Do you know ROY? ROY stands for Rest of Year. It’s time to think about ROY and your action plan for the remainder of the year. Time passes quickly – preparation for AEP will be here before you know it. Now’s the time to create and implement your ROY business plan and plant the seeds for future growth.
Goal Planning
Creating specific goals is an important first step in planning for ROY. Start with the end in mind and work backward to determine activities that will be necessary to execute your plan. This approach is known as reverse engineering.
Here’s a high-level example: If I know that I want to add 20 more customers, and in the past, roughly a third of my prospects become customers, then I need to connect with 60 prospects to achieve my goal of winning 20 new customers.
Ask:
- How many new clients do you want to acquire?
- What percentage of qualified prospects become clients?
- How many new prospects do you need to meet your customer acquisition goal?
- How many phone calls and appointments will you make each month?
- How many phone calls and appointments will you make each week?
- How many phone calls and appointments will you make each day?
As you can see, by reverse engineering your plan, the actions needed become crystal clear.
Marketing Strategy
Your ROY business plan requires an effective multi-channel marketing strategy that generates awareness for you and your brand. Your strategy should focus on both client retention and new prospects. As it takes time to put all the pieces into place, starting early will benefit you later in the year. Some things to include in your ROY marketing strategy are:
- Social Media – As Baby Boomers age into Medicare, your target audience will become more tech savvy. Having a Facebook business page and website increases your visibility and makes it easy for people to interact with you. You should be active on these channels, updating them often with relevant content.
- In-Person Events and Community Engagement – There’s nothing more effective than meeting potential clients in person. Get a booth at your local home and auto shows or a carrier-sponsored booth at pharmacies and grocery stores in your area. Attend provider group grand openings and offer to partner with providers. Hold educational seminars for both existing clients and new prospects and promote events using QR codes to make it easy for people to RSVP from their phones. Join local community groups where you can network with potential clients.
- Direct Mail – Mailers and flyers are still an important component of any marketing plan. You may need to create multiple messages for different audiences, such as T65, AEP current clients, referrals, and other prospect types.
- Email Marketing – Email newsletters are effective to stay in touch and educate clients.
Tip: Ask your FMO if they have co-op dollars available and how you can qualify. Co-op dollars can help with up to 50% of your advertising costs for print and online advertising, social media, email marketing, trade shows, and special events.
Leveling Up
Of course, there’s more to ROY than just marketing. Take a moment to assess where you’re at as an agent and where you’d like to be. Use reverse engineering to outline the steps needed to get there. Here are some areas you may choose to add to your ROY:
- Use your CRM tool to your full advantage. It can help you save time and stay organized. Make sure you have up-to-date information about your clients and prospects. Set appointments and reminders to ensure nothing falls between the cracks. Use your CRM to track the results of your various marketing campaigns to figure out what brings you the best results.
- Get purposeful about retention. This article details some important strategies to consider. After AEP, be sure to run carrier client lists and compare them to your own client lists to identify if anyone dropped off without your knowledge.
- Expand your offerings. Now’s the time to consider adding more lines of business or new carriers to have more products to offer your clients.
- Build your knowledge. Identify if there are areas where you would benefit from building your knowledge or skillset and seek out the appropriate training.
- Improve your tech capabilities. Modern customers expect their Medicare advisors to be able to navigate online enrollments, Zoom meetings, and other digital engagement platforms. Check out these e-application trends and up your tech game if you haven’t already.
- Invest in yourself and your business. Register now to attend WAPCON2023. This premiere Medicare Conference focuses on creating Medicare Superheroes ready to make a difference in the lives of their clients. It’s AEP training at its best. Western Asset Protection is committed to helping you take your business to the next level.
Use ROY to Get a Running Start
Use ROY to make the most of the time you have now. This will put you in a great position to deal with compliance changes coming from CMS and to achieve your best AEP ever.
As always, WAP is here for you! Contact us if you need assistance or have questions.