Transcript Slide 1

Growing Your
Anthem Blue Cross
Business
Is It Enough?
 You already do some or all of these activities, right?

Internet marketing

E-mail marketing

Direct mail

Advertising

Networking
 Can you do even more to increase leads and grow
your Anthem Blue Cross business?
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How Do I Generate Leads?
 Define your goals
 Build and market a website; get AgentConnected
 Purchase internet leads
 Use e-mail/e-marketing
 Use AMAP Program to:
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Advertise in local papers/magazines
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Send traditional direct mail
 Cold call
 Ask for referrals
 Network
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Define Your Goals
 What are your initial plans and goals?


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How much time and money are you willing to commit to
grow your Anthem business?
What kinds of activities will you do first?
How much do you want to increase your prospect
database/revenue?
 What are your follow-up plans and goals?


How will you supplement your initial lead-generating
activities?
What kind of return on investment do you expect?
Work with your RSM to develop a customized approach
to grow your business.
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Are You Ready for the E-Consumer?
 Consumers are shopping for more services via the internet
than ever before
 In 2006, more than half of all health insurance purchases already
involved the Web*
 By 2011, more than 90% of all individual health insurance policies will
be purchased, either partially or completely, on the Web*
 Do you shop online?
YOUR OPPORTUNITY
Consumers shopping for health insurance online need
an educated and reliable agent to assist them through
the sales process.
*Celent, “Online Insurance Sales and Marketing: What's Happening and What's Next,” July 17, 2007
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Need Help Creating a Website?
To get started, here are just a few of the companies that
sell domain names and offer web development services.
GoDaddy
www.godaddy.com
BuyDomain
www.buydomain.com/
Register.com
www.register.com
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Make Your Site…
 Visible

Include your internet address on business cards, stationery
and all marketing materials
 Actively e-market or buy internet leads
 Customer-focused and professional
Speak to your customers’ needs and interests – discuss 3 plans
that are basic and good sellers
 Include only a minimum amount of information about yourself
 Avoid jargon, unless you’re marketing to a very select audience
 Ability to provide real-time quotes

 Easy to view and navigate

Use links to information rather than big blocks of text
 Use an experienced vendor, unless you or someone on your staff
has this experience
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Become an “E-Agent” Quickly and Easily
If you aren’t ready to develop a website yourself,
you can combine the tools that Anthem offers:

Utilize our AgentConnect tool to create your web page and
an online application tool
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Utilize The AgentAssistant download to act as your:

quoting tool

proposal generator
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client database

follow-up system
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AgentConnect: Your Site. Our Tools. Your Sale.
 A quick, easy way to establish your web presence and
start earning commissions from online sales
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Your agent information populates automatically on
applications clients complete on your site
You get an automatic e-mail notification when someone
starts an application on your site
You get a follow-up notice if an application is still not
complete after 2 days
Applicants can easily forward your web address to friends
or relatives – E-References!
 For more information or assistance with AgentConnect,
contact your RSM or call Agent Technical Support at
1-888-ANTHEM-1 (1-888-268-4361)
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From Your AgentConnect Site ...
Prospects Can:
 View benefit information
 Search for providers
 Print forms
 Get quotes
 Apply online!
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Sample AgentConnect Page
Your
personalized
information
Direct links to:
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Find a provider
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Get a quote
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Apply online

Tonik website
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Sample PlanFinder Page
What a prospect sees
when viewing our
website on their own
(note page framing)
What a prospect sees
when viewing our website
through AgentConnect
(note agent information)
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Internet Leads – Basics
 Usually non-exclusive, so quick follow-up is a must
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First-touch e-mail and phone call immediately
Let prospects know you’re there to guide them through
the process of shopping for health insurance
After gathering information from prospect, send plans and
rates right away via e-mail and follow-up with phone call
Use phone call to instruct them on starting the application
Establish and utilize a follow-up system
 Invest in a portable device (Blackberry, Palm, etc.)
so you can access e-mail when out of the office
 Track results
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Internet Leads – Getting Started
 The number of leads you buy depends on your
budget and resources.
 When starting this program, you should work no
more than 5 leads a day if you are a one-person
shop or 5 leads per sales representative.
 As you are able to handle the workflow, you may
increase that number accordingly.
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Internet Lead Flow
Internet Lead Flow
Purchase internet lead
Lead sent to your e-mail account
Agent sends quote via email;
Use AgentAssistant to store prospect info
Follow up by e-mail and phone
Prospect is not interested at this time
Prospect is interested
FOLLOW UP
Send email blasts, postcards, letters
Prospect becomes interested
Walk prospect thru your website to apply online
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Sample Internet Lead
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Where to Buy Internet Leads
Popular Internet lead vendors:
1. Vimo
www.vimo.com
2. Norvax
www.norvax.com
3. NetQuote
www.netquote.com
4. InsureMe
www.insureme.com
5. LeadbotTM
www.leadbot.com
6. Quotit
www.quotit.com/products.asp
7. United Quotes
www.insuranceaffiliatenetwork.com
8. ProspectZone
www.prospectzone.com
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Internet Leads – Cost
 What do they cost?

Exclusive leads* @ $25-30 per lead
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Non-exclusive leads @ $8-12 per lead
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E-Marketing
 E-mail signature – include link to your website
 E-newsletters
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Make informative (e.g., general news, health and wellness tips)
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Prospects/clients can opt in or out
 Keep yourself in front of prospects who may turn into buyers
 Web reviews
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Encourage your clients to submit a review of your business on
review sites such as:
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YellowPages.com
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CitySearch.com
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Yelp.com
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Yahoo.com
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Traditional Lead Generation
Agent Marketing Assistance Program (AMAP)
 Professionally designed advertising and direct mail templates
ready to customize with your information
 AMAP turnkey program for convenient, one-stop direct mail
service
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Includes artwork, printing and distribution for a single
package price
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Also ideal for creating letterheads, envelopes and
business cards
 Earned AMAP advertising dollars can cover a percentage of
your costs, including printing
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Your AMAP Support
 Marketing support is just a phone call away
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1-800-310-2273 – AMAP assistance
 More information at www.anthem.com/ca
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AMAP general information and materials
Agent site  AMAP
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AMAP reference online:
“Your Complete How-To Guide — Reaching Your Target Audience”
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Traditional Advertising Resources
Newspapers
Daily News
818-713-3382
Los Angeles Times
San Fernando Valley & Ventura
818-772-3413
Inland Empire
909-484-7030
Orange County
714-966-7496
PennySaver
714-996-8900
Ventura County Star
805-437-0000
Orange County Register
714-796-6975
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Traditional Advertising Resources
Newspapers cont.
Sacramento Bee
916-321-1000
www.sacbee.com
San Francisco Chronicle
415-777-1111
San Jose Mercury News
408-920-5000
Posting Board
Carwashads.com
800-787-2717
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Traditional Leads and Direct Mail
 List Brokers
NameFinder (Ben Sawyer) – 800-241-2642 or 206-285-7057
 Direct Response Associates
(Kurt Naegle, age-in/Senior list broker) – 800-353-5475
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 Shared Direct Mail
“Many Faces” ad (contact your RSM for information)
 MoneyMailer, ValPak, etc. – 805-557-6656
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 Le Tip Lead Club
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Join a local chapter
 Give and receive leads with other members
 Competitors can’t be members of same chapter
(no conflicts of interest)
 800-255-3847, www.letip.com
 Use colorful or oversized envelopes for direct mail
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Cold Calling and Other Old Reliable Stuff
 To jump start your business, try to do 100+ cold calls a week
 Get referrals from existing clients
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Every quarter, select 6-8 couples to join you for dinner at a nice
restaurant to show your appreciation for their business
Make sure you’re AgentConnected: applicants who apply through
your site can easily forward your web address to friends/relatives
when they reach the end of their online application
 Market to your existing clients with a survey or census form to
capture changes in coverage needs, changes in address, etc.
 Ask existing clients if you can use them for testimonials
 Re-market your past inquiries
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Go through your list of potential clients once a year
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More Old Reliable Stuff
 Always carry your business cards
 Get a rubber stamp for all outgoing mail
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Don’t forget to include your web/AgentConnect site address!
Authorized Independent Agent for Anthem Blue Cross
Ask for a Health, Dental & Life Quote
[your contact info, including your web/AgentConnect site address]
 Get post-it notes with your name, phone number and
website/AgentConnect site address
 Business card magnets
 Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one marketing
activity
 Maintain a file of marketing ideas
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Last But Not Least... Networking
 Contact your area Chamber of Commerce
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Find out about upcoming events; get your own booth or share
with another agent
 Get a list of local organizations, e.g., Rotary, Lions or
Soroptimist clubs
 Call on friends/acquaintances who own or work in
personnel agencies
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Ask if they will display Anthem Blue Cross Individual sales
materials, including Short-Term Plan information
 Ask if you can do a short talk on health insurance
 Be a guest speaker at your local college or trade school
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Explain the basics of insurance
 Give handouts with your name and phone number
 Be active in industry community online forums and groups
such as craigslist
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And More Networking
 When visiting Small Group clients, leave behind
materials for:
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employee exit packages
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employees who are on new-hire waiting periods
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employees who are on leave
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What’s Next for You?
 Of the ideas covered today…
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Choose 3 activities you want to implement in the
next 30-60 days
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Decide how much time and money you can invest
(remember to check your earned AMAP balance)
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Document an actionable plan
Let your RSM, Agent Support and AMAP Support help
you get started and keep you moving forward!
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THANK YOU!
Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California. Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association.
® ANTHEM is a registered trademark. ® The Blue Cross name and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association.
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