Local providers are some of the richest referral sources an independent Medicare agent can have. A primary care physician usually works with 3,000-6,000 patients, and many focus specifically on the senior market with patients constantly aging into Medicare or needing plan changes. Providers legally can't talk about specific Medicare plan options (and oftentimes they lack the expertise to do so), meaning they would benefit tremendously from an expert local agent who they can trust to help their patients. What does success look like in the provider marketing channel?
2-3 providers who view you as their go-to agent: We recommend building a few deep relationships rather than spreading yourself too thin (especially knowing that many providers have thousands of patients you can help). You want every provider you work with to send all their patients needing Medicare help your way.
3-5 patient referrals per provider per month: This should be viewed as your baseline, and you can imagine how just a few key provider partnerships can really jumpstart your business.
Agent Tactics
This is a simple marketing channel to understand, but it takes persistence and at least a few months of relationship-building before you begin seeing rewards. Stick with it! There's almost no better referral partner than a few providers who are on your side. You should work with your Sales Director or Account Manager to always have 2-3 provider relationships in development.
See below for our provider marketing playbook (click the arrow at the left side of each bullet for more information):
Planning: It's important to first map out strategically which providers you want to target, which plans they accept, and any other business or clinical priorities the providers have. Your Sales Director or Account Manager can help you plan out which providers you want to work first.
Planning: It's important to first map out strategically which providers you want to target, which plans they accept, and any other business or clinical priorities the providers have. Your Sales Director or Account Manager can help you plan out which providers you want to work first.
Primary care physicians are the most common referral partner - they often have the closest relationship with the providers and have the largest patient panels with common Medicare questions.
We've also seen successful referral partnerships built with dentists and specialists. Talk to your Sales Director or Account Manager if you want to go this approach.
Your Sales Director or Account Manager should help you map out 5-10 providers near you and help you prioritize 2-3 to start.
Establishing the relationship: It's important to go into each meeting understanding the provider's needs and how you can uniquely help them. Take confidence knowing that every provider needs a great local agent partner, and that your skillset can add unique value to that provider's patients!
Establishing the relationship: It's important to go into each meeting understanding the provider's needs and how you can uniquely help them. Take confidence knowing that every provider needs a great local agent partner, and that your skillset can add unique value to that provider's patients!
Preparation: Before going in to each meeting, it's important to first do some research on the provider: What plans do they take (our Provider Lookup Tool makes answering this question easy)? What are the most common health needs from patients in their community? What plan or local resources can you connect patients with? What are some market insights you can share with the provider? Your Sales Director or Account Manager can share insights and help you iterate your script each week.
Pitch: It's also important to practice your own pitch! Remember, you are there to help, not sell. Practice introducing yourself, your local expertise and familiarity with local plan options, and your track record of helping clients in your community. Come with specific stories! Memorable, human stories make the best impression. Your Sales Director or Account Manager can help you refine your pitch and, when possible, accompany you on your first few visits.
Rapport building: Remember that it will take a many visits over a few months to build the trust and rapport that leads to consistent referrals. Oftentimes you'll work first build a relationship with the office manager before the provider - be nice to everyone, and come with coffee, snacks, and other goodies! Providers and their staff are perpetually overworked and will appreciate the small gestures. You can apply all provider marketing expenses against your Spark co-op.
Come with a specific ask: Take confidence knowing that you can help the provider's patients. Establish yourself as a local market expert, and ask if you can leave some business cards and fliers (we'll help you ensure everything you're doing is compliant). If you have an event planned, ask if you can leave a flier marketing it.
Maintaining the relationship: Your work isn't over even after you've built a relationship with a provider. They need constant attention - other agents know providers are valuable, and if you're not giving them love, you can get replaced! Once you've gotten some attention, you should invest even more into the relationship.
Maintaining the relationship: Your work isn't over even after you've built a relationship with a provider. They need constant attention - other agents know providers are valuable, and if you're not giving them love, you can get replaced! Once you've gotten some attention, you should invest even more into the relationship.
Consistency matters: We recommend paying each provider a visit once per week, bringing some goodies each time. It may seem like a lot, but $10 on a few coffees pales in comparison to a steady drip of referrals each month. Come to each visit with more stories about your work in the community, what're seeing in the market, and any changes to local Medicare options.