How to Hold a Medcare Educational Seminar

MY question may be a simple one and probably has been discussed ad-nausium but I could not find it anywhere in the forums so here goes.

I sell Medicare MA and Med Supp plans. I want to have an EDUCATIONAL seminar. I am trying to find a concise reference as to what to do and what not to do. I have many pieces of infomration from numerous sources but nothing complete and concise, that I feel is reliable.

Also, I believe that having a educational seminar will be better attended and less off putting than a sales seminar, as well as being less CMS scrutinized. I represent several carriers and would rather not put one ahead of the other until I have a one on one with a prospect. But I DO want to gather prospects by giving out my business card and/or having them sign a sign-in sheet, with permission to be contacted. Do I offer a small USEFUL gift, serve refreshments?

Can anyone give me a concise rundown, with suggestions of what has worked for them? I am in Los Angeles County...

Thanks

The Rogue
 
MY question may be a simple one and probably has been discussed ad-nausium but I could not find it anywhere in the forums so here goes.

I sell Medicare MA and Med Supp plans. I want to have an EDUCATIONAL seminar. I am trying to find a concise reference as to what to do and what not to do. I have many pieces of infomration from numerous sources but nothing complete and concise, that I feel is reliable.

Also, I believe that having a educational seminar will be better attended and less off putting than a sales seminar, as well as being less CMS scrutinized. I represent several carriers and would rather not put one ahead of the other until I have a one on one with a prospect. But I DO want to gather prospects by giving out my business card and/or having them sign a sign-in sheet, with permission to be contacted. Do I offer a small USEFUL gift, serve refreshments?

Can anyone give me a concise rundown, with suggestions of what has worked for them? I am in Los Angeles County...

Thanks

The Rogue

Educational Seminars are MORE scrutinized by CMS than sales seminars.

You can NOT offer anything including your business card.

If someone asks you for your business card you can give it to them but you can't offer it unless they ask.

You can NOT mention ANY brand names or ANY specifics about any plans.

I've put on several and people are frustrated because you basically can't answer their questions in much detail.
 
You can probably just ask your main company for the compliance guidelines on this topic and get the rules from the horses mouth.
 
Tell them you would love to answer their questions and if they want to get together and go into further detail talk to me after the Seminar and I will get you the information you need to contact me. It would be hard not being able to go into details on the MA or PDP plans when people are asking about them because they are the most confusing.
 
Educational Seminars are a complete waste of time. You can hardly do more than stand there with a smile and hope someone wants to have a conversation.

You are not allowed to have any material. I think you might be able to have business cards on a table but even that may be in violation of CMS.

Why not just set it up as a sales event? I believe you can do an "informal" sales event where you can simply discuss generalities and ask people to sign for more information.

As far as what I do? I ONLY do sales events. If I'm going to spend my time talking with people I want to make sales.

Rick
 
At an educational seminar you can not have business cards on a table, you can only give them to people that ask for one.

As was already mentioned you can not have any material.

From the training I just went thru I have no intention of wasting my time with an educational seminar.





Educational Seminars are a complete waste of time. You can hardly do more than stand there with a smile and hope someone wants to have a conversation.

You are not allowed to have any material. I think you might be able to have business cards on a table but even that may be in violation of CMS.

Why not just set it up as a sales event? I believe you can do an "informal" sales event where you can simply discuss generalities and ask people to sign for more information.

As far as what I do? I ONLY do sales events. If I'm going to spend my time talking with people I want to make sales.

Rick
 
Educational Seminars are a complete waste of time. You can hardly do more than stand there with a smile and hope someone wants to have a conversation.

You are not allowed to have any material. I think you might be able to have business cards on a table but even that may be in violation of CMS.

Why not just set it up as a sales event? I believe you can do an "informal" sales event where you can simply discuss generalities and ask people to sign for more information.

As far as what I do? I ONLY do sales events. If I'm going to spend my time talking with people I want to make sales.

Rick

Had a question on that. If you are setting them up as informal sales event what type of different wording would you use in your marketing materials over an educational event? What locations do you suggest? I wanted to use the library but if it's not educational I can't.
 
Had a question on that. If you are setting them up as informal sales event what type of different wording would you use in your marketing materials over an educational event? What locations do you suggest? I wanted to use the library but if it's not educational I can't.

I'm changing my mind about educational seminars. I was posting last year about educational events where you get to stand at a table and smile.

You can indeed to a "Medicare 101" event and not file with CMS. But you can't be company specific.

Informal sales events are more like a county fair where you have marketing material and talk with people, handing out cards.

If you are doing an actual sales seminar it should be filed as such with your carrier(s).

Rick
 
I've done around eight or nine educational seminars a year for the past 5-years. They are always at the local hospital and promoted by the hospital. You can not sit business cards out and you can not offer them. But people do ask for them.

It's been well worth the time. A lot of good sales come from these.

And yes, CMS secret shoppers are at every one of them. You have to be very compliant.
 
I've done around eight or nine educational seminars a year for the past 5-years. They are always at the local hospital and promoted by the hospital. You can not sit business cards out and you can not offer them. But people do ask for them.

It's been well worth the time. A lot of good sales come from these.

And yes, CMS secret shoppers are at every one of them. You have to be very compliant.[/QUOTE

Someone in my company set up an educational power point and was telling me about his set up. Biggest problem I saw was he was calling it informational and requiring RSVPs which is how he created a list. After he would call all the RSVPs for an appointment.

I have a little concern about spending the money on a dm campaign, invite them to a seminar and sit back and wait for people to call me. I've been going back and forth on just calling it a sales event so I can collect information and actually answer questions about plans.

Trying to stay compliant and also not waste my time.
 
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