|
Sometimes we must be pushed into opportunities. And other times we feel pulled. For Nancy Green, after a successful fifteen-year career with United Healthcare, it definitely seems to have been the latter.
With a solid salary and helpful coworkers, Nancy didn’t have a lot of reasons to leave UHC. But she did feel called to team up with her daughter, Angela, to start an agency of their own. The pull also came from a higher power, as Nancy states that God provided the ultimate motivation. “This has truly been a walk in faith,” she says.
Opportunity presented itself when Nancy saw that Medicare Cost Plans were leaving her home state of Minnesota, and she knew that beneficiaries would have to make a move. The timing seemed ideal. With her experience in the industry and Angela’s background in online marketing and graphic design, Nancy thought they would make a good team. So, in May 2018, Integrated Insurance was born.
A Strong Start
The mother and daughter duo hit the ground running and recruited 17 agents heading into 2019 AEP. Outside of friends and family that Nancy knew may be interested in a career change, they targeted Farmers Insurance agents for recruiting. “I knew there was an opportunity… I did a lot of door-knocking,” says Nancy.
Thanks to a lot of hard work and the removal of cost plans from the area, Integrated Insurance sold over 900 Medicare Advantage Plans during the Annual Election Period.
Fast forward to today and the agency has 45 producers, serving 75 senior living facilities, and plans to expand into Arizona and Florida markets.
What is Nancy’s secret for growth? “Recruit, recruit, recruit,” she says.
But during our conversation, I realize that “recruiting” agents means a lot more to Nancy than just knocking on doors. Thanks to Angela, the agency has an online library for brokers to educate themselves. Management also goes on sales calls with new brokers as part of the training process. And when Nancy has appointments of her own, she’s quick to allow others to sit in and learn. Plenty of sales training and even business planning is key to their growth process.
It’s no wonder that most of Integrated’s new producers come from referrals.
Big Dreams
Growth is still in the forecast for Integrated Insurance. The team aspires to become a nationally recognized FMO. With current changes in the sales landscape, they know that preparation will be key.
“We put business plans in place to accomplish what we need to accomplish… What we can control, we are going to control, and we will be successful at it.”
When asked what helped Nancy and the Integrated team make it this far, she shares the following:
1. Faith in God
2. Education – knowing the products and understand the market dynamics that exist within their service area
3. Strong strategic partnerships – Kellogg and Plan Advisors have both played crucial parts in sharing marketing resources, training techniques, and Walmart kiosk coordination
4. Relationships with local carrier management teams – they can also be leveraged for marketing resources, event strategies, and mentoring
In addition, Integrated Insurance has also built quite the base of referring professionals. Nancy’s door-knocking is not just limited to broker recruiting. She has also introduced herself to many financial advisors throughout her market and now has over 30 of them referring Medicare beneficiaries to Integrated.
Integrated Insurance values strong relationships in every aspect of their business. They have a plan for the future and a willingness to put in the work required. As Nancy states, to be successful, “It takes a team of people and it takes a strong vision of where you want to go.”
We won’t be surprised to see Nancy, Angela, and the rest of the Integrated Insurance team reach whatever goals they set.
|
