Coaching your clients to benefits success

I’ve always loved sports. Though my glory days on the field are behind me, I had the privilege of playing coach to my two sons as they grew up. When I began coaching, I started to notice the parallels between creating a coaching strategy and creating a strategy in business and building relationships. With coaching, I had to learn how to connect with different personalities and find the best way to maximize talent. In life and in business, success requires a similar approach: you must treat each interaction differently and tailor your approach to the individual. I learned this also proves true in the insurance industry. As I embark on my journey here at Trustmark, I thought I’d share a few lessons I’ve learned from coaching that can serve all of us as we try to deliver benefit solutions for our employer clients.



Communication strategy

Like coaching, when working with different brokers or different client partners, you need to tailor your approach depending on who you’re working with. Every client is different and being able to cater the approach to best fit their needs is the best way to find success.

Getting on the same page with clients communication-wise leads to smoother case set up, faster resolution of issues and, most importantly, a better understanding of your clients’ needs and challenges. A communication strategy to employees is maybe even more critical: you need to understand the employee demographics, how the benefits you’re offering fit together and the best way to reach the employees to deliver the right communication. I wouldn’t ask a 7-footer to play point guard and I wouldn’t ask an employer to hang posters about enrollment in the office for a primarily work-from-home workforce. Know the players, know the goals, and develop a communication strategy to succeed.

Team building

Surrounding yourself with the right people is an important part of having success in the voluntary industry. You must pick the right players to have the best chance at winning. Partnering with the right carrier, creating relationships with the right employers/HR staff and building trust to get them on board are all a part of picking the right team. Following through and delivering the industry leading products clients are looking for strengthens your team and boosts the chances of increased participation. Success in this industry comes from not only putting together the right team, but also following through and providing what’s needed to create a long-term relationship built on trust. That is the type of team that wins. That’s when success happens.

This “team building” idea is one of the reasons I’m so excited to be at Trustmark. For many of the clients I’ve encountered throughout my career, Trustmark’s commitment to listening, their dedication to their customers and their innovative products can be part of the team that brings benefit success to clients.

Winning plays

As you develop your strategy and build your team, it’s important to execute. Details count – I’ve even gone so far as to help people get through the claim process. In every aspect of the benefits process, you have to be willing to roll up your sleeves and get into the details – to set up billing, to connect technology – whatever the process, you want to be actively involved in executing successfully for clients and their employers.

Going the extra mile can create a strong reputation and having a good name in the industry as someone people can count on to provide exactly what was promised can really lead to success. Providing ongoing support and being there to answer questions, that builds trust. It builds opportunities for more business.

We all want to win, and some of the traits that make a good coach, can also apply to our business. I've found that working with the right team, tailoring your strategy and getting the details right ar what makes a championship team in the voluntary industry.