Why we should meet…..5 Reasons

Your telephone rings, it’s me…..

“Hi, do you want to meet and talk for two hours about health insurance?” ….click….

Even though I would never say this, because it’s not my objective for meeting, I swear the prospective client hears this in their mind. They tell themselves, “Sheesh, I hate health insurance already, and this guy wants to meet? He’s just trying to sell me insurance.”

Yes, at the end of the day, chances are, I want you to become a client, which will most likely involve the purchase of some kind of insurance. But only at the “end” of the day, meaning, at the “end” of some process, some journey, some discovery or revelation, not at the beginning, and damn sure not in the very first conversation.

I’m fully aware that the overwhelming majority of human beings simply don’t like being “sold to”. It reminds us of the dinner time calls from someone selling burial policies, or term-life for your kids. It reminds us of that guy selling vacuum cleaners that insists on demoing it on every rug and mattress in the house. “And if that doesn’t impress you, look at this thing lift this bowling ball! And that’s not all!!”

No one wants to endure that type of meeting anymore, let’s just be honest. But almost every time I have a meeting with a prospect, they say to me, “I really enjoyed this conversation, I learned a couple things, and you gave me some things to really think about.” No sale, no pitch….just a conversation to see if it makes sense to have another one…..So here are 5 legitimate reasons, at least from my perspective, why we should at least have that first conversation.

5 LEGIT REASONS FOR US TO MEET

We can help you reduce healthcare/benefits costs

Let’s just get this one out there from the beginning. The price of health care and insurance is out of control. Price is arguably the biggest factor in your purchasing decision when it comes to health care and employee benefits. We have unique abilities to effect the price you pay for health care services, and insurance products. I’ve never had a client that regretted having a conversation about how to reduce the price of their pending MRI by $8000, and I’ve never had a prospect regret having a conversation about where and how they can get a prescription drug for free. Want to lower the price of your care and benefits? Let’s talk.

A Cause

We all agree that something needs to change. You believe what I believe, that every American deserves a more transparent and more fairly-priced health care system. You agree that your health insurance carrier should be more transparent about the actual prices being paid (with your money) for care, and that you should know far more about the actual quality of care and the value you’re getting for the amount you are paying. We agree that something needs to change, so we should talk about how things are actually changing and how you can get ahead and get involved.

Consistency

Few things will spoil a relationship faster than inconsistency. When you do business with people, you want to use the word “always”. They are always friendly, always knowledgeable, always professional, etc…. We consistently deliver valuable solutions for clients in addition to best-in-class customer service, which, in my opinion, is just table stakes these days. Everyone is EXPECTED to have customer service. But beyond that, we consistently show value through innovation, creativity, and determination.

Results

After thirty years in business, you’ve lost track of how many times someone has promised you a certain result but didn’t deliver. The bottom line is, you want results in the field of health benefits. One of the most common complaints I get from prospective clients is that their current broker/advisor only shows them the same four insurance options every year. Well, if you’re frustrated with your results, you should be demanding other options!

I had a meeting just this week with a prospect, and he asked me if I could “get them some quotes” at renewal time. I said, “Why? Doesn’t your current broker provide you with quotes along with your renewal?” He said yes, but he had a strange look on his face. He asked me again, “You don’t want to quote our business?” I said, “No sir, I’d prefer to help you solve problems, and just having a fist full of quotes isn’t going to solve any of the problems we’ve talked about today.” He agreed, and then we booked a second meeting.

You may think that getting a bunch of different brokers/advisors to “quote your business” is generating some kind of competition, but it’s not. And any broker that comes around begging you to “let them quote” is planning on selling you, almost solely, on price. Let’s talk about the results you would like to see via your health benefits plan.

Collaboration

It takes far more people than just brokers/advisors to solve health care’s challenges. And frankly, it takes far more than just brave employers willing to have a meeting. If I told you I was the answer to all your problems, you wouldn’t believe me anyway! It takes a collaboration of experts to solve these challenges, and that’s what we offer. Through collaborative organizations and connections, we offer unique solutions to our clients that we do not necessarily develop directly. To me, this is what an effective consultant does. They seek out solutions wherever those solutions are, not just from what exists within the “internal portfolio” inside the “capabilities binder”. If we don’t have a clear solution already in play, it is extremely valuable to work with advisors who embrace collaboration. Let’s talk about how to leverage that!

See? We don’t want to talk insurance in our first meeting! I simply want to help you understand health care a little better, because by starting there, problems are easier to identify and understand. And when problems are better understood, they’re much easier to correct. Maybe, just maybe, all your organization needs to make drastic improvement is a little different perspective.

Let’s Talk!