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Don’t wait until AEP is over. See how to entice prospects, drive leads and sales, and hit your numbers NOW!

October is here and Medicare’s Annual Election Period (AEP) is underway! Hopefully your team’s hard work paid off, your AEP campaign launched without a hitch, and leads and applications are coming in droves! So, what do you do right now to help ensure success and make the most from your efforts?

Here’s a 10-point checklist to help keep your AEP going strong!

1. Check the Medicare Plan Finder and make sure your plan information is accurate. A minor mistake can mean hundreds of prospects dismiss your plan for another one.

2. Talk with your sales team and top agents to uncover the good and the bad. Take advantage of the good by quickly developing new digital ads — test out the new CMS guideline permitting direct competitive comparison advertising. The bad? There’s still time to pivot if you address concerns now.

3. Nurture your leads with follow-up emails and phone calls. The more a prospect interacts with you, the more likely they will convert. If you’re giving leads to Independent Agents and they aren’t providing regular status updates or feedback, take the leads back!

4. Send an “app chaser” email or direct mail communication in November to the prospects who have an application but did not enroll. You’ll find it is a great lead converter.

5. Meet with a few key Providers. It’s not too late to ensure that they understand your plan. If you haven’t already, ask if they’re willing to send out an Affiliation Letter. Offer to include them in your marketing plans with a Facebook post or a newsletter feature.

6. Test and optimize. Then optimize again. Not just within one channel but across channels — move budget to a better performing channel. Plus, review results daily/weekly and dive deep so you can uncover hidden opportunities but also any issues.

7. Reconcile your budget weekly. Was postage or production less than expected? Invest the dollars in your best channels. You’ll kick yourself if you find you have budget remaining and you didn’t leverage it.

8. Monitor your progress against your goals. If something doesn’t look right, don’t wait to see if it’s an anomaly. Dig deep quickly to uncover any issues or challenges. And keep checking your data. Ask yourself if you’re getting the information you need for this year — and also to help guide you for next year.

9. Communicate with disenrolled members. Send a follow-up letting them know their benefits will end on December 31. Encourage them to call you if they didn’t mean to disenroll or if they’re having second thoughts about their new plan.

10. Provider-backed plans: Don’t let that edge go to waste. Work with your Providers and staff to promote your plan in their offices and make sure they know the latest CMS guidelines.

11. BONUS TIP: Send a Post-ANOC communication to your Medicare Supplement members. You’ve likely done this for Medicare Advantage (MA) members. Many MA supplemental benefits are richer than ever, so your Med Supp members may be tempted to look at an alternative plan. Remind them of current benefits but let them know you have MA plans if their needs have changed. Better to keep them in the family!

The final push for a successful finish!

By mid-November, your plan should be at about 50% of your AEP application goal. Check out a previous Medicare AEP blog for more tips on how to finish up strong!

And don’t forget about December 8. Keep your momentum going without any gaps in your marketing outreach. If you pause your New to Medicare campaign (online or DRTV) during AEP, have everything ready to start back up the day after AEP ends.

AEP only comes once a year, and it only lasts 68 days! At DMW, we know how to make the most of every single one. Follow these tips and you can, too. And remember, we’re just a click or call away to help strategize, plan, and execute to make your goals this year or the next.