Make the most of your enrollment periods with client meetings and self-care.
Enrollment periods are the prime selling time for Medicare Agents and the time seems to fly by in an instant. Effective time management is one of the best strategies for a productive and successful enrollment period. Client inquiries, federal deadlines, and various administrative tasks will fill your schedule, making it easy to get overwhelmed.
In this guide, we’ll give you some tips on how to get prepared for any enrollment period, including streamlining client meetings and making sure to block off time for self-care. For even more information, please read our companion guide, “Effective Time Management During Enrollment Period With Planning and Technology.”
Streamline Client Meetings
When you hold a client meeting, remember that you’re their guide through the Medicare process. You need to instill confidence that they can trust you with their health care plans. You can easily do this by gently taking control of the conversation with what you know, your tone of voice, and the pace of the meeting.
Prepare before the meeting:
- For clients who book ahead of time, you can research their needs prior to the meeting. If you’ve been using a CRM, this is the perfect time to dive deep into the history of your relationship. Take note of any upcoming milestones – are they retiring, turning 65, or approaching some other important event? Be prepared for questions they may ask about these situations.
Guide the discussion:
- If you’re not used to being assertive, taking control of a conversation may seem overwhelming. All this means is to know ahead of time what you’ll be speaking on, and let the clients know at the start what you can and can’t talk about. Setting the tone that you are confident will help them trust you, which means they will feel safe telling you what they need to get the best coverage. CMS regulations are strict about client meetings too – be sure to let them know what you can and cannot discuss up front.
Prepare ahead of time for how to handle difficult topics and situations:
- The premiums for your returning client may have increased substantially, causing them distress. Practice how you can show empathy and redirect the conversation to a more positive outcome. Or maybe your client is dealing with a life-threatening condition and needs to know all options they have. Your expertise will be an anchor to help them through this difficult time.
Would you like more guidance on how to handle difficult client conversations? We have more advice in our piece, Click Here to Read!
Make Time For Self-Care
In times of intense focus, it’s especially important to look after your own well-being. Your greatest asset is you, your specialized knowledge and your way with people. It’s crucial that you do things to keep yourself healthy.
Build in down time:
- Knowing ahead of time that long days are inevitable and that your schedule will be full gives you the advantage of creating a strategy that allows you to rest. If possible, you could start an hour earlier in the day than you usually would, to allow yourself a longer break in the middle of the day. Another way to recharge would be to occasionally schedule time with friends and family to fill your cup and start again refreshed.
Drink water, eat a vegetable, get some sleep:
- These can be hard to do even when not in the middle of the busiest selling season! It has been proven that these things will also help keep you focused and give you the best chances for hitting your highest goals.
Utilize the “tomato”:
- Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique of time management? It grew out of Francesco Cirillo’s desire to get more done. He used a tomato kitchen timer to block off periods of time with breaks in between to recharge. Other methods of time management include time blocking, task batching, Eat the Frog, or the Getting Things Done method. Whichever method you choose, decide thoughtfully which type is best for you and the way that you work.
Structuring client meetings and taking time for self-care are two important strategies to make the most out of the busy seasons while maintaining your productivity and overall well-being.
With a little planning before busy enrollment periods begin, Medicare agents can make the most of their time to focus on what really matters – their clients.
Do You Want More Information About How To Prepare For Enrollment Periods? Fidelis Consultants Is Here To Help.
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