Every agent likes getting referrals. They’re easier to sell—and certainly less expensive—than leads you buy online, and talking to someone who actually wants to talk to you is far more enjoyable than cold calling.

We’re getting more and more questions from agents asking what they can sell right now. We know that the fourth quarter is the busy time of the year, but the other nine months can leave brokers twiddling their thumbs.

Salespeople who want to edge out their competition need some sort of hook, something they do differently than everyone else. In health insurance, that can be difficult to do since agents neither design nor price the products that they sell; the plans are the plans and the rates are the rates.

In our last couple posts, we explained that CMS has extended the transitional relief for small employers until the end of 2019, giving healthier small group clients an opportunity to save on premiums for another year and avoid some of the rules applicable to ACA metallic plans. We also explained that taking advantage of this option may require these small groups to continue renewing their same plan year after year without the option of tweaking their benefits at renewal/re-issue time. For employers looking for greater flexibility in plan design, self-funding provides a great alternative; small-business employers with self-funded plans often save money by avoiding the modified adjusted community rating rules, and they have multiple plan options to choose from.

Here’s a question: How much time should agents spend trying to convince people that they need health insurance?

We know—that’s a weird question, but it is a relevant one. Insurance agents don’t just sell individual and group health insurance policies; most are also covered by one. And that means that many of you are facing the same challenges that your clients have: finding an affordable plan that protects you from financial loss and covers your doctor visits and prescriptions. The trouble is, plans that check off all of these requirements are pretty rare, so you probably have to make some of the same sacrifices as your clients.

In previous articles, we’ve talked about the power of social media to generate leads and stay in touch with clients and prospects. Specifically, we’ve explained that content marketing, in which you share some valuable information in a way that doesn’t sound too salesy, can be especially effective at maintaining interest and creating likes and shares.

As you can probably tell, we’re pretty excited here at America’s Health Care Plan. We’re entering the fourth quarter, and very soon the busy time of the year in the Individual, Medicare, and Group Health markets will be upon us. It’s a time of great opportunity, especially this year, so we wanted to offer a few pointers to help you maximize your time and, therefore, your selling potential. We hope you can find a nugget or two in our words that will help your business.

We all know that, for nearly every product or service, people are much more likely to buy when they receive a recommendation from a friend. For some reason, though, a lot of insurance agents are reluctant to ask their satisfied clients if they know anyone who could use their service. Other brokers ask but without much success.