While we are able to deal with multiple companies and all of the largest networks, sometimes we’re unable to find a particular doctor in those networks and the sale can potentially blow up in our faces.
I started thinking:
Is there anything that can I do to get rid of this obstacle?”
I came up with a few ideas that work very well. if you haven't discovered this idea yet, try them, I've had a lot of success with it.
If I was unable to find the doctor:
First, I always double-checked the spelling of the doctor’s name, the most obvious choice.
But, I've had clients who didn't know the correct spelling of their doctor, so if it still wouldn’t come up, I would then search using the first few initials that I knew logically had to be spelled correctly. Not as obvious.
If I still had no luck, then I started asking clients the following question:
Is your doctor’s name on the door of the practice?”
What an eye opener when the first one I tried it on said “no, it’s not.”
Good start I thought. Then I asked the following questions as needed.
Do you know the name of the main doctor there?
Do you have the phone number?
Do you know of another doctor whose name is on the door?
Grab your medication!"
I’m sure you get the point.
One way or another, I’m going to try to find out if they accept the insurance we discerned is best for the client or what network they are affiliated with. This way I can accommodate my client and eliminate their concerns.
And you know if the client calls up the doctor and asks the receptionist, do you guys take ______? That's not always the right question t ask, the office might only know the network, not the name Time or something less common than Blue Cross. This is why I try to control the situation, so that it doesn't go awry.
Now, what happens if our only option is to call the doctors office and I’m working after normal business hours?
I close the sale. Usually something like this:
Let’s do this. We’ll get the policy submitted for you right now, and since it won’t get issued overnight, tomorrow we’ll call the doctor’s office and see what networks they’re in. If we need to make a change we’ll have no problem doing that.”
Doing this has two benefits:
1. It allows me to get the sale.
2. It show the client that after I close the sale, I’ll still be working for them, which, by the way, also helps to get the sale.
Even though it's not that often, the only trouble I've encountered is an
HMO doctor under contract that seemingly accepts nothing else, ugh.
Somebody Get Me a Doctor! Selling tip #1
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