Program Calendar

Start the last six-month marketing push.

Send marketing flyers or postcards to your prospects to initiate contact in the new year and begin communicating the value of the program. Order marketing materials personalized with your contact information from The Standard.

Pick up where you left off before the holidays — continue to reach out to residents and fellows and consider holding webinars for prospects and their spouses or significant others.

By now you've mastered your marketing and education efforts. Keep up the good work. Remember, the more applicants you enroll early, the more time you'll have to enroll others later in the GME calendar year. If you haven’t yet, sharpen your eApp skills by asking The Standard for a refresher course.

As you enroll residents, ask your new clients to introduce you to their peers. This will help you build a network of completing residents each time you sell a policy. Track your progress.

Continue meeting with residents and fellows, especially those in their last year of training, and setting enrollment appointments for April.

Ask the institution for a census of all residents and fellows completing training this year. Circulate a second round of marketing communications to your prospects and invite residents, fellows and their spouses or significant others to meetings or webinars to learn more about income protection.

Your number one focus this month is enrollments.

With this in mind, continue your outreach efforts:

• Meet with residents and fellows — on the phone, videoconferencing or online meetings.
• Distribute marketing communications that demonstrate the value of the program.
• Attend department meetings and host educational webinars.

One-on-one conversations are the foundation on which to build lifelong advisor-client relationships. Schedule 30-minute calls or appointments with residents to discuss the importance of income protection. Tell those in their last year of training about the option to future-date their effective dates to Sept. 1 and start coverage when they’re earning more.

Also, don’t forget to check back in with residents and fellows who purchased coverage earlier in their training. If they’re nearing program completion, they’ll have the option to increase coverage to match upcoming increases in earnings through the Special BIR Accelerated Option available for the 12 months following training.

Chief residents are vital centers of influence to cultivate in support of your GME program. The chief residents for next year have likely been chosen. Reach out to them now to start building relationships.

Previous enrollees will receive communications from The Standard this month about increasing coverage under the FPO or Benefit Increase Rider provisions of their policies. Encourage these clients to keep their income protection levels on pace as their incomes increase.

The Standard sends increase notices 60 to 90 days before anniversary dates.

It's the final countdown to the enrollment deadline. Send last-chance marketing notices to potential GME applicants to remind them of this valuable limited-time opportunity. Use eApp for a faster application process. Remember, the last possible effective date for a GME policy is Sept. 1. Make sure to follow up with residents and fellows to get their new addresses as they leave to start their careers.

June is a good time to inform your GME administrator about the successes of the current enrollment year to keep them up-to-date and strengthen their support of the program.

A new class of residents will attend orientations in June at most GME institutions. Ask the GME institution for visibility at the orientation. If you provide long term disability insurance at the institution, host a workshop or webinar to communicate the value of group LTD layered with individual disability insurance for comprehensive income protection.

Send last-chance notices to graduates who are still not enrolled. Ensure all outstanding applications have been placed. Follow up with the institution to learn about the incoming chief residents and new program coordinators, as well as any other key department-level changes.

Recent enrollees may have moved to practice in a new location — be sure to get their new addresses so you can follow up with them after they start their new positions.

Wrap up your successful GME year.

Conduct final enrollment meetings with recent graduates and make a final push to place any outstanding policies. Remember, applications must be received in The Standard's home office by Aug. 31. Applications not placed within 60 days of the policy effective date will be closed as not taken.

As the program year ends, reflect on what went well and analyze missed opportunities to improve on for the next GME year. Reach out to institution representatives to recap enrollment success and plan for next year.

Don't forget to follow up with recent enrollees to capture new addresses.

If you have sold any fully underwritten IDI applications with The Standard from your eligible population, submit a list of policy numbers to The Standard’s home office to receive extra credit toward your GME participation totals.

As you wrap up one GME year and prepare for the next, cultivate relationships with institution leaders, such as department coordinators, GME plan administrators and chief residents. Ask for letters of recommendation or introductory emails to department heads. Get a list of residents and fellows in their last year of training for outreach planning.

If you have any application placement stragglers from last year, this is the time to finalize them. Your follow-up activities for the month of September should also include reaching out to recent enrollees to capture new addresses.

Welcome to the new GME year! Introducing yourself early in the academic year to residents helps lay the foundation for the springtime enrollment season. Reach out to them personally to let them know about income protection opportunities. Position yourself as a trusted advisor.

Contact institution representatives, such as program coordinators, GME administrative staff and chief residents, to share enrollment plans and strengthen their support.

Attend any GME group meetings, such as department meetings, even if those meetings are online.

Any opportunity you have to interact with GME groups is time well spent. Be available, attend department meetings and host educational webinars for residents, spouses and significant others. Work hard to lock in income protection decisions before the holidays.

Many specialist physicians and fellows may be finalizing their employment contracts. This is good time to discuss the One-Step Option to secure up to $15,000 in monthly benefits.

This is your last chance before the holidays to attend department meetings or host educational webinars. Residents and fellows in their last year have started the countdown and are planning for post-GME positions. Take time to plan your outreach strategy for the next six months, capitalizing on the new relationships you’ve already made this year.