Anybody Know Anything About This?

[Chazm]

I'm brand new (this will be my first AEP) and my manager has assigned me to a Walmart. I know many here are not fans of working a Walmart booth, but I am going to give it a shot this year since the agent working it with me has done it before with some success.

My question is: my manager says I can only get consent to contact forms and have to set in-home or in-office appointments for later to write apps. Can I not take MAPD applications at the Walmart? It would seem to me to be the much better way to go, if possible.

When I was new in the biz I set up shop at a Walgreens for UHC. I was able to do apps there but I mostly set in home appts. I just had them sign a scope and set the appt.

Regarding Humana and what they want you to do there is up to Humana. But there's no rule that I'm aware of that says you can't take an app.

Sucks you have to work it with someone else. At the same time? That's bad.

 

[Limozine]

When I was new in the biz I set up shop at a Walgreens for UHC. I was able to do apps there but I mostly set in home appts. I just had them sign a scope and set the appt.

Regarding Humana and what they want you to do there is up to Humana. But there's no rule that I'm aware of that says you can't take an app.

Sucks you have to work it with someone else. At the same time? That's bad.

When I said an agent was working with me I meant we'll be splitting time at the Walmart. We won't be working it together at the same time. Thanks for the input, though.

 

[isaias]

My question is: my manager says I can only get consent to contact forms and have to set in-home or in-office appointments for later to write apps. Can I not take MAPD applications at the Walmart? It would seem to me to be the much better way to go, if possible.

Having worked several retail settings i can tell you that your manager is incorrect. You can take an app on site but there are a couple of reasons you might not want to.

1. You are in a public setting. Everyone may be able to see your client's personal info. If they insist, find a private spot to do the app.
2. You still have to do a full and compliant presentation. Depending on their requirements, you can be talking to them for a long time which also means you can't talk to anybody else at the same time.

In my opinion, it's best to set the appointment and go see them later where they'll have access to all their documents, medicines and any other info you may need.

 

[Limozine]

Having worked several retail settings i can tell you that your manager is incorrect. You can take an app on site but there are a couple of reasons you might not want to.

1. You are in a public setting. Everyone may be able to see your client's personal info. If they insist, find a private spot to do the app.
2. You still have to do a full and compliant presentation. Depending on their requirements, you can be talking to them for a long time which also means you can't talk to anybody else at the same time.

In my opinion, it's best to set the appointment and go see them later where they'll have access to all their documents, medicines and any other info you may need.

Thanks! This was exactly what I needed. To be fair, my manager may have been referring to the two weeks leading up to AEP in which I can sit at the kiosk but not take apps. I'll clarify that on Monday.

 

[Chazm]

Thanks! This was exactly what I needed. To be fair, my manager may have been referring to the two weeks leading up to AEP in which I can sit at the kiosk but not take apps. I'll clarify that on Monday.

You probably won't be doing many if any presentations until early nov anyways. I would of asked if you could open oct 15. Pre-Aep is going to be really tough. Thumb twirling tough.
Wednesday's might be your best days

 

[Cenla Agent]

I did the Walmart thing 10-12 years ago, but that's when PDP was brand new and everybody had to have it. MA was brand new to the area too.

Since then, it has been offered to me several times but I've turned it down, not wanting to commit to the hours because I figured it would be a waste of time. I've heard of a few agents doing well in retail locations in recent years, but it seems to be few and far between. Some of them may be breaking the rules. Some of them may simply be in a great location.

There's a reason why most if not all of the carriers don't have their captive agents in Walmart anymore.

 

[Limozine]

There's a reason why most if not all of the carriers don't have their captive agents in Walmart anymore.

I'm sort of between a rock and a hard place on it. My upline isn't forcing me, but I am depending heavily on him for guidance since this is my first AEP and this is what he wants me to do. If I don't do it, and the season is a flop for me, he'll be able to say, "I told you so" and may not be as keen to help me next year. If I do it, I may flop anyway. But at least I'll have ammunition next year to tell him that I'm going to try something different.

I'm also doing some seminars on my own, so I'm not putting all of my eggs in a single basket.

 

[fishfortwo]

I did the Wal-Mart thing when I started 10 years ago. It was never ever hot and heavy, but I can look back and I can easily say doing it for about 5 years added to my book of business. If I look at the referral tree from those years I would say I added well over 200 people.

Absolutely do lots of other marketing but if you are not a captive getting leads it beats standing on a corner. It as monotonous as hell, but you cant sit there and read the paper or a book, you have got to make eye contact and say hello.

A couple of years I had a partner to split the mandatory hours with and that will certainly help.

Unless you have a great marketing scheme, being new it cant hurt.

 

[axeman462]

I have a an agent that was new last year, her first AEP. She wrote 45 PDPs and 18 MAPDs from sitting in a Walmart 3 days a week. Not a bad way for a new agent to jump start her business in my opinion.