Bringing the benefits portfolio out to the cutting-edge “Disruptor” is such a loaded word, isn’t it? But it is a precise description of healthcare industry thought leaders like David Contorno of Lake Norman Benefits in Mooresville, NC; Mark Gaunya of Borislow Insurance in Boston, MA; and Andy Neary of The Olson Group in Omaha, NE. These healthcare rock-stars, among many …
Disrupting the voluntary benefits market
BenefitsPRO published this article in June about my BenefitsPRO Broker Expo. In his BenefitsPRO Broker Expo presentation, voluntary expert Eric Silverman outlines what advisers need to do to move beyond a status-quo enhanced benefits strategy. When it comes to creating a new vision of voluntary benefits where the products play a central role in the lives of employees and the …
Defined contribution = benefits shopping spree
The concept of defined contribution (DC) is not widely used in the enhanced, or voluntary, benefit space. But communicated properly, approaching enhanced benefits from the DC perspective is a powerful and innovative tool that brokers can bring to their clients. I start the conversation by asking employers, “Why do you pay for benefits such as life, dental, vision and disability?” …
For Benefits, Word Choice Can Prove Paramount
How “Ancillary” and “Voluntary” may be hurting your enhanced benefit sales I just closed my first 50-life case and couldn’t wait for the employee group meeting. Visions of 80% employee participation were letting my mind cash checks that inevitably my mouth hadn’t yet written. While presenting, I proceeded to, innocently enough, refer to the majority of their employees as “tow …
Millennial advisers who are transforming their family firms
The average age of someone in the insurance business is 54, and for most firms, recruiting a younger generation into benefits has been very challenging, to say the least. I’m pumped that I was able to secure three millennial rock star benefit strategists who are breaking through the benefits status quo and taking their geographic markets by storm to speak …
Finding sales partners in unexpected places
Working late one evening, my office cleaning guy, Jeff, popped in to tidy up. He had been cleaning my office for nearly a year, but I never see him since he usually does my space last. While he was cleaning, I struck up a conversation with him about how his business operates. I found out that he works alone and …
Voluntary disruption
I would argue that the most influential disrupter to our industry must be the willingness of the broker community at large to adjust, adapt, and embrace our ever-changing market. “Disrupter” is the term most often used to describe health care industry thought leaders like Mark Gaunya of Borislow Insurance in Boston, Massachusetts, and Andy Neary of VolkBell in Longmont, CO. These consultants, …
How to adopt a time-proven sales closing strategy
Seventeen years ago, I was a college intern with zero sales experience and no insurance background. My manager was an old-school sales pro who preferred to have a conversation with prospects, and for the most part, shoot from the hip. To say he wasn’t a great closer, however, would be a lie. In fact, he remains one of the top …
How ‘ancillary’ and ‘voluntary’ are hurting enhanced benefit sales
As an intern, green as can be, I found out the hard way that words are very powerful things that have intense meaning. I’d just closed my first 50-life case and couldn’t wait for the employee group meeting. Visions of 80% employee participation were letting my mind cash checks that inevitably my mouth hadn’t yet written. While presenting, I proceeded …
Change client lives through small talk and soft questions
“No, I’ll just sign a waiver.” Six words an enhanced benefit enroller never wants to hear. We all know that employee, the one who doesn’t have time to meet, already knows everything, and just wants to sign a waiver. I was enrolling a multi-thousand employee group and in walked a gentleman whom I’ll just call ‘Mr. Waiver’ — the employee …