Making open enrollment more impactful
“Smaller employers as a segment are gaining more experience and their expectations across the board are mirroring the larger end of the market. For them, technology is no longer distinct to the larger employer market; paper enrollments with one carrier are becoming the exception rather than the rule.” —Nick Rockwell, Eastbridge Consulting “It’s no longer enough for benefits
“Reframe or rebrand open enrollment by changing your language. Use words that create client opportunity. We have traditionally used words like ‘requirements’ and ‘mandatory,’ creating a burdensome sense of obligation.” —Lisa Hutcherson, MASA MTS
information to show up once a year during open enrollment—consumers need easy ways to engage with their benefits all year round. Expect to see benefits built into vertical SaaS, consumer finance tools, and other places where it’s useful to see them in context.” —Shannon Goggin, Noyo “Using breakout rooms for video conferencing allows attendees to speak with specific vendors one on one. Think of each room as a ‘table’ at a benefits fair.” —Lisa Hutcherson, MASA MTS “Consider ways to incentivize or compensate employees for taking the time to review their benefits options and show up for open enrollment meetings. These could include gift card giveaways, scavenger hunts in the virtual fair environment, or random drawings for attendance.” —Sherry Olson, WEX “Benefits professionals have a timely opportunity during open enrollment to educate companies and individuals about the value of mental health coverage. Highlighting mental health options not only removes the stigma, but can ultimately lead to a better workforce and the ability to attract top talent.” —Brett Shrewsbury, Meru Health “Offer important news or interesting/informative content through entertaining and creative posts and videos—social media is the perfect vehicle. Our current ‘The Art of Benefits’ campaign leverages iconic art pieces with humor, drawing attention to unique aspects of our brand while hopefully creating some smiles.” —Neil Ratsutsky, Brio Benefit Consulting “Instead of going in and leading a meeting, we’re creating videos for medical, dental and vision. If they can watch a three-minute video to learn about their vision plan, they’re much more likely to do that.” —Heather Bowers, Lone Star Benefits “Making open enrollment fairs mandatory may sound extreme, but it shows employees their health and well-being are being taken seriously. —Sherry Olson, WEX “If you know folks who are going to be directly impacted by plan changes, they will be way more thankful if you approach them ahead of time and give them vast amounts of knowledge about how it will affect them.” —Elsa Glorioso, PeopleStrategy
Design by Chris Nicholls
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Challenging the status quo
“The ‘Great Resignation’ has left many employers scrambling for talent. The right benefit mix is vital, but so is the communication strategy behind it. Simply throwing benefits out there without consistent messaging negates the value and nobody will use them or even remember they have them.” —Mandy Baker, freshbenies ”We’re hiring doctors to do monthly videos for our clients. It’s more meaningful when an employee hears something
directly out of a doctor’s mouth rather than from the broker or the company leaders.” —Justin Futrell, TrueNorth Companies “Getting employees to take action requires communications that don’t just inform, but change a perception or a behavior. This requires a well-thought-out and documented plan—capturing who needs to hear what information (and when) throughout the year, and what channels will be used to convey that information.” —Kim Buckey, DirectPath “Many employees want more than a self-service enrollment. Offering different options, especially those that allow human interaction, is likely to drive higher participation and satisfaction.” —Nick Rockwell, Eastbridge Consulting “We’ve started doing meetings with managers of frontline workers, because so many employees come first to their managers with a question or they overhear questions or concerns while they’re on the floor. We’ve had to retrain them on things they can do to help employees.” —Alex Dampf, Oakmont Benefits Group “In order to increase the policy value for each participant, employees need to be educated about the coverage that is available. Consider creating a digital employee resource center that can be accessed from any device and reviewed by employees and their spouses at home.” —Robert Ferrone, Flimp Communications “There’s often an innate sense of trust between the employee and employer that can lead to quicker success for us when it comes to introducing new ideas. Leverage that relationship.” —Jonathan Coddington, LD&B Insurance & Financial Services “Employees need to understand their benefits before they can use them and make the right decisions. Education and communication are key.” —Chris Wolpert, Group Benefit Solutions “What I started doing with large and small employer groups is getting the ‘buy in’ to their social media account. We do it with groups all the time to use their company social media page for benefits and enrollment.” —Eric Silverman, Voluntary Disruption
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work. Benefits brokers and TPAs can lean into this paradigm shift by recommending options that answer employees’ calls for security, flexibility, more robust benefits, and better communication.” —Bo Armstrong, DataPath
“If a conference attendee I want to meet makes a relevant comment or asks an interesting question during the session, I write down their name and the comment or question. This gives me an ice-breaker to use when I introduce myself.” —Gregg Golson, J.S. Held “It may seem counterintuitive, but give the prospect some work to do. It may be as simple as an article to read or a self-assessment. When they become invested in the process, they are much more likely to move forward with you.” —Kevin Trokey, Q4intelligence
“The more formalized and marketing-like a meeting feels, the less credible it is to me. Take three minutes and learn about your subject and I promise you will stand out.” —Steve Watson, TrendBreakers “Get your ‘social pitch’ right. Have a 45-60 second response to ‘Who are you and what do you do?’ that is concise, credible and compelling. It’s harder than you might think, but it makes all the difference.” —Christian Harris, The SAFER Portal “If I see you in an article, I will cut that article out, handwrite a letter, congratulate you on what you’re doing, and then next time I see you, I’m going to stand out from the other 2,000 people who congratulated you on LinkedIn.” —Kareim Cade, Great Lakes Benefit Group “I very affectionately recommend the concept of reciprocity. I’m a radiant fan of the women in my group and they, in turn, are fans of me. That has become my marketing strategy.” —Amy Evans, Shorepoint Insurance Services “Brokers have to show clients they’re listening to them and reinforce the notion that they are a trusted resource. This starts by reaching out to clients to ask about their needs and challenges and helping provide a realistic solution tailored to their needs.” —Stephanie Shields, Equitable “The best way to connect with CFOs is to align with their priorities. The more that you can align your message with the CFO’s priorities, the more likely they will engage with you in a conversation.” —Steve Watson, TrendBreakers “Successful brokers need to recognize the dynamics at play and gain a sense of what the client’s employees value most. What are their must-haves? What are they willing to trade-off? The better you pair options to employees’ top priorities, the more effective the solutions you recommend.” —Alan Cohen, Centivo
“Often in chess, a player will sacrifice a pawn or another critical piece to set up a more important move later on. In the insurance business, the pawn can be referred to as ‘the give,’ or the employer client’s nonessential employee benefit plan items. Before going into a benefits discussion, know what the low-value ‘gives’ are and be prepared to exchange a ‘give’ for an employer’s high-value priority.” —Brian Freeman, Mployer Advisor
“When you accept clients whose only consideration is price, they tend to demand the most for the least. Think twice before giving away your services, absorbing their cost, or taking on anyone as a client.” —Frank Mengert, ebm “The client experience is what ultimately determines the success of your business. If you don’t deliver an experience that
improves your client’s business, even in ways they don’t necessarily expect, they will move on to someone who does.” —Kevin Trokey, Q4intelligence “Your agenda can be a roadblock to big thinking. Advisors are very good at sticking to an annual business plan. You hold regular meetings to review and track progress and hold yourself accountable to your goals. In those regular meetings, does client acquisition get equal time on the agenda instead of just client services?” —John Pojeta, The PT Services Group “It’s absolutely critical to continuously monitor feedback from all your audiences (e.g., clients, employees, etc.) to look for trends and stay on top of concerns. Plan to allocate a portion of your budget to gauge the impact of your customer experience programs.” —Jennifer Beck, ARAG “The best brokers align themselves with industry experts that have the data and solutions to navigate the shifting terrain to reach the higher ground—plan options that employees truly want and can afford.” —Alan Cohen, Centivo “Today, clients want us to know everything, but owning that personally may be a bit unrealistic. In a world of specialization, you can gain and keep more clients by finding a trusted partner that focuses on specific niches in which you have not or don’t want to become the expert.” —Jack Holder, EBIS “Brokers often find that an account management system allows them to grow their book of business by selling additional lines of coverage other than simply health insurance. Additionally, it can improve a broker’s profitability and professionalism by freeing up their team’s time and allowing them to focus on providing better service to their clients.” —David Reid, Ease “If I could go back in time, here’s the one question that I would have asked myself: Does this align with me/my business’s core competency? Enlisting the help of a knowledgeable subject matter expert who can do the job better and more efficiently (read: less time) than you could is a worthwhile trade off.” —Frank Mengert, ebm “An important role for benefits brokers is helping their clients navigate this new post-pandemic world. For many brokers, this will mean expanding their product portfolio, as employers will be adding more voluntary benefits to their offerings. —Mike Wilbert, Purchasing Power
“As an employer, you need to figure out exactly what is important to you from an organizational perspective, decide who you want on the team and then make sure everyone has bought in.” —Ed Ligonde, Nielsen Benefits Group
“Brokers delivering the most value to their clients are those who anticipate the needs of their clients and learn about their goals, past experiences and future hopes for their health benefit solutions.” —Thomas Sass, Gravie “Get involved in any way you can with fellow agents, carrier reps or others in the industry. Put yourself out there, get involved and learn.” —Stephanie Berger, Centered
“When you make gratitude a habit and recognize the value of the contributions of your colleagues, you encourage them to strive for greater results. And your business will inevitably grow as your team members champion your brand.” —Michele Bailey, The Blazing Group “From a mentorship perspective, it’s important to teach assertiveness, persistence, resilience—and, truthfully, working harder than your male counterpart.” —Robyn Tikia, Risk Strategies Company “Just be genuine and intentional. When you’re looking for partners, you don’t need another person to take you to dinner, you need someone who will get the job done.” —Eric Silverman, Voluntary Disruption “You’re an expert business consultant and the C-suite needs you. Realizing that is huge for your self-confidence.” —Nick Hansen, PSG Washington “Your reputation is everything—both to your employer clients and to the carriers. Don’t make false statements, and don’t exaggerate just to land a deal now and risk losing trust with your employer client later.” —Brian Freeman, Mployer Advisor “If you get involved in your community and do good work, customers who are looking for ethical business partners will research your actions. Stating your organization’s values is important; living them is essential.” —Marty Traynor, benefits consultant “Stay connected with people who are having success. Maybe it’s 10 at-bats before you get someone who understands what you’re presenting, but in between, you’ve heard from four of your peers at an event who were talking about their successes. It’s a good reminder that it is happening around you, even when it’s not always happening directly for you.” —Michael Lutz, Compass Benefits Group “What you have to be asking is ‘What is the message that separates you? What can help you break through the noise?’ There is so much complexity in your marketplace and people cannot expect you to know it all. And if you tell them that you do, they won’t believe you.” —Matthew Pollard, professional sales speaker
“How are you differentiating yourself? There are a lot of ways to highlight the good things that are happening. How can you spread the word every single day?” —Lester J. Morales, Next Impact
“When we are in the office or at conferences, it’s the small details about people that catch our attention. Whether it was the sport they played in high school, fun names of their pets, how many kids they have, or their favorite restaurant in the area, people want to know who you are, not just a face that nods during a virtual meeting.” —Awais Farooq, ActiveOps “Podcasts are a fantastic vehicle when done well. Think about the people you know in the business who are great conversationalists. You can probably think of five engaging, informative, and
entertaining potential guests right off the top of your head. A good 20–30-minute podcast can gain excellent traction.” —John Pojeta, The PT Services Group “Just start with one day and be consistent. I was just trying to put something up every Monday that I felt fit with what we do for our clients. And then connect with your target prospects, those who are in your market who you want to talk to.” —Chris Bayer, Assured Partners “I see agencies spend $20,000 on cold-calling services. Take a quarter of that and spend it on somebody who can actually edit your videos or edit your content or create it for you so that you just have to post it. That is money as well spent as somebody who can do cold-calling for you.” —Andy Neary, Complete Game Consulting “We can’t expect a prospect to take a call and immediately want to set an appointment without looking at you first. They’re buying you more than anything.” —Chris Boling, Assured Partners “LinkedIn is a professional site, and there are groups specifically for people in the benefits business. Ask to join. Post content. Comment on other people’s posts. Invite active group members in the right roles to connect with you.” —Bryce Sanders, Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. “Embracing social media has given us the opportunity to understand who our audience is and the type of content they resonate with. Direct responses and reactions to our content help us better understand the audience’s feelings towards certain issues, which in turn validates the importance of certain subjects and the need to address them with clients.” —Neil Ratsutsky, Brio Benefit Consulting “While working on your website, make sure you’re also setting up social media profiles for your business. Further, make sure your website has easy-to-share social media buttons so you can promote content from your website right onto your social media profiles.” —David Reid, Ease “There is a shocking lack of originality in selling what we do, and really, it wouldn’t take a lot to stand out in this sea of conformity. Hire a good ad agency to reconceptualize your materials—maybe select a firm with ZERO advisors as current clients. The fresh eyes and unbiased approach could help to modernize you in the eyes of potential clients.” —John Pojeta, The PT Services Group
“In terms of which channels to use, it’s important to conduct research into where your audience is most active online. Different platforms will have different benefits. Twitter is great as a fast-paced communication tool to reach your audience. Instagram is highly visual. The list goes on. Look at data from your past and current customers/clients and decide from there where you’ll focus your sights.” —Amber Reed-Johnson, Giraffe Social Media
“Brokers and consultants can use prescriptive analytics in their plan design to capitalize on shifting attitudes by identifying individuals most likely to leverage emerging technologies and target experiences that encourage good behavior and drive down costs.” —John Thomas, Benefitfocus “Whether it’s a startup or a well-established company, try to learn as much as possible about the vendor’s reputation. Like it or not, the partners you contract are an extension of your team and a reflection on your firm,
so they need to have the credentials to match.” —Keith Vallera, Jellyvision “I talk to advisors I trust who are trying these new things and ask them, ‘Who’s the partner you’re using? How are they succeeding? How are they failing?’” —Jonathan Coddington, LD&B Insurance & Financial Services “Search out a solution vendor that empowers employers to truly connect with their employees. After all, half of all employees are either unsatisfied or only partially satisfied with their current benefits.” —Craig Stephens, Selerix “When you look at data, you can make a hypothesis about what you should do; and if it’s working, you double down. If it’s not working, then you change tactics. But because data is so hard to get, many professionals don’t have that reflex or muscle memory.” —Grant Gordon, Artemis Health “Clean data means better ROI for digital marketing. Maintaining an up-to-date CRM database will help ensure that you are emailing the best prospects for more targeted campaigns. And better targets mean more revenue potential.” —Amanda Flynn, Zywave “A software provider with the benefit of extensive knowledge and experience should share it with clients, non-clients, and others in the industry to impact the common good. A record of thought leadership also serves as a sign of the provider’s own strength and reliability.” —John Robbins, Jr., DataPath “During the vetting process, be sure to get a sense of how the vendor defines and measures success, and then be sure to ask for case studies with cold, hard numbers to better understand what kind of return on investment your clients can expect.” —Keith Vallera, Jellyvision “Make sure your technology partner has a first-class, highly experienced, and dedicated team of service experts who work with your clients from setup through implementation and beyond.” —Craig Stephens, Selerix
“The importance of data is widely known, but it doesn’t only have to be used with your existing customer base. Leverage data to filter and target the most qualified leads and then utilize those data points to better understand their insurance profiles so you are able to provide solutions to their unique pain points.” —Amanda Flynn, Zywave
“For any company looking to make serious progress in creating a more inclusive workplace, listening is the answer. It is the first line of defense in knowing if there is something wrong in your company.” —Dr. Meisha-ann Martin, Workhuman “For the community that’s trying to support change, it’s a matter of offering your support. Not always your ideas, just your support. Sometimes it’s more important for me to know someone’s in my corner than to have someone fight my fight.” —Elsa Glorioso, PeopleStrategy
“It’s our job as females in our industry to tell younger generations that even though it is hard, it’s not as hard as it seems.” —Colleen Blum, Combs & Co. “Feel comfortable meeting with your female colleagues, regardless of their age. The simple fact is that there are many more men in this industry than women, and there is so much we can learn from you.” —Jessica Beames, BOK Financial Insurance “If we are going to grow our businesses and keep people engaged, we also need to give our teams the opportunity to grow.” —Allison De Paoli, Altiqe Consulting “Collaboration is really the foundation of success. Individually, we all can do well, but if we team up, we can be really damn good together.” —Kai Williams, PSA Insurance and Financial Services “If you’re looking for diversity, you should probably start talking to and connecting with people who aren’t like you. Don’t be afraid of having a different conversation. Be ready to have an open mind.” —Joel Daniels, Revolution Benefits Group “Diversity recruitment is most effective when preceded by an assessment on why gaps and underrepresentation exist. Is your organization a place where employees believe they can bring their whole selves?” —Dion Bullock, Broadridge Financial Solutions “From a recruiting perspective, I am looking for people who give a damn and who don’t just want a paycheck. I am looking for people who have great ideas and want to challenge the status quo and who are very interested in wanting to join a family.” —Ed Ligonde, Nielsen Benefits Group
“I started doing a weekly interview series with people in our industry. My girlfriend said, ‘You know, you only interview white men.’ On an individual level, I’m now always looking for opportunities to highlight more diverse conversations, whether that be through what people look like or what’s being talked about.” —Justin Futrell, TrueNorth Companies
“Once you make level-funding a part of your prospecting process, you’ll need to find a carrier or a third-party administrator. Start by setting aside time to learn about carriers/TPAs that offer budget-friendly, creative plan designs that you could present to your small and mid-sized clients.” —Dale Kumpula, Trustmark Small Business Benefits “Do not introduce too many things
at once. You don’t want to shock the plan participants or the employer, so you gradually introduce changes year by year. Maybe the first year we introduce a HDHP; obviously a big key to success is employee education.” —Robyn Tikia, Risk Strategies Company “You have to simplify the proposal to explain the different parts of the health plan, such as the third-party administrator, network, insurance stop-loss and pharmacy benefit manager. It is the same as fully insured, but diagrams go a long way.” —Donovan Ryckis, J Donovan Financial “When was the last time your client heard their employees say, ‘Wow, that’s covered?’ or ‘that’s all I have to pay? Finding health benefits providers with plan designs that remove these painful confusion points is the path forward when it comes to providing excellence in care for your clients.” —Marek Ciolko, Gravie “Transparency and advocacy tools are key to easing the pains of a complicated health care system. Employees want a go-to resource for trusted guidance in their health care journey. A rep from their insurance carrier or an impersonal WebMD search aren’t sufficient and shouldn’t be the top options.” —Mandy Baker, freshbenies “Scrutinize current and future plan options closely for how much they encourage (or hinder) routine and preventative care. Health plans, brokers and employers can all work together to provide proactive information to individuals and encourage them to regularly interact with their primary physicians to seek solutions for their health needs and screen properly for unforeseen issues that may arise.” —Marek Ciolko, Gravie “The most feature-rich digital health tool is limited if it doesn’t have methods to engage users personally, understanding various personalities respond to different stimuli, encouragement tactics and goal-setting techniques.” —Alex Petrov, Yes Health “Brokers can identify unseen barriers that make it difficult for people to choose an optimal health plan and then offer strategies that address those barriers through plan design changes and education. Brokers and employers can test and identify adjustments that give equal opportunities to choose optimal health plans.” —Elizabeth Cote, NICHQ “For employers looking to lower their overall pharmacy costs, carving them out from their medical benefits is a good place to start. Carving out often provides more visibility into the plan, more flexibility and control around plan design, cost, and management, and allows the employer to select providers that provide the best customer service and options for them and their members.” —Bradley Nelson, RxBenefits
“If it was a billing error, it would benefit the patient 50% of the time. Call it what it is, fraud and abuse.” —David Contorno, E Powered Benefits
“With great power comes great responsibility. If you truly want to change health care, be part of the mission.” —Lester J. Morales, Next Impact “If I can make an employer mad when describing their current plan, then I’ve succeeded in making them realize they’ve been screwed over for years.” —David Contorno, E Powered Benefits “When someone has to make a choice between getting their child’s medication or making their
car payment, it’s a sick-to-your-stomach feeling. So, I think any time we can lessen that burden and allow someone to get the medical care they need, it’s a huge win.” —Rachel Miner, Thrive Benefits “Our competition is the best tech experiences our users interact with seamlessly every day. It’s a high bar, but our free-market health care system depends on it—and Americans deserve a better health care experience.” —Heidi Rasmussen, freshbenies “Not adapting is to the detriment of both the corporation, which could benefit from the efficiencies created by technology, and consumers, who would benefit from consistent and clear communications, access to information at their fingertips, and an enrollment process similar to the shopping experience many prefer.” —Heather Garbers, HUB International “Challenge the status quo with your health plans and providers to force innovation to be embraced. Many patients no longer want face-to-face sessions. They’d prefer flexibility and convenience in the comfort of their own home.” —Brett Shrewsbury, Meru Health “In 2022, leaders will be less knowledgeable, in the best way possible. They will ask questions more frequently, trial run various solutions and heavily rely on their agility and adaptability. This provides the opportunity to learn quickly and maximize the chance for success.” —Omer Glass, GrowthSpace “We need to do a better job as an industry of telling our story. If we just describe ourselves as brokers, no one wants to do that. But if we say we’re going to battle every day to fix a dearly broken system, help the average Joe put food on the table, that’s an inspiring story.” —Mike Hill, Total Control Health Plans “When you decide to do things differently, the results do not come immediately. It was a good six months before I earned that first good client. But it comes back to you when you do the right thing.” —Megan Zimmerman, Marsh & McLennan
“Execution is where the mastery happens. So jump in.” —Kim Eckelbarger, Tropical Benefits