To achieve success in this venture, it is imperative for insurers to understand consumers in order to market effectively to the right type of consumer for their policies. Gathering data is an essential part of the process. Demographics like life stage (age), occupation, budget, spending behaviors and medical history can guide insurers in the right direction when looking for suitable prospects.

Insurers should also be cognizant of the differences between marketing to consumers who purchase policies through their agency alone, and marketing to consumers who are shopping for policies via state or federally run health insurance exchanges, which are required to start operating in 2014. A large number of consumers researching their coverage options via the exchanges will do so because their priorities are affordable coverage and subsidies to cut costs further.

Establishing and maintaining a good reputation on social media channels is also important. Consumers are much more prone to utilize resources like social media to seek out customer experiences and get an idea of what it is like to work with a particular insurance company. In the same vein, optimizing content for smartphones and tablets will be another key piece of the puzzle, as many consumers conduct research via these platforms.

Lead companies are one surefire method for closing the insurer-consumer gap. These companies employ strategies like search engine marketing to generate qualified, high quality leads. This greatly improves the chances for closing the sale down the line, as well as obtaining desirable clients. It also provides a source of new, fresh leads who have not already been approached by the insurer numerous times without success.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers each state three options for its exchange. The first is a state-run model, which allows states to retain a percentage of control over state insurance matters. The second would be to enter into a partnership with the federal government and run the exchange together, or as a final option, the state could allow federal officials total control over the exchange.

In May, the Internal Revenue Service ruled that subsidies for insurance coverage can be granted through either state or federal exchanges. The state of Oklahoma challenged this decision with a lawsuit arguing that per text in ACA, subsidies can only be granted through state-run exchanges.

An exchange without subsidies would falter and die, leaving just a few states with functional exchanges and creating the opportunity to essentially render this provision of the law powerless. In addition, this type of lawsuit would eliminate the possibility of providing federal subsidies to help consumers pay for private insurance coverage.

The U.S. Justice Department asked the courts to dismiss the case, arguing that Oklahoma lacks the standing to bring the challenge.

Which model is better?

So what kind of exchange – state-run, federally run or a state/federal partnership – is most beneficial to participating insurance agencies?

While federal exchanges may prove advantageous to insurers who sell in many states because the rules will be the same across the board, most insurers favor state-run exchanges. This is due in large part to the relationships that insurance agencies have cultivated with state regulators. Their concern is that federal exchanges will appoint a single regulator, who will not possess a thorough understanding of local markets, to deal with multiple states.

Which insurers will be allowed to participate?

The open market model, adopted by Colorado, has also gained popularity with insurers. Any health insurance plan that meets minimum requirements is permitted to participate, allowing the vast majority of insurance agencies the opportunity to compete for business. California, on the other hand, chose to limit the number of insurers that participate, reasoning that this move allows them to select the highest value plans.

Factors like the particular coverage needs of a state’s population may also come into play when deciding which insurers can join the exchanges. As a result, states may place more of a focus on selecting insurers that offer benefits that specifically address their needs.

Will insurers have to cover the costs of exchanges?

To cover costs associated with running the exchanges, it is anticipated that states will impose a surcharge, which will be passed to consumers, on insurance plan premiums for both state and federally run exchanges. However, some states may impose the surcharge on all policies sold, while others may choose to impose it solely on those plans sold through the exchanges. State exchanges will charge between 2 to 4 percent and federal exchanges will charge 3.5 percent in the first year.

The law designates a broad range of preventive services as free from cost sharing, so this provision can be demonstrated as advantageous to all types of consumers. Below is a sampling of what you can offer insurance shoppers in terms of compelling reasons to purchase.

Covered preventive services for adults include the following:

• Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
• Blood pressure screening
• Cholesterol screening
• Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
• Immunization vaccines
• Obesity screening and counseling
• Breast cancer mammography screenings every one to two years for women over 40
• Domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling

Covered preventive services for children include the following:

• Autism screening for children at 18 and 24 months
• Behavioral assessments for children of all ages
• Developmental screening for children under age 3, plus surveillance throughout childhood
• Height, weight and body mass index measurements
• Lead screening for children who are at risk of exposure
• Immunization vaccines for children from birth to age 18
• Iron supplements for children ages 6 to 12 months at risk for anemia

You can find additional information on sales tactics and other ways to generate leads at www.ProspectZone.com.

1. Build trust

   Instead of dismissing what some view as “complaints,” sales and marketing should listen to each other’s requests – and take them seriously. Follow-through will demonstrate that the other party is considered valuable to the team, and actions will also show that the team makes good on their promises. Talk is cheap, after all. It is also important not to wait for the other team to step up. Take the initiative and take on the role of giver. It is highly likely that this will compel the other team to respond in kind. From this point, both teams will be well on their way to building a relationship rooted in trust.

2. Establish mutually beneficial goals

   In some organizations, marketing bonuses are contingent upon the fulfillment of sales goals. This inevitably creates a strong sense of teamwork between sales and marketing, as the success of one affects the other, and vice versa. Communication increases as the two teams check in with each other get an update on how the other is progressing, and ideas are shared for how to improve performance on both ends. This sense of teamwork culminates in the shared “win,” with the two parties recognizing that they needed each other to make it happen.

3. Team up

   Taking the idea of shared goals a step further, some organizations structure it so that sales and marketing are part of the same team. They are considered one entity within the company, sharing supervisors as well as the aforementioned goals. They also share responsibility. This strategy helps to diffuse conflict between the two groups, and reinforces their bond. As mentioned in the second point, the impact of working towards a mutually beneficial goal is powerful and drives results.

Committed to being one of the industry’s best providers of insurance leads, ProspectZone continuously delivers the highest lead quality of health, life and Medicare leads. With the new addition of the insurance agent resource section, agents can find tips and resources to become more successful.

“Our new Agent Resource Section offers agents a new way to embrace the wealth of information that will help them maximize their pipeline and better utilize their insurance leads,” said Brandon Cruz, President of ProspectZone.”

The Agent Resource Section features:

• Tips and Trends. Insurance agents can discover the best practices for working leads, and internet marketing strategies that really work.
• Technology. ProspectZone’s toolset is designed to help insurance agents work more leads, eliminating busywork and make follow-up marketing automatic.
• Newsletter. Inside edge on how the lead generation really works is offered to insurance agents, revealing how to get the most from lead budget.
• Whitepapers. ProspectZone’s collection of resources is growing, helping agents succeed with whitepapers and info sheets that get right to the heart of the industry.

Amongst all of the companies selling insurance leads, only ProspectZone can deliver the volume of qualified leads that agents need to stay competitive. By connecting agents with genuine health insurance shoppers and expert resources, the newly designed ProspectZone is a one-stop-shop for success.

About ProspectZone
In today’s growing health insurance market, ProspectZone stands out by offering exclusive, genuine leads to insurance agents, brokers and companies. ProspectZone attention to quality methods keeps them delivering high volumes of motivated insurance prospects to one-man shops, top-producing agencies, and some of the nation’s leading carriers every day. To learn more, visit http://prospectzone.com/.

This move means that life insurance producers will have access to more variety when designing their insurance lead packages:

• Statewide or county
• Exclusive or shared
• Age filters for 25+ or 45+ included

ProspectZone built its industry-leading position through a commitment to providing the highest-quality insurance leads. This focus on quality is infused in every stage of ProspectZone’s lead-generation and delivery system:

• Search engine shoppers. Online consumers actively searching for life insurance are targeted with informative consumer-oriented websites.
• No incentives. Insurance shoppers are never “bribed” with prizes or incentives to become leads. In fact, each lead specifically requests to be contacted by an agent for a quote.
• Filtered. Each insurance lead is checked against a dynamic validation database and automatically filtered for the age, state or county that each agent selects.
• Fresh. Qualified insurance leads are delivered to agent inboxes in real time, so they can contact prospects who still have insurance on their minds.

For more information about ProspectZone’s high-quality insurance leads and sales automation tools, producers can visit www.ProspectZone.com or call 1-866-466-7829 ext. 1.

For agents looking to increase closing ratios and sales volume, we offer a variety of guaranteed health insurance leads, as well as life insurance leads, Medicare leads, live transfer leads and more – all genuine prospects who are actively shopping for insurance.

Learn more about a partnership with ProspectZone and see how our insurance leads can help you grow your business and increase revenue with a customizable lead package. All insurance leads are sent to you in real-time; they are never incentivized and never oversold. We stand behind our lead quality with a generous return policy. Because we want to see you succeed, you’ll also receive tips and training from the top experts. For more information on obtaining insurance leads, please speak with a ProspectZone lead specialist today.