AHCP Blog

Why You Should Work with an FMO (Part 2)

Written by AHCP | 12/9/22 3:03 AM

This post is the second in a five-part series about why brokers should work with a Field Marketing Organization (FMO) like AHCP. In the first post, we explained that an FMO can help by researching and vetting carriers and products that you should be offering, provide product education so you’ll be able to determine when these solutions are a good fit for your clients, and sweeten the deal by offering short-term sales incentives and bonus programs.

In this post, we’ll dive into reason #2: 

FMOs supply access to technology that helps you run your agency

In the old days, brokers had a rolodex full of client and prospect contact info, binders stuffed with rate grids and field underwriting guides to provide quotes, met with nearly every client face to face, mailed or faxed paper forms to the carrier for approval, and sometimes stopped by in person to collect monthly premium payments.

Not anymore, thankfully.

Now, it’s pretty much impossible to run an agency without some basic technology, including a mobile phone and a computer with internet access. But most successful agents would agree that you need much more than that.

Common Challenges for Health Insurance Agents

Before we talk about the ways technology can make your life easier and more productive, let’s identify a few challenges that every broker faces:

  • Insurance is a numbers game. In order to be successful, we have to reach out to a lot of people. And we need to keep track of all of those leads.
  • People don’t like waiting. While they might procrastinate because they dread buying insurance, once they’ve gotten started, they want instant answers, preferably without talking with anyone. Agents need a “self-service” solution that helps clients help themselves.
  • The “busy season” for all lines of health insurance—Medicare, individual, and group—is crammed into a few short months at the end of the year. The Medicare AEP runs from October 7 through December 15. The individual open enrollment period starts November 1 and ends January 15. And the fourth quarter is the open enrollment period for most group plans as well. This compressed period demands exceptional time-management to maximize efficiency and productivity.

Technology to the Rescue!

Fortunately, technology can help solve all of these problems, allowing you to master the process. A good CRM tool can help us keep track of everyone in our pipeline with a history of our interactions. Automated emails can even market to those prospects at just the right time. A well-built website can allow customers to get quotes and even apply for coverage online, sometimes without the agent getting involved at all. And other tools can help brokers shave hours off their day, which can make a huge difference when time is at a premium.

AHCP Technology Solutions

A major advantage of working with AHCP is having access to all the technology solutions you need to save you time and help you sell more – all in one platform. It pays to work with us!

As an AHCP agent, you get access to Lead Marketplace and a CRM tool at no cost! If you are not currently taking advantage of these tools through our sister company, Quotit, please let us know so that we can help get you set up.

You also have access to several premium technology solutions that can help grow your business exponentially. Whether you’re looking for a national quoting and enrollment system, a robust insurance CRM tool, or an all-in-one, customized website, Quotit provides tools and features designed to take your insurance business to the next level. Quotit allows you to manage all of your individual health and Medicare quoting needs on a singular platform to help optimize the time you spend with your clients.

Here's some additional info on each of these solutions:

#1. A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) TOOL BUILT TO SAVE TIME SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST: YOUR CLIENTS

Quotit makes it simple to manage client data and prospects in a native Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool while keeping track of all associated marketing and sales activity. With Quotit, you move clients seamlessly through every stage, from your contact list to quoting to proposal and enrollment. 

#2. REACH MORE CLIENTS BY OFFERING MEDICARE and ON-EXCHANGE QUOTING AND ENROLLMENT FOR ALL PARTICIPATING STATES

Quotit gives you access to information on more than 300 carriers and 40,000 plan designs for robust quoting at your fingertips. Produce accurate, comprehensive, and professional insurance proposals quickly with the click of a button to share onscreen or email to your clients. You have the power to address the needs of more prospects and clients in states using the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) and helping them find the Affordable Care Act-compliant (ACA) coverage they want and need. We make it easy to determine if they’re eligible for a premium subsidy and cost share reduction. Shop and compare all on-exchange plans in all FFM participating states, off-exchange supplemental health insurance, as well as most Medicare Advantage plans.

#3. SHOP AND ENROLL DIRECTLY ON YOUR WEBSITE WITH REAL-TIME QUOTING FROM ePRO

Most insurance websites do not offer real-time quoting. You can with Quotit ePro. Empower clients to do side-by-side comparisons and enroll online in medical, accident, dental, vision, and critical illness insurance products from the comfort of their own home or office – on your website. Visitors, leads and enrollments are all integrated into your Quotit CRM so you never lose a prospect.

#4. ESTABLISH YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE WITH A CUSTOM, PERSONALLY BRANDED WEBSITE OPTIMIZED FOR RESULTS

Brokers often spend thousands of dollars on a website, yet it doesn’t provide the functionality agents or their prospects and clients want: online comparison shopping and online enrollment. Establish your online presence with a custom website from our partners at Agent Methods. Choose the design and template that fits your style and brand image and take advantage of all the content, features, and marketing tools available with your personalized turn-key website.

To learn more about Quotit and set up your personal account, call 866-478-6848.

Stay Tuned!

In our next post, we’ll explore a third reason to work with an FMO: they provide personnel resources to manage all back-office procedures. It’s like having a team of executive assistants that you don’t have to pay for!