I’m writing this a year ahead of time as it’s the perfect time to start thinking about what you would do differently and add to your growth plan as we wrap up 2024.
AEP presents a limited yet high-impact window to connect with your existing customers, potential clients, optimize renewals, and grow your agency’s portfolio. But what is the impact of non commissionable products? How exposed is your business due to your product diversification across the carriers in your markets?
For 2025, a winning strategy demands more than just selling Medicare Advantage plans. A holistic approach that integrates supplementary products, such as hospital indemnity plans, will help you better serve your clients while maximizing revenue.
I’m going to keep saying this, holistic sales process and customer centric behaviors are no longer cliche, they are cool again. Agencies are getting back to the basics which is deploying a customer centric service that is based on customer needs, and their no longer scared of rejection. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do!
Let’s dive into actionable strategies to optimize your agency’s performance for AEP 2025.
Start Early with Strategic Planning
Preparation is everything. By starting early, you’ll ensure that your team is trained, your tools are ready, and your marketing is live well before next AEP.
Actionable Steps:
- Segment Your Book of Business: Identify clients who may need plan changes based on last year’s data, such as those with high healthcare utilization or upcoming changes in plan networks. LIS SEP is a big deal this year, and definitely not an area you want to overlook.
- Review Carrier Updates: Familiarize yourself with the 2025 updates to Medicare Advantage plans, including new benefits, formulary changes, and network updates. Get granular so you can show more value to your customers and prospects.
- Train Your Team: Provide training sessions focused on pairing Medicare Advantage plans with supplementary products like hospital indemnity and dental and vision insurance.
Leverage a Holistic Sales Approach
This is it! It’s cool, not cliche!
A holistic sales approach positions your agency as a comprehensive resource for clients, ensuring their health coverage addresses a wide range of their needs. It’s not your job to sell them their products, it’s your job to present them with the information they need to make a decision on protecting the areas of financial risk in their life.
This is a key mental headspace you need to get into to begin maximize the portfolio selling approach.
Key Tactics:
- Pair Medicare Advantage with Hospital Indemnity:
- Medicare Advantage plans often come with out-of-pocket costs for hospital stays. A hospital indemnity plan can cover these gaps, giving clients peace of mind.
- Example Pitch: “This hospital indemnity plan ensures you won’t have to worry about unexpected costs during a hospital stay, complementing your Medicare Advantage hospital costs perfectly.”
- Highlight Dental, Vision, and Hearing Coverage:
- Medicare supplements don’t offer this, so if you’re not letting your prospects and customers know you have a solution, they are buying it from someone else.
- Promote Wellness and Preventative Care Add-Ons:
- Look for plans offering gym memberships, telehealth, or wellness incentives, and emphasize how these benefits can improve overall health.
Refine Your Marketing and Outreach Strategy
AEP is the busiest time for clients, with competing messages flooding their inboxes and mailboxes. Stand out with targeted and value-driven campaigns.
Actionable Steps:
- Focus on Education (aka value):
- Host webinars or in-person Medicare workshops explaining the benefits of Medicare Advantage plans and the value of supplementary products. Teach them and they will respect you and ask you to help solve their problem.
- Use simple, jargon-free language to break down complex topics.
- Take a breath and be a real person that your audience can relate to.
- Leverage Data-Driven Targeting:
- Use your CRM to create segmented lists, targeting specific demographics (e.g., individuals aged 65–75, clients who recently moved, or those with chronic conditions that may qualify for new CSNP plans in their area.
- Optimize Digital Marketing:
- Create blog posts or videos addressing common AEP questions. You haven’t missed the digital race, but you will if you don’t start engaging.
- Run targeted ads on Google and Facebook emphasizing holistic coverage.
Maximize In-Person and Virtual Appointments
Face-to-face interactions—whether in-person or virtual—remain one of the most effective ways to close sales during AEP. A lot of people are relying on self enrollment, but I don’t think we are quite there yet. Most customers and prospects want enrollment help.
Actionable Steps:
- Prepare Customized Solutions:
- Research client history before meetings to recommend plans and supplementary products that match their specific needs.
- Example: For a client with a history of hospital stays, propose a Medicare Advantage plan paired with a hospital indemnity plan.
- Leverage Technology:
- Use enrollment platforms like Sunfire or Connecture to streamline quoting and enrollment processes.
- Collect information in your CRM that allows you to have personalized client discussions such as habits, hobbies, important dates and interests.
- Offer virtual appointments to accommodate busy schedules or mobility issues.
Build Strategic Partnerships
Partnerships can drive new leads and reinforce your agency’s expertise.
Examples:
- Partner with Providers:
- Build relationships with doctors, clinics, and pharmacies to generate referrals. Doctors are great at practicing medicine and their staff is great at running the office, they need you to be the benefits expert. Go build and nurture those relationships between now and the next AEP and you’ll probably create double digit sales increase from this tactic alone.
- Collaborate with Community Organizations:
- Work with senior centers, local nonprofits, or churches to educate their communities about Medicare options. Same as above, go build these centers of influence and the beginning of the year is the perfect time to do it as it will set the stage to nurture heading into the next AEP.
Monitor Compliance
This year was a doozy with CMS! Compliance is critical during AEP, as CMS regulations govern marketing and sales practices for Medicare Advantage plans. We got a glimpse of some pretty disruptive changes this year and you need to view that as a wakeup call to look at your business structure moving forward.
Actionable Steps:
- Review Marketing Materials:
- Ensure that all advertisements and materials comply with CMS guidelines. Easy area to screw up is not having the right disclosures. Not paying attention to small details can have big consequences.
- Train Agents:
- Provide clear guidance on what can and cannot be said during appointments and calls. And, what plans can and can’t be sold during the offseason.
- Audit Enrollments:
- Check for errors or omissions in client applications that could delay enrollments.
Track and Optimize Results
Continuous improvement during AEP can lead to better results year over year.
Actionable Steps:
- Monitor Key Metrics:
- Track leads, enrollments, and supplementary product sales weekly. Doing this will allow you to better understand the lifetime value of your customer and average amount of policies they will purchase from you. This data is incredible for forecasting and training new agents.
- Gather Feedback:
- Ask clients about their experience and what they found valuable—or confusing—during the process. This is simple, do a client survey.
- Adjust Tactics:
- If a particular marketing channel isn’t performing, shift resources to those with higher ROI. You need to watch this like a hawk!
Why the Holistic Approach Matters
Because it’s cool again, and, it’s what customers appreciate.
By focusing on holistic solutions, you create deeper value for your clients. When clients see you as a trusted advisor, not just a salesperson, they are more likely to:
- Refer friends and family (aka free leads).
- Renew their plans with you year after year (aka, income stability)
- Purchase additional products that improve their overall coverage (aka, more policies and better retention rates).
Conclusion
Optimizing for AEP in 2025 requires more than just selling Medicare Advantage plans.
By integrating supplementary products and taking a client-first approach, your agency can differentiate itself in a competitive marketplace.
Start preparing now to ensure your team is ready, your systems are optimized, and your clients feel supported every step of the way, and hindsight is 20/20. Take notes this AEP and make it part of your plan for the next one.
Let’s make 2025 your most successful AEP yet!
