The value and importance of securing quality leads can never be emphasized enough. Quality leads are the foundation of the entire sales process. Without quality leads there is no sale, commission, persistency, retention, or renewals! Everything begins with quality leads!

A few months ago, in our August issue, I talked in detail about the ways in which you can secure the most promising Senior leads to generate the best response. Securing quality leads is critical to successful Medicare Supplement sales and is worth a quick review.

When you order leads, order females only. Statistically, women live on average seven years longer than men, so you will generally have access to the male in the household, even though you order only the female name.

Add a specific trigger when ordering leads.

If you go further and request “female head of household only” you will receive the names of persons whose insurance needs have recently changed due to death or divorce of the spouse. For some, the loss of their spouse also means the loss of insurance coverage. These folks may be at a critical juncture in their lives and hearing from you may be just what they want and need. With this type of lead, you are in an optimum position to be an advisor as well as a sales person. As more and more companies cut back on retiree benefits, these types of leads will become more lucrative.

Request leads with higher household incomes. Gone are the days of mailing to those with household incomes of $15,000, if you want to generate good sales potential. Incomes have increased for all of us and that includes Seniors. Target those with household incomes of $30,000 and up. This will put you in contact with Seniors who are approximately 250% above the Federal Poverty Level, and, in the majority of cases, not eligible for Medicaid assistance.

Offer a value-added service to your lead prospects. I previously recommended “Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card Tip Sheet” (only two pages) and “Guide to Choosing a Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card” (36 pages), both of which are available via the official government website at www.medicare.gov. Providing a lead enticement which offers these free publications is a great way to help Seniors sort through their confusion and disappointment in the new Medicare Drug Discount Program, which terminates the end of 2005. It’s also a terrific segue for you into UA Partners® and the outstanding savings it can provide for Seniors in so many areas, not just prescription medications (see pg 8 for comments from those who actively utilize UA Partners!).

Don’t forget the Underage Market!

But what are the guidelines for ordering underage leads? Actually, you can follow the same format you did for Seniors with some minor variations.

A specific trigger is essential for underage leads when you want to specialize in working with only a particular segment of the workplace. Examples include small businesses with fewer than 10 employees or special business types with self-employed insureds. You can also order the name of the owner, preferred contact person, and the type of business that has been established.

Added-value service is important to those who need underage health as well as Seniors. Offer your lead a free Child Safe Kit or MedFacts Kit as an enticement to deliver additional information on your products. It’s a small investment which could yield large returns for you.

Securing quality leads for both underage and Seniors will generate the quality sales that lead to better closing rates, high persistency and retention, and strong renewals. Once the foundation of quality sales is firmly in place, it will begin to multiply and generate the quantity to match! See the center spread for the key to writing both quality and quantity business. Remember, it all starts with actively seeing the right prospects!