Everything you need in one place to plan your most successful Welcome to Medicare meetings.
Step 1:
Review Program Rules
- Approved agents can host up to two meetings per month for their first three months in the Welcome to Medicare (WTM) program. After three months, the agent may request an additional meeting and will get confirmation from Carolina Senior Marketing (CSM) on approval of additional meeting requests.
- Agents must submit any meetings requiring postcard advertising at least five weeks prior to the event date to allow for proper preparation and advertising time.
- If you are planning to host at a brand new location, check on availability of the venue before scheduling by emailing wtm@carolinaseniormarketing.com.
- Agents must promptly report meeting results to CSM before scheduling any more meetings. CSM will not advertise for upcoming meetings if we have not obtained previous results. This includes completing our Agent Reimbursement Form as well as properly dispositioning your leads in the “status” column of your RSVP sheet.
- Meeting locations must be within 60 miles of the agent’s home base, where business is primarily conducted.
- If an agent has not hosted at a location for 60+ days, CSM may consider that location available for other meetings.
- Agents must coordinate with restaurant management and reserve locations themselves.
- If a meeting needs to be changed or cancelled, immediately submit a cancel/change form from the WTM page in your agent portal or email ASAP wtm@carolinaseniormarketing.com.
- CSM will reimburse for up to $30 per attendee. This amount includes meal, drink, tax, tip, and any additional fees. Any amount over $30 per attendee will not be reimbursed. Per CMS nominal gift value rules, meals should not exceed $15/attendee.
- One meal per agent may also be submitted for reimbursement. Please include yourself in your reported attendance numbers if you have a meal and wish to be reimbursed.
- You must submit your meeting expenses by the end of each month using the Agent Reimbursement Form. Please submit one expense report per meeting. Reimbursements are processed within a week via direct deposit.
- You will be emailed when your reimbursement is processed by our accounting department. We will move your meeting to the Reimbursed section of your WTM portal with the amounts paid.
- If no one attends your scheduled meeting, and you therefore have no reimbursement request, still report your results to CSM using the Agent Reimbursement Form.
- CSM has the authority to determine the best avenues for marketing for these events based on our key performance indicators (Facebook, postcards, email, etc).
- It is the agent’s responsibility to review any postcard proof for accuracy before print.
- It is the agent’s responsibility to accurately enter their confirmed meeting dates into the New Meeting Form.
- Agents understand that while CSM aims to target individuals turning 65 within three to six months of meetings dates, prospects may attend who are currently on Medicare or not eligible for many months due to current digital marketing restrictions.
- Agents will make every effort to capture valuable marketing information, by setting out sign-in sheets, keeping track of their attendance numbers, and reporting results back to CSM in a timely manner.
- Facebook campaigns begin running 10 days before each meeting date.
- Postcards are typically delivered to mailboxes 10-12 days before each meeting date.
- Next month’s meeting dates are added to your RSVP form around the middle of the prior month. (For example, March dates are added around February 15.)
- CSM monitors online RSVPs and increases campaign spend when needed to help drive additional responses. Hosting agents may pay to boost their own campaigns by submitting the meeting boost form. Allow 24 hours for the boost to take effect.
- CSM is happy to offer guidance and suggestions along the way to make each meeting successful!
Step 2:
Watch our 5 min training video
Step 3:
Fill out our WTM Onboarding form
We'll be in touch via email with next steps
Tips
- Choose a restaurant that is well known in your area that your prospects will be excited to enjoy a meal at.
- Find a restaurant that has a private room with no room charge fee. You can always negotiate. Do not agree to a penalty fee if your number of attendees is less than expected.
- If you know a location works well, stick to that location. If you are unsure, try two different locations for 2 months to determine what works best.
- Try to plan at least 2 entire months of meetings at a time, do not add new locations mid month. This makes it difficult to advertise for, and sometimes impossible.
Work with the GM at your restaurant to ensure your space is confirmed. If necessary, ask for a restricted menu for your attendees so that you can stay under a total cost of $30/attendee (including tax, tip, drink, and anything else!)
Ask if you can place a sidewalk sign out front. If so, email wtm@carolinaseniormarketing.com to make your request.
Call your RSVPs as soon as you can to confirm their attendance. If they are unable to attend, offer them a one-on-one appointment or invite them to a later meeting that you have scheduled. *Please note that about half of Facebook RSVPs actually attend a meeting they responded to. It is essential to personally reach out to these leads, regardless of the auto-reminders CSM sends.
- Place your optional sign-in sheet in an obvious location. Ask attendees to fill it out, but don’t be too forceful. This sheet will help you collect mailing addresses for those that may have registered online. Enter their information into your CRM when you return to your office.
- At the start of your meeting, ask your attendees how they heard about the meeting: whether through postcard, Facebook, or word of mouth. Mark those numbers down so you can report them back to CSM when you submit your reimbursement form.
- After your meeting, add the information gathered on the sign-in sheet to your CRM tool, or into a prospecting spreadsheet that you can later use to follow back up.
- Place your WTM Guides and PTC (Permission to Contact) forms out at each attendee’s seat. If you want to put your business cards out on the table, that is now allowed by CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). At the end of your presentation ask the attendees to fill out the PTC form if they want more information. Make personal contact with each person.
- There will be some attendees that are currently on Medicare or are not phasing in for many months. Use this as an opportunity to develop a personal relationship with them so that they remember you during AEP or when they are eligible for Medicare.
- Use the status and notes columns in your RSVP sheet to keep track of where your leads are in the pipeline.
- Send your attendees a WTM Thank You Card after your meeting.
- If you collected a new Permission to Contact form at your event, periodically reach out to your lead to check in and follow up on their needs.
- Reach out to any RSVP that did not attend and invite them to a future meeting or one-on-one appointment.
- Use the status column in your RSVP sheet to know the best way to nurture your leads throughout the year.
- If you did not collect a new PTC form for an individual, you will not be able to contact them telephonically after your event. You are allowed to reach out to them via mail or email (with an opt-out option).
FAQ
Your WTM Facebook and online RSVPs will be entered into an automatic email reminder system. Please make sure to personally reach out to each attendee by phone, as soon as you can after you receive their information. Please make sure to call everyone the day before your seminar as well to confirm each person’s attendance. If you have completed our SMS Compliance form, then your campaign may be eligible to send SMS text reminders as well. (Email wtm@carolinaseniormarketing.com for any questions on this)
You should start receiving RSVPs around ten (10) days before your first meeting date. If you have little or no RSVPs 7 days out from the event, please email wtm@carolinaseniormarketing.com to make us aware. Please note, you may receive leads for some events well before 10 days prior if you have other meetings advertising at the same time.
You can request more printed materials by using the form linked at the top of this page, or visiting out Agent Marketing Request form, HERE.
Auto Reminder Sequence
For Online RSVPs
After someone RSVPs through your Facebook ad, they are reminded about your meeting through a series of reminder texts and emails. Below is the sequence that we have set up for this:
Emails
Hi <<First Name>>,
I’m excited to have you join me for the Medicare information session at [meeting date/time/address]
Why you should attend:
Understanding Medicare can be complex and overwhelming. This 45-minute session is designed to provide you with important information about Medicare that can help you make informed decisions.
So be sure to arrive a few minutes early!
See you there,
[Agent Name]
p: Call [Agent phone] to speak with a licensed agent.
e: [Agent email]
w: [Agent website]
WHEN/WHERE: [meeting date/time/address]
For accommodations of individuals with special needs at events, please call <agent phone number>/TTY: 711.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may unsubscribe
Hi <<FIRST NAME>>,
Are you all set for our Medicare event soon?
We’ll go for about 45 minutes and then I’ll answer any questions you might have.
Session info: Nov 22 @ 10:30 AM – Armor BCBS NC Pop Up Store – Greenville 600 Greenville Blvd SE Ste. B, Greenville, NC 27858
See you soon!
[Agent Name]
p: Call [Agent phone] to speak with a licensed agent.
e: [Agent email]
w: [Agent website]
WHEN/WHERE: [meeting date/time/address]
For accommodations of individuals with special needs at events, please call <agent phone number>/TTY: 711.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may unsubscribe
Hi <<FIRST NAME>>,
The Medicare event you RSVP’d for is one day away! By the end of the session, you’ll have important Medicare information to help guide your decisions.
Session Info: [meeting date/time/address]
I look forward to seeing you there.
[Agent Name]
p: Call [Agent phone] to speak with a licensed agent.
e: [Agent email]
w: [Agent website]
WHEN/WHERE: [meeting date/time/address]
For accommodations of individuals with special needs at events, please call <agent phone number>/TTY: 711.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may unsubscribe
SMS
This applies only if your campaign account has been approved to send SMS reminders. Reach out to wtm@carolinaseniormarketing.com with any questions on this.
[lead.first_name],
This is confirmation that we received your RSVP for the educational Medicare meetup: [meeting date/time/address].
If you have any questions please call or text me at [agent.phone] or email me at [agent.email]
*Calling the number above will direct the caller to a licensed agent.
– [Agent Name]
If you’d like to stop the reminder messages, let me know by replying “STOP”
[lead.first_name], This is a reminder that the educational Medicare Meetup you RSVP’d for is coming up soon: [meeting date/time/address] See you there!
[lead.first_name], This is a reminder that the educational Medicare Meetup you RSVP’d for is coming up soon (in 1 hour): [meeting date/time/address] See you there!