KIRKLAND, Wash. /eNewsChannels/ — Companies tend to do well when they hire good people, but even the best people can do better when given good training. That’s the philosophy of LTC Financial Partners LLC (LTCFP), one of the nation’s most experienced long term care insurance agencies. It must work, judging from the company’s rapid expansion in a down economy. For three years in a row — 2008, 2009 and 2010 — LTCFP has been named one of America’s 5,000 fastest-growing companies by Inc. Magazine.
Thanks to aggressive marketing and public relations, “We’ve developed a growing mountain of leads from people wanting LTC insurance, plus organizational alliances bringing even more demand,” says Kim Galatolo, LTCFP’s Director of Onboarding and Training. “But lots of those leads would have been wasted, because our agents didn’t have time to follow all of them up.” The solution: a combination of hiring and training. “We had to bring on lots of new people and teach them the ropes fast, and we had to train our seasoned agents to increase their productivity.”
This need led to development of LTCFP’s current six-part training program. It’s designed to educate newbies from scratch and propel experienced people into new arenas and methods of marketing.
1. LTC Insurance Training Institute. The Institute offers a 5-day intensive program that brings motivated newbies to the starting gate. “It’s a comprehensive education providing everything necessary to start building a successful career in long term care insurance,” says Galatolo. The Institute also offers ongoing support from a team of experts ready to assist new agents through every step to becoming full members of the LTCFP partnership.
2. Maximizing Consumer Sales. For experienced agents wishing to place more policies per week, this program hones the true and tried strategies of marketing to consumers. “It takes agents through the entire process, from the first contact to the final close with a step-by-step approach that works,” says Galatolo.
3. Strategic Partnership Training. This helps experienced agents expand their business through professional associates. “It takes them through two days of relationship building, preparing them to work directly with their business-to-business contacts. It gives them a clear strategy for placing multiple policies through people in allied fields such as financial advice, or people who serve or run local organizations or practices.”
4. LTC Outreach and Education Program (LTCOEP(TM)). Seasoned agents are trained to leverage this successful program, which helps them capitalize on the potential in the worksite market, both for executive carve-outs and multiple or “multilife” sales. “Agents learn how to use our education and presentation materials to communicate the critical value of long term care insurance, not only for employees, but also for the company’s bottom line,” says Galatolo. Agents have used LTCOEP(TM) to place policies in small companies as well as large national corporations.
5. Seminar Selling. Experienced agents learn to deliver presentations and seminars about long term care insurance to local community, employee and other groups. Seminar Selling also includes effective methods of maximizing follow-up with participants and gaining referrals for future seminars.
6. Phone Selling. Experienced agents learn how to deliver a virtual home phone interview in the comfort of their own home. “They’re trained in all aspects of selling by phone, including lead management, use of technology, completing the sale, and the difference between phone and home interview techniques,” says Galatolo.
LTCFP is currently seeking 300 new agents. Information is available at http://web.ltcfp.com/ltcfp/careercenter.aspx . In California, where Galatolo lives and works, LTCFP is known as LTC Partners & Insurance Services, LLC.
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Story References: LTC Financial Partners LLC, Kim Galatolo, LTC Outreach and Education Program, LTC Insurance Training Institute, LTCFP, LTCOEP, long-term care insurance, seminars, agents, employees, HR, careers, advice, multilife, marketing, onboarding, hiring, services, VNR video news release.
