Human Resources staff are busy people—too busy to keep up with all the benefit plans their companies offer. Then those plans change from year-to-year. And consumers who are not employed by larger companies that offer benefits can be easily confused by insurance. Added to the general confusion are the provisions around the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

But there is a solution: brokers making dental insurance commission their primary revenue stream. Brokers whose primary focus is dental insurance can take the time to expand their base of customers. They can also create partnerships that help solve information gaps and areas of confusion for large and small customers alike. Here’s how.

Know who is included in your customer base.

Opportunities abound based on how you define your customer base.

Florida is a state with areas of dense population and government employers. There are also large, mid-sized, and small private employers—some with labor unions—as well as numerous associations, a sizable retirement community, and a variety of individuals. There also are immigrant groups and uninsured consumers and people who have flexible health savings accounts.

A significant opportunity exists in assisting new retirees moving to Puerto Rico or Florida. The sunshine state occupies four out of the top five places for seniors to retire in the latest data. This includes Pensacola, Tampa, Naples, and Daytona Beach.

All these customers need dental care, and all of them would benefit from a knowledgeable broker-partner whose primary focus is dental insurance options. Your job is to create customer partnerships, and then help your customers design affordable mix-and-match dental plans.

How to expand your customer base.

Stay active on social media.

• Stay up on your social media skills. Generally speaking, most of your potential customers are active on at least one social media site.

• Be strategic about your use of social media and monitor results, modifying your engagement as needed.

• Consider utilizing YouTube videos for “infotainment” purposes. Post short, engaging videos that inform while they entertain. Post links to your videos everywhere.

• Think about Facebook to personalize your contacts. Be sure to have both a business page and a personal one. Use the personal one for posts about you, not just about business. Research shows that the individualized touch is more likely to help you expand your customer base.

• Use platforms like Twitter and TikTok to expand your community of younger professional contacts.
  
  

Seek out and network with groups and associations.

• Groups that welcome newcomers are a reliable source of customers. They are neighborhood associations, nonprofit associations, business networking groups, and women’s networking organizations.
• Make it your business to meet and exchange contact information with three new people at every meeting or event you attend.
  
  

Brush up on another language

• Many immigrant communities will appreciate having a broker-partner who can communicate in their native language. This will also give you an edge with employers who hire bilingual staff, and with some labor unions.
  
  

Always ask how you can help.

• Every member of your customer base will be looking for you to help resolve their information gaps and areas of confusion around dental insurance. So, don your hero cape proudly and jump in.
  
  

Request referrals

• Satisfied customers will see you as a partner genuinely interested in assisting them. Then they will be happy to tell others about you. Don’t forget to request those referrals.

Implementing these tips into your daily business practices is sure to help you create a steady source of income through dental insurance commission and premiums, or at the very least put some extra cash in your pocket. Let us know how it works for you - we love hearing success stories!