People buy from people

It’s as true today as it’s ever been—people buy from people. Brokers might believe that the carrier they work with is going to be enough to make the sale, but the reality is that it might get them in the door to start a conversation, but it will never take them over the finish line.

I’m certainly no stranger to the world of insurance. Having worked on the broker side of the industry in various positions, I have a unique perspective on “how the sausage is made” and how we can all work together to deliver effective solutions for employers and employees.

Don’t sell what you can’t deliver

I started my career in the industry working in sales operations, and during that time, I learned how much work goes on behind the scenes (before, during, and after a sale) in order to deliver a solution. It’s particularly important to get a handle on the service side because you may not realize when a carrier you’re working with is utilizing legacy systems or has manual processes that can take a lot of time and effort to complete. When a broker doesn’t understand how the process is managed on the back end, they may set expectations for the client that just aren’t realistic.

When I moved into a broker role from sales operations, I realized how much of an advantage it was to have a deep understanding of how the sale was managed, and that helped me to never oversell a case or set unrealistic expectations for the clients I was working with—which naturally led to the development of strong relationships and future sales opportunities. Clients I worked with knew they could trust me to deliver the exact services they needed, rather than relying solely on features, benefits, or pricing. That personal relationship and that understanding of the business is critical and using that knowledge to effectively communicate realistic expectations is a formula for success.

Don’t overcomplicate it

As a voluntary benefits broker, you're likely responsible for knowing and obtaining a vast amount of knowledge on different products, features, carrier benefits, laws, and more. It can be a lot. Because of this, it's natural to want to communicate that knowledge. But doing so makes it easy to overcomplicate what you're selling/pitching to a client without even realizing it. And when sales efforts are overly complicated, it can often create confusion and hinder your ability to establish genuine connections with your clients.

But this idea of "people buying from people" highlights the importance of keeping the sales process human-centered—which often involves avoiding unnecessary complexity. Great ways to reduce confusion and stay human-centered include streamlining the pitch to avoid overwhelming the client with too much information, avoiding technical jargon, and offering solutions, not products.

By adopting these strategies together, brokers and carriers can create a more straightforward sales process that ultimately focuses on what truly matters: building client relationships, understanding customer needs, and providing solutions effectively.

Use your carrier & partner relationships to your advantage

However, keeping it simple is often easier said than done. Especially if you’re trying to do it all and know it all. But the best carrier partners are going to be there to help you. If you were working with me for instance, it’s my job to be highly knowledgeable about the solutions I’m offering, so why wouldn’t you use me and my expertise to your advantage?

The carrier you partner with and build a relationship with—who you put your trust in to offer the best solution for clients—should be your subject matter expert and a trusted confidant. They can help solve problems and are often reliable and readily available to serve you, which will ultimately make it easier to simplify the sales journey and get your cases across the finish line.

Lastly, be yourself

It’s important to understand that clients aren’t always looking at just the solution or carrier, they’re looking at you, too. What does this person offer me? Are they present and timely? Are they genuine? By coming to the table just being yourself, showing respect, and communicating the value of the solution as simply as possible, clients will likely want to move forward in building a relationship with you directly.

In the end, success in our industry comes down to both the broker and the carrier understanding the human element of the business.  There are plenty of ways to crack open the door of opportunity. But those opportunities are often won and lost based on our ability not to drown clients in unnecessary details, simplify our communications, and how well broker and carriers can partner together to ultimately swing the door wide open and deliver results.