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Agent’s Guide To Selling Ancillary Insurance

By  Senior Market Advisors  on March 22, 2017

Agent’s Guide To Selling Ancillary Insurance

Did you know that it can cost up to eight times more to sell to a new client than to sell to an existing one? There’s also a 35% higher chance of selling to a preexisting client. Additionally, it is more than 50% more likely that your clients will hang on to their policies and to you as an agent if you sell them multiple products. They want to know that they’re taken care of. That’s why you should be selling ancillary insurance.

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Early spring is a great time to check in with your clients and make sure that they’re happy with their Medicare plan. Make sure that you disclose prior to your appointments that you would like to discuss ancillary plans, and make sure that your clients are aware of what that means. They may not realize how many gaps they have in their Medicare plans, or their medical needs may have changed since their last appointment with you.

Ancillary appointments are also a great customer retention method because it reminds clients that you are willing to help them at any point during the year. Though prices will rise as they age, you can sell ancillary products to your clients at any time.

Dental, hearing, and vision plans are among the easiest to sell because chances are that a 65+ client has health issues in one, two, or all of those areas. Find out if your client has a medical history of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, or other illnesses that may lead them to need a specific ancillary health plan.

Tips for selling ancillary insurance:

  • To increase the likelihood of a sale, figure out which carriers offer which types of bundles. Carriers commonly bundle disability insurance with other types of ancillary plans.
  • Make sure you explain to your clients why they can’t wrap all of their health care needs into one plan. Even though they have Medicare, they will need ancillary assistance.
  • Contact them before they contact you. Let them know that they are still important to you, even though you’ve already closed a sale with them.
  • People like to know they have a choice. Ancillary insurance gives them more options than Medicare does because they can cherry pick what coverage they need. Make sure you tell them that they have options.
  • Make sure clients are aware that ancillary products are voluntary, but that they will not receive coverage without purchasing one.

If you need help explaining ancillary plans to clients, check out our consumer guide here. Start selling ancillary insurance today!