continuing the pump with consistent lead orders every week of 1,500 to 3,000 mailers. It all depends on how much you want to make.

If you order a mere 1,000 mailers to start, then wait two weeks until they arrive.. then sell those 2 or 3 cases, get paid, then order just another 1,000 to repeat that small cycle, you'll only be working final expense on a very small, part-time basis. You have to check your faith level and jump in with both feet. It is very hard to lose money in final expense!

You have to step out in faith.

Final Expense Sales - A Day in the Life

Today is Friday and, like most final expense agents, we're vacationing Friday through Sunday. Yes, I should be out in the pool with the family. I really felt, though, like writing down the events that have brought me to an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness for my life and the events that have brought me here.

Recently, I watched a video that I just HAD to share. It's about breaking out of the box we are used to and getting out there and doing that 10% of activity that brings us success.

In Final Expense, it's all just about getting in front of people that need our help. As Zig Ziglar states so eloquently, "Nothing happens in this world without a salesperson." That salesperson, though, needs someone to talk to on a regular basis. Doing just that means the difference between mediocrity/failure or overwhelming success in this industry.

Here's the video I'm talking about..

This weekend we find ourselves in Fort Pierce, FL. The water is beautiful, as we're staying in a suite right on the river at the Dockside Inn. I had often heard that most final expense agents liked to work three - maybe four days a week and then take Friday's off. Well, now we're doing just that. Although working with other agents around the country sometimes causes a little frustration when I'm semi-out of touch (love the Blackberry), it's still enough time in the week to get most everything done.

Well, I wanted to document a snapshot of what yesterday was like - in the field in Deltona, FL. I had made seven appointments the night before for the next day. I made calls between 5:30pm - 6:30pm making those appointments from 10am through 4pm. I always like to schedule them on the hour, by telling the clients "approximately 3:30pm - 4pm". This way, if I get stood up or a quick realization that I'm there for the wrong reason (in their mind), I can move on to the next one before the exact appointed hour. I can also squeeze in a few folks that hadn't answered the phone but happen to be in that same city.

Well, seven appointments were set and at 10am Thursday I set out. Arrived a little late for my 10am, but seniors are usually very flexible, as mentioned above. A very nice couple, they faced their own mortality recently when the husband was diagnosed with a rare lung disease. He is now uninsurable and on oxygen. Guaranteed issue final expense plans would be too expensive for what they would pay for after the waiting period, which he may or may not ever reach. The wife, though, wanted coverage NOW. Wrote that one up and did the personal health interview with United Home Life on the phone. Very quick and easy, the pre-approval was obtained from the person on the other end of the phone.

After that, went to another appointment where the 79 year old guy apparently just wanted someone to talk to. He had absolutely no idea why he sent in the card. This would be quick and easy - "Here's my card. Call me if you ever need life insurance or someone you know needs protection." The next appointment was another couple where the husband had a chronic disease and already had coverage from a plan requiring a two year wait; he was almost through that company's waiting period for full coverage. He was all set. The wife, though, had no protection on her and now wanted to take action.

She was a smoker, and said she smokes one carton of cigarettes every month. I asked her how much this was costing for that one carton. She said, "$35, but I'm going to quit!". Her husband had already lost half of his lung because of having smoked for 20 years; she definitely had the motivation. I showed them a plan where, for $30 a month with Foresters, she could get enough coverage to provide for her burial. There was no way they could say "No" to paying LESS than a carton of cig's per month to have her total burial paid for. Wrote that one up and did the personal health interview with Foresters. Very easy and pre-approved immediately.

The next call was on a lady across town and I was now one hour late because of the last one taking longer than expected. I arrived to find no car in the driveway and no one answering the front door. Missed them, I guess. Onward and upward!

The next appointment was a lady who had just retired from the school system, driving buses for 30 years. She was under the impression that I was there to school her on a government benefit plan - she had not read the card she got. She quickly informed me that she had all the money she needed to leave behind and had no need for insurance. So on to the next one I went.

At the next appointment was a couple in their 70's. After I got out of my car and walked up to the door, the gentleman asked me to move my car as I had parked on the sidewalk in his driveway. I said, "Sure!" and went to move the car. When I came back, he motioned for me to come in. I went inside and then he asked me to go back and close the big front door - the smaller glass door was already shut. I said, "Sure!" and went to close the door. He then told me that he had worked as a unit manager for a major life insurance company for 20 years, so he knew everything there is to know about insurance. He said he's been needing it for a long time and has priced all of the companies out there. He wanted to know what the "catch" was with the company I would show him.

Pulling out my Foresters application, I told him that before I could give him any kind of idea, I would have to go through the health questions to see what kind of benefit -if any- he would qualify for. He qualified for the level plan - excellent. His wife, though, only qualified for the Graded plan (30% 1st, 70% 2nd, 100% 3rd year) because of a chronic condition clearly spelled out on the application. I wrote up both of them and did the PHI on both. I got instant approvals for both of them and spent more time with them discussing his old days in the insurance business and how crooked some of his agents were before he fired them! His wife, a very sweet lady, then went to their freezer and pulled out two loaves of Banana Bread for me to take home. How did she know that was my favorite!?!

I left there and had to go pick up a prescription for my wife, who was in severe back pain at the time from doing too much around the house in preparation for our Friday trip. I was done for the day.. four applications from seven appointments and right at $2,000 in premiums. I also added about $300 to my renewals for next year, just from this one day's worth of work. I'm hoping for two referrals to ultimately come out of those contacts and one of the uninsurable husbands wants a funeral trust to shelter money for just that purpose. He indicated he wants about a $5,000 funeral trust set up. That will be the equivalent of another decent final expense transaction.

There are plenty of leads left out of this 2,000 count lead mailer (sent for $800 through Mainstreet Powermail) and will likely result in a 3, almost 4 time return on my investment there.

When I got home, I shared with my wife just how thankful I am to be in an industry where I have really and truly helped people all day and, through that activity, have been able to provide for my family.

This morning we took off for our weekend in Ft. Pierce. It's beautiful here and we're taking lots of pictures. The kids took right to the pool, which is right in front of the docks out on the beautiful river. It's amazing how much clearer and brighter the water is here than up in Daytona Beach!

Final Expense continues to take off..

With the ever changing economy and now record unemployment, more agents are wondering what they can do to continue to make a consistent living. We certainly have the answer.

The senior population, due to aging "Baby Boomers", is the fastest growing segment of the population right now. This is expected to continue for the next 30 years or so.

These are people who, for the large part:

* Have a consistent, recession-proof monthly income (social security)
* Have done ZERO planning for burial/life insurance
* Are watching their friends and famiy pass away at a faster pace each year.

They are from the generation that still cares about burdening their families with their unpaid bills, such as the funeral costs they will leave behind. They are very conscious about paying their fair share and doing the right thing by their family.

Agents entering the final expense market are always surprised to find out just how simple the final expense policies are. The paperwork is very simple, the policies themselves simply pay a death benefit of a specified amount, and the rates are very affordable to seniors.

The entire appointment that results in a sale may last 30 to 45 minutes. The benefits to the client include peace of mind and financial security in that they no longer have to set aside a large amount of money for burial costs.

Agents working this market are able to design their income plan based on how many people they talk to. If you want to talk to 15-20 people per week, you can earn $60,000 - $70,000 per year. If you want to talk to 40-60 people each week, you can simply double that. It is a very simple transaction of presenting options to people, over and over again, and helping them with the paperwork.

Agents that have come from the Medicare Advantage world are keenly aware, now, that President Obama has clearly indicated his priority of shutting down the MA world. (See article here.) These agents are now looking for a home where they can continue to help seniors with their needs and make a decent income.

More and more, these agents are finding that the solution is in selling final expense. In recent months, we have experimented with selling final expense by phone. The carriers that were in this niche market have been pulling back and, in some cases, closing down. They report that, by completing the entire transaction over the telephone which includes providing their social security number, bank account number, etc., they are less likely to keep that policy long-term. The incidents of "Not Taken" policies and lapsed policies within the first three months is VERY much higher than those cases where the applications are taken in person.

Be that as it may, more agents are interested in working from home and not venturing out at all to meet with clients in person. This allows them to work any area of the country (with non-resident licenses), and reach out to more people by dialing than they would be able to do by knocking on doors during the day. Often, the lower closing ratio and persistency is made up by the amount of people the agent is able to talk to by telephone.

A website dedicated to this niche market (selling final expense over the telephone) is www.finalexpensebyphone.com. Whether the agent is interested in selling in person or by telephone, finalexpensebyphone.com has the highest contracts for final expense companies available.

Agents that prefer to sell "belly to belly", the traditional way, are welcome there, too, as the same companies still apply. The current offering includes a great annual contract for United Home Life, a great company for final expense. United Home Life has recently lowered their rates and increased commissions for final expense. This is in sharp contrast to many in the market right now that are running from new business because of bad investments and their inability to back their policy commitments with reserves. United Home Life continues to write good business and is poised for incredible growth, based on the way they are treating their agents.

Final expense by phone may be a niche marketing method, but some people like it and others feel like picking up the telephone is the hardest thing to do in the world. For those who would like to sell by telephone more, but just don't think they can do it, you should check out some of these best-selling industry titles addressing that very thing. Click here to see some recommended titles that can help you.

As more and more agents are transitioning into final expense, agents should make sure to get the best contracts available. The highest final expense contracts available ensures that you make the most amount of compensation based on the same level of production. This can be significant.

Whether you want to sell final expense by phone or in person, your best bet is to visit: www.finalexpensebyphone.com