Here’s a fun idea: ask your satisfied clients to organize an “insurance party” for their friends and family members.

With the exception of very small companies, the vast majority of employers offer group health insurance. And the number one reason they offer health insurance and other benefits is to attract and retain quality employees.

Shortly after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, insurance carriers across the nation, particularly in the individual market, slashed the commissions they pay to agents and brokers.

The individual insurance market is seeing some hard-hitting changes. Premiums in many markets have increased more than expected, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs continue to go up, and now some carriers are beginning to drop their popular PPO plans.

Everyone needs insurance to help protect them, and their family members, from financial loss when something unexpected happens:

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Drew Altman, President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, reports on the connection between health insurance and financial security. The article is based on Kaiser Family Foundation polling of California residents who obtained health insurance after the Affordable Care Act took effect.

We’re currently in-between open enrollment periods in the individual market, so brokers are receiving a lot of advice—from AHCP and elsewhere—to sell other products that their clients need. It’s not a bad idea considering the number of products our license allows us to sell; indeed, there are insurance products to protect almost anything that’s important to our clients and prospects. Plus, it’s a good time to diversify, to place our eggs in a few other baskets, especially with the current uncertainty surrounding individual health insurance commissions.

Are you striking out when trying to sell supplemental and ancillary insurance? Maybe it’s because you’re trying to cram all of your sales efforts into a single call or appointment. There are three big reasons why this may not be a good idea.

It’s that time of the year again—open enrollment. The 2016 individual open enrollment period begins November 1 and ends January 31, which means that brokers who specialize in individual coverage will be very busy for the next three months. To help make sure this is a successful selling season for you, we thought we’d share a few quick thoughts.

Use these to help you close more individual business