Broker blog

Do you ever feel like you “literally just can’t even” as you’re trying to figure out what employee benefits Millennials love? (if you don’t know what this means, click the link above to learn more)

I've had the privilege to co-teach a class for Employee Benefits Consultants called “Marketing Your Agency in a World Gone Crazy” with Wendy Keneipp from Q4intelligence.

Are you using LinkedIn to build your business? …sell a product or service? …get personal introductions from other connections? ...find a new job? …establish yourself as a thought leader?

Are you trying to establish yourself as a “thought leader” on LinkedIn? Have you tried publishing content? In 2014, LinkedIn allowed only “big name influencers” to publish content until they opened up the option to all LinkedIn members.

Have you heard of HonestSlogans.com? They create more, shall we say, “direct,” catchphrases for well-known companies. For instance, WebMD’s honest slogan is, “Convince yourself you have a terminal illness” – so true! For LinkedIn, they’ve come up with, “Connect with people for no good reason at all.”

A few years ago, I would’ve agreed. I’ve been a LinkedIn member since 2007 and have really only been using LinkedIn as an online resume and a place to connect with other professionals – again, for no real reason other than it might come in handy someday.

As a benefits consultant-advisor, you’ve probably spent a lot of time over the last 5 years rethinking benefit planning and your role with customers. Today's employee benefits plan includes solutions for many issues you never had to implement a few years ago: benefits administration, HR technology, payroll systems, compliance, etc. Determining appropriate cost containment strategies has been crucial as you discuss qualified high-deductible plans, deciding to self-fund (or not), increasing out-of-pocket costs, reducing networks, changing prescription formularies, etc.

We’ve all seen huge changes in our industry. We went from indemnity plans to PPOs to managed care to ACOs. The changes keep coming and more ferociously.

As benefit consultants and teachers of the ways to save money on healthcare, we need to continue changing our spots. So far, we’ve been successful in our messaging to get clients to make choices to reduce healthcare costs. We've gotten them to stop using the emergency room and look toward the urgent care center as a less expensive alternative. Along those lines, we educated clients to use generic drugs instead of brand names.

Why do your clients offer an employee benefits program? This is an important question because the way you approach it will impact your recommendations and business. Some think of their employees as family members and want to make sure they’re taken care of. Others do it to avoid the ACA’s employer mandate penalties.